Israel Matzav

The difference in this country, for better or worse, is that here we are faced with a sometimes painful, uncensored and close-to-home reality that involves terrorism, war, and the kind of societal tensions that make growing up in Israel unique.

Our morality is tested by our daily lives. Living in Israel puts things in perspective and forces just about everybody to form opinions about the issues that plague our society. Thus we have very few young people who do not have political opinions, and most even think they know the best way to solve all of Israel's problems.

Such is not the case in other countries. Jewish youth abroad lead relatively pastoral lives. They aren't forced to deal with the problems we must confront on a daily basis. We are constantly faced with a harsh existential reality that compels us to scrutinize our beliefs. We forge a system of personal truths which will, for better or worse, accompany us for the rest of our lives.

I am not saying that the fact we must deal with troubling issues 24/7, 365 days a year is a good thing. It is simply our reality. But it does create a situation in which I personally feel quite disconnected at times from my Jewish peers elsewhere.