Interviews with Olim

Q. Where were you born and where did you grow up?

A. I was born and raised just outside of Youngstown, Ohio, in the USA. It’s the heart of America, working class, factories (at one point) and descendants of immigrants.

Q. At what age did you come out? And how did it go?

A. I came out to my family at 22, and it went okay. They were not as accepting as I had hoped and prayed, but it went slightly better than I had feared. Silence at first, and that has morphed into a kind of detente.

Q. Were you involved at all in the LGBT community back home?

A. Back in the States, I worked with a variety of LGBT groups, both on campus (where I worked) and in my local community.

Q. What is your involvement (if any) in the LGBT community in Israel?

A. I am proud and happy to participate in LGBT events of all types – coffee hours, dinners, holidays, and Pride. I volunteer as much as I am able in order to help the community.

Q. How long since you made Aliyah?

A. My Aliyah date was 24 July, 2019; so I am now entering my third month and loving it!

Q. Did you move here on your own or with family/friends/significant other?

A. I made Aliyah on my own.  But, would be remiss if I didn’t clarify that the LGBT olim community has been a huge help to me in my journey!

Q. Why did you make Aliyah?

A. That’s a complex question with a variety of answers which are true and yet fall short. In brief: a strong desire to participate actively in Zionism/Judaism, the weather, the beach, the lovely people, the culture, the food, the ability to live without a car, the knowledge that while dating here is hard, it is still easier than gay dating in northeast Ohio, especially if you are trying to date someone who is also Jewish.

Q. How is it going so far?

A. Wonderfully! It certainly has been an adventure so far. And while it hasn’t all been 100% smooth sailing, it has still been the best decision of my life. I wouldn’t change it for anything!

Q. What do you do in terms of work?

A. I currently work at a school teaching English and History and SAT preparations in addition to editing and translating documents.

Q. How is your Ivrit?

A. Pretty good, I would say! I was fortunate to have studied a good deal of Hebrew in university and it gets better each day! PRACTICE is the only way that it gets easier for me. And listening to music.

Q. What has been your biggest challenge so far?

A. Either opening a bank account (it’s my least favorite place in Israel to go) or apartment hunting in August.

Q. How do you perceive the Israeli LGBT community?

A. The LGBT community here is magnificent! There are lots of events, and a good variety of places to go and a number of active groups! The community here does more events outside of bars than the one I participated with in Ohio. Different vibe and different agendas. Here, I feel a true sense of progressive politics and a push for equality, not just acceptance, and I think a lot of the issues in Ohio still deal with acceptance.

Q. How is being LGBT in Israel different to back home?

A. Mostly, I think there is a good deal of freedom here to be whatever it is that you feel you need to be. In Ohio, I think it was more about pushing for acceptance, and then trying to fit in. Here, I feel it’s more about making progress and taking the culture and society forward.

Q. If you were making aliyah now, would you do anything differently? 

A. I would pack slightly differently (lighter) and I would have written more of my Aliyah preparation to share with others. I have had some fun and challenging moments, but it’s still the best place in the world for me, and I feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself. 

There’s a great quote from the book/movie “Mars” wherein the stranded narrator wants to leave a message for his parents, in the event that he meets an untimely end, and I think it is so accurate and poignant. He says, “Please tell them, tell them I love what I do and I’m really good at it. And that I’m dying for something big and beautiful and greater than me. Tell them I said I can live with that. And tell them thank you for being my mom and dad.” 

That’s how I feel being here in Israel. I’m a part of something, not just an observer. I am able to participate and be both fully Jewish and gay without living in fear or shame of one or the other aspects of my life. And this is something that I have never felt anywhere else – it is something unique to Israel and more specifically to Tel Aviv.