Israel, Gilad & My Jewish Identity
Sixth grade changed everything. Every Tuesday and Sunday I sat in the odd, trapezoidal classroom opposite the library, way too big for my britches. I usually looked forward to class: I could wear a hat, grab a snack and hang out with friends in the KIFTY Kanteen and if I was lucky, my mom would take me to Fill-a-Bagel on Tuesday afternoons. (If you want to get on my good side, an everything bagel toasted with cream cheese is still the way to go.) As I routinely got kicked out of class for talking or leaning my chair back against the wall, Janet Luterman performed a miracle; she made little twelve-year-old Alex care about something other than sports, Abercrombie & Fitch and girls. She subtly laid a foundation of Zionism and stealthily planted seeds of curiosity. She was a spy.
As the years went on, many of those seeds blossomed and led me to further explore my Judaism. I continued through confirmation academy, held numerous positions in KIFTY and attended Camp Harlam every summer. Then came the moment of truth. In the summer of 2006 I went to Israel for the first time - the year Gilad Shalit was abducted by Hamas just two months shy of his twentieth birthday. More than anything during that trip - more than kissing the ground, more than touching the Kotel, more than floating in the Dead Sea with my best friends, more than anything I had learned about Israel that came to life during my trip - Gilad stayed with me.
Maybe Gilad Shalit was the hard dose of reality I needed to ignite my dormant passion for Judaism. Maybe Gilad Shalit was the face of a brother I never knew or understood. Maybe Gilad Shalit embodied a dedication to the safety of the Jewish people that I always took for granted. Whatever it was, I knew I had to return to Israel to further explore the labyrinth of Judaism.
During the sixty-four months that Gilad was in captivity, I had the privilege of returning to the holy land three times. I spent four months on Kibbutz Tzuba outside of Jerusalem with NFTY’s High School in Israel program, five months in Jerusalem at Hebrew University and another two months leading my Camp Harlam campers on their NFTY in Israel trip.
My Judaism evolved a lot over those years. It was the period of time during which I tailored my Judaism to fit the nooks and crannies of my growing body of theology. Every time I prayed, the prayers took on new meaning. Every time I said ‘Praise You, Adonai our God, who frees the captive’ during Nisim B’chol Yom (Daily Miracles), I thought of Gilad. Every time I said the Mi Shebeirach, I thought of Gilad. Every time we sang Oseh Shalom and prayed for peace over us and Israel, I thought of Gilad. Yet prayer was not the only thing that my time in Israel raised to new levels. I fell in love with seeing ‘Chag Sameach’ on the buses - can you imagine SEPTA buses reading Chag Sameach for every Jewish holiday? I fell in love with life revolving around the Jewish calendar, so that a Phillies playoff game could NEVER land on Kol Nidre (See October 7th, 2011). I fell in love with McDonald’s having Kosher for Passover rolls and chicken nuggets - while still serving cheeseburgers. I fell in love with living a Jewish life.
Now I am in Israel again, this time at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in my first year of rabbinical studies - my first time back since Gilad was released. It’s a new chapter in my Judaism and my life. Friday May 10th is Israel Shabbat at KI and I have the privilege of delivering a virtual d’var from Jerusalem, giving you a glimpse into my life here. I hope you will join us to celebrate a country integral to our identity, spiritual growth and survival.