Tangible Links

By Yael Langer
Smith College

When my best friend from college came to visit for spring break, our first stop was Carmel, the local Middle Eastern food store. We ignored the lure of a sunny day in Central Park or a walk along Broadway in favor of a quick cultural trip I had been excited about for a few weeks. I cannot conceivably bring any of my college friends home to Israel, the country where most of my family lives and where I spent nearly every vacation through the end of high school. I cannot take them on walks in the sand of the beach at Tel Aviv, nor can I take them to the shuk (open-air market) in Petach Tikva. And though I can show them pictures of the Sea of Galilee, none of them will ever collect eggs with me at the chicken coop in the moshav nearby. I can, however, bring my friends to Israel through my favorite foods, the tangible links to Israel with which I have always been surrounded.

Stepping into the narrow store, we were overwhelmed by a crowd of people checking out day-old pita bread, teas and Hashachar Ha’oleh chocolate spread. I led the way quickly to the snack section, where I gave my friend a bag of Bamba (peanut butter equivalent of cheese doodles) and then checked out the available flavors of Bissli (These are what I had for a snack when everyone else had potato chips!).

As we moved on to the wall of olives, arranged into a rectangle at least four tubs long and six tubs wide, I heard my name called from somewhere behind me. The mother of a friend I hadn’t seen in years came over, with a kiss on each cheek and a quick "mah nishma" (what’s up). We caught up in a loud Hebrew that matched the din throughout the store. For a moment, it was hard to remember that anyone there spoke English or that we were in the United States at all. When the conversation was over, we continued on as we picked up a variety of Israeli cheeses -- 3 percent, 5 percent and "salty cheese" -- and slowly made our way out of the store.

For the next two days that my friend was visiting, the table always had at least one product from Israel. From the Milky chocolate pudding for dessert, to 5 percent cheese for our bagels, to our last dinner of falafel, the link to my country and culture was actively present in her visit. All of this was exciting for two reasons. It allowed me to clearly explain a little bit of what growing up Israeli is like. More importantly, it allowed me to show that there is more to Israel than just its politics and wars. In a time when discussing Israel, even among Jews, often leads to great tension, and when calling oneself a Zionist might seem almost dangerous, it allowed me to bring my friend so close to the other side of it all — to the vibrant culture that has developed, a mix of pan-Middle Eastern and European traditions. For me, this is a part of modern Zionism — the ability to recreate the ideals of Israel, of its culture and traditions, over hummus and pita at a dinner table in New York.

Yael Langer is a sophomore Jewish Studies major at Smith College in Northampton, MA. She is an active member of Hillel on campus and will be one of its chairs in the fall of 2008.

[Posted 5/5/08]