In the final days of August, while most kids were lamenting the end of summer and worrying about what to wear on the first day of school, 14-year-old Noga had bigger problems. She was entering a new school in a new country. Noga had moved from her small village in the Negev, Israel, called Midreshet Ben-Gurion, to Amherst, Mass., with her family just two weeks before school started.
“What a Priest, a Pornographer and a Wrestler named Chainsaw taught Me about Being Jewish, Saving the World and Why Israel Matters to Both.” Sound interesting? Ian Pear’s bestseller, The Accidental Zionist, is based on the Orthodox rabbi’s reflections on Israel and the lack of interest it’s given by the Jewish people.
The Jewish homeland, the land of milk and honey or the Holy Land—no matter what it’s called, it’s the land we love: Israel. Thousands of people from across the country and around the world converged in the heart of Washington, D.C., on June 1, 2008, to celebrate Israel@60: A Capital Celebration.
The experience I had making L’Chaim Israel is a journey I will always remember. (Special thanks to JVibe for telling me about the Washington, D.C., Jewish Film Festival’s student documentary contest.) I decided my documentary would answer the question, “What would you give Israel for its 60th birthday?” However, I asked this question with a twist: I interviewed Holocaust survivors to share their wishes and thoughts.
