Every Fourth of July, I find myself thinking about a document that sits quietly in a drawer in my home.

My Certificate of Naturalization.

To most people, it’s just a government document. To me, it represents one of the greatest privileges of my life.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, I’ve been reflecting on what that piece of paper has come to symbolize.

On March 14, 1992, at 17, I arrived in the United States as a refugee from the USSR. Each of us carried two suitcases, spoke limited English, and had little certainty about what the future would hold. What we did have was faith that freedom, even with uncertainty, was worth the risk of starting over.

We left a system where being Jewish carried real consequences, and where opportunity, expression, and faith were constrained. America offered something profoundly different: the freedom to build our lives on our own terms.

America didn’t promise us success.

It gave us the opportunity to earn........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)