Embedded Within Each Stone (Henriette Weitzen, Muhlenberg College, Hasbara Fellow)
My time on Hasbara Fellowships allowed me to introspect and consider what it is about Israel that possessed me to spend my winter break participating in an immersive Israel advocacy program. Throughout the advocacy program, we were encouraged to think about what in particular draws each of us to Israel and about our personal missions of Israel advocacy.
During this mindful journey, I thought a lot about the year I spent learning in Israel after high school. I studied at Midreshet Harova, in the Old City of Jerusalem. At first, it was quite difficult for me to adjust to being away from home, since it had been the first time I had been away from home on my own. In fact, it took me months of acclimating in order to finally feel comfortable and for the homesickness to subside. However, if it had not been Israel where I was away from my family, I am certain that it would have taken me even longer to feel comfortable; I find it hard to believe that I would ever feel truly “at home” in a place away from where I grew up – the only exception is Israel.
It was the Kotel that provided me with the most comfort. Embarking on my two-minute walk to the Kotel from my apartment in the Old City, I always felt a sense of comfort and tranquility. My feelings of homesickness and worries always felt much less pressing when I faced the Wall. A wall that has withstood so much destruction, war and turmoil. A wall that is still standing. The magnitude of this wall, each time I went to see it, made my negative thoughts and worries seem so minuscule in the grand scheme of life.
Living in the Old City and having the surreal experience of davening maariv at the Kotel each night, instilled within me a newfound faith – to steal a phrase from maariv, אמונתך בלילות – allowing me to gain more appreciation for Israel and the comfort that the land of our people can imbue within me by simply being there. The comfort I found – amidst my internal struggle of feeling alone and missing my family – embedded within each stone of the land of Israel provided me with a home; this is why I need to advocate for Israel, and this is why I could not spend my winter break doing anything else. Israel is my home.
