Shalom

Hello and welcome whoever you are and wherever you may be. Family, friends, friends of the family, fellow bloggers, and random strangers, thank you for taking the time to visit my site. My name is Jesse Michel and I have been awarded what I consider to be the opportunity of a lifetime. Maybe not yours, but definitely mine.
This summer I will be traveling to Israel to play baseball for the Ra'anana Express of the Israel Baseball League. In this, the inaugural season of the league, over 120 players from all around the world, (See: USA, Australia, Israel, Dominican Republic, Australia) will be participating. To play professional baseball is every young boy's dream. Growing up, I envisioned myself being the starting catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees. As I got older though, I came to the realization that most major league clubs aren't looking to invest millions of dollars in a 5'8" catcher with an average arm, speed like a Santa Cruz banana slug, and less power than it takes to light up Jerusalem on Shabbat. Was I going to let all of this stop me from pursuing my dream? Absolutely not. Pro baseball is pro baseball. Israel, USA, The Moon...it doesn't matter where.
Over the next several months I will allow you to come along for the ride on this once in a lifetime opportunity, whether you want to or not. I hope to provide some insight into the political, religious, cultural, and social circumstances in the current State of Israel. Through real-life observations, candid opinions, and open webwaves, I hope to make this site both intriguing and informative. Please feel free to email me, leave comments, or opine about whatever you wish.