Fish Out Of Water

So now we’ve been back from Israel for two weeks. Everyone asks, “How was it?” or “Did you have a nice time?”

I haven’t a clue how to answer those questions.

How do I explain that I am feeling completely out of my element here? It gets more intense with each trip. I don't need every Jew in America to see things the way I do, but I am tired of explaining, justifying the centrality of Israel in my world view to people who don't care or who argue that you can be "just as a good a Jew" in America as you can in Israel.

When I'm IN Israel, people get it, so I feel like I am among my own. And on this most recent trip, we spent time greeting and visiting with the newest group of friends to make aliyah from Baltimore. My husband really captured how I was feeling toward the end of the trip when he said, “You’re sad because they all get to stay here.”