Can Israel Be Your Home Even From Across the Ocean?

A Week of Emotion: From Grief to Celebration

Every year, around this time, my heart stirs with a familiar mix of emotions.

In Israel, Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day) come back-to-back — a sharp, almost overwhelming transition.

One moment, the entire country stands still in grief and memory, honoring those we lost. And the very next moment, the streets burst into celebration, into life.

It’s not an easy shift.

But maybe that’s part of Israel’s story — the deep understanding that sorrow and joy live side by side.

Why Israel Is So Much More Than What You See on the News

For Jews all around the world, this time of year reminds us that Israel is more than a place. It’s an idea. It’s the eternal home — the one written in our prayers, woven into our stories, and whispered by our ancestors. It’s our roots, our shared history, and the vision that even after centuries of wandering, we always had somewhere to return to .

Israel isn’t just about politics or conflicts in the news. It’s about belonging. It’s about knowing that somewhere, there’s a land that carries your story too.

My son celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut at his kindergarten

The Night I Always Looked Forward To as a Kid

When I was a child growing up in Israel, we would go downtown on the eve of Yom Ha'atzmaut. The streets were alive — music blasting, fireworks lighting up the sky, people everywhere waving flags and laughing. We'd eat falafel from street vendors, our hands sticky with hummus and sugar (from cotton candy and candied apples!), and stay out way past bedtime.

Those memories are some of my happiest — pure, joyful, wrapped in the sense that I was part of something bigger.

How We Celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut Today

Even today, living my own adult life with my husband and children, I hold onto those traditions. At noon, we eat a classic Israeli falafel lunch — fresh pita, fresh hummus, and finely chopped Israeli salad. In the evening, we head with friends to the big park where performances light up the stage, inflatable hammers bounce through the crowd, and kids wave flags.

Every BOOM of every firework used to give me chills. (Though lately, more and more cities are choosing quieter celebrations out of sensitivity for those who carry the scars of war — and I find beauty in that compassion too.)

Later at night, we gather around the TV to watch the national ceremony —watching the music and dancing performances, listening to the stories of heroes who made a difference for the country and for others, and seeing the soldiers march with pride.

I tear up every single time.

Visiting IDF military bases on Yom Ha'atzmaut

A Day Full of Sunshine, Friends, and Sticky Fingers

The next morning, we visit one of the army bases that opens its gates to families. Last year, we toured the Nevatim Air Force Base — it was fascinating!

Afterward, we join friends for a picnic. A day full of sunshine, laughter, and excellent company.

Pride That Runs Deep

Israel Independence Day is a day of deep, overwhelming pride.

Pride in our young soldiers, who at just 18, give years of their lives to protect our home.Pride in our people, who lift each other up through tragedy and hardship.Pride in our history, built from courage, sacrifice, and a dream that refused to die.

And most of all, pride in the simple, stubborn, beautiful idea of Israel:A homeland for every Jew, no matter where life has taken us.

How Israel Lives Inside Every Jewish Heart

Even if you’ve never set foot in Israel, you might feel it too. When you hear "Hatikvah."When you sit at your Seder table and tell the story of the Exodus, just as generations have done before you.When you teach your child about Jerusalem, about David and Goliath, about the Maccabees, about Herzl’s dream.

Israel lives inside all of us. Not just as a place — but as a promise.

Israel flag cookies

🌀 I would love to hear:

How do YOU feel connected to Israel?

Tell me in the comments! 💬

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי !

Am Israel Chai!