Feeling connected to Israel by buying Israel

Not every American Jew can move to Israel. Not every American Jew can visit Israel. And even if you do go on a trip or mission to Israel, you do that maybe once a year, maybe once in a lifetime.

But what every American Jew can do, every day of the year, is Buy Israel.

If you eat food, drink wine, like jewelry, use cosmetics, wear clothes, need medications, enjoy flowers, are looking to beautify your home, are shopping for a gift for a friend, you can Buy Israel.

Meaning all those things, and many more, are on sale somewhere in your town or city, all of it made in Israel.

Meaning by buying those things, you show your love of and support for Israel. And there’s no sacrifice necessary on your part. Products from Israel are of the highest quality, the latest style, the best make.

And you can Buy Israel no matter where you stand on the peace process, no matter if you are right wing or left wing, no matter what your position is on any issue.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the politics and the controversies and the latest news, we lose sight of the essential wonder of Israel and of our unbreakable, kishka connection to Israel.

It is the place where our history has been made and is being made, the place that made us who we are, that defines us as a people. The State of Israel is something we have prayed for, worked for, hoped for, longed for, for more than 2,000 years. And we are part of the fortunate generation of Jews for whom a sovereign Jewish country is a reality.

Which is not something to take for granted; it is something to cherish with all our hearts and Jewish souls.

One way to put those emotions into action, a very simple but very meaningful way to express our feelings in a very concrete way, is to Buy Israel. Every day, you purchase the things you need — shoes or swimsuits, beauty aids or books, cheese or linens. And when buying all that, you have all kinds of choices, all kinds of options.

So why not Buy Israel? If there’s something you’re shopping for and there’s a well-made product from Israel available at a competitive price, it’s the perfect way to get what you need while showing how much you care.

Because by buying Israel, you support Israel, show your allegiance to the State of Israel, a holy place on earth, the Jewish place in the world. By buying Israel, by choosing food and clothes and jewelry and cosmetics and all the many things made there, you infuse your everyday life with a tangible connection to the land and to its people. You become a part of that place by using products that come from that place.

This special section is dedicated to Buy Israel Week, Nov. 28 through Dec. 4, when a special emphasis will be put on buying Israel, when coupons will be available online at buyisraelweek.com that offer discounts available in stores, all to make it easier during these seven days to focus your buying on buying Israel.

By so doing, you’ll find not only that the products that come from Israel are really tasty and really attractive and really useful, but you’ll find that you feel really good for having bought them, for having elevated the ordinary act of shopping into a connection to the extraordinary place that is the Jewish state.

Once you feel that feeling, you’ll want to make every week Buy Israel Week.