There
is one day more than any other throughout the year that I miss being in Israel
and sharing in the joy that the people of the country has to offer… Yom
Ha'atzmaut. Every year I can’t help but think about all the people that we met
and others that we got to know through the internet during our Aliyah
experiment. Many of those people I am still in contact with to this day, nearly
five years after the fact, and I enjoy seeing the lives that they have built
for themselves in our homeland.
The
images of that time remain vivid in my mind. While it seems but an instant in
our lives, the moments are more ingrained in my being that many other that have
happened before or since. I can recall the uneven stones along the sidewalk as
we walked to old city. The warmth radiating from under our feet as the sun
disappeared beyond the ancient hills.
I
recall many of the moments of getting lost in the alleys and streets both in
the daylight and well past the setting of the sun with only the faintest of
sounds echoing between the buildings. However, most enduring are the moments when
we were welcomed into the homes of others and into the community around us.
While we didn’t fully process the companionship that was shared with us during
those moments and meals, it is something that remains with me to this day. Only
in Israel can you be welcomed in such a way.
Of
course, what has become more poignant now is the memory of my wife and me
sitting on a bench along King George Street discussion our return to the
states. It was at this moment when we finally realized that we were ready to
start a family. More accurately, with all the changes that were happening and
things that were beyond our control, we realized that there was never going to
be the perfect time and decided that it was time. In the end we were a little
delayed but that was the moment when we made the decision to start a family.
However,
and most will agree with this sentiment, there are two moments that supersede
all others when I think of Israel. Both of these experiences were actually on
our first trip to Israel during our honeymoon nearly seven years ago. They
happened in relatively quick succession the first occurring when we turned the
corner walking along the wall around old city (the Ramparts Walk) and saw the
Kotel for the first time. We continued toward the wall wide eyes and when I
laid my hand and head against the cool stone, the world disappeared around me.
I will never forget that feeling.
So,
on this Independence Day I celebrate the people, the land, the history, and the
faith that makes Israel not just the Holy Land but our Homeland. And when we
return it will be as a family and I hope to find that same bench where we had
the discussion that would eventually result in our having a son. And, most
importantly, I look forward to experiencing Jerusalem and Israel as a whole as
a father and I can’t wait to introduce our son to his homeland. Am Yisrael Chai!
