Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

(JTA) - Eight days after I was born, I had a brit. I was a Jew, and that's what Jews do. Well, many do it anyway; Jews who are not observant may not, but that wasn't my family. We kept Shabbat. We had the best meals and wine during Passover. And on Yom Kippur, at a young age there was no excuse for me not to afflict my soul, my mom said. There I was, on the Day of Atonement, a little young boy starving and crying in the shul, like everyone else.

When I told my rabbi I wanted to make aliyah, to live in Israel, he was for it.

But both of us are just shocked by the Israeli government's decisio...