Proud to be an Israeli

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

I am Israeli through and through. I made aliyah more than 32 years ago, because I wanted to be part of making Jewish history and not sit this one out as a bystander. 

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 Army), just like I wore when my oldest was just a newborn.

I do not always agree with what goes on in the country. I feel pain when things are not the way I would like them to be. Israel is far from perfect and a complicated place and I do work for change. However what country is perfect?

I feel deep concern when Israel-bashing becomes the norm in many circles, including college campuses, while ignoring other hot spots in the world and negating our rights. I feel frustration when our "neighbors," as part of their narrative, deny that there ever was a Jewish presence, let alone a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and claim that the Kotel is no more than a support wall surrounding the Al Aksa Mosque. Distorting and fabricating history does not build trust or encourage one to take risks. Nonetheless, our dream is to have true peace.

We are entering the season of the "Israeli Zionist High Holydays": Yom Hashoah followed one week later by Israel Memorial Day and Israeli Independence Day, and a few weeks later by Yom Yerushalayim. It is a period of national soul searching, taking stock of our lives and celebrating modern day miracles. 

Israelis like to travel abroad to escape the pressures of every day life in the country. Yet when the plane approaches the coast of Israel, look around you and you will still see a plane full of people with misty eyes. Israel is coming home.

[Posted 4/13/10]