As I have been following the news from Israel this past week and a half, I have felt many emotions: sadness, anger, worry. It’s not surprising that Israel is in the forefront of our minds in times like these. When we see pictures on the front page of the paper and hear the news on our radios, we can’t help but follow the events as they unfold. However, to me, part of standing with Israel is remembering that there is more to Israel than this latest conflict.
While it might not always be at the forefront of my mind, the Israel I picture isn’t the one I see on the front pages. For me, Israel is much, much more. I think of the “cheese ladies” in the local grocery store who took interest in me and my roommate, chatting with us about how we liked living in Israel and encouraging us to by the feta with 65% fat, which was much better than that with only 33% fat. I think of my landlord’s daughter, who came all the way across town to deliver a homemade cake my first Shabbat in the apartment because the family wanted to welcome me to Israel. I think of the quiet that crept over the Jerusalem streets as the sun set on Friday and how everyone, religious or not, would wish each other Shabbat shalom. I think of the man who gave my roommate a ride home from the furniture store and then insisted she and I come to Shabbat dinner since we were new to the city. I think of the delicious the apples and honey flavored Yoplait sold in the grocery stores for Rosh Hashanah and of spotting a sukkah on every little balcony and in every courtyard on Sukkot. These are what I think of when I think of Israel.
So, as we stand with Israel during this conflict, I encourage you to think of the Israel that isn’t in the news; the one that isn’t always at the forefront of our minds. There is a whole country there, all year long, that never makes headlines.
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