American Jews and Israel

Israel, for me, fills that hole. And even though I don't live there for a myriad of reasons that even I can't fully explain, I travel there as often as possible, and may yet live there, at least part time. I am entwined with the politics of Israel—advocating for it to normalize and live with a viable Palestine by its side. I feed off of its culture, its smells, and the rhythms of its craziness more than I do those of my homeland, America. It is my home away from home, but it is also my home, the place where I feel a deep sense of connection even in the midst of a jumble of its own contradictions and my own, too.

Were I to lose that "home," the place for which I fight and keep my Jewish soul, I would finally be homeless. And, there is a chance that could happen—if Israel doesn't forgo its pyrrhic hold on the West Bank and its unwillingness to negotiate with what I believe to be true partners, the current Palestinian leadership.

That's because this home for me isn't simply about nefesh, or about the smell of the sea lapping onto the Tel Aviv beach. It is also about politics and justice, that worn-out description of Israel as a "light unto the nations."