Leaving Home ... and Welcome Home

Sitting in the Jet Blue terminal at JFK waiting for my flight to Rochester, I've now had a few hours to collect my thoughts.

American Jews have often been accused of having "divided loyalties," a charge which is often code for "you don't support the U.S. because you also support Israel." It's a tag I wholeheartedly reject. At the same time, my experience during the last two weeks has confirmed once again that if my loyalties are not divided, they are at least shared -- in a way that does not diminish my support for either the U.S. or Israel. Israel remains the only democracy in that part of the world (and I've got some of the campaign literature distributed last night at the Tel Aviv bus station in advance of the February 10 elections to prove it), and like any other sovereign country, she has the right to defend itself against attacks from outside its borders. I don't see any contradiction in being a good American and a supporter of Israel -- even if it means I have to brace myself whenever I watch CNN or listen to the BBC.

And so, when the plane touched down this morning after a very long 11-1/2 hour flight I was both happy and sad: very happy to be returning home, eager to see Ellen after too long away from her and glad to encounter familiar things (I couldn't find Dunkin' Donuts coffee anywhere in Israel); but sad to be leaving a place that also feels very much like "home."

The opportunity to help the Israel Defense Forces, even in a very limited way, was worthwhile on several levels. The work that had to done on the military bases was accomplished a bit more quickly because of the help from volunteers, both Jewish and non-Jewish, from around the world. Our presence was also proof to soldiers and ordinary citizens on the streets, on the trains and buses and in the stores that they are not completely alone in this ongoing battle against forces that are still trying to push the Jews into the sea. And the trip met my definition of a good volunteer experience because I got much more out of it than I put in.

So, while I spend the next few days getting back to "normal," I'll remind myself that there are lots of different "normals" in the world. I'll also hope that the uneasy truce in Gaza will lead to a more comprehensive solution.

That may be hopelessly naive when dealing with forces who remain committed to the destruction of the Jewish State. Then again, there's probably a reason the Israeli national anthem is entitled "Hatikvah," which means "the hope."