Two in one day... this must be important

For the past couple of nights I've been thinking a lot about Israel before I go to bed. I think about how beautiful the land is, about how my trip there changed my outlook on life and Judaism. I think about the people I met and how kind, generous, and passionate they were about their country. I think about the sacrifices made in order to declare Israel a Jewish State.

I read some pretty scary articles recently about growing anti-semitism in parts of the world, particularly Hungary. I guess I'm pretty lucky being from the neighborhood I'm from. I live in a little bubble. People aren't racist, homophobic, or judgmental based on a person's religion. And if they are, they aren't open about it publicly because they know it wouldn't be tolerated. I guess it's difficult for me to picture living in a part of the world where a group of people are hated because they believe and practice a certain faith. And it makes me sad that the human race hasn't matured as far as I'd like to think we have.

The more I think about it, the more I want to get back there. And I want to bring the people I love with me. I want to go with my family and watch them fall in love with the country just the way I did. I know that no visit will ever be like my first one, and in some way that makes me sad. Never again will I be able to experience looking out at the city of Jerusalem for the first time. But I also know that when I do go back again, I will be in a different place in my life and I will find a whole new meaning in my trip.