The siren rolls in like an avalanche. The wailing fills the streets, so loud it buzzes inside my ears. I can’t see my neighbors, but I know, wherever they are, they are listening too. Past my city, the entire country stands still. There is no one who doesn’t hear this cry. The sound builds quickly and I feel my knees weaken and my spine straighten as I stand in respect. It’s too much. Too many faces in my mind. Too many names on my lips. I don’t know if I breathe through the duration. The...

The national narrative we have about sacrifice for the sake of our land barely scratches the surface of the grief that lives here, too. The general population weaves in between the soldiers' names released for publication, the terror attacks, and their victims, citizens who have been killed in our existential wars. We are all just a few degrees away from someone: a friend's brother-in-law, someone your husband used to daven with in shul, a kid you watched grow up. Someone you went to school...

Here is what people don't understand about the Jewish connection to the land of Israel: When we read our ancient, unchanging texts, they take place in this land. The cities carry many of the same names, and the geography plays a role in the stories of our people. When we think about our matriarchs and patriarchs, we can perfectly envision their environments, because it's the same as our own. The same rolling hills with craggy rocks and vineyards. Sheep with their shepherds on mountain tops....