POETRY / HAIKU

Prayers for My Country

It’s not perfect but it’s home

Love my country; I Proudly stand with Israel Today and each day.

I am always hesitant writing about my homeland, for Israel tends to be quite polarizing but in the spirit of being known….

I am an Israeli living abroad for most of my life, though much of my family remains in Tel Aviv. I moved to the United States as a child, visit Israel every summer, and always ache to leave — hoping someday to return.

As Israel is currently under attack, my family running in and out of bomb shelters, children in tow, my daily challenges suddenly seem trivial.

So often we see terror on television, but how often does it personally impact us? Let me tell you — it is a whole different story when it does.

I don’t do politics and I will not respond to political comments but I do value human life of innocent people — on both sides.

May the terror stop and may innocent lives be spared.

#IStandWithIsrael

Here are two stories I wrote this year about my love for my country.

Admittedly I was terrified to write them and to be known as an Israeli writer, which is completely inconsistent with my stand for both my transparent self and my commitment to Israel.

It saddens me that I have to think and worry about what people will think if I speak of Israel. It seems to so often divide people — mostly rooted in ignorance, which only breeds hate.

Thank you for letting me be known — real, raw, and proudly Israeli!