Recently, I was on a plane heading to the United States with our Jewish
Diller (a teen leadership program) delegation. It was my first time ever leaving Israel, and
I had absolutely no idea of how it was going to be out of my country.
At first, we were excited, it was really thrilling knowing that you are
meeting with complete strangers, that you're talking in a different language
and walking on a foreign land. Quickly
the excitement wore off. We drove around town, picturing through the windows
that those were Tel Aviv's streets we were passing.
We all kept imagining ourselves eating our Israeli Humus, Jachnoon and
Shawarma, and how we cherish each bite.
We were all dreaming about Israeli weather and the warm sunshine patting our
faces, about Israeli trees, Israeli birds and Israeli ants.
We couldn't stop thinking about Israel.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that we didn't have fun! We truly did, in the most
superlative way of the word!
After all, it wasn't just a trip aboard.
Our delegation had very important and exciting causes --to strengthen the
connection between Israeli Jews and Jews in the diaspra.
Learning about Jewish communities outside of Israel, and many more beautiful
goals, which we all believe we have succeeded reaching, thank Hashem!
It wasn't anything like we imagined, and we can't believe how privileged we all
are getting to that spectacular program.
I guess we just had a major case of Homesickness.
Israeli-sickness!
It's amazing how you can have the tallest buildings, the cheapest living,
exotic food, amazing malls and gigantic houses -- and still, you just
know...it's not it.
A week ago, the national memorial day of the Holocaust was taking place in
Israel. Yesterday, we had the national memorial day of the IDF and Terror
casualties.
Tzur Erlich, An Israeli writer, said once that the difference between those
two was how much it has cost keeping the Jewish nation safe inside Israel, and
how much it has cost without it.
Israel, thank you for being our home.
Thank you, Hashem, for giving us our home.
Actually, thank you for everything.
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