Updates and birds
"You were only waiting for this moment to arise" ♫♫
I don’t usually listen to music in my free time.
Don’t get me wrong, I love music - I play it and revel in its ability to stir the heart - but amid the countless stories I need to complete before the holiday next week, today I decided to put in my headphones on the train.
We arrived in Jerusalem, and even more strange, I kept my headphones in - the songs kept playing. And then Blackbird came on. The classic tune by the Beatles depicting a held-back bird taking the steps to finally “fly,” or as the song progresses, for its “moment to be free.” And as it played, looking outside the window of the light rail, my eyes started to tear.
My first thought was how glad I am that I was wearing sunglasses. But then about how grateful I am to be where I am today.
I HAVEN’T written here in a while. Partly because I didn’t have much to say and partly because writing is now my job. So much for hobbies, right?
In any case, I’m writing this to give a little insight into where I am today, where I was a year ago, and add some color to what you may have read of mine or seen or heard I’m up to.
I landed in Tel Aviv on July 5, 2022 with just about nothing; no friends, no job, no apartment. Just a dream to be in the Holy Land. My first order of business was to find a roof over my head, which thankfully I did in just a few days (thanks Ris, Bassiri, and Alick). From there it was work.
To take a step back, my wish to relocate to Israel wasn’t a one night idea - but something I toiled over for almost three years prior to my move, thinking and yearning daily for its realization. It was tough, sitting in different cities, traveling around, every day hoping to be somewhere else. That’s why songs I listened to during that period - such as Blackbird, or Echoes by Pink Floyd - are so hard for me to listen to. They evoke in me a piercing trauma that I wouldn’t wish for anyone - thoughts and memories flowing in. Thankfully, I find myself overcoming this with each passing day.
So, as much as I wanted to come (and didn’t even know if I would until four days prior to flying), I more so wanted to lay the groundwork for the ability to stay. With keys to an apartment in hand, I lugged around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem searching for a job. My goal to find something that filled my skill set and experience - those being tech, interpersonal skills, and writing. That found me looking for jobs in either VC or content writing.
Fortunately, through the sheer power of the Israeli spirit, and some help from above, I was able to find two jobs - my dream jobs, really - working at Made in JLM and The Jerusalem Post.
Made in JLM is a nonprofit that oversees the startup and tech ecosystem in Jerusalem. We were founded more than 10 years ago and have helped build Jerusalem as one of the fastest growing tech cities in the world. At the organization, I am the Startups Lead. This means I get to interact and meet with every startup in the city, big and small, investors, and industry players, to learn how we can help them, and in turn continue building Jerusalem. I’ve also started a podcast - which you can listen to here: https://anchor.fm/builders-of-jerusalem. It is holy work that I feel grateful and inspired to be a part of every day.
At the Post, I am working as a copy editor and writer. As of this writing, I’ve published 50 long and short form articles dealing with topics such as tech, culture, innovation, politics, history, religion, food, and wine, with many more in the pipeline. You can read my writings here: https://www.jpost.com/author/troy-o-fritzhand.
Working at the Post is really a pleasure. Being able to interact with people dedicated to the craft of journalism is motivating, and I am grateful to have been given the support thus far to seek interesting stories across the country and to meet the people driving change.
So with both of this work, as well as freelance writing I do to support Israel’s soldiers with Momentum, I feel so privileged to, in such a short period of time, have integrated into this country, Jerusalem specifically where I live and have made great friends, and to continue to meet new and exciting people every single day as my work!
Outside of my social life, which I don’t write about, an overwhelming majority of the cool experiences I get to have and the interesting people I get to meet are documented in my writings at the Post (link above).
To conclude, to diverge from the Beatles, I feel for the first time in my life that I am flying, reaching heights and places I never dreamed of in those sleepless nights, finally content where I am, able to strengthen my wings for more meaningful journeys, happier than ever. Here and always.
One love and Chag sameach,
O