The Jewish state is not purely the realization of a dream; it is an actual country, made up of real people - by Ruthie Blum

As I told a close friend who was considering aliyah a few years ago, the lobby of the King David Hotel is not Israel. Nor is dancing the hora through the streets of Jerusalem. Anyone harboring either fantasy is destined for disappointment. Those who see and adore Israel for what it is, on the other hand, can count on a successful and rewarding aliyah. Because the truth about the Jewish state – which is a breathing organism, not an ethereal concept – is that there’s no place quite like it.

Ruthie Blum..
Jerusalem Post..
30 April '20..

The State of Israel turned 72 on Wednesday, and what a peculiar birthday it was. If not for television and the Internet, it might have passed by unnoticed. Indeed, thanks to the coronavirus-spurred 27-hour curfew, the customary annual celebrations were void of participants, other than dignitaries delivering speeches and celebrities performing to venues filled with empty seats.

The sparse fireworks that were permitted in the end went off with more of a whisper than a bang. And anyone not fortunate enough to possess a balcony – or whose garden is secluded – missed out on the sense of solidarity that singing the national anthem on terraces around the nation provided.

As for the traditional barbecues, well, many took place with immediate family members, either indoors or on private patios. So, while the smell of charred meat wafting through the air was strong, the gatherings were subdued.

THIS IS NOT to say that the atmosphere was lacking in cheer, however. On the contrary, the weeks of virtual isolation leading up to the holiday, alongside the gradual reopening of shops that began a few days earlier, contributed to a sense of shared hardship on the one hand and budding optimism on the other. Nothing symbolized the latter better than the news that the beauty parlors were back in business.

Apparently, it’s a lot easier to pay tribute to the Zionist enterprise – particularly in the wake of weeks spent engaging in cabin-fever sloth and gluttony – with a proper haircut and fresh manicure.

This is natural.

As deserving of awe and enthusiasm as it is, the Jewish state is not purely the realization of a dream; it is an actual country, made up of real people. As such, we do not judge the quality of our lives by the Star of David on our flag or the international acclaim received by our start-ups. Though we may take pride in those things on an intellectual, ideological or political level, they do not govern our daily grind. What does preoccupy us most of the time is family, work, bills and errands. Religion helps some of us bear the burdens more gracefully than others, through gratitude. But even Judaism doesn’t deny the human condition.

WHICH BRINGS us to one peculiar side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic: a spike in the desire of Israelis living abroad to return home, and an increase in the interest of Diaspora Jews to make aliyah.

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