In short
A brief podcast companion piece on why the land of Israel is experienced as more than a country: memory, identity and belonging made physical. It considers inherited collective trauma awakened by war and why return can feel like a spiritual homecoming.
Why does Israel feel different?
A friend recently asked if I’d ever leave Israel, even just for a little while, because of the war. My answer was no. Not because I’m not scared, but because living here, especially now, feels like protecting every Jew everywhere, not just myself.
In this episode, I reflect on what it means to finally live in the land our ancestors spent 2,000 years praying and longing to return to.
I talk about why Israel isn’t just a country but memory, identity, and belonging made physical, why her safety matters to Jews no matter where they live, how war can awaken a kind of collective, inherited trauma, and why coming home to Eretz Israel can feel like a spiritual homecoming unlike anything else.
Written by Yarin Weltsman (Queen Yarin)
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