At Home in Israel

By Rabbi Ed Romm
Director of the Center on Campus,
Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism in Israel

For me, Jewish pride is Israeli through and through. I do not take Israel for granted. After 2000 years of not having our own country, I am proud to carry an Israeli passport. When I return to Israel from a trip abroad and see the coastline of the country from the window of the plane, my eyes become misty. I felt pride when my daughters wore the uniform of Tzahal (the Israeli military) just like I wore when my oldest was just a newborn infant. There is an expression which says "all of Israel are bound to each other". This is especially pronounced when we are going through a crisis (when are we not going thorough a crisis?). The reaction of the home front to the war with Lebanon this summer was a source of pride. The daily rocket attacks on the Northern part of the country were devastating. People in other parts of the country opened their hearts and homes to Jewish refugee families from the North offering shelter and support and enabling them to get out of harm's way.

I do not agree with everything that goes on in this country. Israel is far from perfect. I would like to see many things done differently. I feel pain when things are not the way I would like them to be. Yet I cannot begin to fathom what it would be like at this point in Jewish history not to have an Israel. An Israeli standup comedian once did a routine asking Israelis, "what is the most meaningful site in the country"? The answer was Ben Gurion International Airport. Israelis like to travel abroad to escape the pressures of every day life in the country. Israelis like to complain a lot. Yet when the plane approaches the coast of Israel, look around you and you will see a plane full of people with misty eyes. Israel is coming home.

[Posted 01/19/07]