Eliana Sohn

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Oct 11, 2018, 9:07 PM

The Other Side of Ein Gedi

Ein Gedi usually sparks thoughts of bubbling brooks and lush greenery, yet there is a whole other side, complete with ancient tile floors and stone hedges, steeped in the history of Talmudic-era Israel. Over Chol HaMoed Sukkot, Steven Fine,...

Dec 5, 2017, 6:00 PM

Prince Harry and Meghan, Soon By You, and the Logistics of Love

In the spirit of efficiency and wanting to say more about each topic than I have time to write, I'm tying three topics into one. So, as we say here in the Holy Land ya'alah: Mazal tov, Prince Harry...

Aug 31, 2017, 4:42 PM

This Elul, I’m Not Trying to be a Better Person

Every year at this time of year, I brace myself for a new trek down the road of Teshuva. It's a time to take stock of where I excelled, faltered and plateaued, and challenge myself to do better. Truth is,...

May 25, 2017, 9:24 AM

Wandering back to Jerusalem

My lineage has "Wandering Jew" written all over it. Like many Americans Jews, I'm a hybrid of several ethnicities: Russian, Hungarian, Moroccan - and Israeli. Poverty and persecution brought my ancestors to the promising shores of the United States at...

May 1, 2017, 11:16 PM

Privilege on Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut

Today was my first Yom HaZikaron in Israel and tomorrow will be my first Yom Ha'atzmaut. How do I feel? A small exchange with a falafel shop attendant sums it up well. I'd just finished with some banking business on King...

Apr 19, 2017, 11:13 AM

Your Main Educator

A lot of people walk around thinking that they’re owed something because their education wasn’t as good as it could have been. It was my school’s job to make sure I knew how to speak Hebrew It was my parents’ job to push...

Mar 22, 2017, 11:54 AM

My Great-Grandfather’s Grave

Hearing about the recent desecration of headstones at Jewish cemeteries across the US hit a really personal nerve for me. Exploring and collecting the life stories of my ancestors is important to me, maybe more so than the average Millennial. Look, there were times when...

Mar 1, 2017, 2:13 PM

A Year After My Final Mega Event

This is my first year following the Nefesh B'Nefesh Mega event from the other side. Yup, after attending the annual conference for three consecutive years, here I am, observing as an Israeli citizen. Last year's Mega in Midtown Manhattan was...

Feb 14, 2017, 1:52 PM

Being a 20-Percenter

A few years ago, I came across a pre-Passover Charlie Harary video. In it, he shared that of the thousands of Jews living in Egypt at the time of the exodus, only 20% decided to seize the opportunity to walk...

Jan 7, 2017, 5:07 AM

Confessions of an American Olah

When you see the picture of me holding my Teudat Zehut with a full, hundred-watt smile, you probably are thinking that's gotta be one of the happiest moments of her life. And it was. That crinkling thing I do...

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About Me

Eliana is a project manager and writer living in New York. An experienced Wandering Jew, she's lived in 10 cities (so far) including a state capital (Albany), a country's capital (Jerusalem), and the most diverse county in America (Queens).