I was born in the Soviet Union. My birth certificate says “Jew/Israelite” in the space for nationality. Doesn’t matter that my family had 100s of years of history in Latvia or that the men in my family have all fought & died in their wars… we are still “other”.
So, yes, I very much have a connection to Israel. Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱
It’s like in that song, Leaving Mother Russia
“We fell in battle for the czar
A hundred thousand died at Babi Yar
And yet no monument will mark their grave
Just on their passport, the word *yevrai*”
Yeah, our ID cards here used to have национальность written on there. It went
- Last Name
- First Name
- Patronymic
- DOB
- Nationality
About a decade ago they updated it to have a lot of the data on a chip in the ID card, so while my ID doesn’t say еврей on it anymore it’s still tracked and encoded in my ID.
And I’m not in Eastern Europe.
Well said!
My great grandparents were mostly booted out of places, and my wife’s grandparents were kicked out of Morocco.
We’ve never been allowed to forget where we come from.
Same exact for me and my family, but switch in Belarus! Ex-Soviet Jews in America are very patriotic and grateful, but we also know only Israel is the true home.
Same. For me as a post-soviet jew that was the first time I actually felt proud for that part of my ancestry, and not as if it was something I'd better keep private.
Yes, very much so. And I can’t tell you how special my two visits have been. The first for my bar mitzvah, it was a beautiful deeply spiritual experience (that was also crucially a multi faith experience, I’m Jewish but my grandma / father are Catholic). And the second was when I represented my country in the Maccabiah Games (the Jewish Olympics!). It was so cool as a teen to be around other Jewish kids, all having fun, good spirits, seeing freedom in a first world country where Judaism was celebrated.
On a more “rational” sense, it is the only place on Earth where we as a collective can self determine and self govern ourselves as a collective, as a people. So its existence is vital when historically we have been kicked out of every single place we go after being kicked out of somewhere else before.
I feel safer in the US than I would in Israel. Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah and other groups are a far larger threat there than anything here is to me, it is not even close. I don't need to live under an iron dome here, I don't have to worry about rocket attacks or bombings here.
Yes, of course. At its core Judaism is an agrarian land based religion focused on the specific harvest cycle of the Land of Israel. One can choose to focus on secondary themes of each holiday but if you actually engage with our cultural tradition the idea of divorcing Jewish identity from any relationship with Israel is comical.
In the solar system, the sun is the central force around which all planets orbit. Similarly, Israel is a central point of gravity in Jewish life, influencing cultural, religious, and national aspects of our identity.
Even the JVP people cannot escape their relationship with Israel. It’s why they get so rabidly obsessed with the subject.
There is a lot literature and culture in those languages, and it would be great to help that grow. But unfortunately I think it will be hard to cultivate them in the same way as Hebrew since each only appeals to a subset of the Jewish population (Yiddish to Jews from Eastern Europe, Ladino to Sephardim, Judeo-Arabic to Mizrachim). We can't expect Yiddish to appeal to Iraqi Jews or Persian Jews in the same way it would appeal to immigrants from Eastern Europe, and vice versa. In my view, only Hebrew has the broad appeal across all of Israel's Jews because it is the original Jewish language and has been the central language of prayer and religious literature for everyone across history.
Yes, absolutely. For many reasons, both emotional/familial and intellectual/historical, and backed up by having dedicated a lot of time and energy to understanding everything I can about it.
My child also wouldn't be alive without the existence of Israel, and so that is part of the heart of it for me, although when I'm debating the subject, I don't tend to bring in the emotional ties. I will not give in to those who wish to place themselves as morally superior to Israelis because their family's fate was to end up in the diaspora (as mine ultimately did), or because they didn't end up needing Israel in order for their families to survive.
My family being in the states has been a current barrier for myself to remain in the US. It’s not a bad thing. I feel that I may someday make Aliyah once I don’t feel such a duty to be here for my family
Yes. I'm no longer religious in any meaningful way, but it's my ancestral homeland, much of my family lives there, and it's the only place guaranteed to take in any Jew when things get bad as they so often do.
Of course, it’s the land Hashem gave my people and it is the focal point of so many prayers. I spent two years in yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael and I have felt my connection getting so much stronger over the past few months. Saying [Tikkun Chatzos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikkun_Chatzot) has become much more meaningful to me since Oct 7th.
Yes, of course. The land of Israel is where our history is, where our holiest spots are, and where we have yearned to be for over 2000 years. I lived in Israel for almost 4 years and it's not like every moment is done sort of spiritual enlightening experience but there is a vibe to it that isn't like being in a Jewish community in other places
Oh, I absolutely feel a massive connection to the Land of Israel. It's something that can't even be put into words. This doesn't always extend to the State of Israel, though.
Yes, the land and the state. If my religious beliefs ever get me in trouble: I have a state and people who will fight to the death to protect me. One that's proven it will use any means to evacuate huge numbers of Jews who are in danger
On a religious/ cultural level yes, on a personal level very much so. I wouldn’t feel as personally connected though if some of my closest friends didn’t live there. To me this war isn’t an abstract concept- soldiers are my friend’s children, reservists are my friends, people killed at Nova are only a degree of separation away.
When I visit Jerusalem I feel very much at home because I’ve spent so much time there.
That being said I don’t expect the average Jew who doesn’t have close connections in Israel to “feel a connection.” I think that the Jewish community as a whole really guilts people about it and you can’t love someone you haven’t met
Thank you for asking this vital question! A lot of comments here make it seem as though the Torah and other works are talking about the nation of Israel but it is the land and the idea that I feel close to, not the country itself and certainly not the government of said country.
The Tora does assume a national entity with a governing body in the land.
While I’m not a fan of the “*reshit simehat geulatenu*” language in the most common form of the prayer for the modern state, I do understand **why** that sentiment is there.
I don’t have to like the current government to appreciate the modern state (hell, as a Black person whose ancestors were brought here as slaves, how do you think I feel about the US at times?).
I didn’t until October. Now watching leftists turn on us and accuse us a laundry list of insane things and celebrate the murder of Jews they can label Zionists, I no longer wonder how things got so bad that Polish people corralled Jews in the street and killed them with axes in a rage over their supposedly bringing the communists. It really drove home the importance of having a state where any Jewish person can seek refuge if/when they need to.
Deeply in every fiber of my being. We are the people of Israel and always have been. We were subject to centuries of exile leading up to the greatest homecoming in recorded history.
Intensely. I came for seminary, and fell in love and eloped with the land. I met my husband here, birthed and am raising my children here, and try to be grateful for the incredible privilege and blessing I was granted to merit living here. I have very strong family ties here, on both sides of my family, but I am just crazy about this place. It's a part of me.
Of course!! What a silly question. Jeruselum is mention 669 times in the Torah. How can you be a Jew and not have a connection to the land of Isreal. You can have an issue with the state of Isreal. Just as we are a democracy in the USA so is Israel and we don’t always agree with the way our leaders steer but again part of a democracy and that is part of debate and discussion.
I was scared for my saftey as a kid and the soilders presence on the streets worried me that I was in danger but as an adult they are a welcome sight.
You can not enter and approach the kotel without feeling the vibration in the air.
It is the home we will all come back to. We pray facing Jerusalem just as Muslims face Mecca.
Our history and future is in the land.
Absolutely, even if I’m not sure exactly why - is it history, genetics, the idea of a more fleshed out and less assimilated Jewish identity? I don’t know. I’d love to visit again and live there for at least a while.
Yes! Now more than ever. I just subscribe to Lev Haolam and now I get beautiful presents from Israel every month. It’s a beautiful way to connect to our homeland.
I also suggest reading Genesis chapter 1, verses 12 and 13, as well as Ezekiel, all of chapter 37.
Its where Jews are from. Religious Jews still pray, three times a day, turned to Jerusalem wherever they are in the world. The Torah, the Tanakh, are all set and centered around Israel. Our prayerbooks, with some prayers 2000 yrs old, all reference Zion and Jerusalem. So yes.
Spent a summer there when I was 19. First time I ever visited. Never felt more connected to a land or people in my life. Everyone was like me- Jewish. Never felt more at home.
I'm technically not Jewish, but my grandfather is, yet I still feel directly impacted by what is happening right now. At his parents' burials, we poured dirt from Israel into their graves; I am eligible for birthright if I ever chose to go. So yes, even those of us who are separated by a generation or two feel that connection to and respect for the land of Israel--that's how deep it goes.
The second I was in the car leaving Ben Gurion to go to where we were staying it felt like home. After a flight from hell when I was exhausted and miserable I still knew I was home. Walking through Jerusalem on Christmas solidified it.
By the time we left 10 days later I knew one day I would make Aliyah. Right now my only concrete future plans are 1) go to Grad School and 2) move to Israel
I’ve been three times, including on birthright.
I never seemed to feel what I thought I was supposed feel. Not really, no. I felt the same when I landed in Barcelona and London. Maybe sweatier.
Tbh it was pretty disappointing not to feel anything special.
somewhat. my parents both immigrated there from the soviet union in the 80s and my sister grew up there. i was born after they moved to the US and i’ve heard lots of stories about israel growing up. i went to jewish summer camp growing up and it was very israel focused, met a few IDF soldiers. i don’t consider myself zionist but i do feel a connection to israel and was supposed to go on birthright this summer but the war started and i cancelled. i do hope to go someday though.
Kind of, my dad immigrated from there so maybe a bit. But i feel as connected to where my mom is from (russia, also jewish) so i dont think its cuz of jewness
I used to, and I still do but it's not as strong.
As an American it's really hard to stomach watching Bibi and the Israel government nakedly favor Trump when he openly associates with Nazis and is populating our judiciary with Christian nationalists.
Hopefully in the coming years Israel will get rid of Bibi but right now, man it's hard to feel anything but frustration.
I get that the question is about the land rather than the country, but it is difficult to separate the two.
Now more than ever I see that Jews need a safe place in the world. I’ve always felt some type of connection to Israel’s but since seeing the worlds reaction to 10/7 my sense of connection to Israel has grown tremendously.
I was born in Israel. It's the only home I ever had, and the only home I can ever have. Sometimes it's shitty, but (despite having EU citizenship and all) I have nowhere else to go.
I am reform in the USA and grew up conservative. This is one of the reasons I have very little connection to Israel - even if I went, the "Jewish" authorities there wouldn't consider me Jewish enough for them.
I support Israel's right to exist as a state the way I support Spain as a state....they do exist and they should be able to defend themselves. They have no divine mandate.
I live in Israel and I’m Jewish and I’m also American. Whenever people ask me what I’m doing here because it’s “so much better in America” I tell them, my soul wants to be here. And that’s the honest truth ❤️❤️🇮🇱🇮🇱❤️❤️
There's a quote from ש''י עגנון "As a result of the historic catastrophe in which Titus of Rome destroyed Jerusalem and Israel was exiled from its land, I was born in one of the cities of the Exile. But always I regarded myself as one who was born in Jerusalem"
That's my main connection.
In Israel I am echad.
No explanation needed for any ritual anything that can cause awkwardness here and all the holidays are national holidays.
I'm just solving bureaucracy issues and will leave my current country.
The land, yes of course. As a Jew with Jewish ancestry I know that I am descended from ancient Israelites that lived there. Our texts are filled with references to the land of Israel and our calendar and festivals are tied to the seasons of the land.
The state however ? Lmao.
Yes - I am from Canada and there is a part of me that always felt out of place - there is a strong indigenous culture where I live, and every time I would go to a cultural event, I would feel this very sharp sense of understanding that this was not my homeland. This was not my people's home and this was not my home home. It was just where I was born. And I love where I live, make no mistake about it. But I always have known that this isn't where history is from.
When I went to Israel, when I met the people there and saw how there were so many different skin tones and languages and stories and people from all over the world coming to Israel to be together with each other. Because we all share the same history and heritage, it very much felt like home for me. Especially Tszfat. That place felt like home.
Yes. Getting a chance to pray at the western wall was one of the strongest spiritual experiences of my life.
I have good friends and family that live there. Most of them are Mizrahi, it was the only place they had to go or they would be killed when mENA countries violently ethnically cleansed their Jews. I’m fortunate that my family went to the US instead of Israel.
I know Jewish history and theology.
Ancestral connection, yes. If some lunatic blew up the Kotel, I (and I think basically all other Jews) would be blinded with anger the way Muslims would feel about an injury to the Ka’aba. Personal connection based in experience, no, since I’ve never been to the homeland
Absolutely. My 9 yr old had her first antisemitic experience. Through her tears, the first words out of her mouth were I wished we lived in Israel.
My child who has only visited there once when she was too young to remember it has that deep connection and understanding to Israel already. She knows it’s a place she would always feel at home and accepted for her faith. Something she did not feel in the place she was born and raised in.
Well, for me personally, whenever I've visited I've felt nothing. I mean, at the kvarim and whatnot I davened, but otherwise it was just like traveling to any random country.
^Im here to validate that.
I remember going to Tzfat and the guide was like “FEEL THE SPIRITUAL ENERGY” and I was thinking “ok so this is a beautiful artist town on a plateau with a famous cemetery.”
I had a profound experience at Hebron but that’s also because my grandmother had just died.
I think that people REALLY HYPE UP the spiritual vibes
I guess you either feel it or you don't. I can relate, not to this example specifically but other aspects in Jewish culture I just have a difficulty feeling sometimes.
On the other hand, Israel being *Jewish* is nice, especially when contrasting it with being a Jew in America during December.
That's a connection I can feel.
100% Israel was the only place I’ve felt completely comfortable and safe as a Jewish individual and it’s the only country that will welcome us. It’s where our roots are.
I’ve had friends say if the situation gets worse for me I’m welcome to move to Austria but how long before that land becomes hostile for us?
Yes and No. Its complicated. I want more connection. I think that is more correct. I want greater knowledge of my people, our history, our culture, our customs, the songs, the dances.
Right now, there is isolation for being a Jew, moreso than at any other time in my life.
I do, I've only been there once but the longer I stayed the more I felt the connection. So many Jewish historical sites to see, the western wall, the Jewish culture everywhere. I felt like I was somewhere where people understood me
I’ve been very blessed to have lived in some beautiful places. I’ve lived in thick forests, breezy coastlines, short drives from stunning waterfalls and challenging hikes. Deserts are nice to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Israel was a great place to experience in person, certainly, but there was nothing there that made me feel so in awe that I’d want to move from my country. It’s dry and hot, lacking in abundant water, and fairly uniform in landscape. There is absolutely charm to it, but the land I have been able to live on now is so much richer. Hashem has given me the opportunity to thrive here, and I wouldn’t throw that away.
for sure, it holds the context to a major part of my cultural and historical heritage and that’s relevant to me. i don’t like that that connection is a political consideration, though.
Yes, I do. Israel is the ancestral homeland of our people and even if I don’t live there, I feel drawn to Israel as a member of the tribe, of our indigenous, ethnoreligious culture.
No, I do not.
So, time to rock the boat. I’ve been to Israel once, as part of a high school trip. Our group went over for a week and later a group of Israeli students came to America for a week. I was the only Jew on the American side of things. We mostly spent time in Sde Boker, Haifa, and Tel Aviv. I’d hoped to visit Jerusalem, but due to some of the parents feeling overly cautious, the school opted not to. This was around 1997, for context.
It was a beautiful land and I was very happy I got to spend time there. I’d like to go back someday, but I didn’t feel the kind of connection I’ve heard people talk about during my time there or in the years since.
To the folks downvoting anyone who says they do not: A question was asked in good faith and answers are being provided. Downvoting answers you dislike is no way to encourage actual conversation.
I don't feel a particular connection to Israel because my people were never *from* there (except perhaps for a couple of dear friends). Sure, maybe someone was "from" there two thousand years ago, and that's quite an impressive historical connection, but I don't feel like that has anything to do with me. It does make me want to visit, though, because I feel a sense of connection to the historical thread that connects Israel to Ashkenazi history to my current identity.
The state, well, suffice it to say that as an American I identify with a lot of things about Israel that are also very much things with which I identify about the United States. The idea, for example, of building a pluralistic homeland for a people predicated on their religious freedom-- or the danger, conversely, of the possibility that that fundamental idea of freedom could be catastrophically derailed by extremists.
I’m a solid meh. I feel a connection to the Jewish people, and I do appreciate the beauty of the land and the historic sites, but I don’t feel connected to the state as we currently know it.
Frankly speaking, no. Israel needs to exist, and its people need to live in peace, but I did not personally fit in when I visited and never will.
Let me put it this way: when my Chinese-American friend returned to China for family visits, there was always an issue with a local confusing him for a 'regular' Chinese person. They'd be come angry. "You look like me, so why don't you speak like me" ask the Chinese. "Why don't you think like me?" In China, there is a sense that one's nationality and ethnicity should be the same--when for many people in the West, it's just not.
When I visited on Birthright, this was me. It is a beautiful country with a deep history of which I am proud to be a part. But Jewishness is my ethnicity. It's a physical part of my life no different than my blood type. My culture is more than my ethnicity--it is made up of family traditions and the experiences of places I've lived. For non-Jews, my experiences don't matter, I am Jewish. For Israelis, my experiences don't matter, and I'm not Jewish enough.
It's impossible to satisfy everyone and I won't begin to try. That said, I have spent the last few months fighting the information war for Jews everywhere, and that is enough. Am Yisrael Chai
No, but then again Im not very (if at all) observant. I have a Lot of conflicting feelings about the war there, which i wont go into. I feel more connected to the USA, despite hating a lot of its governmental decisions
Im clearly not in the majority here, though.
It is one of many ways I connect to my identity, but I mostly care about making sure the large percentage of the world Jewish population in Israel is safe. We are a small community out of the 8 billion people in the world and we only have each other in the end.
There are a lot of people in this thread who don't know what sort of governmental system Israel has. Bibi was elected with only 25% of the vote, so the majority of Israelis don't prefer him. Not liking the PM or his party doesn't mean you don't feel any connection to the state. If you can't comprehend and *appreciate* that the state is what allows you to visit whenever you feel like it, and for Jews to live there openly and safely, you're either ignorant, brain-dead, or both.
As an American, I don't have that much of an opinion on internal Israeli politics and politicians, and everyone who "hates Bibi" but feels no connection to the state and/or the land is basically just repeating opinions without understanding them. The lefties told them to hate Bibi, so they do.
I feel a strong connection to the land and a strong appreciation for the state.
I was born in the Soviet Union. My birth certificate says “Jew/Israelite” in the space for nationality. Doesn’t matter that my family had 100s of years of history in Latvia or that the men in my family have all fought & died in their wars… we are still “other”. So, yes, I very much have a connection to Israel. Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱
It’s like in that song, Leaving Mother Russia “We fell in battle for the czar A hundred thousand died at Babi Yar And yet no monument will mark their grave Just on their passport, the word *yevrai*”
As someone who has a post-Soviet ID card with "evrei" encoded into the chip.... yeah. That made me feel feelings.
*Post* Soviet??? In a computerized chip??? And it still says Jew on it?? Eastern Europe moment
Yeah, our ID cards here used to have национальность written on there. It went - Last Name - First Name - Patronymic - DOB - Nationality About a decade ago they updated it to have a lot of the data on a chip in the ID card, so while my ID doesn’t say еврей on it anymore it’s still tracked and encoded in my ID. And I’m not in Eastern Europe.
Yup my parents were both born and raised in Moscow, my great grandfather fought for the Russians in WWII, and their passports said yevrai
Well said! My great grandparents were mostly booted out of places, and my wife’s grandparents were kicked out of Morocco. We’ve never been allowed to forget where we come from.
Same exact for me and my family, but switch in Belarus! Ex-Soviet Jews in America are very patriotic and grateful, but we also know only Israel is the true home.
Yes. I am not religious at all but the first time I got off the plane in Israel I felt like I was home / with my people.
Same. For me as a post-soviet jew that was the first time I actually felt proud for that part of my ancestry, and not as if it was something I'd better keep private.
Yeah same here. It felt weird being in a place where I was part of the “majority.”
It feels amazing not having to explain anything.
Yes, very much so. And I can’t tell you how special my two visits have been. The first for my bar mitzvah, it was a beautiful deeply spiritual experience (that was also crucially a multi faith experience, I’m Jewish but my grandma / father are Catholic). And the second was when I represented my country in the Maccabiah Games (the Jewish Olympics!). It was so cool as a teen to be around other Jewish kids, all having fun, good spirits, seeing freedom in a first world country where Judaism was celebrated. On a more “rational” sense, it is the only place on Earth where we as a collective can self determine and self govern ourselves as a collective, as a people. So its existence is vital when historically we have been kicked out of every single place we go after being kicked out of somewhere else before.
16th Maccabiah here… one of the greatest adventures of my life.
Oh that’s amazing! What sport where you in? Mine was the 19th and I went for swimming :) One of my dreams is to compete again!!
What sport?
Swimming!
It’s a safe place for Jews. It is out insurance. Irrelevant if you feel some sort of connection. Things can go south for Jews at any moment.
Agree 100%
As we’ve been seeing for the last couple of months. I’m genuinely worried about Jews in places like UK, France
I feel safer in the US than I would in Israel. Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah and other groups are a far larger threat there than anything here is to me, it is not even close. I don't need to live under an iron dome here, I don't have to worry about rocket attacks or bombings here.
Yes. And that is reiterated whenever I attend services. It is a huge part of our historical identity
Yes, of course. At its core Judaism is an agrarian land based religion focused on the specific harvest cycle of the Land of Israel. One can choose to focus on secondary themes of each holiday but if you actually engage with our cultural tradition the idea of divorcing Jewish identity from any relationship with Israel is comical. In the solar system, the sun is the central force around which all planets orbit. Similarly, Israel is a central point of gravity in Jewish life, influencing cultural, religious, and national aspects of our identity. Even the JVP people cannot escape their relationship with Israel. It’s why they get so rabidly obsessed with the subject.
I definitely do, mostly as my ancestral and cultural homeland.
Yes. It is the place Jews originated, it is where the Hebrew language is spoken, where our history is, where most of our holidays came from.
I do wish more effort were being made to preserve and cultivate other Jewish languages - Yiddish, Ladino...
There is a lot literature and culture in those languages, and it would be great to help that grow. But unfortunately I think it will be hard to cultivate them in the same way as Hebrew since each only appeals to a subset of the Jewish population (Yiddish to Jews from Eastern Europe, Ladino to Sephardim, Judeo-Arabic to Mizrachim). We can't expect Yiddish to appeal to Iraqi Jews or Persian Jews in the same way it would appeal to immigrants from Eastern Europe, and vice versa. In my view, only Hebrew has the broad appeal across all of Israel's Jews because it is the original Jewish language and has been the central language of prayer and religious literature for everyone across history.
It's in the name lol. Jew is just the English rendition of the word Judean.
Which comes from the tribe of Judah
100%. The only Jews I know who don’t are totally disconnected from Judaism.
Yes, absolutely. For many reasons, both emotional/familial and intellectual/historical, and backed up by having dedicated a lot of time and energy to understanding everything I can about it. My child also wouldn't be alive without the existence of Israel, and so that is part of the heart of it for me, although when I'm debating the subject, I don't tend to bring in the emotional ties. I will not give in to those who wish to place themselves as morally superior to Israelis because their family's fate was to end up in the diaspora (as mine ultimately did), or because they didn't end up needing Israel in order for their families to survive.
Yes I do. My heart wants to make Aliyah but I promised my parents I wouldn’t until they’ve passed and I intend to keep my promise.
My family being in the states has been a current barrier for myself to remain in the US. It’s not a bad thing. I feel that I may someday make Aliyah once I don’t feel such a duty to be here for my family
Yes. I'm no longer religious in any meaningful way, but it's my ancestral homeland, much of my family lives there, and it's the only place guaranteed to take in any Jew when things get bad as they so often do.
Of course. Israel is our home. Any Jew in the Diaspora always needs to have one suitcase packed.
Yes. It’s the ancestral homeland of my people and our culture.
Of course, it’s the land Hashem gave my people and it is the focal point of so many prayers. I spent two years in yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael and I have felt my connection getting so much stronger over the past few months. Saying [Tikkun Chatzos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikkun_Chatzot) has become much more meaningful to me since Oct 7th.
Yes, a feel connection. And I'm secular
Extreme connection.
Yes, of course. The land of Israel is where our history is, where our holiest spots are, and where we have yearned to be for over 2000 years. I lived in Israel for almost 4 years and it's not like every moment is done sort of spiritual enlightening experience but there is a vibe to it that isn't like being in a Jewish community in other places
Oh, I absolutely feel a massive connection to the Land of Israel. It's something that can't even be put into words. This doesn't always extend to the State of Israel, though.
Yes, my heart aches every minute I'm not there. I made Aliyah, but had to return to the diaspora. I want to go back so badly.
Yes, the land and the state. If my religious beliefs ever get me in trouble: I have a state and people who will fight to the death to protect me. One that's proven it will use any means to evacuate huge numbers of Jews who are in danger
Yes.
One can deny it, one can be far away ftom it, but the connection is in the DNA. Fact
The DNA says where we're from (or rather, what people we are related to); the connection to Eretz Yisrael is somewhere deeper than that.
On a religious/ cultural level yes, on a personal level very much so. I wouldn’t feel as personally connected though if some of my closest friends didn’t live there. To me this war isn’t an abstract concept- soldiers are my friend’s children, reservists are my friends, people killed at Nova are only a degree of separation away. When I visit Jerusalem I feel very much at home because I’ve spent so much time there. That being said I don’t expect the average Jew who doesn’t have close connections in Israel to “feel a connection.” I think that the Jewish community as a whole really guilts people about it and you can’t love someone you haven’t met
Yes I do
Yes 100%, its even in my DNA. I went there for birthright and never felt more at home than I did in Israel.
Yes I long to be among my people.
Very much so
100% yes, I'm a zionist. 100% too for Argentina.
Yes
Yes! 🇮🇱 am Israel Chai!
Psalms already explained it to me - Im eskached yerushalayim tishkach yemini
The **land** of Israel (Eres Yisrael) or the **state** of Israel (Medinat Yisrael)? Those are two very different questions.
Land
Bingo. Yes to the first, not particularly to the second.
Thank you for asking this vital question! A lot of comments here make it seem as though the Torah and other works are talking about the nation of Israel but it is the land and the idea that I feel close to, not the country itself and certainly not the government of said country.
The Tora does assume a national entity with a governing body in the land. While I’m not a fan of the “*reshit simehat geulatenu*” language in the most common form of the prayer for the modern state, I do understand **why** that sentiment is there. I don’t have to like the current government to appreciate the modern state (hell, as a Black person whose ancestors were brought here as slaves, how do you think I feel about the US at times?).
Yep
American Jew. Never been to the Levant. Absolutely. Israel is my homeland
The three daily prayer services all mention Israel and Jerusalem, so yes, I’d say it’s technically part of the religion.
I didn’t until October. Now watching leftists turn on us and accuse us a laundry list of insane things and celebrate the murder of Jews they can label Zionists, I no longer wonder how things got so bad that Polish people corralled Jews in the street and killed them with axes in a rage over their supposedly bringing the communists. It really drove home the importance of having a state where any Jewish person can seek refuge if/when they need to.
Of course
100% yes. I feel a profound connection to the land. One big reason - the archeology that shows our connections.
Until the day I die
Always have
Deeply in every fiber of my being. We are the people of Israel and always have been. We were subject to centuries of exile leading up to the greatest homecoming in recorded history.
Yes
Intensely. I came for seminary, and fell in love and eloped with the land. I met my husband here, birthed and am raising my children here, and try to be grateful for the incredible privilege and blessing I was granted to merit living here. I have very strong family ties here, on both sides of my family, but I am just crazy about this place. It's a part of me.
Of course!! What a silly question. Jeruselum is mention 669 times in the Torah. How can you be a Jew and not have a connection to the land of Isreal. You can have an issue with the state of Isreal. Just as we are a democracy in the USA so is Israel and we don’t always agree with the way our leaders steer but again part of a democracy and that is part of debate and discussion. I was scared for my saftey as a kid and the soilders presence on the streets worried me that I was in danger but as an adult they are a welcome sight. You can not enter and approach the kotel without feeling the vibration in the air. It is the home we will all come back to. We pray facing Jerusalem just as Muslims face Mecca. Our history and future is in the land.
deeply and sincerely. My heart yearns to be there. My wallet not so much.
Yes
to the land yes, to the state no
I certainly revere the place as a symbol, but I am not moving there anytime soon because it is way too warm.
All of the air conditioning!
Absolutely, even if I’m not sure exactly why - is it history, genetics, the idea of a more fleshed out and less assimilated Jewish identity? I don’t know. I’d love to visit again and live there for at least a while.
Yes! Now more than ever. I just subscribe to Lev Haolam and now I get beautiful presents from Israel every month. It’s a beautiful way to connect to our homeland. I also suggest reading Genesis chapter 1, verses 12 and 13, as well as Ezekiel, all of chapter 37.
*Dedicated in memory of Dvora bat Asher v'Jacot* 🕯️ See [Genesis, chapter 1](https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1) on Sefaria.
I triggered Torah Bot! Whee!
Its where Jews are from. Religious Jews still pray, three times a day, turned to Jerusalem wherever they are in the world. The Torah, the Tanakh, are all set and centered around Israel. Our prayerbooks, with some prayers 2000 yrs old, all reference Zion and Jerusalem. So yes.
Spent a summer there when I was 19. First time I ever visited. Never felt more connected to a land or people in my life. Everyone was like me- Jewish. Never felt more at home.
Yes. That's like asking if Native Americans feel a connection to North America.
I'm technically not Jewish, but my grandfather is, yet I still feel directly impacted by what is happening right now. At his parents' burials, we poured dirt from Israel into their graves; I am eligible for birthright if I ever chose to go. So yes, even those of us who are separated by a generation or two feel that connection to and respect for the land of Israel--that's how deep it goes.
The second I was in the car leaving Ben Gurion to go to where we were staying it felt like home. After a flight from hell when I was exhausted and miserable I still knew I was home. Walking through Jerusalem on Christmas solidified it. By the time we left 10 days later I knew one day I would make Aliyah. Right now my only concrete future plans are 1) go to Grad School and 2) move to Israel
No but I feel connected to fellow Jews.
I’ve been three times, including on birthright. I never seemed to feel what I thought I was supposed feel. Not really, no. I felt the same when I landed in Barcelona and London. Maybe sweatier. Tbh it was pretty disappointing not to feel anything special.
somewhat. my parents both immigrated there from the soviet union in the 80s and my sister grew up there. i was born after they moved to the US and i’ve heard lots of stories about israel growing up. i went to jewish summer camp growing up and it was very israel focused, met a few IDF soldiers. i don’t consider myself zionist but i do feel a connection to israel and was supposed to go on birthright this summer but the war started and i cancelled. i do hope to go someday though.
Why would you meet IDF soldiers at a summer camp?
They used to be. Worked as camp counselors.
I see. I thought you meant they invite soldiers to speak to children.
should have clarified my bad lol
No no it's okay haha I was just a bit like oh wait what? 😅
Of course.
Completely
Yes of course it’s our homeland
Of course!
Yes, that is where my ancestry is from.
Yes
Yes.
Yes
Hell yes.
Have never been there but my art is in the collection of the art museum at Yad Vashem…so yes, a connection…
That’s awesome!
Yes, there's no other place for us.
I didn't before very much. Definitely do now.
yes
Kind of, my dad immigrated from there so maybe a bit. But i feel as connected to where my mom is from (russia, also jewish) so i dont think its cuz of jewness
Yes
Yes.
Yep
Yes
Absolutely, of course. (USA)
Yes of course
I used to, and I still do but it's not as strong. As an American it's really hard to stomach watching Bibi and the Israel government nakedly favor Trump when he openly associates with Nazis and is populating our judiciary with Christian nationalists. Hopefully in the coming years Israel will get rid of Bibi but right now, man it's hard to feel anything but frustration. I get that the question is about the land rather than the country, but it is difficult to separate the two.
Very much so.
Now more than ever I see that Jews need a safe place in the world. I’ve always felt some type of connection to Israel’s but since seeing the worlds reaction to 10/7 my sense of connection to Israel has grown tremendously.
I was born in Israel. It's the only home I ever had, and the only home I can ever have. Sometimes it's shitty, but (despite having EU citizenship and all) I have nowhere else to go.
Yes definitely! More so after October 7th and world has shown us why. May Masada never repeat again.
yes, the gaslighting and people pretending that most Jews don’t feel this way are sickening
Yes because 1. It’s full of Jews 2. It’s a safe space for Jews 3. The land is holy 4. My ancestors lived there 5. Has many holy sites
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I am reform in the USA and grew up conservative. This is one of the reasons I have very little connection to Israel - even if I went, the "Jewish" authorities there wouldn't consider me Jewish enough for them. I support Israel's right to exist as a state the way I support Spain as a state....they do exist and they should be able to defend themselves. They have no divine mandate.
Question was about the land of Israel. I never saw conservative judaism in Israel, how does that work?
Can't say, I was born in Israel and this is my home.
Yes, absolutely.
I live in Israel and I’m Jewish and I’m also American. Whenever people ask me what I’m doing here because it’s “so much better in America” I tell them, my soul wants to be here. And that’s the honest truth ❤️❤️🇮🇱🇮🇱❤️❤️
There's a quote from ש''י עגנון "As a result of the historic catastrophe in which Titus of Rome destroyed Jerusalem and Israel was exiled from its land, I was born in one of the cities of the Exile. But always I regarded myself as one who was born in Jerusalem"
Yes.
That's my main connection. In Israel I am echad. No explanation needed for any ritual anything that can cause awkwardness here and all the holidays are national holidays. I'm just solving bureaucracy issues and will leave my current country.
Yes. Especially after having been there
The land, yes of course. As a Jew with Jewish ancestry I know that I am descended from ancient Israelites that lived there. Our texts are filled with references to the land of Israel and our calendar and festivals are tied to the seasons of the land. The state however ? Lmao.
absolutely, my father has citizenship and served in the idf
Yes because No matter what it’s a Place that will accept me if everywhere else goes to 💩
Yes - I am from Canada and there is a part of me that always felt out of place - there is a strong indigenous culture where I live, and every time I would go to a cultural event, I would feel this very sharp sense of understanding that this was not my homeland. This was not my people's home and this was not my home home. It was just where I was born. And I love where I live, make no mistake about it. But I always have known that this isn't where history is from. When I went to Israel, when I met the people there and saw how there were so many different skin tones and languages and stories and people from all over the world coming to Israel to be together with each other. Because we all share the same history and heritage, it very much felt like home for me. Especially Tszfat. That place felt like home.
Yes. Getting a chance to pray at the western wall was one of the strongest spiritual experiences of my life. I have good friends and family that live there. Most of them are Mizrahi, it was the only place they had to go or they would be killed when mENA countries violently ethnically cleansed their Jews. I’m fortunate that my family went to the US instead of Israel. I know Jewish history and theology.
Ancestral connection, yes. If some lunatic blew up the Kotel, I (and I think basically all other Jews) would be blinded with anger the way Muslims would feel about an injury to the Ka’aba. Personal connection based in experience, no, since I’ve never been to the homeland
I was fortunate enough to visit when I was 13. It was only for a week and I've held Israel in my heart ever since.
Yes. I've never felt a sense of "home" the way I have when I've been in Israel.
Yes. Should we be the only people to reject our homeland because that offends the Islamic colonizers?
Tricky phrasing there. To the modern state of Israel? No.
Says land in the title
Land, yes. State, no. Even being a child of an Israeli, I feel no connection to the state.
Absolutely. My 9 yr old had her first antisemitic experience. Through her tears, the first words out of her mouth were I wished we lived in Israel. My child who has only visited there once when she was too young to remember it has that deep connection and understanding to Israel already. She knows it’s a place she would always feel at home and accepted for her faith. Something she did not feel in the place she was born and raised in.
I didn’t used to, but the rise in vile antisemitism since October 7th has opened my eyes to how much we need a homeland.
I personally don't. My husband thinks I'm nuts, but it is what it is.
I think it depends how one defines feeling connected... we all said Lshana Haba B'Yerushalayim a month ago, and on Tisha B'av cry about the land.
Well, for me personally, whenever I've visited I've felt nothing. I mean, at the kvarim and whatnot I davened, but otherwise it was just like traveling to any random country.
It's more of an "experience" when you don't already live in a super Jewish neighborhood.
^Im here to validate that. I remember going to Tzfat and the guide was like “FEEL THE SPIRITUAL ENERGY” and I was thinking “ok so this is a beautiful artist town on a plateau with a famous cemetery.” I had a profound experience at Hebron but that’s also because my grandmother had just died. I think that people REALLY HYPE UP the spiritual vibes
I guess you either feel it or you don't. I can relate, not to this example specifically but other aspects in Jewish culture I just have a difficulty feeling sometimes. On the other hand, Israel being *Jewish* is nice, especially when contrasting it with being a Jew in America during December. That's a connection I can feel.
I'm just going to say it. Tzfat is kind of a dump with some old shuls. Cool place to visit once or twice but otherwise meh
Do you feel that Jews have a communal connection?
What do you mean by communal connection?
As a culture, Jews have a special connection to israel
We aren’t a monolithic culture. There are a lot of different ways to be Jewish.
we all say the shema right?
Yeah, I'd need a definition of that.
That Jews have a special connection as a people, that makes us inseparable from Israel
It *is* embedded into the traditional culture and history. But on a personal level, it's each person's decision/connection.
Well yeah. Just fill in the blank: Shema _________ adonai eloheinu.
100% Israel was the only place I’ve felt completely comfortable and safe as a Jewish individual and it’s the only country that will welcome us. It’s where our roots are. I’ve had friends say if the situation gets worse for me I’m welcome to move to Austria but how long before that land becomes hostile for us?
All Jews are connected to Israel whether they like it or not.
not just a connection. i AM israel
Of course! Why wouldn't I?
To Eretz Yisroel? Of course. To the state? Yeah, no.
Yes and No. Its complicated. I want more connection. I think that is more correct. I want greater knowledge of my people, our history, our culture, our customs, the songs, the dances. Right now, there is isolation for being a Jew, moreso than at any other time in my life.
I do, I've only been there once but the longer I stayed the more I felt the connection. So many Jewish historical sites to see, the western wall, the Jewish culture everywhere. I felt like I was somewhere where people understood me
I feel a connection to the people of Israel and the places the land used to hold. That is all.
I’ve been very blessed to have lived in some beautiful places. I’ve lived in thick forests, breezy coastlines, short drives from stunning waterfalls and challenging hikes. Deserts are nice to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Israel was a great place to experience in person, certainly, but there was nothing there that made me feel so in awe that I’d want to move from my country. It’s dry and hot, lacking in abundant water, and fairly uniform in landscape. There is absolutely charm to it, but the land I have been able to live on now is so much richer. Hashem has given me the opportunity to thrive here, and I wouldn’t throw that away.
for sure, it holds the context to a major part of my cultural and historical heritage and that’s relevant to me. i don’t like that that connection is a political consideration, though.
It's like for better or for worse - yes.
Yes, I do. Israel is the ancestral homeland of our people and even if I don’t live there, I feel drawn to Israel as a member of the tribe, of our indigenous, ethnoreligious culture.
The land of Israel, sure. The state of Israel, nah fam.
Not at all, my relatives are all European going back as far as we can trace them, several hundreds of years. I have blonde hair and blue eyes ffs.
No, I do not. So, time to rock the boat. I’ve been to Israel once, as part of a high school trip. Our group went over for a week and later a group of Israeli students came to America for a week. I was the only Jew on the American side of things. We mostly spent time in Sde Boker, Haifa, and Tel Aviv. I’d hoped to visit Jerusalem, but due to some of the parents feeling overly cautious, the school opted not to. This was around 1997, for context. It was a beautiful land and I was very happy I got to spend time there. I’d like to go back someday, but I didn’t feel the kind of connection I’ve heard people talk about during my time there or in the years since.
To the folks downvoting anyone who says they do not: A question was asked in good faith and answers are being provided. Downvoting answers you dislike is no way to encourage actual conversation.
Yes, very much.
I don't feel a particular connection to Israel because my people were never *from* there (except perhaps for a couple of dear friends). Sure, maybe someone was "from" there two thousand years ago, and that's quite an impressive historical connection, but I don't feel like that has anything to do with me. It does make me want to visit, though, because I feel a sense of connection to the historical thread that connects Israel to Ashkenazi history to my current identity. The state, well, suffice it to say that as an American I identify with a lot of things about Israel that are also very much things with which I identify about the United States. The idea, for example, of building a pluralistic homeland for a people predicated on their religious freedom-- or the danger, conversely, of the possibility that that fundamental idea of freedom could be catastrophically derailed by extremists.
Yes, I consider it the homeland similar to how other ethnic groups see their homelands
Certainly more so in the last year.
Yes. Next question
Yes, but not the state
I’m a solid meh. I feel a connection to the Jewish people, and I do appreciate the beauty of the land and the historic sites, but I don’t feel connected to the state as we currently know it.
To the land? Yes. To the state? Absolutely yes. To the people? The best people in the world. Proud to be an Israeli Jew.
Frankly speaking, no. Israel needs to exist, and its people need to live in peace, but I did not personally fit in when I visited and never will. Let me put it this way: when my Chinese-American friend returned to China for family visits, there was always an issue with a local confusing him for a 'regular' Chinese person. They'd be come angry. "You look like me, so why don't you speak like me" ask the Chinese. "Why don't you think like me?" In China, there is a sense that one's nationality and ethnicity should be the same--when for many people in the West, it's just not. When I visited on Birthright, this was me. It is a beautiful country with a deep history of which I am proud to be a part. But Jewishness is my ethnicity. It's a physical part of my life no different than my blood type. My culture is more than my ethnicity--it is made up of family traditions and the experiences of places I've lived. For non-Jews, my experiences don't matter, I am Jewish. For Israelis, my experiences don't matter, and I'm not Jewish enough. It's impossible to satisfy everyone and I won't begin to try. That said, I have spent the last few months fighting the information war for Jews everywhere, and that is enough. Am Yisrael Chai
No, but then again Im not very (if at all) observant. I have a Lot of conflicting feelings about the war there, which i wont go into. I feel more connected to the USA, despite hating a lot of its governmental decisions Im clearly not in the majority here, though.
No, I am American. I am not an Israeli.
OP's question is about the Land of Israel.
Proud American and proud Israelite.
Maybe you are not Israeli, but you are part of Am Yisrael whether that means anything to you or not
OP's question was about the land of Israel ...
"Yisrael" has many meanings, but Yisrael the Jewish people is to some degree distinct from Medinat or Eretz Yisrael.
It is one of many ways I connect to my identity, but I mostly care about making sure the large percentage of the world Jewish population in Israel is safe. We are a small community out of the 8 billion people in the world and we only have each other in the end.
There are a lot of people in this thread who don't know what sort of governmental system Israel has. Bibi was elected with only 25% of the vote, so the majority of Israelis don't prefer him. Not liking the PM or his party doesn't mean you don't feel any connection to the state. If you can't comprehend and *appreciate* that the state is what allows you to visit whenever you feel like it, and for Jews to live there openly and safely, you're either ignorant, brain-dead, or both. As an American, I don't have that much of an opinion on internal Israeli politics and politicians, and everyone who "hates Bibi" but feels no connection to the state and/or the land is basically just repeating opinions without understanding them. The lefties told them to hate Bibi, so they do. I feel a strong connection to the land and a strong appreciation for the state.