Jews Around the World:
Searching Our Collective Soul

Living in Israel, I found it a challenge to write an article for the feature "Jews Around the World." It caused me to do some personal soul searching and I would like to share my thoughts with you.

If I would look for a traditional concept in Hebrew for this title, I would choose the phrase "arba kanfot haaretz." In the paragraph recited before the Shema, we pray that God will gather us in peace from the "arba kanfot haaretz," the "four corners of the earth" to lead us to our land. In order to emphasize the words of the prayer, it is traditional to gather the four tzitziyot (corner fringes) of the talit while reciting these words.

Even before the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70CE, our people had spread out all over the globe forming Jewish communities in the Diaspora. Nonetheless, in our liturgy as well as in our thoughts, our focal point remained Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. Yehudah HaLevy, the well-known Sephardi poet from the Middle in Ages, said it all when he wrote, "My heart is in the East even though I am living the West.

While the Shoah (Holocaust) was the greatest tragedy of the Jewish people of the 20^th Century, the establishment of the State of Israel was the greatest miracle. After 2000 years, we are now able to return to our Land and be part of the miracle. Today we have Jews who represent Jewish communities from just about every place in the world, as well as those who have never left the Land.

Among the various Jewish communities in Israel is the "American Jewish Community." Some of us even celebrate strange ethnic customs such as eating turkey (not schnitzel) with family and friends on the last Thursday in November, a two day celebration (in contrast to the United States) ending with 'leftovers" served Friday night. This community, while tiny in numbers, has impacted on Israel in many ways, including the fields of Jewish education, religious streams and pluralism and democracy and activism, just to mention a few.

I have been living in Israel for over 26 years. Thinking back on my own aliyah (immigration to Israel), I must state that I did not move to Israel for negative reasons. My intent was not to leave something. I just came to the conclusion that I wanted to be a player in the arena of Jewish history and not a bystander. Israel continues to be an exciting challenge.

As a country and as a people we are currently going through an especially difficult period in which the matzav (situation; refers specifically to the current situation in Israel) is brought to the home front. There is no one in the country who has not been personally affected. Yet, tourism is actually starting to pick up and life goes on. Children attend schools, we go shopping in the malls and downtown, eat in restaurants and yes, we even ride the buses. I have learned never to take anything for granted in life and to value every precious moment.

On a different note, I look forward to welcoming the KOACH birthright israel program in January and seeing many of you at the end of February at the KOACH Kallah in L.A. Should you find yourself here at "home" in Israel at any time, please be in touch!

Our Center on Campus Program (KOACH in Israel) offers a support system and extra-curricular activities to overseas students studying in Israeli Universities.

[Posted 12/28/03]