The Celestial Gate

whispered and thought she saw the white cloud in the sky winking at her.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all those who supported me so steadfastly even when I was at the breaking point. Without them, this book would never have come to light.
To all the wonderful people at Am Oved Publishing: Hanital Suissa who saw the potential even when she had to dig deep to find it and supported and understood me with patience and caring to make all this possible. Thank you for your courage; Hagar Yanai for her talent, patience, professionalism, and keen eye that found everything I missed. Thank you for the fruitful dialogue and for tolerating me quietly and with love, even when it was tough; and Hana Loeffler who saw every comma and word and provided incredibly accurate comments.
Thank you to Eric Kneller for being who he is, which is simply indispensable.
Thank you to Sigal Getz-Aviv, my beloved friend, for not letting me crack, for our conversations, for infinite support and love, and for reading and rereading and rereading, over and over again, without complaint, providing gentle but accurate critique. I am so lucky you’re in my life.
Thank you to Dudi Oren who loved, amused, irritated, read, and was there.
Thank you to my friends David Atias and Naor Cohen who tolerated every picky questions and all the despair.
And finally, thank you to my family: my mother, Rachel Ben-Porat; my step-father, the late Ami Ben-Porat; my daughters, Nina and Lilo. A special thanks to my father, the late Theodor (Teddy) Dicker – this is for you.
I cannot thank the Ebookpro team enough for producing the English-language version of this book: first and foremost to the brilliant Benny Carmi, capable of wresting water from the proverbial rock; to Kim Ben-Porat, for her endless patience in guiding me and the book and holding my hand throughout; and to Susann Codish whose dedication to the spirit of the original and respect and love for the written word are infused in every page.