• Home
  • Full Circle Blog
  • Selected Publications
    • Publications Archive
  • In the News

Donna Swarthout

~ Writer, Editor, Berliner

Donna Swarthout

Tag Archives: Passover

The Push-Me Pull-You of Israel

25 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Donna Swarthout in Jewish Holidays and Rituals, My German Jewish Family

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Diaspora Jews, Israel, Jewish identity, Passover

jaffaIt will take some time to unravel the twisted knot of emotions that wove its way through me over the nine days we spent in Israel. My sensory delight in the sweet smell of jasmine, the warm and inviting limestone architecture, the abundant sunshine, and the rich tastes of hummus and falafel expanded during each day of the trip. While my senses enjoyed this daily barrage of gifts, my brain was constantly working overtime to fill in the multi-colored canvas that is Israel. Each day the land and the people drew me in, but not without moments when my buttons were pushed and I drew back. I felt a bit like Dr. Doolittle’s pushmi-pullyu, the gazelle-unicorn whose two heads try to go in opposite directions whenever it moves.

Daliyat El CarmelThe highlight of our trip was spending time with our cousins who we first met in 2011, but with whom we already share a deep bond (see Shrinking the Family Diaspora). That bond was strengthened as we picked up where we left off three years ago and wrote a new family history into the moments we spent together. But sadness and even anger bubbled up within me while trying to make sense of the ultra-orthdox Jews whose demeanor and conduct sent a loud message that said “keep away — you are not one of us.” Driving through the Mea She’arim area and provoking the rage of its residents was probably a bad idea, but even worse was the feeling we had while walking around Jerusalem of being invisible in the eyes of those who are a part of our history but who reject us as Jews.

ethiopianchurchVisiting Israel during Passover made it more challenging for us to connect with Jewish life since our family is fairly secular and does not keep kosher for the holiday. We often found ourselves gravitating toward Arabic areas and had our most spiritually uplifting experience at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday. Although we spoke with no one during our brief visit, we felt not only welcome and accepted, but also a sense of peace that spoke of the human potential that has yet to be achieved in the Middle East. I hope to share some further reflections as I unravel my thoughts and emotions and try to get my head pointed in just one direction.

Recent Posts

  • Immigration Equity Then and Now
  • German Citizenship – The Next Decade
  • From the Shadows to the Light

Categories

  • Article 116 Citizenship
  • European Jewry
  • Holocaust Memorials
  • Inspiration
  • Jewish Holidays and Rituals
  • Jewish Identity and Modern Germany
  • My German Jewish Family
  • Uncategorized

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Tags

AfD Alternative for Germany Altwiedermus American Jews Angela Merkel anti-Semitism Archetyp Cafe Article 116 AVIVA-Berlin Bar Mitzvah Berlin Berlin-Brandenburg Berlin Wall Biebesheim Chanukah David Grossman diaspora Diaspora Jews die mishpocha drinking age dual citizenship Frankfurt Jews German bureaucracy German citizenship German exports German Jews Germany Germany Close Up Gleis 17 Gutshof Gatow Hamburg Hessen Jews Holocaust Holocaust Claims Processing Office Israel Jewish community Jewish Community of Berlin Jewish identity Jewish migration Jewish Sabbath Jewish Stammtisch Jews John F. Kennedy School Berlin Judaism Judith Kerr Juedische Gemeinde zu Berlin Juedisches Waisenhaus Kidane Mehret Kindergeld Kreuzberg Liepnitzsee Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Menorahs Moses Mendelssohn Nazi Forced Labor Camps Neo-Nazis Neue Synagoge Obermayer Awards Ohel Hachidusch Olivia Swarthout Oranienburger Synagogue Passover Pestalozzistrasse Synagogue Reform Judaism refugees Rilke Russian Jews second generation Stiftung Zurückgeben stolpersteine storytelling third generation trade surplus Virginia Woolf Wiesbaden

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Donna Swarthout
    • Join 117 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Donna Swarthout
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...