Bubbe's Place: Stories

Israel

In 1947 my sister and her husband moved to Palestine to help establish a new kibbutz and to build the socialist Jewish State. I was always very proud of my idealistic sister.

Personally I never did fulfill the dream. Before I was married, Zayde and I talked about making aliyah to Israel. After I was married things changed. First we put it off for a bit. Again and again we talked. Zayde said that I would not be happy in a kibbutz. He pointed out that I was rarely tolerant of people who did not work as hard as I did. I had to admit that was true. He didn't want to live in a kibbutz. We were both afraid of going alone without a support group. Then I realized that I didn't want to go so far away from my parents. About that time we bought a house. Then we had children and we never did go to live in Israel.

I have always been ashamed of my lack of courage and daring. I am ashamed that I didn't go to Israel when I was young. I have had to accept that truth about myself. I was never the idealist, the dreamer that I wanted to be. Whenever I had to make a decision, I was swayed by the practical, the sensible thing to do.

In 2001, Mat, my sister, and I talked about my feelings. Mat laughed at me. She teased me a little bit when I confessed all this to her. She suggested that my guilt feelings were a little silly and that I had to look at the whole situation a little bit differently. She asked me if I remembered reading old English novels. She pointed out that in these novels of upper crust English families, the oldest child inherited, the second child joined the church, and the youngest child went into the army. She went on to say that in the Labor Zionist family, the oldest child got to fill the dream and make aliyah to Israel. The other children had to chose between religion and intelligentsia. I chose religion and Irv got to be the intellectual. I feel better now that Mat and I talked, but I still wish that I had been braver. Mat's explanation is nice. I think that mine is more truthful.

My love for Israel and Zion has never diminished. I have always given and raised money for Israel and the Jewish people. I have written letters and marched in support of Israel I have visited Israel. I have never wavered in support of Israel.

Today it is easy to forget that there was a time when Jews were dying because no country would open their doors to accept Jewish refugees from the killing fields of Europe. The world is quick to criticize Israel. I won't be taken in by " The poor Palestinians... if only Israel would..." The entire Arab world, religious and secular, must help solve the problems of the poor Palestinians. They cannot keep generations of Palestinians in poverty in refugee camps and blame it all on Israel and the Jews. They cannot just teach the glories of martyrdom and Holy Wars against the Jews. I try to be compassionate, but I am not blind and quick to blame Israel for all the problems in the Middle East. Too many Arabs have been encouraged to believe that violence will chase all the Jews out of Israel, or that if they kill enough Jews, they can destroy the State of Israel.

I think that we Jews need to support Israel and her right to exist. For Jews, for me, Israel has always been a dream come true, and an insurance policy against future disasters. I will not waver in my support of Israel and the Jewish people.