JettyGirl: A one million
dollar check arrives in your mailbox with a
note that reads, "Half of this amount is
yours and the other half is to benefit the world
around you." How would you spend the money?
Tamar Ben-Moshe:
First, both halves would get invested so that
they can continue to grow and be supportive—after
all, I don't want to blow it all in one shot.
I would love the opportunity to have the ability
to constantly be able to feel the satisfaction
of giving substantial financial help to any
cause at any given time. Aside from donating
to almost every humane and environmental organization
that does wonders, I would also like to buy
vast amounts of wild untouched land anywhere
and everywhere possible to preserve and protect
from human destruction. That's generally what
I'd do with the half that benefits the world
around me.
As
for the other half, check it out...
First,
I'd quit my non-purposeful job that I currently
have to support my surfing habit. Second, I'd
go and buy back my grandparents' house in Tel-Aviv,
where my entire father's side of the family
grew up, from the strangers who bought it when
they passed away (RIP). Third, I'd pay off all
of my parents', my sister's and my debts and
take them on an adventurous trip kayaking next
to humpback whales and bald eagle bird watching
in Alaska. I have always wanted to see these
amazing creatures up close in their wild habitat.
Next, I would like to take a few good months
spending loads of quality time with the rest
of my family and friends in the states who I
haven't had the chance to see, laugh with, cry
with, have fun with in such a long long time.
I want to do so many activities with them too:
surfing, camping, hiking, rock climbing, cooking,
chilling, dancing, Coachella concert-ing and
Burning Man-ing ...the list goes on. After all
that fantastic fun, I want to go wave hunting
solico all over the world to places where it's
warm and tropical where I can have fun surfing
and improve on my surfing skills, make new friends,
learn new cultures, taste different foods …bla
bla bla. After a few solid months of surfing
my heart out, I'd miss my real home …Tel
Aviv, Israel. I'd go back in the summer—the
most happening time of the year! I'd buy plane
tickets for my friends who always wanted to
come to see the Holy Land but couldn't afford
it and host them on my beach-front property
(next to the 2 other houses I also buy for my
sister and parents), all of which is thanks
to this well invested money. I must not forget,
that with all of this free time, I would also
like to study yoga in India, and even return
to my masters in biology at Tel Aviv University.
In between my study breaks I will work on my
hobbies in photography as I enhance my work
on my brand new extremely large Mac. I would
have captured and documented all of the special
moments with my wide selection of fancy-shmancy
cameras and lenses, all of which were bought
as soon as I won the money.
JG: Describe the best surfboard
you've ever ridden and why it was special to
you.
Tamar: Israel doesn't
get a lot of waves so it's very easy for me
to fall out of shape when we go for weeks with
a sea that gets flatter than flat. But when
the waves do come, that's when I break out my
Big Red Ruby—I nickname all my boards.
Ruby is a fantastic 7'4" Becker funboard,
which I bought 4 years ago in California to
bring with me when I moved to Israel. She (yes,
I decided that Ruby is female) is the best because
she is always so fun to ride whenever I'm struggling
with my surfing skills. Whenever I'm feeling
like a total kook in the water for whatever
reason, Ruby helps me regain my strength and
confidence, which helps me fall back in love
with surfing all over again straight from the
moment I start to paddle her into the sea with
me.
JG: If you could travel
back to any time in history and hang with one
person while they go about their daily activities,
who would it be and why?
Tamar: Ooo, tough
one. I'm stuck between Einstein to warn him
about the repercussions of his atomic theories
which led to the a-bomb, Hitler to prevent him
from ever harming a single soul, my grandfather
from my father's side to see how he grew up
under such harsh conditions in Yemen, my grandmother
to watch her swim miles out into the sea just
for fun while being a mother of 6, and my grandparents
from my mother's side to warn them and everyone
around them to run away before the Nazis come.
JG: For thirty days you're
stuck on a desert island with one book, one
song, one surf movie and one snack food. Which
ones would you choose?
Tamar: An easy
to read all inclusive survival guide for desert
islands. Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics.
That song doesn't get old. No matter when I
hear its upbeat tempo, it always makes me want
to dance, and dancing makes me happy. Hands
down, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
This movie just gets funnier and funnier the
more I watch it. Only the yummiest snack there
is—creamy peanut butter & real strawberry
jam on rye.
JG: What is your best surf-related
memory of 2009?
Tamar: In 2009
I took a surf trip to Bali expecting to surf
my brains out. Surprisingly, I didn't surf as
much as I had anticipated but it turned out
to be the best time ever. For 3 weeks I shared
my adventures with a cool new friend, Nati,
who I met there for the first time and just
so happens to live on the same street as me
in Tel Aviv. I also repeatedly peed in my pants
and developed abs of steel from laughing so
hard for the entire week that we hung out with
3 of the most clever, witty and hilarious Aussies,
Mark, Gibson and Rob. My surf trip couldn't
have been any better without these 4 rascals.
Thanks boys.
