I'm An Israeli

sitting
ino

invited time.

NTIII

NL

1-866-MY-CLUB-1

New members only!
Take a tour and receive
a five-day guest pass!

Ns ow lilt

Mt MN

Mt

Bring in this coupon for a tour
and receive a free gift!

Name:

Address:

City:

n

ak

1/4

2002

22

State:

ZIP:

Phone: (

Jewish News

never lost my love for Israel,
Jerusalem
though I now have quite a
desperately want a
strong one for the Buckeye
job. I love working.
State (Ohio) as well.
Working fulfills my
So, when the opportunity
need to contribute to
to come to Israel and intern
society. •
in journalism appeared, I
However, I desperately
couldn't pass up the chance.
love Israel. I miss my best
That was nine months ago.
friend terribly. I wish we
About three months into
were living the dream we
D E VRA
the
internship, I decided to
concocted during university,
WAN ETIK
stay
in Israel for at least
living together, being tour
Sp ecial
another
year. About 5 '/ 2
guides in Washington, D.C.
Corn mentary
months into my experience,
However, I terribly need to
I realized that if I was going to stay
be in Israel.
in Israel, shouldn't I be a citizen?
Every time there is a pi guah (explo-
Shouldn't I have a voice within the
sion), I am flooded with e-mails and
community I was living? I don't
phone calls. Are you coming back
now? Are you still a Zionist? Is it really know if I'll ever forgive myself for
not registering to vote in Ohio,
worth it? Well, if I pick up and leave,
where I lived
then why did those
for four years
11 young people die
and -had a stake
on Dec. 1 at the•
People think I'm some
in the politics.
Ben Yehuda pedes-
So I decided
trian mall? Why did sort of a hero for mak-
to make aliyah. I
the early settlers die
don't make a
of typhus?
ing aliyah right now
habit of really
I figure that there
Why is that? If I love,
thinking -
are a lot of people
through my
who died, and con-
and am committed to,
decisions. That's
tinue to die, so that
for my brother.
I can sit here,
Israel, shouldn't that
I'm more of a
unemployed and
"let's do it and
count for today a _ s well
lonely in my
we'll see how it
Jerusalem apart-
as yesterday?
turns out type of
ment. Wouldn't it
gal." Anyway,
be rude to let them
you don't give anything up when you
down?
Since I was about 16, I wanted to be make aliyah and being an American
citizen with very supportive parents, I
an Israeli. That was the year that
knew I could always go home.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
People think I'm some sort of a hero
was assassinated. I cried a lot that
for making aliyah right now Why.is
evening over the death of a man I did-
that? If I love, and am committed to,
n't know.
Israel, shouldn't that count for today
Around the same time, I got inter-
as well as yesterday? When you love a_
ested in journalism. I loved telling the
person, do you only love them when
stories of the people and events
they're healthy, perky and happy?
around me. What a perfect fit, I
To me, Israel is like a person and I
thought: I could be an Israeli journal-
ist. For some reason, dreams stick with won't abandon her when she's in pain.
Maybe it's something I learned from
me. I never changed my major in uni-
my community. People from Michigan
versity, as so many of my friends did. I
are constantly coming to Israel on soli-
darity missions and throwing dinners
Devra Wanetik graduated from Ohio
to show their support for Israel.
State University in June with a degree in
So, here I am, sitting in my
journalism. She is an alumna of Hillel
Jerusalem apartment, unemployed and
Day School of Metropolitan Detroit and a bit homesick for my best friends.
West Bloomfield High School. In Israel,
But know what? Deep down I'm
she interned with the Jerusalem Report
happy. Deep down, and not so deep
and officially made aliyah in October.
either, I know I made the right deci-
Her parents, Ann and Len Wanetik, are
sion because I'm jobless and lonely,
members of Congregation Yrtai Moshe
but I'm an Israeli — and that's the
in West Bloomfield.
most important thing in this world. ❑