What a great piece. Truly enchanting, inviting, realistic and relatable!
I was in Israel for three weeks during the summer of 1980. I stayed with some distant relatives in Herzliya. The mother of three taught at University and took me to swim with her and for the first time I got how therapeutic it could be to swim laps. I got around, I saw many sites, but the other perhaps bigger memory was sitting on the floor in a bookstore in Tel Aviv and buying three or four paperbacks I had no business carrying around to then release for free to another because I was tired of carrying them in my backpack. But the bookstore was so comfortable and life traveling at 20 wasn't. When flying out to continue traveling on my own, an older couple sitting next to me asked, "You're American. When will you make Aliyah?"
"I won't," I didn't feel it.
"Well, then you're not a real Jew."
"I find it so interesting that Jews always feel persecuted and yet Jews are the most judgmental about their own."
End of conversation as I remember it but it left an uncomfortable taste in my mouth, to say the least.
Having never been to or desired to go to Israel, which, for a Jew, is a sin, I get this piece so much. I've never denied its right to exist, but your right to exist cannot equal a right to do unto others what has been done to you. That's not what every religion in the world teaches. Do unto others as you'd HAVE them do unto you.
What a great piece. Truly enchanting, inviting, realistic and relatable!
I was in Israel for three weeks during the summer of 1980. I stayed with some distant relatives in Herzliya. The mother of three taught at University and took me to swim with her and for the first time I got how therapeutic it could be to swim laps. I got around, I saw many sites, but the other perhaps bigger memory was sitting on the floor in a bookstore in Tel Aviv and buying three or four paperbacks I had no business carrying around to then release for free to another because I was tired of carrying them in my backpack. But the bookstore was so comfortable and life traveling at 20 wasn't. When flying out to continue traveling on my own, an older couple sitting next to me asked, "You're American. When will you make Aliyah?"
"I won't," I didn't feel it.
"Well, then you're not a real Jew."
"I find it so interesting that Jews always feel persecuted and yet Jews are the most judgmental about their own."
End of conversation as I remember it but it left an uncomfortable taste in my mouth, to say the least.
I'm glad you are musing more!
Having never been to or desired to go to Israel, which, for a Jew, is a sin, I get this piece so much. I've never denied its right to exist, but your right to exist cannot equal a right to do unto others what has been done to you. That's not what every religion in the world teaches. Do unto others as you'd HAVE them do unto you.
Susan... I would totally repost ...anyway to separate the upcoming events from the "bad boyfriend"?
Way to go Susan. Tell it like it is. Very impactful!