Emuna Is his Name

People are fascinating. Each human being has his or her own story, one that is not always well known. Interviewing members of our community is a privilege and always reveals surprises. Writing for the WWW gives me that opportunity – and the excuse to ask questions without feeling that I am being nosy.

I had the privilege of talking to Avi Emuna of Promised Land Landscaping. I am sure many of you have used Avi’s services, as he has been working as a landscaper in Baltimore for many years. I know that Avi has helped me; he planted some shrubs in the front and side of my house that give me pleasure every year when they bloom again without any effort on my part.

But there are parts of Avi that most people in the community probably do not know. There are aspects of his life that have nothing at all to do with landscaping.

Mr. Emuna was born in Iran but came to Israel when he was five years old. He grew up in Israel, went to college there, and was a soldier in the Yom Kippur war, working in communications. After serving in the army, he decided to travel as many Israelis do when they finish with their military service. He traveled all around the United States and Central America, often ending up in Chabad houses. He became religious through Chabad and considers himself a Lubavitcher chasid.

Avi has always been a writer, who has been writing poetry since he was a young child. As he became more religious, his poems started to revolve around his learning and his yearning for the Redemption. Recently, he published a book of poems all in Hebrew with many allusions to pesukim in Chumash and Nach.  Each poem is different, but they all have a religious theme and express his yearning for the Geulah. For example, in one of his poems, called “Arei Miklat,” he uses the arei miklat, the cities of refuge described in the Chumash, as a metaphor for the soul of a person. The Hebrew poem below is the first one in his book, with an approximate translation. For those who can understand Hebrew, it is much more beautiful in the original.

The book is called Path to Geulah. Lovers of poetry who want to purchase his book may call Mr. Emuna at 410-622-2663.