Living Rather Than Visiting

We plan to be here in Jerusalem for five weeks. It's a completely different trip from any we've ever taken before. We've been fortunate to have many opportunities for travel, but these are usually 10-14 day trips, often moving around all over the location we are visiting. 

As a teacher, I often have very open summers. I can schedule as much time as I choose for tutoring, visiting family and friends locally or not-so-locally, mini-adventures, exercise etc. etc. Meanwhile, my husband works a remote job that usually has him sitting at a desk in our home office. We are doing the exact same thing this summer but in Jerusalem instead of in New Jersey. 

Telling People That I'm Going To Israel

I've had this blog in mind for awhile but took a very long time to get started actually writing it. Summer vacation is here and now I have time. How appropriate then, that we decided to spend over a month this summer in Israel. 

At this point in my life, there are very few people (Jewish or not) with whom I interact outside of a Jewish context. The security guards at our school, for example, are wonderful, but I don't find myself worrying about what they are thinking of wondering if there is any way in which I need to be careful what I say. They have already shown they accept us. 

Shifting Identity

What it means to me to be a Jew has changed and evolved throughout my life. There have been times when I might have been uncertain if I liked it. There have been times when I sought spiritual inspiration elsewhere or times when I saw myself as more of a member of the community of humanity than of the Jewish community. There have been times when I have felt embarrassed by my community, even times when I've spoken lashon hara (smack). (I regret these now but I'll save that discussion for another time.) 

All that said, there has never been a time that I did not see myself as a Jew. It is who I am. Full stop. And it makes me proud to say that that is who I am.