My Israel

by Arliene Botnick, May 1, 2018

We have been most fortunate this past month to have as our guest at services Rabbi Eli Levin, the present Rabbi at out twin congregation , Darchei No’am ,in Israel. We have a very special relationship with Darchei No’am and many of us have been their guests when we visited Israel. Rabbi Levin spoke both at our Friday night and Saturday morning Shabbat services, and it was a powerful and meaningful opportunity for us to see Israel through the eyes of an Israeli. In particular , the Rabbi shared with us a list of what his Israel means to him and I asked his permission to share this list with all of Solel. Both humorous and informative and extremely honest, his words say so much about our homeland. I hope you enjoy this list as I did!

  • This is such a small country that its territory on the world map is not sufficient to write its name on it.
  • This is the only country built by its tax payers – abroad.
  • It’s the only country where mothers learn the mother tongue from their children
  • It’s the only country where people write Hebrew, read English and speak Russian.
  • It’s the only country where every citizen has the right to say his opinion, but no law forces anyone to listen.
  • It’s the most progressive country in the Middle East, thanks to its neighbours.
  • It’s a country that separates the state and religion, and now religion rules alone.
  • Our country overcame the Arab boycott but not the airport janitors’ strike.
  • It’s a country that can produce drinking water from the sea, but swimming is not allowed at this time of the year because the sea is polluted.
  • It’s a country that built a nuclear plant, but is paralyzed with traffic jams whenever it rains a bit.
  • It’s a country where no one expects miracles, but you do take them into consideration.
  • It’s the only Jewish state in the world, and yet – It’s harder to find kosher food in Tel Aviv than in New York.
  • It’s the only country I can live in, this is my country!

– Rabbi Eli Levin

Filed under: Educator's Message

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