I Just Got Back From the Holy Land

I just got back from the Holy Land and look forward to sharing with you some of my experiences. I must share one story first. While my parents were watching the news about Israel, wondering if I were in a city where a bomb had fallen that day, I got this story about my home town of Chicago: a synagogue was firebombed. Temple Sholom of Chicago -- where I became Bar Mitzvah, an adult according to the Jewish tradition, where I spent many nights sleeping over with my youth group friends, one of the oldest (and most left-leaning) Jewish congregations in the city -- was the victim of a 2 a.m. attack.

Luckily, the attacker missed the window, and no one was hurt. But I couldn't shake the feeling that someone seems to want to harm the Jew whether he is in Sderot or Chicago. I don't mean to suggest that Illinois is a Hamas hotbed. Quite the opposite. Still, riding in a van from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, I realized that nowhere am I totally safe from people who hate me because of my blood.

More on Israel, including some thoughts on Operation Cast Lead, and hopes for peace, in the coming days.

By Michael Pomeranz  |  January 8, 2009; 2:41 PM ET  | Category:  Lox et Veritas
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Posted by: mae | January 9, 2009 2:33 PM
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