Interview with Yoni Kempinski: How Traveling the World Helped Me Understand Home

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Originally from Toronto, Yoni Kempinski now lives in Petah Tiqva and works as the Editor of the Arutz Sheva Israel National News English site, as well as the Video Coordinator for the Arutz Sheva sites (English and Hebrew). In this interview, he discusses his experience of Aliyah as a young child, his work at Arutz Sheva and the places its taken him, and what Israel really means to him.

Yoni Kempinski reporting for Arutz Sheva

“It's a special merit to be part of the Arutz Sheva English site. I’ve learned throughout the years that there is so much influence we can have in so many different fields via the English website, and that the work we do here must be done with responsibility and professionalism.”

[Interview conducted by Sharona eshet-Kohen]

Sharona eshet-Kohen (SEK): Tell me about your childhood.

Yoni Kempinski (YK): I was born in 1979 in Toronto, Canada, into a religious family. We were a part of both the Chabad community and also the BAYT [Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto] communities of Toronto. Before we made Aliyah, I went to a religious kindergarten. In 1985 we made Aliyah, just in time for me to start 1st grade in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, where my parents decided to live.

SEK: What originally brought you and your family to Israel and what was the move like for you?

YK: Of course, in the 1st grade, I wasn't part of the decision to make Aliyah. My father was originally born in Israel, and his family moved to Canada when he was young. My mother was raised in Canada in a Zionist family. For both of them, the ideals of Zionism were part of their home and they were both raised to believe that living in Israel is a value.

Given my experience, I really believe the best way to make Aliyah is to bring your kids when they're young. Joining the Israeli system in the 1st grade was the best - I don't really remember too many difficulties. I remember struggling when I sat next to one kid who tried to talk to me in Hebrew, and I remember befriending an English speaker. But other than that, it was relatively simple coming at such an early age.

My memories of the move are mainly positive. I had two friends back in Toronto who I stayed in touch with. And every summer we went back to Toronto to see family. I had some friends there, I went to summer camp there - our connection with the Toronto community continued to some extent even after Aliyah, making the transition pretty smooth for me.

Yoni as a child in snowy Toronto

SEK: What was it like growing up as an Oleh [immigrant] in Israel with an Anglo [abbr. Anglophonic] family?

YK: The Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, where I grew up, was on the one hand integrated into Israeli society, but on the other hand, there were many families living there that had immigrated from America, Australia, South Africa, and Canada, so many friends of our family were English speakers. There was never any feeling of being on our own, but we also didn't feel like we were living in an insular Anglo community. The congregation that we joined - Zikhron Yosef - was led by Rabbi Shalom Gold, who was also from Toronto. He is a good example of this mixture - he was an English speaking rabbi, but he spoke Hebrew with his congregation.

SEK: How long have you been working at Arutz Sheva Israel National News and in what capacity?

YK: In the early 2000s - I don't remember the exact year - directly from the army base where I was released from my service, I arrived at the Arutz Sheva offices in Petah Tiqva and joined a marketing project for summer activities. After the summer ended, I continued working there in the marketing field of events and special activities.

But a few doors away from mine, the television department, founded and led by Gabi Newman, was building up their studios, and I kept expressing my interest to take part in what they were doing. Slowly I transitioned from marketing to content, and I joined the television department. There, I started a weekly video magazine called Israeli Salad, with features and interviews that focused on the good news from Israel - culture, hessed, tourism, and more. I also took part in news coverage, where I learned a lot.

Yoni conducting a pre-election interview with the Prime Minister

Our television shows were broadcast not only on the Arutz Sheva website, but also on television stations in Texas and New York. The reactions we received from our news coverage, as well as from the Israeli Salad magazine, really motivated us to continue on with the work. At some point, the television department also began broadcasting in Hebrew and I worked on that team as well.

In order to adapt to the internet world, where the main focus is speed, short videos, and snippets, we eventually ceased the production of full length programs, and the video department now focuses on video features, interviews, and timely video updates on the scene, around the country. 

SEK: What sort of places has your work taken you?

YK: This is really the perk of my job! I’ve been from the North to the South of Israel and everywhere in between, and in Europe and North America. In every place I try to bring the local sounds, pictures, and messages to the Arutz Sheva readers and viewers around the world. Accompanying olim [new immigrants] on their Aliyah flight to Israel with the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization is one of the opportunities I've been given that has been absolutely unforgettable.

Yoni covering the Nefesh B'Nefesh flight of olim [new immigrants]

I've also participated in more difficult and tragic stories. But as a representative of Arutz Sheva during tragic times, I've witnessed many historic events. Going in and out of Gush Katif [the Jewish bloc in Gaza that was forcefully removed by the Israeli government in 2005] in the days of its expulsion is an experience that has scratched my soul. But I am full of gratitude that I was with the pioneers during that difficult time, and I am not sorry for being a reporter covering that episode of our history.

SEK: Tell me a little about your family.

YK: I met my wife, Shlomit, at the age of 18 on a tiyul [hiking trip] to the Golan Heights. Shlomit is Israeli-born, and today we have four boys (yeah, lots of noise and activity...) and live in Petah Tiqva.

SEK: What is the single most important message you would like to transmit to our readers?

YK: One experience I had that I will never forget was flying to New York during one of the operations in Gaza that brought missiles onto cities throughout Israel. The feeling I had of wanting to go back to Israel during those days - not only to be with my close family and friends, but also to be with my people, in my land, during a time of national suffering, was something so strong and impactful for me.

And I wasn't the only one to feel it. When I interviewed olim preparing to move to Israel, and protesters I met at pro-Israel rallies in New York on that trip, I asked them the following questions. To the olim I asked, "Why are you coming to Israel at a time like this?" And to the protesters I asked, "What are you feeling right now with regards to the operation in Gaza?" And they all had the same answer: they felt strongly, especially during a time of national difficulty, that they want to go home.

And that’s the main word - home. Israel is home. Israel is our home, a home for the Jewish people, on so many levels. And I’ve learned that to a great extent through my work at Arutz Sheva, and I hope to express that feeling of home to our readers all around the world.