The Zaks family and their friends in Tel Aviv were some of the "most alive" people I have ever met. Friends would drop by in the afternoon or the middle of the night; they were always welcome and we all spent many hours around the kitchen table drinking and talking. On weekends the sidewalk cafes were still jammed at 2:00 a.m.
When I asked the family about their favorite possessions, Dany refused to choose one. He said he'd been in a war and didn't give a damn about anything except his children's lives and future. Like many Israelis I met, they worry about their future quite a bit.
On a much smaller scale, my stay in Israel was also full of worry--about the Big Picture. We had to get permission from the police, arrange insurance, get the platform engineered, and take care of uncooperative neighbors (one man was outraged because the crane took up his favorite parking place on the street). At last, it was time to take the picture. Except that Ronit was still saying, as she had all along, that she was not sure she could overcome her fear of heights. Finally, 4-year-old Yariv jumped onto the platform and said, "let's go." Shaking her head in disbelief, she stepped on.
