Mark Tobin moved to Israel with his wife and family almost 25 years ago, after a beautiful courtship that had Israel at its center, as well as stops in Brooklyn and Boca Raton.

I had planned on interviewing Mark a few months ago, and we kept having to postpone for one reason or another. Eventually, we were all set, and yet again, I had to cancel. That was just a few days before Mark’s wife Dodi, z"l, died tragically after battling cancer.

But Mark is a strong believer in the importance of Aliyah, so when he asked me again recently, “So when are we doing the podcast?” I jumped at the opportunity. And Mark did not disappoint.

The conversation was fun, uplifting, interesting and, at times, devastating. I think we all can learn a lot from Mark’s story, and from Mark.

For this conversation, Mark sat in the same chair Dodi had sat in for her interview, as he was gracious enough to allow me into his Bet Shemesh home.