I promised that I would write about my experiences in Boston for my next post. But hey, I don’t always keep my promises. It occurred to me that it might be a surprise for some people to see an Israeli guy writing a blog in (reasonably) fluent English. But Ami, I hear you ask, how come your English is so good? (That is what I hear, isn’t it?)

Like many Israelis, I’m the child of immigrant parents. My parents moved here in the late 1960s from the United States. Dad is originally from New York, while my mom is from Boston. Although their Hebrew is fairly functional, we spoke English at home — I think they believed it would be more of a gift to their children if they passed on their very good English, rather than their rather weak Hebrew. So, as a result. I’m pretty much bilingual. Because my parents used to read to me in English, that’s the first language I learned to read and even to this day, if I’m reading for pleasure I’m more likely to pick up a book in English than I am one in Hebrew.

I’m one of three kids; I’m the oldest, I have a brother who is just finishing the army, and a sister who is soon to complete high school. Both my brother and sister still live at home with mom and dad, although of course my brother isn’t homes so often. I have a small apartment in Jerusalem, but since Mevasseret is close by, I’m probably at my parents home two or three times a week, often for a meal. It’s hard to let go of that home cooking.