Home Away From Home

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Not yet 24 hours into my trip to Israel, I am reminded how much I love being with my family here. Sitting around the dining table, we taste local Kibbutz-made wine over dinner and dine on sumptuous vegetables, cheeses and instant coffee for breakfast. We discuss topics ranging from American politics, our shared family history, the tension between religious and secular Jews in Israel, the history of Jews from Cochin India, and the consequences of modern society’s reliance on social media as a primary mode of communication.

I am with two brothers, my cousins who made Aliya in the 1960s from the Bronx. Both brothers share their thoughts about this year’s US election cycle, about Israelis’ beliefs (or cynicism) about future prospects for peace in the Middle East, among other subjects. The setting; my cousin Ami lives in a home he and his wife Rachel built two years ago on land that extends from the local Kibbutz Parod, just miles from the Sea of Galilee, the mystical city of Tzfat, and close to Israel’s northern borders with Lebanon and Syria. This is an idyllic place, with sweeping mountain vistas and hills in all directions. Cows from a nearby farm lazily meander and graze through the back yard. I also understand there is a bit of a scorpion problem here, which I fortunately have NOT experienced since arriving…I just hope I remember to check the inside of my shoes before putting them on!

We talk about Israeli ingenuity and technology. Just a few hundred yards to the east, I see a reservoir that converts Israeli sewage and waste into use-able water for agriculture. I learn from Ami that 85%!o(MISSING)f Israeli wastewater is converted into this type of valuable resource; compared to the next most accomplished country with this practice, which converts just 15%! (MISSING)In a region with severe water concerns, incredibly, Israel is able to export this resource.

I am reminded, listening to my cousin Norman, about the complexities of living in a democratic state in the Middle East. He expresses frustration about the current political and economic reality, which taxes Israelis to subsidize the education of the ultra-orthodox. He expresses frustration that current leaders in the region are not motivated to pursue peace. He laments the lack of understanding in the western world about the challenges Israel faces each day. He admits to being a cynic, but clarifies that he is a realist. I could listen to Norman’s stories all day.

I can’t possibly summarize all we have discussed over these past 24 hours. Suffice it to say, our conversations have been as stimulating as they have been wide-ranging. I can, however, reflect on the physical, sensory and emotional experiences I feel being here while reconnecting with this part of my family. Bottom line is that I immediately feel at home here. I am able to absorb and process the flurry of Hebrew words and phrases which I believed I had forgotten over the years (thanks to 3-months in an Israeli Ulpan/Hebrew immersion course and 10 months living in Israeli development communities during my late 20s). Today, the hot 93 degree sun seeps through my skin and into my bones like a warm blanket. I feel embraced by Ami and Norman’s beautiful and kind wives, Rachel and Chagit. I am satiated by Rachel’s delicious and decadent cooking. I am already day dreaming about the next fabulous meal and the next heated debate. With a Shabbat dinner/feast in store this evening, I expect to be in full food coma mode by 9pm.



6927 miles away from Portland, I feel at home. ‘Home’ means many things to many people. To me, home is where one lives, where one is from, and is comprised of the constellation of relationships, connections and memories that make up one’s life. For me, home also transcends geography, traversing many thousands of miles of ocean and land, extending all the way from the West Coast of the US to this oasis in the desert; from my family and loved ones in the US to my Israeli family and friends. 6927 miles away from my home in Portland, I am still home in Israel.

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Comments

[paul jeser]

LOVE IT
Love every second of reading this. So envious.... and proud....