In September 2024, about a year after October 7th, Travel Writer Sophie Mendel left New York City for a quick volunteer trip to Israel, followed by a few weeks in Europe. By the end of her trip, she had made up her mind to make Aliyah (move to Israel and gain citizenship).
The following is a letter she wrote to her parents while in Europe explaining her decision.
Dear Parents:
Hello from Paris! I’ve just made a major decision and feel compelled to seek your blessing.
As I stand here writing this to you, I am soaking wet in the rain, late for my plans, completely lost looking for the metro, and I am laughing. Because this is so classic, so very “me”. I meticulously planned today’s schedule: I would see the sights, go home to get ready, and meet friends for dinner, all in perfect time. Per usual, life had other plans, and here we are. It’s funny, how nothing ever goes exactly how I plan it, and still somehow I end up right where I’m meant to be.
It’s been a tough year for me personally, and in the aftermath of October 7th, I’ve found myself floundering. I feel like I’ve been searching for something — traveling as much as I can to try to escape the reality of my life, looking for a sense of belonging in a world that feels increasingly like it’s rejecting me. After my visit to Israel last week and now having spent time in Paris — one of my favorite cities in the world even after traveling to more than 50 countries — all I can think about is the relief I felt, for the first time in so long, being back in Tel Aviv. It was never in my plans, but something inside me is yearning to return to Israel, and I think I have to do it. I’m going to make Aliyah.
I’m conflicted because of the logistics, and scared because I don’t want to be so far away from you, and I am worried about losing my life and career in New York City, which I’ve put so much of my heart into building. But right now nothing else feels like it makes sense, and this does.
I need to be in Israel, where I’m allowed to be Jewish proudly, openly, and without fear or trepidation. Other places are nice to visit but somehow I don’t really fit in in some peripheral yet essential way. Even though I am as American as any other non-Jewish person, I don’t feel fully understood or accepted by my community. In Israel, I don’t have to explain myself — everyone gets me, everyone is me. I fit in, and I belong. The essence of who I am is understood, accepted, and welcomed. After so many months of feeling isolated as a Jewish person in New York City — having my identity demonized by the media, social channels, and even people who I thought were my friends and allies — finding myself in a place that finally feels like it fits after so much searching just feels right.
I know this will be a big change, and it’s not one I am making lightly. But I need to trust my gut and move to the place that feels like, after so long, returning home. I hope you can understand this innate longing to be where you belong, and that you’ll support me as I navigate this next chapter. I love you, and look forward to discussing it more once I’ve returned to the States.
All my love,
Sophie
