Another World

Summer vacations give us an opportunity to travel - see new places, meet new people, experience new things.
From each experience, we have much to learn.
I spent the day out of Greater Jerusalem today. Greater Jerusalem is my home turf. I am used to the people here, their rhythm, their beliefs, their look.
I came up the coast today and was greeted at the entrance of the city here with graffiti on the stone wall, "Rabin Tzadak". (Yitzchak Rabin was right.)
Coming from Greater Jerusalem, I am used to the "Kahane Tzadak" (Meir Kahane was right) graffiti everywhere.
My husband looked at the wall here and said, "We're not in Kansas anymore."
He was right.
But that's okay. It's okay to meet Jews who are not like us, to make an effort to find a minyan and to locate a kosher restaurant.
Firstly, it makes us realize how lucky we are to be living in an area where it's so easy to be observant in every way we wish.
It also reminds us that there's a big world out there, and we have to learn how to live in it.

You are Where You Live

Oftentimes you can look at a person and tell where he's from by his dress, his manner and his speech. Our environment dictates many of our attitudes too.
While watching the waves today next to a father from this area, I understood his point if view.
It was so lovely to sit on the cool damp sand, watch the children play by the water's edge, gaze upon the surfers bouncing happily upon the waves.
Here there is only peace - no Arabs (unless they're waiters), no soldiers (unless they're tourists), no outposts, no checkpoints, no bus bombs, no stonings, no roadside shootings.
Nothing can disturb this peace unless the news reports unpleasantness in other parts of the country. So who needs that?
I understand. I'd want to preserve the peace of my family as well.
So what must be done? I must walk in the footprints of my fellow vacationer, and he must walk in mine.
Now that we've built sand castles near one another, I hope tomorrow we might chat about our lives, the things we feel differently about, and perhaps even find things we have in common.
I've come to this other world for a reason, and it's not just to collect sea shells.