my house

My wife and I, along with our one-and-a-half-year-old toddler, moved to our home in Kiryat HaSharon, in eastern Netanya, following a recommendation from a colleague at “קו מערכות” (Kav Ma’arachot), a high-tech company where I worked at the time. Back then, the company was located in the Baruch Fashion House, right next to the train station, and the choice of apartment was mainly influenced by its proximity to work and the train, because I told myself that even if I finished my work there, I could look for work in the high-tech field from Matam in Haifa to Rehovot. The apartment is located at the northernmost point of Kiryat HaSharon, and beyond the transportation convenience, there was something magical about it from the first visit.

When we entered the apartment for the first time, even before the purchase, we went out to its balcony, although small but with a unique shape. In front of us stretched a huge field of bright yellow chrysanthemums and a few pine trees, and on the other side spread out  The Sergeant’s Grove, with its tall trees, gave the place a sense of wild nature within the developing city. It was such a beautiful picture that we did not bother to check anything with the municipality. We simply felt that this was our place.

For several years, every spring, we enjoyed what was left of the chrysanthemum field, but slowly the yellow was replaced by concrete. The sports center was built, followed by the schools, the synagogue, and the Bnei Akiva branch. The grove, which was an integral part of our landscape, has long been hidden from us by residential buildings. A shopping and employment center under construction will also hide the veteran trees of the veteran housing complex. And the future? More residential towers, commercial and employment areas are planned to be built where heavy vehicles are currently parked and bonfires are lit on Lag BaOmer.

And yet, one detail remains unchanged – our balcony faces north, towards the sports center. As far as we know, there are no construction plans in that direction, so at least our northern horizon remains open. Since the sun is from the south, after a rain, we often see a rainbow stretching across the sky, a sight that takes us back to our first moment here, when we stood on the balcony and fell in love with the place. On days with particularly good visibility, you can even spot the University of Haifa with the naked eye, small and distant, but present in our landscape, like a reminder that there is still a wide horizon.