Dina and Eli's special story weaves within it struggles of searching for meaning and identity, cultural, language and country changes. Building relationships and dealing with pregnancy complications and other problems.
From the moment they tied their lives together, they established their love for each other and their faith in Gd without giving up their previous lives with their family, and by constantly listening to their souls and hobbies.
Childhood period
Eli, Elnatan
Eli was born Elnatan in the village of Haroeh in Israel, on August 29, 1951. Eli is the eldest son of Rabbi Moshe and Leah Horowitz. "His father served as a rabbi at the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva and was sent by Rabbi Neria to establish the Meron Yeshiva.
When Eli was about six months old, his parents returned to the United States, first due to the need for medical treatment, and later remained there due to management positions his father received in Jewish institutions.
Eli spent most of his childhood in Miami Beach, Florida, and at the age of 10, his family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where his father served as the principal of the Jewish school.
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In the slideshow you, you can browse through photos of Eli from his childhood until the age of 10 in Kfar Haroeh - Israel and in Florida.
Debbie, Dina
Dina was born as Debra Ruth and was named Debbie. The name Dina is a Hebrew name that she started using when she came to Israel. She was born in Washington, DC, on March 17, 1953.
Debbie is the youngest daughter of Manny (Menachem Mendel Emanuel) and Bernice (Chaya Bila) Wolf. In Washington, her father worked as a procurement officer at the Pentagon. Her mother worked in accounting.
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A slide show of photos of Debbie from her birth and during her young childhood
Although Debbie grew up in a non-religious home, in Silver Spring - Maryland, her parents, who both worked, preferred to send her to a Jewish school where they also study on Sundays. This is how she came to the "Hebrew Acadmy" Jewish school, which was later run by Eli's father.
During her studies, Debbie became attached to the principal's daughter, Toby (Tova) Horowitz and they became good friends. Debbie found in their home a warmth and a religious Jewish atmosphere that she did not recognize in her home. Debbie enjoyed being with them on Saturdays and holidays.
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A slide show of Debbie as a child and girl in Silver Spring near Washington, DC
A collection of videos from Debbie's childhood
Adolescence
Eli, Elnatan
In his younger years Eli chose to put the world of Torah and Judaism behind him. It was the sixties of the hippies in the United States and Eli blended well with the atmosphere.
When Eli was 16 years old, after incarnations of self-search throughout the United States, he paid a brief visit to Israel with Aunt Shoshana Carmeli - his mother's sister from Kibbutz Hulata, a kibbutz of Hashomer Hatzair, from where he planned to continue to India to learn the Buddhism.
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A slideshow of pictures of Eli from the time he was looking for his identity. Eli seems a bit lost in America and when he arrives at Kibbutz Hulata
Eli fell in love with Israel and the Carmeli family that hosted him. He remained to live with them in Kibbutz Hulata in the Hula Valley.
As he told me years later, he never abandoned his plans to continue to India, but he did not exhaust what he was getting from the Torah of Israel.
During this time in her illness, Eli became very attached to his uncles, Shoshana and Nahum, who "injected" him with high-dose Zionism and connected him strongly to the people and the country. A connection that made Eli feel a sense of belonging and that helped him deal with the difficulties of absorption. Eli even linked his name to them and to this day they know him in a kibbutz called Eli Carmeli.
During his illness, Eli connected to Israeli roots and became involved in farming. Eli worked in field crops in the kibbutz fields and especially liked to "take out fertilizer" by growing vegetables and flowers in the flower bed he set up.
When he reached conscription age, Eli enlisted in the IDF, as a paratrooper.
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A slide show of Eli from his time as a soldier, first in a kibbutz and later with his family who immigrated to Israel
During the period of his military service, Eli's family returned to Israel, following in his footsteps. The Horowitz family moved through four apartments until they finally settled in Beit Vagan in Jerusalem.
Eli's father founded the BMT Beit Midrash Torah Yeshiva in Jerusalem, a yeshiva for American boys that he headed and brought students from America to every year.
Debbie, Dina
Debbie came to Israel at the age of 18 for a year of study at a "college" in Jerusalem for a one-year program for American girls. Debbie's arrival in Israel was consensual, but to the displeasure of her parents who feared that Jewish studies would disrupt the continuation of her campus.
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