One of my favorite pastimes in my pre-teen years was walking down the road to the horse barns near my house and standing in the road watching those magnificent beasts. Sometimes, if I was feeling especially brave, I'd cross the ditch to stand by the fence, hoping one of the horses would see me and come over for a pet. And hoping I wouldn't get caught trespassing.
One particular day, early in 1983 I think, I was engrossed enough in the horses to not notice I was being watched. A tall, dark man with an exotic accent called out to me waving for me come over to him. Being the rural kid I was, I didn't think anything of doing as he asked. It wasn't as if he was a total stranger. I knew him by sight. He was obviously the guy in charge of the facility.
He told me his name was Itzik and he was Israeli. Over the course of several such encounters, he suggested I take riding lessons, which my family could in no way afford. Then he proposed a way for me to pay for them. I could clean stalls - after school and on weekends - in exchange for which, he would give me riding lessons.
I learned to ride English - which is different from the riding you usually see on TV. Think more 'equestrian event' than 'cowboy' and you'll get the picture. It was also an amazing opportunity to interact with the horses. A couple years into it, he paid me to clean the little house he lived in on the property with another of the Israeli workers, Ophir. Every Thursday, after school, I would walk up to the house and start cleaning. Two single guys sure do make for a messy house, let me tell you.
While I worked for this man, I learned. Itzik told me all about his homeland. He spoke about his time in the military and his life on a kibbutz. He taught me some Hebrew. He showed me pictures of the beauty of Israel. He also talked to me about his studies and the classes he was taking at Michigan State to become a doctor.
Over the course of a few years, I spent a lot of time around Israelis. The owner of the stables was an American with ties to Israel and he would bring young people over so they could gain work experience. His own daughter went the other direction and emigrated to Israel. They were all very nice people. For a while, I considered emigrating there. I even looked into majoring in Hebrew and becoming a teacher in Israel.
Yes, I had a tremendous crush on Itzik. My first case of puppy-love, in fact. If he knew, he never let on. The Israelis I met were never anything but nice to me. Itzik himself was helpful and encouraging at a time when I needed it.
Eventually, life took me on past the experience. Life took him elsewhere, too. Last I knew, he was married and had reached his dream to become a doctor. Obviously, I didn't go to Israel or even become a teacher. Hell, the last time I was on a horse was in the 80s. The only thing that lasted from that series of encounters all those years ago was my love for Israel and the Israeli people.
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