The Question Zionists Can No Longer Avoid

So, um, I grew up as a, a wandering Jew.

[laughs] Um, I think we arrived in Seattle, Washington, at the age of two, and I, I, I was born in London, left, left then.

We mo- we got to the US, lived in Atlanta for a year.

So I think from a young age, and I grew up secular, kept a traditional home.

My parents just grew up in South Africa, so it's kinda like a Masorti, like traditional sense of I, and a sense of Jewish identity, I would say, as I grew up with, uh, Jewish people, it was a, was a, a big source of who I am.

What does that mean? Maybe it's 'cause my last name is Yudelman, right?

Mm.

You know, in roll call, and that's, that's your name.

Jewish man.

Jewish man.

[laughs]

Pretty simple.

And also, I think being immigrants of the US, a sense of like, we're not, we're not from here.

Where are we actually from? And, and Israel's, from a young age, was, like, the, the answer.

That's where we're actually from.

Mm.

The one place in the world we can say we actually go back to.

Um, but, uh, but I think I grew up with an interesting relation to America, like a sense of being a stranger, and the sense of really wanting to figure it out and be a part of it, and, um, and eventually, that led me, when I was 21, um, I came back to Israel, and, um, just kinda opened up, this land opened up, and the Jewish story opened up, and a sense of place, and, and the project of Israel was something that I think, uh, I'd say I got here with, like, a lot of people in college, like, looking for community.

Like, at least in my social, I was like, "What, what does it mean to have community? We're all moving around.

Like, what does it mean to create community?" And here was this, like, l- levels of community, and on, way beyond what you could imagine as a community.

The community's giving.

It's here.

It's part of land and tribe, and, and, um, and so that's how I got here.

And, um, I'd say the first 20 or so years I, or 15 years in Israel, I spent a lot of work, I'd say it's like following Rav Kook's vision of, um, there's sparks of holiness and ideas and ideals all around the world, and, and the, the project of building our country is to come back and pick those sparks, polish them, and, and build here a society that would be the best we can do.

Rav Kook, the, who was seen as by many in the religious Zionist camp, or of the na- of the national religious camp as being the, the spiritual ideological father-

So, um, I grew up as a, a wandering Jew.

[laughs] Um, I think we arrived in Seattle, Washington, at the age of two, and I, I, I was born in London, left, left then.

We mo- we got to the US, lived in Atlanta for a year.

So I think from a young age, and I grew up secular, kept a traditional home.

My parents just grew up in South Africa, so it's kinda like a Masorti, like traditional sense of I, and a sense of Jewish identity, I would say, as I grew up with, uh, Jewish people, it was a, was a, a big source of who I am.

What does that mean? Maybe it's 'cause my last name is Yudelman, right?

Mm.

You know, in roll call, and that's, that's your name.

Jewish man.

Jewish man.

[laughs]

Pretty simple.

And also, I think being immigrants of the US, a sense of like, we're not, we're not from here.

Where are we actually from? And, and Israel's, from a young age, was, like, the, the answer.

That's where we're actually from.

Mm.

The one place in the world we can say we actually go back to.

Um, but, uh, but I think I grew up with an interesting relation to America, like a sense of being a stranger, and the sense of really wanting to figure it out and be a part of it, and, um, and eventually, that led me, when I was 21, um, I came back to Israel, and, um, just kinda opened up, this land opened up, and the Jewish story opened up, and a sense of place, and, and the project of Israel was something that I think, uh, I'd say I got here with, like, a lot of people in college, like, looking for community.

Like, at least in my social, I was like, "What, what does it mean to have community? We're all moving around.

Like, what does it mean to create community?" And here was this, like, l- levels of community, and on, way beyond what you could imagine as a community.

The community's giving.

It's here.

It's part of land and tribe, and, and, um, and so that's how I got here.

And, um, I'd say the first 20 or so years I, or 15 years in Israel, I spent a lot of work, I'd say it's like following Rav Kook's vision of, um, there's sparks of holiness and ideas and ideals all around the world, and, and the, the project of building our country is to come back and pick those sparks, polish them, and, and build here a society that would be the best we can do.

Rav Kook, the, who was seen as by many in the religious Zionist camp, or of the na- of the national religious camp as being the, the spiritual ideological father-