Three Things Israel Has Taught Me
The world has a lot to learn from Israel, the Start-up nation, a country the size of New Jersey, tucked away in the Levant. From technological innovation to archeological discoveries and vast medical advancements, Israel has blown us all away. Needless to say, the rest of the Middle East and the West have a lot of catching up to do. So, in the spirit of the new year, I want to share the top three things Israel has taught me, over the course of my life.
Israel taught me love. It taught me to love a place, a people, and a culture with vigor and intensity, with devotion and respect. Every moment I have ever spent in Israel was alive and overflowing with feeling—whether it be joy, gratitude, grief, or mourning. To sing together and to exist together, am echad lev echad, one nation, one heart. A Saturday evening in the Old City showed me the love we, who pray to the same G-d, all feel towards Him. The early hours of the morning in Eilat taught me to love the soulful dancing of Israelis on the boardwalk. Thursday night in Machane Yehuda showed me how much I love Israeli street food and the family dinners spilling out onto the street. Israel taught me to love a girl I met in a hotel by the Kineret, to bake cookies with this stranger in a tent-kitchen set up for displaced families like hers, and become instant friends. Israel taught me to open my heart, to smile at strangers, and to face our fears as Jewish people together in a world filled with hatred, and know that we have a home.
Israel also taught me to be an advocate: to find my voice and use it. I learned to show people how and what it means to be a Zionist, to reach out and help pull my peers out of their echo chambers of ignorance or hate. Although at times speaking out feels futile, there are always people listening, yearning to learn, to grasp the truth of this seemingly far away subject. Israel taught me that my words have meaning and that what I write is being read and the words I utter are being heard. To stand up for a nation that is being constantly scrutinized by my own, is to go against the grain of the society that I am immersed in. In that alone, there is great value. To me, it means that I have learned to not just keep my head down and let those who hate, hate. It means that I am not one of the sheep who graze amongst the blindsided of North America. Instead, I walk on my own two human feet, speaking out not just for my own survival as a Jew in Canada, but for all those who stand for the “values of the West:” freedom of religion, expression, democracy, justice, and peace.
What’s more, Israel showed me true strength. It taught me not to be intimidated by the size of my enemies, that true strength lies within—within our hearts and within our communities. Israel taught me that with strength comes resilience, that no matter how hard others try, they cannot stamp out our light if we do not give them the power to. This tiny piece of land, surrounded by enemies on every front, exists against all odds. The success of this country came from true strength, determination, and faith: the same principles that led to the continuation of our people throughout centuries of persecution.
What might seem like a far away political issue to some people is a fountain of values and lessons to be learned for others. Israel has been a light unto the nations, but that light is so easily ignored. I hope that someday the rest of the world will acknowledge how much Israel has contributed to our modern society. But for now, it remains the hidden gem of the Middle East.
One might wonder why I felt the need to share this, and the answer is quite simple. Gratitude has been proven to bring fulfillment and joy to those who practice it. So in order to show my gratitude, I have decided to draft into the IDF as a lone soldier next year, giving back to the country that has given me so much. I had always expected to graduate from high school and jump right into the next chapter of my life: university. But I realized that perhaps my next chapter could lead me somewhere else. When my cousin made Aliyah earlier this year, she told me that she knew I’d be the first one to join her, but I didn’t realize how soon that would be. As an indecisive person, making this choice has been more than difficult, although ultimately Hashem is the one who is leading me where I am meant to go. And for what it’s worth, university will always be there if I go back!
