Allies when you least expect them

#ISS2013. This was the hashtag of my life over the last two weeks. I tweeted my way through Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. I apologize for not updating my blog along the way, but I got to a point where my experiences were very emotionally challenging. I didn’t have the space I needed in my head to be able to write.

Christian community leaders in Tennessee

Last time I updated my blog I had experienced a wonderful Purim celebration with a wonderful congregation in Watertown, TN. The next day we continued on to a lunch hosted by the Caleb Company, followed by a discussion in Brentwood, Tennessee with Christian leaders who were there to represent their congregation. We were hosted by a wonderful woman named Betsy who opened her home and her heart to give us a platform to share our message. I made sure to dress in my Sunday best but had reservations over whether or not I could truly open myself up to mainstream Christians.

When I was a little girl (probably 8 years old), I went to once per week to study under the Kumon system, developed in order to help children improve and excel in mathematics. This class was held at a local church. One of the classrooms, which looked like any other classroom I had been in at the time, was filled with plenty of visual stimulation and learning tools. Across the top of the wall was a picture border surrounding the perimeter of the classroom. It was the story of Jesus, so I walked along each section, reading what friends my age were learning in Sunday school. And then I got to the part where Jesus was sentenced to death. By that time, I was really upset because he seemed like a good guy. The next section would forever influence me and my feelings towards the Christian faith. I remember it very clearly:

“The Jews Killed Jesus”.

I was a Jew. I was eight. How could I have killed Jesus? Why would I or my people do such a thing? It was heartbreaking for me and I felt as bad as a little kid could feel in being told that her people killed someone. As I grew up, I always distanced myself from Christians because I felt, through that experience, I was able to see what they really felt about me. In high school this was further exacerbated when I was told by a friend in choir class that I was going to hell because I didn’t believe in Jesus. Well great, first I learn I killed your savior and I now I’m going to hell for not believing him. I knew at that point that I didn’t belong in America. I immersed myself in my Jewish studies and my Persian heritage, making sure to always surround myself with people who loved me and who were like me. 

As I stood in front of this crowd of Christians, representing Israel and the Jewish people, I felt alone and disconnected. They were all wonderfully sweet people, but I still had my guard up. During question and answer period we received the usual questions, except one woman got up and asked “Why is it that Christians ally with Israel, but Jews don’t always ally with us?”

I felt like I was punched in the gut. All the sudden my dark red dress went from representing the red in the American flag to representing the thousands of years of Jewish blood spilled at the hands of Christians because of the one belief: The Jews killed Jesus. I took a deep breath and shared with her my experience as a little girl, which isn’t far off from those of many of my other Jewish friends growing up. This was the first time that I had ever opened up to anyone about this story, and it was very emotional for me. 

At the end of our time to speak, the group, about forty Christians representing a dozen denominations, huddled around us and prayed out loud. Members, one by one, chimed in with their blessing for me, calling me by Hebrew name “Yocheved” which means “Glory of God”. They openly apologized and prayed for my forgiveness. They poured their hearts and their souls into my hands, and I was overcome with an overwhelming sense of reconciliation. As I stood there, weeping with tears streaming down my face, I was able to break through my barrier of defense against the Christian community. Just thinking about it, my eyes well up with tears as I re-experience the love that I felt from this phenomenal group of American Christians who were able to come forward, take responsibility for the actions of their fellow Christians, shower me with love and goodness, and genuinely pray for my healing from my childhood experience.

Several members from this crowd are scheduled to be in Israel soon. It’s about time we come full circle and I greet them in Israel, the Jewish homeland- my homeland, as together we expunge the hatred that has created so many barriers along the way. I want nothing more than to stand with them at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, in front of the very stone Jesus was laid as he was prepared for burial. As a Jew, I am a guardian of his faith. As a Jew, I will protect the land of Israel, and as a Jew, and I will stand in solidarity with whoever is ready to stand with me. 

Blazing the Trail in Texas

This week I began my speaking tour of the Southern United States with StandWithUs. Here you can find more information on my tour: Israel Soldiers Stories. I will be blogging my experiences every day or two as I tour around, meet new people, and share my story. This is the first part of my journey as we started our tour through The Lone Star State. 

As I drove south along the stretch of the I-45, I realized I was in a very different place. Endless plains of flat land seem to stretch for miles and the occasional ranch providee a nostalgic view of cattle as they grazed- I worked in a Dairy Farm at Kibbutz Ein Harod in Northern Israel after my army service. As we round one of the bends, I saw an enormous 60 foot sculpture standing tall among the trees. Must be Sam Houston, I thought to myself. 

Speaking in Houston

Welcome to Texas, where everything is big. I'd never been to Texas before, and my mind kept replaying the scene in the movie "North" (starring Elijah Wood) where he ended up in Texas at a huge house, with huge people, and a huge smorgesbord of BBQ after running away from his parents. The next time I saw cattle grazing I just couldn't take my mind off of, well,  lunch.

Our first stop on the tour was this past Sunday, February 17th. The Jewish Community of Houston was hosting a "Yom Limmud", or 'learning day' for the entire community. 1,200 Jewish people gathered at Beth Israel congregation for an intensive day of studying and strengthening their identities as Jews. Orit and I were scheduled to speak to three groups- two adult groups and one teen group.

I'd never shared my story with total strangers before, and I was excited for my first speaking event. Well let me tell you- it just flowed. My words somehow wove themselves into a beautiful canopy of emotions, experiences, and love. I felt myself embracing my crowd, and I felt their love in return. I offered the crowd dates that I brought from Israel, which added an extra level of sweetness to our experience together. 

During the question and answer time, the topic that drew the most attention was the introduction of a draft for the Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) into the military. The community was very well versed in Israeli politics and was following developments closely as the Israeli government forms its coalitions. At that moment, everything I felt about the Diaspora was confirmed: Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and we have a mutual responsibility for one another. We wrapped up our speaking events in Houston and drove north to Dallas, where we were scheduled to speak to young Jews at the  Moishe House (MoHo) in Dallas the following day. 

MoHo Dallas Photo: Jason Leach

Dallas is a cosmopolitan city, often dubbed by its residents as the "Liberal Pocket" of Texas. All I needed was a Whole Foods to confirm and I was ready for business.  We went for lunch and was joined by Vida's Filipino family (Vida's my awesome handler with StandWithUs), Vida's friends, and a friend of mine for lunch at Cindis- a New York Style Deli. A hot pastrami sandwich later and I was in heaven. The lunch discussions included the usual "How did you get to the army? What did you do? Why did you decide to move to Israel?" It was an intriguing discussion and we invited our guests to join us in the evening. We wrapped up and prepared for our event at MoHo.

MoHo was awesome. 30 young Jews took time out of their lives to come hear Orit and I speak about our experiences in the IDF. One of the big challenges the Jewish community in the US faces is how to involve the young generation in connecting with Israel. I was so honored that I had the opportunity to have an evening to share my story and talk to my American counterparts about Israel and their concerns. In the question and answer session, a girl said "I'm Jewish, but I'm not really involved in Israel nor do I keep up with it. I don't have time to read four newspapers a day, so what can I do to stay updated?".

I asked her what her passion was, and she said "Low-income families, poverty, and bringing people out of it". I told her about the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and the community gardens that they foster in low income communities throughout Israel. This wonderful initiative gives local at-risk youth and residents a worthy cause to rally around, and forms bonds in the community that never before existed. 

Community Garden in Beer Sheva, Israel

I continued on to share with the rest of the group that there are thousands of NGO's in Israel that operate on the very same issues in society that they are passionate about. If you are reading this and find yourself in the same boat, I'll say the same to you now: Define your passion and look for a parallel organization in Israel. Become involved with that organization-  follow them on Facebook, sign up for their newsletter, donate to a project, or regularly visit their website.

Days one and two of my tour drove home the importance of the Jewish community coming together, educating eachother, and sharing in the mutual responsibility that we all have towards eachother and the State of Israel. 

Days three and four saw included events at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA and with Aggies for Palestine at Texas A & M. Stay tuned for those posts, which will come over the next couple days.