Editorial: A Pesach real estate story

March 26, 2010/ 11 Nissan 5770

Thirty-three hundred or so years ago it took us 40 years to make our way down the street, figuratively speaking, from Egypt to Israel. We were delayed by some scandals, a sneak attack and a few wars, but nothing too unusual, at least by now-a-day standards. Before too long we had moved in just as the landlord said we could. He wouldn’t sell the place to us, but told us we could live there so long as we followed the rules. We renovated; then did some new construction, on a mountain in Jerusalem, and we were all settled in and comfortable.

There were neighbors of course, but we got along with most of them pretty well. Actually, too well, which caused its own set of problems. But, as sometimes happens, new neighbors moved in, who made the old neighbors look pretty darn good; first Syrian-Greeks and later Romans, and they took over. Sadly, before too long, most of us were forced to leave the area and move elsewhere.

But we never forgot the old neighborhood, and some relatives never actually left. Recently, little by little many of us have gone back. Our extended family really began to move back en masse in the last 60 or so years. As in the past, progress has been slowed by some scandals, a sneak attack and a few wars, but we’ve been down those roads before and have learned that these things are just par for the course.

But this time, the neighbors are really unfriendly. They’re new people who first came to the area long after our run-ins with the Syrian-Greeks and the Romans, but, oddly, they go around pretending to people that they are the original residents of the neighborhood. They are also unsettlingly violent; they seem to like blowing things up, killing people and killing each other too. And you should see them carry on at zoning board meetings.

But the landlord always promised to renew our original lease and we’re determined to take him up on it. So we’re going to stick it out, even if we’re never going to be trading casseroles with the neighbors.

The thing is, when we first moved in it took the 40 years of travel and then a bit of set-up time. Now, we’ve been on our way back for 2000 years, and it’s been 60 years and counting, and things still aren’t settled, particularly with the neighbors. It gets a little frustrating sometimes. What’s taking so long? But we know it will work out just find in the end.

From everyone at the Jewish Star, to all of our wonderful advertisers and readers, Chag Kasher V’Sameach.