Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 51, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 20, 2007 Page: 3 of 23
twenty three pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
TEXAS JEWISH POST #SINCE 1947
News I December 20,2007 I 3
Dallas to Tel Aviv:
living a dream
She returns to roots with her family and
grows a career in real estate, law
By Steve Israel
DALLAS — How does a longtime
member of the North Dallas Jew-
ish community find herself now
living thai tov — the good life —
in a northern Tel Aviv suburb?
"I had this driving ambition to
be back in Israel after 27 years," Gi-
lat Abramov Sakhai explained last
week. "I've always known that my
kids would be raised there and edu-
cated there. I set myself a goal, even
before I became a mother, that my
oldest son would be in first grade in
Israel, and sure enough, two days
before first grade in August 2000,
we landed in Israel."
The 36-year-old wife and mother
of three boys — here for their annu-
al three-week Chanukah-time visit
— said she embraced her new life in
Israel even though it meant leaving
behind things she loved about Dal-
las.
"I have amazing memories of
Akiba Academy, some of the hap-
piest times of my life," Gilat re-
called. "I was president of the stu-
dent council in the eighth grade."
She credited the Akiba experience
and her family's involvement in
Young Israel and Chabad of Dal-
las with much of her spiritual and
educational growth. From Akiba,
she went on to the Hockaday School
and graduated from J J. Pearce High
School and SMU.
Gilat was 16 and visiting relatives
in Israel when she met Jack Sakhai.
"I met him, and that was it, you
know. It was basically set in stone
that we were going to be together,
and we got married four years later
here in Dallas. Our first nine years
of married life were here."
The move to Israel represented
a return to Gilat's roots. She was a
sabra and had lived in Israel until
age 3. It was a homecoming for Jack,
too. Also a native of Israel, he had
grown up in London.
"Now we live about 15 minutes
north of Tel Aviv in Kfar Shmarya-
hu," Gilat said. "We call it a bubble.
It's a very nice high-end area where
a lot of foreign diplomats live, with
very high security. Our kids can
ride their bikes freely. They go to
the pool and after-school programs
with their friends on their bikes, so
I don't have to be a carpool mom all
the time."
Ben, 13, had his bar mitzvah this
year. Daniel is 11, and Jordan is 9.
The boys often see their maternal
grandparents, Yair and Edna Abra-
mov, who followed the family from
Dallas to Israel. Two of Gilat's sis-
ters, meanwhile, live in Israel (one
serving in the army), and a third
sister is in Miami.
Jack splits his professional life
between his diamond business in
Dallas and real estate investments
in Israel.
Gilat's career combines interests
in law and real estate. She earned a
law degree at Manchester Univer-
sity, interned at the Tel Aviv court-
house and, in 2005, passed the Is-
raeli bar exam.
"I've been doing a lot of free-
lance legal work, and I really love it,
but now the emphasis is on the real
estate investing and development
end, which my husband and I do,"
said Gilat, who "always thought
I would end up doing something
spectacular" and enjoys the full
support of family "to go ahead and
pursue my own dreams and my ca-
reer."
The latest turn in Gilat's career
came earlier this year when a cous-
in, traveling in Istanbul, Turkey,
attended Shabbat services at the lo-
cal Chabad. The cousin mentioned
Gilat's name to a Crescent Heights,
Inc., executive who was look-
ing for a professional to join their
small new team in Israel. Crescent
Photo: Steve Israel
Gilat Abramov Sakhai
Heights calls itself "the premier
condominium company" with 36
high-rise luxury residences in 20
American cities. Its properties in-
clude The Renaissance on Turtle
Creek in Dallas.
"I had the interview and re-
ceived a job offer the next day,"
Gilat said.
As assistant to the district man-
ager of Crescent Heights operations
in the Middle East and Central
Asia, she "coordinate [s] everything
from the ground up — legal mat-
ters, architects, designers, consul-
tants, electricity, plumbing, security
and construction."
Until last week, Crescent
Heights' first planned project — in
tandem with American developer
Donald Trump — was to have been
the construction of a $300-million
Trump Tower luxury residential
and commercial space, at the corner
of Arlozorov and Jabotinsky streets
in Ramat Gan at the landmark site
of the Elite Chocolate Factory.
ROCKPORT
THE STORE
Hoi day
Sale!
Featuring extended sizes
S. widths: Narrow, Medium,
Wide &. X-Wide
NorthPark Center, Dallas • 214-987-6922 • Randy Finkelstein, Mgr.
The Shops at Willowbend, Piano • 469-366-3005 • Casey Goldston,Mgr.
Both on 2nd level near Macy's
MEDITERRANEAN, VEGETARIAN, KOSHER CUISINE
pizza
pasta
falafel
Cake
coffee
KIDS EAT FREE
Free kids pasta w/
each purchase of
FISH ENTREE.
Dine in only. M-F
Mon. - Thurs. 7:30am-9pm
Fri. 7:30am-3pm
Sat. Night 7-11pm
Sun. 9am-9pm
"Dairy & Pareve
972-726-9800
©1
Fax: 972-726-9804
But that plan changed, for good
reason: the upward spiral in Israel's
land values. Crescent Heights, af-
ter receiving numerous bids to buy
the 3.7-acre parcel of land in Ramat
Gan, accepted an offer from Israel's
Azorim Investment Development &
Construction Co. to buy the prop-
erty.
"Crescent Heights has already
purchased another site nearby," Gi-
lat noted. "Whether or not they're
building the Trump project, they've
still succeeded by selling the prop-
erty for a good profit. I think Cres-
cent Heights is going to do very well
internationally, and I think they're
going to stay and have a role in Is-
rael."
Nine years ago last week, Gi-
lat was diagnosed with Hodgkins
lymphoma, "also a very big turn-
ing point in my life. After about
six months of treatment, I basically
got the green light that everything
was okay. Ever since then, thank
God, everything's been good. I
think that may have been part of
the reason I wanted to make my
wish come true, which was to live
there."
She finds life in Israel "amaz-
ing. . .It's living where the hearts of
our people are...."
South West Diamond Cutters
European Trained Diamond Cutters
Specializing in Manufacture and Repair
Mike Nathan , jp1 (972) 387-1063
Ashley Van Creveld (800) 934-7932
MISANE JEWELRY
Fine Jewelry & Loose Diamonds
6757 arapaho road, suit! 767 (between hillcrest & meadowcreek)
Call Libbie for good old fashioned
Personal Service
Realtor of Year /D-Magazine 2005
Visit LibbieNorton.com to see all participating
brokers' MLS listings in the Metroplex!
Libbie Norton Libton@swbell.net • Re/Max Preston Road Individually owned & operated.
Personal Attention Is My Intention!
Located at ne corner of Dilbeck/Preston (across
from Valley View Mall, behind Capital One Bank)
DON'T SETTLE FORANOTHER
COOKIE-CUTTER HOLIDAY VACATION
Come to Barton Creek Resort and Spa, where you can choose
what you want to do and when you want to do it. Schedule a spa
appointment, or two. Take in a round of golf, walk along the nature trails,
or simply do nothing. After all it's your vacation.
Room rates starting at
$186
866-572-7370 ■ bartoncreek.com
Taxes and 9% daily resort charge not included
Barton Creek
resort & spa™
AUSTIN, TEXAS
'Prices are per room, per night Subject to availability.
Valid through 12/31/07. Other restrictions may apply.
THE KSL RESORTS COLLECTION ■ KSLRESORTS.COM
HOTEL DEL CO HON A DO™ ■ LA COSTA RESORT AND SPA* ■ RANCHO LAS PALMAS RESORT & Sf
VAIL MOUNTAIN LODGE & SPA. ■ BARTON CREEK RESORT & SPA. ■ THE HOMESTEAD.
TJP N/61-51, 12-20-07_sec1.indd Sec 1:3
12/17/07 7:07:31 PM
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 51, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 20, 2007, newspaper, December 20, 2007; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188169/m1/3/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .