העצ הנד’ב The Giving Tree

For the past week I have been searching for an apartment or a “flat” as Israeli’s say. Though many people tend to dread this task, being a newcomer to Israel, I have found this process to be quite rewarding because it gives me a brief peek into many different peoples’ lives. While searching, I have found one familiar book to be on nearly everyone’s shelf (and yes I am the type to judge my potential roommates by their bookshelves)—Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. I think widespread popularity of this book actually says quite a bit about my experience with people in Israel, they are immensely giving.

For the past two weeks I have been staying with my friend Shalev and his family. Aside from giving me a place to stay and my own key, they have fed me more food than I imagined I could consume and provided me with the immense amount of support that I’ve needed to find an apartment and a job. Although I’ve often been disillusioned with the effects of globalization, I have found that it is quite nice to find these kinds of commonalities with people who live thousands of miles away from where I grew up in the United States.

Here is a link where you can have The Giving Tree read to you in English. It’s always nice to review the book, especially if someone else is reading it to you like you were a child ☺.


Shel Silverstein - The Giving Tree - The most amazing bloopers are here