Page 106 - issue
P. 106
DREAMS COME TRUE had traveled to visit Rabbi Sondhelm’s
sister and family in Rechovot and par-
JOURNEY TO BEITAR ticipate in their family’s simchas. On
THE ALIYAH OF SARA LEA BARUCHOV each of those trips, they would make it
a point to stay in an apartment as
“Fby Shira Bracha Shugarman because of Rabbi Sondhelm’s commit- opposed to a hotel to gain a small taste
amily meeting,” father and ments in America. He was involved in of Israeli life. “On our last visit before
mother announce one fine chinuch and therefore felt it was impor- the pilot trip,” Sara Lea remembers,
day. The kids amble in and tant to remain in his position for the “my father mentioned a few times, ‘One
take their places at the din- sake of klal. In addition to working in day we’re going to move here.’” Their
ing room table. The news is chinuch, he also participated in the desire to move to Eretz Yisrael finally
revealed, and jaws drop. family business. And so, Rabbi and Mrs. came to fruition when the family busi-
Hearts start to flutter, and Sondhelm asked Hashem for a sign ness was sold. Rabbi and Mrs.
the shock is apparent. How from Heaven. If the business was sold, Sondhelm asked da’as Torah from the
would you feel if you were a sixteen- perhaps that would signal that it was Bostoner Rebbe, who was visiting
year-old Bais Yaakov teenager and are an opportune time to move. Baltimore at the time, and received a
suddenly told about your family’s bracha from him to move.
impending departure to a new faraway Mrs. Sondhelm was raised in a
country? home in which Eretz Yisrael was spo- ◆◆◆
ken about lovingly and often. When her
◆◆◆ father, Mr. Fred Schlossberg, a”h, left When Rabbi and Mrs. Sondhelm
Germany, he first lived in Eretz Yisrael traveled to Israel in the winter of 1992,
Sara Lea Baruchov, nee Sondhelm, before settling in America, and contin- the children did not know that it was in
now a busy wife and mother, takes a ued to feel sentiments towards the Holy fact a pilot trip and that their parents
trip down memory lane and excitedly Land. Mrs. Sondhelm’s mother, Mrs. were going apartment hunting. During
shares her story with me in her home Greta Schlossberg, “always had a yearn- the family meeting, when the news of
in Beitar. Sara Lea had just finished ing” to dwell in Eretz Yisrael. Her con- their aliyah plans was disclosed, the
eleventh grade, when her family made nection to the Land was secured when children were simply in a state of
aliyah in 1993. I ask her why her par- her Hebrew teacher in Germany went shock. Sara Lea remembers neither
ents decided to pick up and move to to what was then Palestine and brought immediate excitement or upset, just a
Israel at that point in time. his student a small stone. The young feeling of “What, I can’t believe it!”
girl treasured the stone and every night
“They had dreamed of this for many before going to sleep would give it a Then Sara Lea’s parents did some-
years,” answers Sara Leah. When her kiss. This appreciation for Eretz Yisrael thing “very smart.” They acknowledged
parents, Rabbi Uri and Mrs. Aviva that Mrs. Sondhelm felt in her parents’ that a move for their teenage daughter
Sondhelm were still a young couple, home greatly influenced her move with would be difficult and gave Sara Lea
they took a trip to Eretz Yisrael and her own family, years later. the option to stay in Baltimore and
decided that one day they would make board with a family to complete high
Israel their home. They were not ready Over the years, the Sondhelm family school. During that difficult time peri-
to make the move at that time, mainly od, Sara Lea weighed the pros and
cons of choosing between friends and
family. She was suddenly facing the
emotion that students typically face
when they graduate from the cocoon
of high school, and have to choose
their path and confront the “real
world.”
After all the deliberations, Sara Lea
finally reached her decision upon look-
ing at a bulletin board in the Bais
Yaakov hallway one day. There were pic-
tures of girls – happy, excited friends
and shared memories. How badly Sara
Lea wanted to be in those pictures at
the end of her high school experience.
To be part of graduation...yearbook. She
was very much a part of school life and
involved with GO and concert. But then
another thought crossed her mind. Sara
102 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
sister and family in Rechovot and par-
JOURNEY TO BEITAR ticipate in their family’s simchas. On
THE ALIYAH OF SARA LEA BARUCHOV each of those trips, they would make it
a point to stay in an apartment as
“Fby Shira Bracha Shugarman because of Rabbi Sondhelm’s commit- opposed to a hotel to gain a small taste
amily meeting,” father and ments in America. He was involved in of Israeli life. “On our last visit before
mother announce one fine chinuch and therefore felt it was impor- the pilot trip,” Sara Lea remembers,
day. The kids amble in and tant to remain in his position for the “my father mentioned a few times, ‘One
take their places at the din- sake of klal. In addition to working in day we’re going to move here.’” Their
ing room table. The news is chinuch, he also participated in the desire to move to Eretz Yisrael finally
revealed, and jaws drop. family business. And so, Rabbi and Mrs. came to fruition when the family busi-
Hearts start to flutter, and Sondhelm asked Hashem for a sign ness was sold. Rabbi and Mrs.
the shock is apparent. How from Heaven. If the business was sold, Sondhelm asked da’as Torah from the
would you feel if you were a sixteen- perhaps that would signal that it was Bostoner Rebbe, who was visiting
year-old Bais Yaakov teenager and are an opportune time to move. Baltimore at the time, and received a
suddenly told about your family’s bracha from him to move.
impending departure to a new faraway Mrs. Sondhelm was raised in a
country? home in which Eretz Yisrael was spo- ◆◆◆
ken about lovingly and often. When her
◆◆◆ father, Mr. Fred Schlossberg, a”h, left When Rabbi and Mrs. Sondhelm
Germany, he first lived in Eretz Yisrael traveled to Israel in the winter of 1992,
Sara Lea Baruchov, nee Sondhelm, before settling in America, and contin- the children did not know that it was in
now a busy wife and mother, takes a ued to feel sentiments towards the Holy fact a pilot trip and that their parents
trip down memory lane and excitedly Land. Mrs. Sondhelm’s mother, Mrs. were going apartment hunting. During
shares her story with me in her home Greta Schlossberg, “always had a yearn- the family meeting, when the news of
in Beitar. Sara Lea had just finished ing” to dwell in Eretz Yisrael. Her con- their aliyah plans was disclosed, the
eleventh grade, when her family made nection to the Land was secured when children were simply in a state of
aliyah in 1993. I ask her why her par- her Hebrew teacher in Germany went shock. Sara Lea remembers neither
ents decided to pick up and move to to what was then Palestine and brought immediate excitement or upset, just a
Israel at that point in time. his student a small stone. The young feeling of “What, I can’t believe it!”
girl treasured the stone and every night
“They had dreamed of this for many before going to sleep would give it a Then Sara Lea’s parents did some-
years,” answers Sara Leah. When her kiss. This appreciation for Eretz Yisrael thing “very smart.” They acknowledged
parents, Rabbi Uri and Mrs. Aviva that Mrs. Sondhelm felt in her parents’ that a move for their teenage daughter
Sondhelm were still a young couple, home greatly influenced her move with would be difficult and gave Sara Lea
they took a trip to Eretz Yisrael and her own family, years later. the option to stay in Baltimore and
decided that one day they would make board with a family to complete high
Israel their home. They were not ready Over the years, the Sondhelm family school. During that difficult time peri-
to make the move at that time, mainly od, Sara Lea weighed the pros and
cons of choosing between friends and
family. She was suddenly facing the
emotion that students typically face
when they graduate from the cocoon
of high school, and have to choose
their path and confront the “real
world.”
After all the deliberations, Sara Lea
finally reached her decision upon look-
ing at a bulletin board in the Bais
Yaakov hallway one day. There were pic-
tures of girls – happy, excited friends
and shared memories. How badly Sara
Lea wanted to be in those pictures at
the end of her high school experience.
To be part of graduation...yearbook. She
was very much a part of school life and
involved with GO and concert. But then
another thought crossed her mind. Sara
102 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
