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Home
and Family
Homeless
by Adina Hershberg
I attempt to return home to the house in which I grew up in
the town of Kingston, Pennsylvania. Time after time I fly
around and find myself on different courses. I pass familiar
landmarks such as my Uncle Julius' home, Orange Grove Market,
Goldstein's Deli, and Rabbi and Mrs. Pernikoff's house. I
finally find myself on Rutter Avenue, close to my beloved
home which holds so many memories for me. To my dismay and
consternation, I find one of the following scenarios: 1.
Absolute strangers are living in my home. 2. I cannot locate
my house at 623 Rutter Avenue. 3. The house has been
remodeled and strangers live within. My reactions are
feelings of extreme upset, feelings of anger, feelings of
helplessness and deep feelings of sadness. I awaken from
these dreams and am thankful that they are but dreams. True,
my childhood home was sold years ago after my brother Nathan
moved out. It is also true that the owner, whom I know, made
some internal changes. But it is not true that I lack a roof
over my head. My first home in Israel was the small 34 square
meter apartment that my parents had purchased in 1973 (many
years before their aliyah). I lived there as a single and
later as a married woman. When our first child was almost a
year old, we moved to Har Nof. Sixteen years later we moved
to Rosh Tzurim. Thank G-d, we have a roof over our heads and
live in Eretz Yisrael. I have seen homeless people both here
and in the United States. In New York City it was not
uncommon to see someone living in an appliance box. Here in
Israel, there are Jews who are not able to make mortgage
payments, for example, so they have been tossed out of their
homes. A while back, I read an article about homeless
Israelis who have set up a "city" in a park. (We have an
obligation to make this nightmare a memory of the past.)
And what about our Father? He, too, is homeless. He has been
homeless for too many years. Moslem mosques occupy Har
Habayis. Perhaps if we really, really felt His pain —
that His Shechinah does not fully rest in its proper place
— and translated that pain into positive actions, then
we would not have to commemorate another Tisha B'Av.
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