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An American-Born Israel

Former Detroiter reflects on 30 years
in Jewish ancestral homeland.

Jerusalem

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Save the Date
Sunday, June 22/ 2008

StandWithUs

MICHIGAN

Presents

The MO8
Annual Dinner
Featuring Jeff Jacoby
of the Boston Globe
Speaking on

"Israel at 60"

Adat Shalom Synagogue,
Farmington Hills

For information
Call: 248-538-8790 or
Email: swumichigan@standwithus.com

StandVVithUs

A48

May 15 • 2008

provides educational materials to state-wide schools, libraries,
churches and synagogues in order to counter anti-Israel
propaganda and disinformation.
1.1b18:'0

nation, their ability to improvise and
endure that has helped to make Israel
exceptional in so many ways.

am an American-born Israeli.
I came to Israel right out of
Michigan State University 30 years
Eyewitness To History
ago because I was curious about this
As an American-born Israeli, I have
young Jewish socialist state with a
lived most of my life here with a front-
woman prime minister. I also was reel-
row seat as a journalist for Israel Radio
ing after the Munich massacre and felt
covering the biggest stories of the last
compelled to be with my Israeli broth-
three decades — Egyptian leader
ers and sisters here in the
Anwar Sadat's visit, the signing
,--,-- -
Jewish homeland.
of the peace treaty with Jordan,
And now, I know I am
wars, terror bombings, Israeli
an American-born Israeli.
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's
How? Because I have actu-
assassination, elections — and
ally defended President
it's not over.
George W. Bush to my
I also became a wife, parent
American friends for tak-
and mother of soldiers. I cre-
ing out Saddam Hussein.
ated a new American-accented
And while more people
life for myself and gave birth to
Idele R oss
may have been killed by
two sabras. Somewhere during
Specia I to
insurgents during the war
the constant struggle and daily
the Jew is h
in Iraq, at least we in Israel
worries, I integrated — deep-
New
are no longer the target of
ening my Israeli identity but
Scud missiles. Now, if only
holding on to the American
we could do something
values — the sense of fair play,
about Iran's Mahoud Ahmedinejad.
tolerance, accountability, pluralism and
I know I am an American-born
no littering. Some of these don't even
Israeli because, while I spent my college have Hebrew definitions yet.
years protesting the war in Vietnam,
As an American Israeli, I look at
I now would consider voting for a
my 30 years and the country's 60 with
Republican for U.S. president because
mixed feelings of pride at the achieve-
John McCain gets us and the policy on
ments and sorrow for missed opportu-
Israel is more important to me than
nities to perhaps do things differently
health care or gas prices.
— and for the lives that have been lost
Many articles this Independence Day or irreparably damaged because of this.
predict the demise of Israel as a demo-
I am angry that our leadership has
cratic Jewish state, questioning whether failed to find a resolution to the conflict
Israel will even survive another 60
with the Palestinians, that terror attacks
years.
continue to threaten our daily life, that
As an American-born Israeli, I know
the western Negev has been under
that anyone who would have considered attack for seven years from Gaza and,
the odds 60 years ago might have come because it's the periphery, it has not
to the same conclusion: Who in their
been a priority until now
right mind would want to settle in pre-
Each week, our headlines scream
state Palestine surrounded by enemies;
about newly found corruption among
fighting mosquito-infested swamps,
our political leaders and elected offi-
malaria, cholera and the desert?
cials, who continue to disappoint us.
Who were the pioneers? They were
Constant friction between the religious
remnants of European Jewry, together
and the secular, the right and the left,
with mostly religious Jewry from the
the Askenazi and the Sephardi, the
North African and Arab lands, who
Israeli Arab and the Jew.
were up against an antagonistic pro-
And we ask ourselves how do we
Arab British mandate and a world that
manage to get through another day,
wasn't going to welcome the new Jewish another week, another year. But we do,
state with any enthusiasm. But talk to
triumphantly. And the fact is that the
those early pioneers, and you will hear
world's interest in this schizophrenic
how the State of Israel rebuilt them. It
has been their courage, their determi-
American-Born on page A50