Aliyah Stories: Bishop

“In Israel people do what they’re passionate about, and people notice them. I don’t play music to be famous, but because I like it, and if other people like it that’s cool.”

Bishop, 20 years old, has just made Aliyah to Israel this past February, from Memphis, Tennessee. A young musical artist, spiritual but not religious, for Bishop Israel is about creativity and passion, and it is where he has chosen to come to make his music.

Bishop loves the vibrancy and variety of Israel’s music scene, which he says is a result of Israel’s general diversity, welcoming Jews from all over the world each with their own musical style.

  

His group is called Red Music, the color of both anger and love symbolizing life’s contradictions, just like Bishop’s music, which blends the style of the 1960s with modern music.

Bishop grew up Jewish in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of a Moroccan Jewish mother and an African-American father. He is often mistaken for Ethiopian or Sudanese here in Israel and people are always surprised to find out he’s American.

Bishop describes the Jewish community in Memphis as close-knit. He shrugs off anti-Semitism in the States, saying he has experienced it in the form of off-color jokes and references but that it was subtle and he didn’t feel hurt by it. Bishop doesn’t think the racist joke-tellers are necessarily anti-Semites or bigots, but the remnants of a worldview passed down for generations among a certain class of white Christians; a slight distaste for those who don’t share their religion and skin color.

After graduating High School in Memphis, Bishop first came to Israel on a Masa gap-year program. A group of friends encouraged him to sign up so he decided to give it a try. He participated in a program called Aardvark Israel, living in the Florentine neighborhood of Tel Aviv and studying Hebrew, Jewish business ethics and Middle-Eastern politics while volunteering at Ozen Bar, where he met many Israeli musicians and even performed himself.

When he looks back on that semester he lived in Israel, Bishop recalls it was filled with signs he was meant to be there. He cites the extraordinary occurrence of finding an iphone on the ground at the shuk whose owner welcomed him into her family with gratitude and became his “Israeli mother”. He met amazing Israeli musicians, made great friends, and built his own fan base here in Israel.

He returned home after the program and started studying at the University of Memphis, but he knew it wasn’t where he was meant to be. When he looked around him, he saw his friends doing the same things they’d been doing in High School. Nothing was changing, and he couldn’t see himself living the life he wanted there.

So he came back to Israel, this time for good. At the moment he is working several jobs while performing his music. This summer he is going to volunteer at Kibbutz Magan Michael, learning Hebrew and working the avocado fields. “I’m a vegan, so it’s like heaven for me!” he jokes. Soon he’ll begin his army service.

And after that? Eventually, he wants to return to school, Bishop says. But until then he is happy making music and seeing what the future will bring. “If the universe wants it to happen, then it will happen.”

Aliyah Stories: Becky

Becky's journey of return is part of a greater legacy: returning to the land that sheltered her grandparents after they survived the Holocaust, fulfilling her grandmother's dream to return, and pursuing her own personal and professional dreams in the place where she feels she was meant to be.


Today's Aliyah story is that of Becky, a young woman from Fairfax, Virginia who officially made Aliyah in 2011, but has been living in Israel since 2008.

Becky moved to Israel right after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and has been living in Jerusalem ever since. She is currently single, earning her master's degree in clinical psychology at Hebrew University while working part time doing research at the IDC.

Becky is in a sense completing the journey her family began decades ago.

Her grandparents on her father's side met and married in Israel before eventually moving to the United States, and her parents met while visiting Israel. Becky describes herself as coming from a "Zionistic traditional home" and adds that it was very important to her parents that she and her sister have a close relationship with Israel and a strong Jewish identity. Around every other summer she and her family visited Israel, and she celebrated her Bat Mitzvah here as well.

What prompted her to make Aliyah?

“It was a process and a decision that became clearer to me the more time I spent here,” Becky says.

Perhaps it began when she was first brought to Israel to meet her great-grandparents at 6 weeks old. Israel always felt like a second home to her, as she visited family there every other summer and spent a semester of high school traveling in Israel and living on a Kibbutz doing gadna (a week-long intro to the IDF for high-schoolers). She initially considered Aliyah after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and studying at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem for a year, but returned to America when she was unable to find a job. For Becky, life in Israel means progressing both personally and professionally, and she knew she would feel frustrated in Israel if she felt stuck in her career. But she didn't give up on her desire to return, continuing to seek out opportunities in Israel. Luckily, a professor at the IDC offered her the opportunity to be his teaching assistant in positive psychology.

For more information on ways to come to Israel to study, volunteer, or intern, you can see my blog post “Bored? Have I got a Boredom-Buster for you” (spoiler alert: it’s Israel).

After a year and a half as a teaching assistant at the IDC, studying Hebrew in ulpan (intensive Hebrew class), and working as a psychology research assistant at Hebrew University, Becky knew it was only a question of when to make Aliyah, not if. She was accepted to PhD programs in Clinical Psychology in the United States, and to a Master’s program in the same field at Hebrew University.

 It was decision time—and Becky decided to commit to building her life in Israel.

“I feel I can really contribute to the Jewish people here and that this is truly our home,” she says. “Although I get frustrated and disagree with Israel's policies a lot, I want to be part of the discussion here and try to make change. In the end, it felt right in my heart and I'm really glad I listened to my gut and decided to go for it.”

Her family was very supportive of her decision, both her cousins here in Israel and her parents, who visit often from America. Before accepting that initial teaching assistant position that brought her back to Israel, Becky recalls speaking with her grandmother, who was very ill. Her grandmother encouraged her to follow her heart, saying that it had always been her dream to return to Israel. Becky has carried this with her on her Aliyah journey. “I feel blessed that I'm able to fulfill something that she always hoped to achieve and feel connected to my heritage,” she says.

For Becky, already living in Israel, making Aliyah did not involve a dramatic flight or so many physical changes. Instead, she says, she felt a strong emotional difference. “I was making the conscious decision to build my life here. I started really investing in my friendships, learning the language and culture, and creating a home for myself in a different way than when I was here temporarily. And of course, there was a lot more bureaucracy to deal with!”

She spent the whole first month dealing with various government agencies, as her case was especially complicated due to her father renouncing Israeli citizenship, and her making Aliyah while possessing a temporary residency permit. However, Becky kept her sense of humor and even gained something from the frustrating experience of bureaucracy. “I felt I was truly becoming Israeli as I learned to be more assertive and make good friends and connections with those who could help. A lot of friends have sent their new olim friends to me because they consider me an expert in dealing with Israeli bureaucracy!”

If you don't have the same bureaucratic skills as Becky, the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption can help too. We have personal absorption counselors that can help you once you've made aliyah, to ease the absorption process. Click here for more information and links to contact information for Absorption Bureaus and Branches all over Israel.

 Becky's biggest challenge after making Aliyah was adjusting to a Master’s program in Hebrew. Although she spoke pretty good Hebrew, high-level statistics and conducting therapy in Hebrew was a new trial. Luckily, the support of her classmates and professors helped her through the difficulties of that period.

The Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption can help with this too.  The Student Authority was established in 1968 to help new olim students with their unique challenges in adjusting to life in Israel academically and in general through trips, social and psychological aid, tutoring, and financial assistance. You can find more information here.

Overall, Becky says she feels at home here in Israel and is grateful to be able to contribute to the Jewish state and grow personally and professionally while surrounded by friends and family here. She concedes that it is difficult sometimes to be so far from her immediate family and close friends in America, but between visits and modern technology they can keep in touch.

“There are things that I miss about American culture and values,” Becky says, “but some things I've tried to implement here while also accepting the differences and appreciating the things I love about being here. I love how people open up their homes and are truly there to help, that the holidays the country is celebrating are my holidays, and that I feel I'm making a difference to the Jewish people and our home.”

Looking to the future, Becky hopes to continue to build her life here in Israel, help people as a psychologist and get married and start a family.

Thank you for sharing your story, Becky! I wish you the best of luck here in Israel.

As always, feel free to comment with your impressions and let me know if you would like to have your Aliyah story featured on my blog!

Bored? have I got a boredom-buster for you...

Bored at work? Ready for something new, a change of scene, an adventure? Have I got an adventure for you...

Come to Israel! Aliyah is of course an option, but there are lots of ways for Jews to come to Israel without making Aliyah, just to experience life in the Jewish State and discover the Israeli side of Judaism. Programs ranging from 10 days to 10 months will give you unforgettable life experiences and professional and personal growth. 

And if you like it so much you don't want to leave…the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption is here for you!

Ten days or ten months or a lifetime—it's up to you to take a chance and discover somewhere new!


Taglit-Birthright Israel: http://www.birthrightisrael.com/

What it is: A FREE (really, actually, no-strings, including 3 meals most days, free) ten-day heritage trip to Israel, for Jews living all over the world between the ages of 18 and 20

Length: Just 10 days!

The details: Taglit-Birthright Israel is the non-profit group that sets the guidelines for the trips and funds them, but the specific trip you go on is organized by one of many trip organizers, ranging from your university Hillel to your community synagogue, federation, or summer camp. You can go to your local organization of choice to find out when their trips are, or you can search through the Taglit-Birthright Israel website for details on the various trips, as there are slight differences. For example, some are non-denominational while others are more religious (although in general Taglit-Birthright is geared toward less-engaged Jews), and some are "adventure" trips which include more physical activities in Israel, while others are geared toward those with disabilities.

Dates to know: Taglit has trips twice a year, winter and summer, but exact dates vary based on the organizer. Summer registration for North America is closed already (it's still open in the rest of the world!), and Winter registration will open at the end of August. You have to register with a specific trip organizer, so do your research in advance, taking into account the dates of the trip!


Onward Israel: http://www.onwardisrael.com

What it is: Onward Israel provides six to ten-week resume-building experiences in Israel for alumni of short-term Israel trips, including internships, service learning, academic courses, and fellowships to get a deeper understanding of Israel.

Length: 6 to 10 weeks, usually during the summer.

The details: The program is organized through local communities in North America and around the world, including local federations and other Jewish organizations, and provides cross-cultural resume-building experiences. Each program is organized with a specific community outside of Israel and is up to 70% subsidized by the Jewish Agency, meaning you pay an extremely affordable price for a summer in Israel. Go to the website to find out what organizations in your area have Onward Israel programs.

Dates to know: Programs are over the summer, but specific dates will vary by program, so start looking now!


Masa: www.MasaIsrael.org

What it is: Masa offers over 200 different programs ranging from five to ten months, both for gap-year students (18 year olds) current university students, and university graduates (22-30). Programs range from academic to working on kibbutzim to volunteering to professional internships in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Length: Programs range from 5 to 10 months, but the exact dates depend on the program.

The details: Masa offers over 200 different programs of all different kinds. Whether you’re looking to study Hebrew for a year, volunteer on a Kibbutz or in Tel Aviv, teach English in cities across Israel, or intern with different companies, non-profits, or Government ministries, you can search through the Masa website to find programs! Masa offers a grant to help cover the costs of the program, which varies according to program. Masa also organizes conferences and events for participants of various programs so you can meet people on other programs.

Dates to know: Fall and year programs usually start at the end of August/beginning of September, and Spring programs start at the end of January. Exact dates vary based on the program! Applications are usually rolling, although the earlier you apply the better!

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And there are lots of ways to stay involved once you get back to your home country too! From Birthright NEXT Shabbat dinners to Yom Hatzmaut festivals and your local Hillel, JCC, or synagogue, there are lots of Israel programs you can look into.

Some helpful websites you can look at to learn about Israel as well:

Makom: http://makomisrael.org

Resources for educators, Jewish communities, and individuals to learn about Israel, discussing its controversies and current events and how they relate to the Jewish diaspora.

Hartman Institute iEngage Project: http://iengage.org.il

The iEngage project is all about connecting Diaspora communities, especially in America, to Israel in a new and dynamic way. There are some great articles on their website, and opportunities to work further with them via internships and gap year studies.

And of course, if you decide you want the adventure to keep going, you can contact Nefesh B'Nefesh if you're in an English-speaking country, or your local Israel emissary or Aliyah organization, or The Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption at one of our centers in Israel: http://www.moia.gov.il/English/About/ServicePoints/Pages/default.aspx 

If you have any other programs to suggest, I'd love to hear them!

Mourning and Memory: Yom Hashoah

Yesterday, April 28th, was Yom Hashoah here in Israel. The National Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust.

It started Sunday night, April 27th (In the Jewish calendar one day is from sundown to sundown).


My program was invited to attend the official State ceremony at Yad Vashem, where we listened to speeches by Bibi, President Peres, and the Speaker of Knesset, heard musical performances, and most importantly, heard the brief testimony of seven survivors, six of whom lit torches in honor of the 6 million.


The next day was a normal business day, but it didn't feel like one. At 10 AM a two-minute siren went off and we stood, silent, heads bowed, lost in thought as the sound pierced the entire country of Israel.


What did I think of? The same thing that struck me at the State ceremony...that we were mourning these people from Israel, our own state. And the beauty and importance of this country struck my heart.


We are still here. A whole nation remembering and honoring our lost, but strong, vibrant, bartering in the shuk and relaxing at the beach. Those people in unmarked graves with no family left to mourn them will forever be remembered and cried for by us.


And our lives, with all our joys and sorrows, are a testament to the failure of the hatred that snuffed them out.


It was a hard day. So hard that just writing a brief post about it on Facebook brought me to tears multiple times. The pain that our people suffered, the memories that survivors live with every day, I usually push it aside. I couldn't function with that sorrow every day. But yesterday I faced it, I let it wash over me because that sorrow is part of who I am, is part of the Jewish people. It's a sorrow that pushes us forward, to be strong and brilliant, to empathize and to help whenever we can.


I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the world yesterday.

Aliyah Stories: Moshe Tzvi

Today I present to you the Aliyah story of Moshe Tzvi, from Cleveland, Ohio, who made Aliyah with his wife and four children ages 10, 9, 6, and 3 in August 2013, to Ma'alot in Northern Israel.

His wife is a practicing OB-GYN and he is a former software executive, with previous positions including CTO and Vice President of Product Management, who is currently looking for work in Israel. His wife attended medical ulpan upon arriving in Israel, but Moshe did not, as he is already proficient in Hebrew. The medical ulpan was very helpful for Moshe's wife, who says that there was no way she could have started out at her job as actively as she did if she had not had ulpan. She says she doesn’t know how anyone from the US could be a doctor in Israel without the medical ulpan (unless they were already fluent of course!)

More information on vocational ulpanim offered by the Ministry can be found here.

When planning the move, their biggest concern was for the kids' transition. In Ma'alot it's not predominantly English speakers. Most kids at school don't speak English, so they were worried. But, says Moshe, "thank G-d, it's been fantastic." The kids have acclimated remarkably well. They've made friends and have play dates at home and at their friends' houses. Moshe and his wife are very pleased with how well the kids have adjusted.

Moshe says he and his wife have always felt that Israel is their home. There was no question as to whether to make Aliyah, only a question of timing. They wanted to make the big move while their kids were young, so the adjustment would be easier for them. In addition, the process for medical certification for Moshe's wife took time. She had to finish all her certifications so her license would transfer over and she wouldn't have to re-do all of the testing. There was a lot of paperwork for her to get certified in Israel. Once she sent it all in the certification process worked relatively well. She has to do a three-month residency at a hospital here, which she has now started. But she had to wait a month initially for the bureaucratic details to be worked out. The Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption provides the hospital with funding for her during this period and they had to wait for this to be arranged with the hospital. Other than that wait, the process has been pretty smooth.

The Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption has numerous certification and professional training courses to help professionals transition to working in Israel. More information can be found here.

Moshe, his wife, and their family, have visited Israel many times over their lives. Moshe attended post-high school programs and summer programs, staffed different summer programs, and visited on family trips. Last April he and his wife participated in one of Nefesh B'Nefesh's pilot trips. Moshe describes it as a "very focused trip" where every day they visited a different city that could be their potential home. They met with principals of schools, other olim, and real estate agents in each place. The trip was "exceptionally helpful" for Moshe and his family.

Before the trip, Moshe and his wife were thinking of different cities to live in, but ended up changing their decision based on what they saw and heard during their visits. They had put Ma'alot, where they currently live, on the list because they didn't know much about it, but they were very happy with what they found there on the trip. On the other hand, other cities they had thought would be good fits before visiting turned out to raise questions. In the end, Moshe calls the pilot trip "critical" to their successful move.

Although Moshe has second cousins living in Israel, they don't have any close family, and nobody living near them. He says family in Israel was not a big concern in their Aliyah decision.

Moshe and his family love living in Ma'alot. Moshe and his wife like the suburban feel of the town, with a house and a yard like he and his wife grew up with. They really like the schools in the area as well. The principle of their sons' school actually just won an award a few months ago. They wanted to live somewhere with a more "Israeli" feel, not a mini-America within Israel like some towns are. They also found the northern climate very appealing, as it is cooler than in much of the country.

They have been trying to take advantage of all the beautiful nature in the north by going on hikes and visiting various attractions. They have a map of Israel provided by the National Park Service, with a checklist of the country's national parks, which the kids have started to check off, with the goal of visiting them all.

Upon first arriving in Israel, Moshe says, they felt "excited…certainly emotional" to be here. "We were cautious about the adventure ahead of us, we didn't really know how everything was going to work out, with the kids and work and everything." Moshe says they are definitely feeling more comfortable now, 8 months in. Every day that goes by things get more settled for them. The fact that their kids have done so well was "a huge confidence builder in regards to the move and to some of our uncertainties" he adds. Still looking for work, Moshe concedes that there is still a lot of uncertainty, but a number of their initial concerns have been addressed and sorted out, and they are still incredibly happy to be here. Looking into the future, he says he looks forward to having a job and integrating professionally. He looks forward to his kids growing up, being part of Israeli culture, and starting their own families, hopefully close by.  

"We believe this is the right place for us," Moshe concludes, "this is home…and we have a lot of excitement and confidence about what lies ahead."

Our Ministry is here to help families like Moshe’s, with financial assistance in the form of the Absorption basket, with professional development courses and ulpanim, and special programs for scientists, artists, and athletes. You can find more information about how the Ministry helps with employment here.

We also work with community groups and local government to help new olim absorb into their communities. For more information about any of the programs we offer, we encourage you to contact one of our local offices here.

Before making Aliyah you can also contact a Jewish Agency representative or Nefesh B’Nefesh in North America for more information. Arrange a one-on-one meeting with a Nefesh B'Nefesh representative here.   

The Many Colors of Israel

The other week was a hard one for me. Back in the States it is known as “Israel Apartheid Week” on many college campuses. At UCLA, Students for Justice in Palestine, a student group, usually sets up a giant cardboard wall on Bruin Walk, the main thoroughfare through campus, listing statistics on Palestinian deaths and talking to anyone who stops about Israel’s crimes against humanity. This year, being in Israel, I didn’t have to walk past that huge wall and all the hatred, misrepresentation, and outright lies it presented to me.

Instead, I was faced with a new Facebook group “UCLA Divest”, which served to rally students around a new divestment resolution it was putting to a vote with USAC, the UCLA student government.

This post is not about that resolution, or the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. I posted on that group’s Facebook page, and my own, my opinions about that.

This post is about something a friend of mine, a strong supporter of UCLA Divest, said on her Facebook page that really hurt me. Well, honestly everything she said really hurt me, and I can’t see our friendship lasting if she believes those things about me and my people. But after USAC voted down, 7 to 5, the UCLA Divest resolution, she responded on Facebook by saying she was glad to see all the black and brown people supporting the resolution against all the “white Zionists” who opposed divestment from Israel.

“White Zionists.”

Apparently all Zionists are white. Everyone who supports Israel and thinks the Jewish people deserve a country of their own are white. Well I’m here to tell you what should come as no surprise—Zionists come in absolutely every color under the sun.

From what I could see of the discussion happening at UCLA around the resolution, pro-divestment people were talking about it in very racial terms. The black and brown people against the white “privilege-blinded” students. Divestment from Israel was linked with supporting minority rights of every kind. Linking Palestinian rights with other minority groups is not new, and I don’t think it’s uncalled for, as they are a minority whose rights need to be protected.

But by calling all Zionists white, this girl and everyone who agrees with her are negating the rich cultural heritage of Israel.

Israel is a country of immigrants. Yes, initially from Europe, especially after the Holocaust and the few, weak, Jewish survivors of concentration camps had nowhere else to go. But also from all over the Middle East, including Yemen, Morocco, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria…basically anywhere you can think of. And let’s not forget the huge Ethiopian Jewish community of Israel.

Jews are found all over the world. And they are not just white.

Israel is full of restaurants selling food from all these various exotic places. There are Sephardi synagogues and a Sephardi religious political party (Shas). Just last Saturday night I was at a music venue in Talpiyot with some Israeli friends to listen to a Yemeni band (who were amazing, might I add. I hugely recommend Ensemble Yemeni to all—a personal endorsement by the way, not related to the Ministry).

Tonight after work I’m meeting up with a friend from my program to try an Ethiopian restaurant nearby that gets good reviews—my first taste of Ethiopian food!

Ethiopians celebrating the Sigd Holiday in Jerusalem last year

Everywhere I go, everything I do, everyone I meet and everything I see shows me how wrong these people in Los Angeles, and around the world are, who say things others tell them without reflecting on their veracity, or their true consequences.

The “whiteness” of Zionists is just one of the many points this girl made that are just flat-out wrong. Not arguable. Wrong.

When I lived in America and attended UCLA I was scared to speak up against these people with their big wall and their statistics and their passionate hatred. I thought—maybe I’m wrong and everything they’re saying is right. But after living in Israel, visiting the West Bank, speaking with Palestinians and Israelis in both places, politicians and civilians, I know that I have seen for myself. That my opinions are based on information much more real than their pamphlets. These people, the people shouting about racist Zionism, these people have nothing to do with the peace talks going on right now. They have nothing to do with the Palestinians I spoke to who just want to work and live their lives with their families.

And now Israel Apartheid Week is over for another year and the divestment resolution got voted down again at UCLA (although the University of California regents have already stated they will not divest from Israel, even though other campuses like UC Berkeley and UCSD have approved such resolutions). UCLA campus climate is in tatters after the vitriol of the 12-hour debate surrounding the resolution.

And I am off to enjoy some Ethiopian food before going to a free salsa dancing lesson, with my friends from all over the world. In Jerusalem. And that is all I have to say about that. 

What Does it Mean to Live in a Jewish State?

In my program we have exhaustively discussed the issue of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Does one preclude the other? And what does being a “Jewish state” mean? Well the balance between Jewish and democratic is still being worked out, by politicians in the Knesset and academics in think tanks and universities, by people protesting in the streets and by authors publishing insightful books. As for me, all I can tell you is what living here, in the only Jewish state, means to me.

It means on Fridays everyone is rushing through the streets trying to get errands done, clogging the grocery stores so I can’t find a cart and have to wait at the checkout for ages. The shuk is packed to the gills and I make sure to wear close-toed shoes because I know I will get stepped on, jostled, and ran over by little old ladies with heavily laden carts. There are people selling bouquets of flowers on street corners, and after 3 or 4 PM (depending on the time of year) a hush falls. No buses except the East Jerusalem lines. Which in turn means I am stuck in my apartment on French Hill, at least a 45 minute walk from the city center or a 40-50 shekel ($11-$14) taxi ride. Sometimes I stay in town to see a friend or attend a Shabbat dinner, and then take a taxi back.

It means Saturdays possess a calm that does not exist in America. They remind me of Sundays in France when I studied abroad there, when most shops close. Although it is even more intense in Israel, where public transportation does not work. Schedules are planned around Shabbat. It is a tangible presence in everyone’s lives, unlike in America when whole Shabbats would go by without me even realizing it.

It means starting in October every shop and bakery is overflowing with sweet donuts stuffed with chocolate, jelly, or jam and painted over with colorful icing. The supermarkets are full of festive chocolate packs and cheap Chanukiahs.

It means during Chanukah all the buses say “happy Hanukkah” across the front in Hebrew.

חנוכה שמח.

It means in January all the stores are full of dried fruit and on our program overnight our tour guide breaks out some Tu Bishvat hagaddahs, a platter of dried fruit and some wine to hold a brief Tu Bishvat seder (something I’ve never heard of anyone doing in America).

It means in late February I get an inter-office email advertising our office Purim party, with dancing, face painting, and an “imported bar”.

It means that when I find an English-speaking hiking group and I go on a hike with them, we chat about Shabbat services on the way home. I am told about a fun singing service in Baka and am invited to Shabbat dinner afterword.

It means when I stay at a hotel all the food is kosher and I taste some of the most amazing creamy desserts that I simply cannot believe are pareve (but they are!)

At work I am shown pictures from britahs and we discuss Pesach plans, as we get that week off. I am looking forward to experiencing Pesach in Israel, as it is a celebration of our long journey to Israel and I’ve always dreamed of spending it here.

It means that if I met someone here and chose to get married my fiancée and I would have to prove our Jewishness, and if we were unable to we would have to get married in another country. It means that if I chose to wear a kippah and a tallit, like I did at my Bat Mitzvah when I read Torah, I would get weird looks and maybe worse, depending on where I was.

It means seeing little boys in peyos and their fathers in black hats and mothers in head scarves or wigs walking to or from school or the grocery store as I ride my bus to and from work.

I love feeling like part of a community of Jews here. Knowing that everyone knows what holiday is coming up, that everyone shares the background and values that I grew up with, though with different flavors from all our many upbringings and traditions.

I don’t love feeling like only one kind of Judaism is accepted by the orthodox and ultra-orthodox community and by our government. I don’t love being unable to profit from my weekend unless I pay for multiple taxis (I am working an unpaid internship after all, I can’t exactly afford that).

I don’t love being unable to go to the Kotel and stand with my father, brothers, and male friends.

Hannukah with the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption

Maintaining a Jewish state and respecting everyone’s values and rights is a delicate balance and Israel has not yet found a perfect one. But I would rather suffer the inconveniences and fight to correct what I think should be corrected than lose that special sense of community that results from sharing some sufganiyot with my coworkers as we attend a Chanukah event for work.