Page 48 - issue
P. 48
Yudy Brody“NiceOrTighienal Jewish Boy Licensed to Kill” Journey to Bat Ayin
Live Pest Free. to weed out families who might pose problems for the yishuv.
Although the yishuv originally required joining families to
410-989-1919
speak Hebrew, that is no longer a strong qualification. Penina
ANTS · RODENTS · MOSQUITO CONTROL speaks at a basic level, but Pinchas has a hard time with lan-
WILDLIFE · TICKS · BEES & WASPS guages and gets by in English, which most Israelis know a bit of.
“I find it much easier to communicate in person,” says Penina,
Call for your FREE Estimate “because you can gesture if you have to.” She explains that both
she and Pinchas are introverts, so they don’t need extensive so-
www.QueenBPest.com • QueenBpest@gmail.com cial involvement and are happy with their own crowd of about
15 to 20 English-speaking families. These English speakers
M.H.I.C. #104396 formed their own Whatsapp group, which is useful in obtaining
information and being part of a social forum.
M.D.A. # 30294
Penina shares her perspective on the community: “We never
thought of ourselves as Bat Ayin material because of its repu-
tation of being a bunch of hippies. In some ways it is, but that
reputation is a bit exaggerated. I myself am somewhat straight
laced, although I am a bit of a chameleon, so I can conform in the
moment. There is also a sub-reputation of Bat Ayin as being very
militantly Zionist and ‘crazy.’ Although the yishuv identifies with
the State of Israel and most boys here do army service, many set-
tlers will protest the government’s actions when other yishuvim
are dismantled or other things are done that they disagree with.
“Because of our background and our desire to connect to
G-d on a very deep spiritual level,” Penina explains, “we felt
drawn to this place. The rest of it is just style, not substance.
I felt the moment we got here that the older generation wants
a very deep connection with Hashem, although that’s not nec-
essarily true in an outward sense of the kids who were brought
up here. Every community has its issues with keeping the next
generation on the derech.”
Living in Bat Ayin has turned out to be a learning experience
for the Taylors, as they discover new aspects of themselves. “The
independent spirit here is one of the things I love about Bat
Ayin,” Penina says, who soon found herself gardening vegeta-
bles. She also noticed that many families have a chicken coop
and enjoy their own organic eggs, and decided to raise them her-
self. Penina’s neighbor sold her a few chickens and she learned
how to care for them by watching lots of Youtube videos. “The
first time I collected an egg from my own chicken, it was the
most amazing thing,” she exclaims. “It’s an incredible thing to
know that the eggs are from chickens that are well treated and
that we are not contributing to tza’ar ba’alei chaim, which is
unfortunately the case in the mass production of eggs.”
Penina sums up her feelings towards Bat Ayin’s community:
“It’s the rav who sets the spiritual tone for the entire yishuv.
He has a unique blend of spirituality and being down to earth
and accessible. Penina also loves Shabbat on the yishuv. “When
you go to shul on Friday night, you can feel that the women are
there to connect with Hashem. There is a joy and love of Shab-
bat and a love of your fellow Jew. I sense that the people who are
drawn to Bat Ayin have a purity of spirit, and that they are here
to connect to Hashem on a level you just don’t see everywhere,
40 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
Live Pest Free. to weed out families who might pose problems for the yishuv.
Although the yishuv originally required joining families to
410-989-1919
speak Hebrew, that is no longer a strong qualification. Penina
ANTS · RODENTS · MOSQUITO CONTROL speaks at a basic level, but Pinchas has a hard time with lan-
WILDLIFE · TICKS · BEES & WASPS guages and gets by in English, which most Israelis know a bit of.
“I find it much easier to communicate in person,” says Penina,
Call for your FREE Estimate “because you can gesture if you have to.” She explains that both
she and Pinchas are introverts, so they don’t need extensive so-
www.QueenBPest.com • QueenBpest@gmail.com cial involvement and are happy with their own crowd of about
15 to 20 English-speaking families. These English speakers
M.H.I.C. #104396 formed their own Whatsapp group, which is useful in obtaining
information and being part of a social forum.
M.D.A. # 30294
Penina shares her perspective on the community: “We never
thought of ourselves as Bat Ayin material because of its repu-
tation of being a bunch of hippies. In some ways it is, but that
reputation is a bit exaggerated. I myself am somewhat straight
laced, although I am a bit of a chameleon, so I can conform in the
moment. There is also a sub-reputation of Bat Ayin as being very
militantly Zionist and ‘crazy.’ Although the yishuv identifies with
the State of Israel and most boys here do army service, many set-
tlers will protest the government’s actions when other yishuvim
are dismantled or other things are done that they disagree with.
“Because of our background and our desire to connect to
G-d on a very deep spiritual level,” Penina explains, “we felt
drawn to this place. The rest of it is just style, not substance.
I felt the moment we got here that the older generation wants
a very deep connection with Hashem, although that’s not nec-
essarily true in an outward sense of the kids who were brought
up here. Every community has its issues with keeping the next
generation on the derech.”
Living in Bat Ayin has turned out to be a learning experience
for the Taylors, as they discover new aspects of themselves. “The
independent spirit here is one of the things I love about Bat
Ayin,” Penina says, who soon found herself gardening vegeta-
bles. She also noticed that many families have a chicken coop
and enjoy their own organic eggs, and decided to raise them her-
self. Penina’s neighbor sold her a few chickens and she learned
how to care for them by watching lots of Youtube videos. “The
first time I collected an egg from my own chicken, it was the
most amazing thing,” she exclaims. “It’s an incredible thing to
know that the eggs are from chickens that are well treated and
that we are not contributing to tza’ar ba’alei chaim, which is
unfortunately the case in the mass production of eggs.”
Penina sums up her feelings towards Bat Ayin’s community:
“It’s the rav who sets the spiritual tone for the entire yishuv.
He has a unique blend of spirituality and being down to earth
and accessible. Penina also loves Shabbat on the yishuv. “When
you go to shul on Friday night, you can feel that the women are
there to connect with Hashem. There is a joy and love of Shab-
bat and a love of your fellow Jew. I sense that the people who are
drawn to Bat Ayin have a purity of spirit, and that they are here
to connect to Hashem on a level you just don’t see everywhere,
40 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
