I Have No Other Country

The Fellowship  |  September 27, 2024

We have had an extremely hot summer in Israel. In the last week or so, there has been a slight drop in temperatures, and I feel it in the mornings and evenings. One day we had quite strong winds, and another day there were rain showers in parts of the country. As it generally does not rain here in the summer, the first raindrops are always a true sign of the coming of autumn and the new year.

Soon we will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. How will this year be different than the last one, I wonder? This past year has been the most frightening and shocking year I have known since I moved to Israel in 1983. It has also been the most tragic year, and while I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, I continue to pray for one. Last year on October 7 – it was Simchat Torah, the final festival of the fall holidays, which is meant to be a celebration – a nightmare began for the people of Israel.

So how will the new year be any different than the last? I wish I knew the answer. What I do know is that Rosh Hashanah is a time for all of us to take stock of our own lives as individuals and, at the same time, reexamine our lives as one nation that lives and works together. Each one of us can only change ourselves, but we can also treat one another better and pray for one another.

As the new year approaches, I am praying for the safe return of the hostages kept cruelly in Gaza. I am praying for strength and good health, and that I may always find joy and love in a world that is so filled with hate. I am praying that Israel’s elected leaders, whether I like them or not, will make the decisions that are best for the safety and security of the people living in Israel. And finally, I am praying that the people of Israel will come together to work for what is best for everyone, instead of being divided by differing ideologies and politics. We are one people, and we only have one homeland.

I am reminded of a very beautiful song, “I Have No Other Country,” written by Ehud Manor in the 1980s. The following is the first stanza:

“I have no other country

Even if my land is burning

Only a Hebrew word pierces

My veins, my soul

With an aching body, with a famished heart

This is my home.”

With these sentiments, I leave you with blessings for a new year of peace, good health, and new beginnings.

Miriam Lock

September 25, 2024