Ties to Israel?
The following is a conversation that I had with my boss at work early last Saturday morning:
Boss: So, Sarah, you're a senior right?
Me: Yep.
Boss: Do you know what you want to do next year?
Me: Actually yeah. I'm moving to Israel for a year to do a volunteer program for 10 months and then see where I want to be after that.
Boss: [puts his hand on my forehead to see if I have a fever] Are you OK? You want to go in to a war-ridden country?
Me: Ummmmmmmmm....
Please remember that this conversation took place at about 8:30 in the morning so I wasn't entirely functioning quite yet, but I was completely at a loss as to how to respond. I've gotten questions like this before from people who don't know much about Israel; most of the people who say things like this are not Jewish (though I must admit my grandmother says this same thing to me). I never know what to say. How could my boss ever understand? I can't stand there in the middle of the kitchen at work and explain to him the connection I feel to Israel because of the history, the heritage, the land, the people, the spirituality, etc... How do I describe my Israel education which my camp and synagogue have given me throughout my life? I don't want to describe the feelings I've often had of not fitting in simply because of my religion. He can't possibly understand what it feels like to stand at the Kotel because he's never been. And he never will because he doesn't understand. It's extremely frustrating to try to answer this question because I'm not sure that I entirely understand why I feel the way I do about Israel. I don't know the best way to explain it to others becuase I don't know how to explain it to myself. So, F358, what is the best way to do it?
posted by Sarah C. @ 10:43 PM
5 Comments:
Hmm...I too, like your boss, am at a loss for words. I feel the same spiritual connection to Israel that you do, but I don't think I would be all that comfortable moving there next year. I visited Israel when I was in 8th grade, when everything was relatively safe. Today is a much different story. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the Australian Government warns: "We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Israel at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack and civil unrest."
Don't get me wrong, I do admire you for being a part of this volunteer problem. There is no doubt in my mind that it will be a memorable experience and enhance your Jewish identity. I would love to return to Israel in the future and see everything for a second time. But at the same time I understand where your boss is coming from - even if he isn't Jewish and has never been to Israel. For now you will problem just have to nod you head and continue with the "umms" because considering the situation in the Middle East right now, there is probably not a whole lot you can say. Good luck!
I think you might have missed my point. The question I meant to pose was not "how do I defend my decision to go to Israel next year," but rather "how can I explain my connection to Israel to someone who feels no connection?"
When I try to explain my connection to Israel to nonJews, I ask if they've ever been there since usually the ones who have understand to some degree.
But you could also try the approach of saying it's amazing walking the grounds where multitudes of world history has taken place.
Sarah,
I think the best way to handle such situations is to be up front about them. I recently posted in my blog about a trip I went on to Israel with 15 of my friends. Out of those 15 , two have already made Aliyah and another is making it at the end of the year. All of them have been very forthcoming about their intentions to move to Israel, to fight in the IDF and to be Israeli citizens. I think the best approach would be to be upfront, but also be willing to take the time to explain to people why you are going- which I am sure you will do.
Sarah- I can see how this is very frustrating for you. It is always hard when you have such strong feelings inside and you don't have a sufficiant way to express them. I think the quote "words can't describe" is all too true for you. You can try and tell your boss what you are feeling or why you want to move to Israel but words won't do your feelings justice. If I heard someone say they wanted to move from America to Israel before I took this class I would have thought they were crazy kind of like your boss. So just be patient with your boss or anyone else who reacts that way because you know why you are doing it.
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