"Suddenly, We Packed Everything and Moved from Haifa to Ashdod"

How does a family of nine, forced to move suddenly from the far north to one of the southern cities of the country, feel? The Geshaid family from Haifa is experiencing this transition right now, and as Racheli Geshaid, the mother, testifies, aside from a few small encounters, they seem to be handling this drastic move quite successfully.

"For us, this is a significant change, perhaps the most significant in our lives," notes Racheli. "Since we got married, we lived in Haifa, and I personally come from a very old family, already the fourth generation in Haifa. We never thought we’d have to move, especially not to Ashdod - a city so southern and distant. But life led us here, and in the last month of Elul we found ourselves packing everything and moving to Ashdod."

Like a New Immigrant

Haifa and Ashdod are far apart, but besides the distance, is there a significant difference between them?

"Of course, what’s the question even? I encounter these changes constantly; sometimes I feel like a new immigrant in a foreign land. True, in our case, it's the same country, but when I walk around the city that is supposed to be my new home without knowing a single street or person passing by, and sometimes even fearing that I might get lost, I really feel like I’m in a foreign land. Once, I needed something small, like band-aids or a cleaning product, and ended up roaming the entire city to find an appropriate store. One day, I tried to use public transportation, and as I'm used to, I boarded the bus through the back door, when suddenly I heard the driver shouting: 'Ma’am, where are you coming from? What are you thinking?'"

"And it's not just me. The kids also find themselves facing significant changes compared to what they are used to in Haifa. It's not just about the change in class and friends but even the smallest nuances. For instance, in school in Haifa, they used the term ‘markers,’ but here they call them ‘lords.’ One day, my daughter returned from school and told me she asked a friend for a 'marker,' and the friend didn’t understand what she wanted. Thankfully, one of the kids whispered in her ear: 'Ask for lord,' and she quickly corrected her mistake."

"But overall, I must say, thank Hashem, the kids are adjusting to the move with joy and ease. They are going with the flow and succeeding in general. I think one thing that helped is that I tried to prepare them for the change as much as possible. We did various rehearsals at home concerning entering the new classes. We thought about what to say, how to react, and what questions might be asked. I also tried to have discussions with the kids about their feelings; each shared something sad they felt about the goodbye, and also challenging or exciting things they anticipated in the new place. Then, we tried to think of ways to help cope. All in all, these discussions made us realize that although we miss Haifa and our beloved home greatly, there are also advantages to living in Ashdod, like having a whole street of stores right under our home, educational institutions nearby, and many friends living close by. Clearly, we can't ignore these happy things; they definitely exist."

(Photo: Shutterstock)

"Experiencing the Clients"

Besides being a mother to seven children, Racheli is professionally an emotional therapist specializing in guiding parents with children who have regulatory challenges. "These days, I find myself in great uncertainty about my professional future," she candidly shares. "I’ve been in the field for 12 years, and in Haifa, I was known as a seasoned therapist with great professional knowledge. Now I have to open a new clinic and start almost anew. Although I have a digital program that I distribute nationwide and continue working with that, my clinic clients will change and will now be from the Ashdod area."

"The truth is, in a way, I find myself in the exact situation that many of the children who come to me are in because one of the things accompanying children with regulatory challenges is the great difficulty in changes and uncertainty. Now, I find myself just like them, suddenly understanding them more than ever."

As a professional, perhaps you can give a tip to those who are also starting anew and find themselves in similar situations?

"From the little experience I have, I think the most important recommendation is to try to ‘survive the day.’ Sometimes we tend to think far – about what the future holds, how we will manage in the new house, how the kids will integrate, and what our fate will be. The wisdom is to focus on the closest range – set a not-so-big goal for ourselves and strive solely to achieve it. With Hashem's help, the small goals will add up, and we’ll manage to cope with the hard beginnings, even when we have to start from scratch."