Comments on: A View From the Diaspora – What Does Israel Mean to Me

By: Jon Segall

Jon Segall — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 07:00:50 +0000

This….

Very, very, very well said Ryan

By: Ryan Nieburg

Ryan Nieburg — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 05:37:06 +0000

As a Diaspora Jew, and knowing that many, many things are greener on this side of the fence, there is just something that is spiritually and emotionally compelling about being a Jew in a Jewish land. It's hard to explain many times, but you do a really good job helping to capture it. In the end it comes down to a place where being Jewish is normal. Israel is the only place on Earth where that truly is the case.

By: Jon Segall

Jon Segall — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 01:09:51 +0000

Absolutely slither, thanks for the kind words… that has also affected my political leanings, and I am not so sure that I am better for it. I mean, I should like Israel for what it is and what it does (and I do) NOT because others seek to de-legitimize it. I agree – it's not up to us to tell the Israelis how to run their country, but, I do think we are allowed to voice our opinion and frankly as Americans I think we should voice our opinion, but, we have to be careful to understand that it is NOT us who will pay the price of Israeli political decisions.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 20:21:51 +0000

Great post, Jon. It is funny, my first time in Israel was this past year, and I wasn't too affected by abruptness or rudeness. I think it is likely that Israel has become more Americanized in the past 30 years.

Just like you, I am very supportive of Israel and it is a very special place for me, but I don't want to leave the US. This is my home, and I've built my life here. I can admire Israel from afar and on visits, but it isn't up to me to tell them how to vote or run their country.

Israel has become more important to me over the past few years, and ironically, one of the primary reasons is that I see it unfairly demonized and de-legitimized all the time.

By: Yen Sid

Yen Sid — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 09:36:43 +0000

Great post. Like you, I also live in the diaspora. And despite initially fearing and running away from my Jewishness (and my Arabness too), I eventually learned to embrace an Israeli-American identity. I tend to emphasize the "Israeli" when I say it.