Israel Never In Vain
By Monica Rozenfeld
I realized something about myself the other day. I thank God a lot. Like when I’m
running late for work and just make my train, I like to thank God. Or that time
the blind date wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, I thanked God. But then there
are the other times, where life seems to just be pale, or even worse, painful. When
my heart hurts, I get annoyed with God. I say, “Really? What’s this all about God?”
I sometimes even believe he is doing it on purpose just so that I get angry at him.
But when I’m comfortable, when life is going on like it should be, I sometimes forget
all about Him. And that is why Israel is so important. Israel is never comfortable.
It’s a place where God is never forgotten. It’s a real love hate relationship.
I used to be apathetic towards Israel. I knew it was a place where Jews lived, but
so what? So is the upper west side of Manhattan. Why don’t we just move all the
Israelis here and everyone will be happy, right? Well, as wonderful as peace is,
I’ve understood firsthand that some things are more invaluable than peace itself.
Israel, for anyone who has been, can probably relate when I say I felt something
there. And although we each have had our own personal experience with Israel, I’m
not sure many can say it didn’t feel familiar. For me, it was this feeling of nostalgia
-- a feeling I have found what is missing and yet is still missing such as a tie
to my ancestors, to my heritage, to the land, and to the people who live so painfully
alive there today. Israel forced me to leave if not all of my heart in a place I
was once apathetic to; a place that showed me life with apathy is not a life worth
living.
Just the other day I read a really incredible poem by Aaron Zeitlin that seems appropriate
for this post. It goes like this:
Praise me, says God, I will know that you love me. Curse me, I will know that you
love me. …But if you sit fenced off in apathy, Entrenched in “I don’t give a damn,”
says God, If you look at the stars and yawn, says God, If you see suffering and
don’t cry out, If you don’t praise and don’t revile, Then I created you in vain,
says God.
So what are my hopes and dreams for Israel? I would say it would be for all of us
today living outside of Israel to be hopeful and dream for Israel. For us to look
outside of ourselves and to never lose sight of the struggle. Israel fights each
and every day for us to have a place to call home. I hope everyone takes their opportunity
to go and see it for themselves so that they don’t sit comfortably and hear Israel
and yawn. If you want to witness miracles, that’s the place to be. It would not
exist today if it were not for miracles.
I’d like to add that I dream of peace for Israel, but I am not so optimistic. I
do believe there is a reason Israel suffers, and maybe that reason is to make us
uncomfortable. We’ve been in struggle since the beginning of the Jewish peoplehood
and Israel will not let us forget it.
For all those who like me did not know what Israel was about, I hope that you will
take the time to learn about it, about Judaism, about the history and the spirituality,
and one day be able to see it all for yourself. Being present at the Wailing Wall,
or the Kabbalistic city of Sfat, or spending time at a Kibbutz with children who
have lost their families to terrorist attacks, you too will hopefully agree that
Israel is never in vain.
If you have any questions about Israel or Judaism, feel free to email me at findmyjewspot@gmail.com.
Or learn from other people’s journeys at my blog, www.myjewspot.blogspot.com.
Monica Rozenfeld is a 22-year-old recent Journalism grad currently working in NYC.
Read her interviews with Jewish musicians and other interesting folk on her blog
The Jew Spot
More blogs forecoming. |