I don’t remember the me who was not yet a Zionist. But I do remember that my Zionism was born alongside an unconditional love for Israel. As a teenager enamored with my Young Judaea youth movement, I viewed Israel as a magical, far-away Jewish homeland that I looked forward to visiting someday.

Fast forward to my college years when I began planning for my junior year abroad at the Hebrew University. As I packed to leave, my only fear was that Israel, the reality, could never live up to my expectations for the country I so admired.

As it turned out, not only did Israel live up to my vision, it surpassed it. Did I have rose-colored glasses on? Not really. I simply was mesmerized by feeling so at home in a foreign country. Every experience felt like an adventure — unfamiliar, yet at the same time, feeding my soul. I loved it all unconditionally.

As the years have gone by, I have been forced to see realities about........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)