There's so much to comment on here. Where to begin?
First of all, what an experience. I don't know that I have words. How awful to be followed up with silence from friends back home. The first thing I did was contact my buddy in Tel Aviv to make sure he and his loved ones were ok, as well as friends with family and friends in Israel. Ouch. I am so sorry that happened to the author and friend during such a traumatic time.
This hit me in the heart: "But any Jew by Choice will tell you — and they're lying if they deny it — that they always question their Jewish identity."
I immersed two weeks ago and it's still a bit unreal. I keep saying to myself, "Am I *really* Jewish now? Really? But the M.O. don't accept my conversion. Does that mean that I'm just playing at this?" I think I feel more like an interloper having now actually converted than I did before the mikvah! A friend I study with called me yesterday and welcomed me to the Jewish community and thanked me for converting and joining the tribe.
It is such a surreal experience. Having your Tel Avivian bubble burst. During the first attack my wife was just beginning her pilates lesson. Each alarm they went down to the staircase. Waited for the siren to be over and go back to resume the class only to be interrupted five minutes later.
Me, I just put the kids to bed and had to sprint with two half asleep confused creatures in my arms.
After the 4th siren my older daughter (7yo) got mad and said that she’s so over this and if there will be another siren “she’ll explode!” 😬
There's so much to comment on here. Where to begin?
First of all, what an experience. I don't know that I have words. How awful to be followed up with silence from friends back home. The first thing I did was contact my buddy in Tel Aviv to make sure he and his loved ones were ok, as well as friends with family and friends in Israel. Ouch. I am so sorry that happened to the author and friend during such a traumatic time.
This hit me in the heart: "But any Jew by Choice will tell you — and they're lying if they deny it — that they always question their Jewish identity."
I immersed two weeks ago and it's still a bit unreal. I keep saying to myself, "Am I *really* Jewish now? Really? But the M.O. don't accept my conversion. Does that mean that I'm just playing at this?" I think I feel more like an interloper having now actually converted than I did before the mikvah! A friend I study with called me yesterday and welcomed me to the Jewish community and thanked me for converting and joining the tribe.
Thanks for sharing.
It is such a surreal experience. Having your Tel Avivian bubble burst. During the first attack my wife was just beginning her pilates lesson. Each alarm they went down to the staircase. Waited for the siren to be over and go back to resume the class only to be interrupted five minutes later.
Me, I just put the kids to bed and had to sprint with two half asleep confused creatures in my arms.
After the 4th siren my older daughter (7yo) got mad and said that she’s so over this and if there will be another siren “she’ll explode!” 😬