This mitzvah is dedicated to my father, Ralph Heiman.  Dad was born in Israel in 1938.  He lived there during a time of chaos, both within his country and within his own home.  I grew up hearing stories about life in Israel and on the kibbutz, but I never really understood or appreciated the context surrounding his childhood.  Recently, I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the AABGU Zin Fellows Leadership Program,  involving an “in-depth immersion into the issues involved in the continuing development of the Negev – the region’s history, topography, geography, demography, sustainability, and its unique place in the unfolding development of the State of Israel.”  Our first meeting in Florida just concluded and I cannot believe how much I learned, and what a deeper understanding I have about Dad, and who he is and who he has become.

Pioneer: pīəˈnir/ noun  a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area.  Dad was truly a pioneer.  When he moved to the Hatzerim Kibbutz in the Negev around 1952, there were no settlements there!  The only people there were the Bedoin.  Throughout my classes, I gained a much deeper appreciation of what it meant to be an Israeli scout, just a teenager, living in a desert with no infrastructure.  I understood for the first time the political climate, and the strong commitment to building a Jewish home that has echoed throughout his life.

The lectures and readings have raised many questions and fostered a new type of communication between us – Dad, were you there when Ben Gurion spoke to the teens in Tel Aviv? (No, but I delivered flowers to his house for Rosh Hashanah and Paula answered the door!)  What was it like to be in Tel Aviv when Israel finally became a State?  What was it like to live under the British Mandate?  As a Zin Fellow, I am able to connect with my Dad in a new, deeper way. It’s been wonderful to honor my Dad while I still have him in my life.