personal › Beachcomber

Yair Sebbag, Zukey Yam Beach, June 2020

"Before I left for the East, I was not what I am now. I did a degree in Economics & Business Studies and became a property valuer. The materialistic world did me no good - I suffered from stress and stomach pains. From the moment I left to travel, the freedom filled me with joy and good health."

Michal & Daniel, Palmachim Beach, March 2020

"We're supposed to be getting married in July, but we will have to see what happens with the Corona pandemic. We have family all over the world - Australia, Japan, America. It's a depressing situation." Michal "It's all OK, wedding or not, I'm staying with Michal forever." Daniel

Liat Frid, Palmachim Beach, October 2019

"Although I was terrified, I ran into the bushes to save Chaser from the wild boar...in the end we had to amputate one of his legs because the wounds became infected...That event changed my life."

Illi & Aliki, Rishon Le'zion Beach, December 2019

"When you're a freak you feel alone in the world. When I was 17, I had blue hair and weird clothes. I once got yoghurt thrown over me just because I was different. Every time I feel down, I look for a place with water. It's like you can let you're pain leave you and dissolve into the water." Aliki

Diana Krinski, Poleg Beach, November 2019

"My mother died when I was 30. I was totally unprepared for it. I felt wounded. I lost my strength and my faith, so I began looking for ways to heal myself."

Ayal Benin, Neve Yam Beach, January 2020

"In Freestyle Frisbee, when you throw your disc to the breeze, you connect to nature, to yourself and to the object you're controlling...It's like meditation, the surroundings just vanish. I prefer to be with my Frisbee than looking for romantic ties...the disc doesn't disappoint."

Oxana Reif, Gador Beach April 2019

A few months ago I went through an ugly separation…I was lost. Then I remembered what I learned in Costa Rica, how mankind has lost touch with nature’s cycles and depression has become the sickness of the modern world. I set myself a 21 day quest, to go down to the beach every morning to watch the sunrise…the sun’s energy literally got rid of my suffering.

Ben & Sarah, Metsitsim Beach, Tel Aviv March 2019

"The sea is the best medicine for me. When I’m in the water I don’t feel the pain. It’s the only time I don’t feel pain. I should have been a Mermaid." Sarah

Itzik Gitan, Poleg Beach January 2019

"I lost my arm in the Yom Kippur war. In the armoured division where I served over 100 soldiers were killed. Thousands more were wounded and suffer from trauma to this day...After a week in hospital I went home and forgot about the whole thing. The war had no effect on me."

Shanit Vaknin, Zikim Beach, November 2019

"I come here to be alone for an hour or two, calm down and then go back home. Sometimes I write to myself, as therapy. Today I wrote about the future. I write on a sheet of paper, then crumple it up, throw it into the bin and continue on with my life."

Jonah, Shlomi & Belai, Zikim Beach November 2018

"At the start of our service, the commander kept saying that he loves us. 'What are you talking about?', I thought to myself. Later, I understood that he was referring to a brotherhood where you look after one another. If you have an apple you share it." Jonah (on left)

Suzy & Ilana, Rishon Le'zion Beach April 2019

Suzy: "We have a strong connection to water. We meet on the beach 3 to 4 times a week at sunrise, and walk for an hour. In the evenings we work as attendants in a ritual bathhouse. Water is the source of life." Ilana: "When I was young I really wanted to work in purifying the dead before burial, but they said I was too young - you need to be connected to get into that field."

Yair Harlap, Hatzuk Beach December 2018

"There's a heated pool where I live in Bet El, but it's not the same. There's no chlorine in the sea. You can feel the blessed eternal. You are witnessing creation."

Yeter & Bitya Mizrachi, Nitzanim Beach, November 2019

"When you catch a fish there's this great feeling of success. It's connected to our survival instincts, the knowledge that you are capable of hunting food for yourself." Bitya

Nitzan, Rotem & Noam, Nitzanim Beach, February 2019

Haled & Hamis, Ashdod Beach, January 2019

Dina Hasidov, Shave Zion Beach, February 2020

"I believe that you can ask things from the universe, and the universe will answer you. For me, the sea is one of the elements of the universe. It's full of energy and powers. I regularly go down to the beach, to think and talk with the sea."

Alon Sibroni, Ga'ash Beach October 2019

"I cared for my father 24 hours a day for several years, until he passed away last year. I felt like a prisoner released from a life sentence and since then I've been living on the beach, cooking for myself, sleeping here alone and enjoying my freedom."

Nadoush & Dalia, Nitzanim Beach February 2019

"I don't want to study. I want to get married and enjoy my life. To feel free . I want to learn to drive so I can take the car to the beach and watch the sea - no one telling me what to do and where to go. I've never actually gone into the water. I don't know how to swim and I cant wear a swimsuit because I'm religious." Dalia (18 years old)

Nissim & Eden, Hatzuk Beach, November 2020

"We came here to do a maternity photoshoot. I don't like going to the beach - the sand, the salt. I prefer a swimming pool." Eden

Boaz & Yehuda, Hasela Beach, Bat Yam, December 2019

"We swim every morning at sunrise, winter and summer. You need a partner to get into the sea in the winter. Just as love requires a woman, the sea requires another man." Boaz

Shirley & Sagit, Hatzuk Beach, November 2019

"We meet on the beach for a 'walkie-talkie'. We have an a phenomenal ability for talking with each other. Some years ago we flew together to perform in San Francisco - a 15 hour flight plus connection. We didn't shut up for the entire journey." Shirley

Yair & Galit, Gador Beach, November 2019

"I am active in the protest against Netanyahu's corruption. I love this country, yet I encouraged my sons to move abroad. My mother was a holocaust survivor and it hurt her that her grandson left Israel for Germany." Yair

Merav, Nachsholim Beach, December 2019

"Not a single creature needs to be killed in order for us to eat, neither is it healthy. We've been brainwashed into eating meat & dairy, and everything that's happening in the world today is punishment from above for our deeds against nature."

Tomer & Yifat, Bet Yannai Beach, January 2019

"We've been living in a caravan for 6 months - we take nothing for granted. The water tank needs to be refilled regularly, and the toilet has to be emptied every two days." Tomer "Living in a tiny space necessitates a change in perception and major downsizing...I miss my clothes ." Yifat

Shai & Orly, Ashdod Beach, January 2019

"The sand reminds me of the most beautiful chapter of my life,...the age of innocence." Shai

Guy & Omer, Ashkelon Beach, January 2019

Polly & Yonatan, Ashkelon Beach. January 2020

" A few weeks before I met Yonatan my therapist asked what would be my dream date? I said someone who takes me to see the stars. A week after we met, Yonatan took me to a guest house in the Arava desert. The first night, I sat on the balcony gazing at the sky when I burst into tears. Only then did it dawn on me that my wish had become reality. Since then, we are inseparable."

Ronit & Anat, Michmoret Beach, October 2019

"The men decided that they are going into the sea despite the storm, whilst the women stood anxiously on the beach. My head said I can do this, but my heart was racing and telling me to stay put. In CBT the idea is to let rational thought take control of the feelings and the body...In the end I went into the sea and the sense of overcoming was incredible." Ronit

Yossi Harmani, Rosh Hanikra Beach, October 2018

Katy & Matan, Gaash Beach May 2019

Matan: "7 years ago I fell from a roof while working and fractured several vertebrae. Out of work and penniless, I lived for half a year on the beach...and began living a nomadic lifestyle. It takes courage to live in uncertainty and faith that at the end of each day, things will be OK." Katy: " When I was 15 I read a romantic novel about a woman who travels to Israel to work on a dig and falls in love with the archaeologist. At 24, I took part on a dig in Jaffa. I didn't fall in love with the archaeologist, instead I fell in love with Israel and Jewish culture."

Rami & Yitzhak, Palmachim Beach November 2018.

"We try to get down to the beach every day at sunrise... After a few hours here, you begin the day in a different state of mind." Rami

The Beattie Family, Ma'agan Michael Beach, June 2019

"The lack of privacy [on Kibbutz] isn't easy for me. My underwear gets laundered together with the rest of the Kibbutz! When I realised I was pregnant the first time, Tom was in Gaza during the 2014 conflict. I wasn't sure whether to get a pregnancy test in the Kibbutz clinic because then Tom would have been the last to know the result." Noah Beattie

Thomas & Martina Schwartz, Students' Beach, Haifa June 2019

"As Germans, confronting the Holocaust is always very difficult for us...We feel guilty, even though it wasn't something that our generation did. We try to show that there are Germans that think differently - we both wear Star of David necklaces." Martina

Maria & Oksana, Zvulun Beach, Kiryat Yam February 2019

"Nowadays Ukraine is a sad place. It's hard to make a living and nothing ever changes for the better. In Israel people are happier." Maria

Jonathan & Jorai van Driel, the Aqueduct Beach, Caesarea March 2019

"When you've got a career, a house and a family, you always find a reason to give up on your dreams. That's a mistake. I decided to live my life in reverse - to begin as a pensioner and do all the things that are really important to me, and then to work until I die. Not to work for 40 years in a career and then realise that i'm too old to travel." Jorai

Iris & Shelly, Ha'Tzuk Beach South December 2019

"I've had all kinds of mystical experiences...Once, while I was driving, with my son in the backseat, I came to a traffic light. It was green, but I heard a voice in my head shouting, "stop, stop, stop!" I stopped and watched as a car coming from the other direction ran the red light. We could have been killed." Iris

The Balint Family, Ashkelon National Park Beach April 2019

"Immigrants are the solution to Europe's problems. They bring new ideas with them and they are prepared to take chances...Mixing cultures is a wonderful thing. In my opinion, the most significant innovation in Israeli culture is in the increasing influence of the Arab language on Israeli music and cinema." Gery Balint

Pipman Team, Sela Beach, Bat Yam October 2018

"The hardest thing in sport...[is] to get out of bed at five in the morning, especially if the weather's bad. What helps is the commitment to the group." Tami Shoham (3rd from right)

Yassir Makhata, Zikim Beach November 2018

“When I escaped from Gaza I was scared for my life. I said [to the Israeli authorities] that I want to go right now – afterwards we can bring my children. I haven’t been back since. I miss my children that stayed there - we are in touch occasionally. “

Maayan Pitussi, Ashkelon Beach January 2019

"There's no lack of unpleasant sights in a nurse's work, but you learn to see the person in front of you and not their wound."

The Dumanski Family with their dog, Chuck, Dor Habonim Beach February 2019

"My maternal grandparents mined gold illegally from abandoned mines in the Ural Mountains. The mines were guarded, but a cannon shot would signal the end of a shift, at which point my grandparents would run into the mine before fresh soldiers arrived...The gold money vanished quickly because they drank themselves to death and didn't work...eventually my great-grandfather got a life-sentence for murder, but he evaded punishment by volunteering to fight in World War I." Dominik Dumanski

Manny Sokolovsky, Shave Zion Beach, February 2019

"In 1982, a few days after Rosh Hashanah, my unit was sent to help our forces in purging the PLO from West Beirut. A RPG missile was fired at us, killing my friend, "Roli" Becher...When we came back from the fighting, we went to the memorial for Roli. That's where I met his sister, Shosh. We began dating and eventually married."

Akiva, Avi, Joseph, Rachel & Atara Cohen, Neve Yam Beach December 2018

"The kids surfing class was cancelled this week because it was stormy. When they woke up this morning I said, "Instead of going to school, let's go surf!". They didn't argue." Avi

Olena Dobroslavsky, Nahariya Beach November 2018

"The main aspect which made us move to Israel was the Russian annexation of Crimea. Our business was destroyed."

Tess, Eyal (standing) & Itamar, Bet Yannai Beach December 2018

"I hitchhiked around the world on boats...The highlight was sailing from New Zealand to the Solomon Islands with a group of marine biologists. That's how I ended up studying Marine Sciences." Eyal

Adi, Anita, Ilana & Yoram, members of "Matkot Ashdod", The Arches Beach, Ashdod January 2019

"The beach is my psychologist." Ilana

Smulik Garciani, Achziv Beach Decemcer 2018.

"About 15 years ago...I found a champagne bottle with a note inside on the beach...A German couple, Brigitte & Bernd had thrown it into the ocean on a Mediterranean cruise. I got in touch by mail and we wrote to each other until one day I went to visit them in their village near Frankfurt."

Elad & Yarden, Nitzanim Beach February 2019

"My eldest brother was killed when he was 5, before I was born. It happened 36 years ago at a military paratroopers' display at Kiryat Malachi. The winds were very strong, but the army decided to go ahead with the display despite the conditions. One of the paratroopers lost control and landed on my brother." Yarden

Ali & Susu, Rosh Hanikra Beach, October 2018

Iris, Lian, Shai Li & Nitzan, Ashdod Beach, January 2019

Omri, Lihi & Neta, Bet Yannai Beach, December 2018