Dear Jews of Europe, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the unspoken distance. I'm sorry for the guilt and ego intertwined in Aliyah. I'm sorry for being so ignorant about what you experience. I'm ...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2018/01/my-apology-to-jews-of-europe.html
It was the day after the German elections that I saw a swastika spray-painted near my home. The alt-right political party gained more votes than were expected and the air around me felt heavier....
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2017/11/eyes-on-names.html
Sitting in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and listening -scratch that- feeling the dynamics of the pianist playing Bach’s Art of the Fugue, waves of emotion wash through me. The wooden walls b...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-song-of-alien.html
The modern age has enhanced another dichotomy between living your life and living in the world. I can’t be totally aware of the news and be totally mindful of my surroundings. I can choose to ...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-tension-of-terrorism.html
It's confusing to love something dangerous. It's overwhelming to be so certain that as a Jew, Israel is my home and yet so pained by the wars that arrive to my doorstep every season. The hostili...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/10/huts-can-be-durable.html
My 93-year-old neighbor kisses me on the cheek and blesses me to take care of myself. His faded blue eyes lock into mine. His voice softened by surviving the Holocaust, sweating in the factories...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/08/it-was-just-blink.html
I'm in Liberty Park, Jerusalem. I'm feeling embarrassed to be a religious Jew. It's an uneasy feeling to exist in the most spiritual city in the world, the most Jewish place in the world, and fe...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/07/there-needs-to-be-more-color.html
I can complain a lot about Israeli teens. Annoying. Self centered. Materialistic. Obnoxious. They thread a yarn of frustrating moments and exhaustion into every hike, forcing my voice to rise ab...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/07/tents-are-mounted.html
"Yallah, help each other out!" My shouts to the 9th graders as we descend into the current get lost over their high-pitched screams. Here in the Lower Galil, we leave our tents in the morning t...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/06/its-diverse-family.html
I am sitting next to my roommate in the Holocaust Research Institute in Haifa. It's just a 10 minute walk away from my apartment; but in this library, in this underground cave of history, in thi...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-sirens-of-memory.html
The thistles scratch at the threads in my hiking pants as I lead my 10th graders across the Lavi Forest. A map in my hand. A song in my throat. I am their tour guide, and more often than not, the...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-tree-is-blooming.html
Love is something so complicated I don't know if any definition could cover all cases. Love is demanding and intense, and yet youthful and inspiring. Love is what The Beatles sang about, what Em...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-way-she-loves.html
It's hard for me to put pen to paper when it comes to terrorism. It's hard for me to write about my feelings when it's all beyond understanding. When humans act worse than animals, when the world...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2015/01/theres-magic-in-nightmares.html
Celebrating the holidays in Israel reflects all the reasons why I love living in Israel. Feeling part of the normative rhythm of my surroundings, I smell the change of seasons in the air. The ad...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2014/09/may-it-be-sweet.html
The thing about a year is that it only gives you one try at every day. It only allows the holidays to be celebrated once and the months to be prized for their unique variance. The knowledge of th...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2014/09/sending-myself-away.html
As I notice the aches of the war surfacing in my body, I try to tune out the constant booms that terrify the soundtrack of my day. There are no words that can fully explain the existence taking p...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2014/08/its-my-home.html
I'm standing in a sea of Jewish people. I look to the right and see the names of Naftali, Gil-ad, and Eyal light up the side of the Tel Aviv city hall, their faces on t-shirts and signs that swim...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2014/07/here-we-sing.html
Standing amongst a group of all native born Israelis, I have never felt embarrassed about growing up in America. I stand proudly as an Olah and all the strength that dances in the two intertwined...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2014/06/as-american.html
There's something very vibrant existing in the land; an authentically pungent yet invigorating quality empowering the country. Maybe it's in the soil that fuels the ridiculously incredible flower...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2014/06/it-does-exist.html
My mom's voice on the phone emits waves of pride, bringing chills of joy to rise on my skin while explaining the accomplishments that bless my life. The intensity of gratitude for the puzzle piec...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2014/03/muscles-do-stretch.html
Often the question of the main difference between people in Israel and Americans flies towards me in conversations about my Aliyah. The words that respond usually depend on the slant on the quest...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2014/02/cacti-dont-shrug.html
The skies in the Negev are majestic. Somehow, they contain unimaginable powers. The sunrise that sets us off on our day of work at Aleh Negev also lowers into the colorful sunset that welcomes us...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2013/10/there-is-sky.html
When making Aliyah, everything is scary. Sitting in 2nd Ave Deli with Seth and Erin the night before my Nefesh B' Nefesh flight, my brother asks me if I am "nervous about anything.” Sitting i...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2013/09/ease-is-intimidating.html
"Mazel Tov." The manager of the Apple Store in San Diego is quick to show me the photos of him at the Wailing Wall with his apple kippah on his recent trip to my about-to-be-home. Last minute pre...
http://thoughtsontzion.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-board-wobbles.html
In my city there is a wall; a wall designed to support but now occupies way beyond the stones' physical mass. The wall clutches the collective memory of my nation; absorbing the holiness of our ...