Why do we identify with our specific labels more than we identify with our larger and more fundamental label - being a Jew? Why does everyone from the outside treat us as the same (an Antisemite doesn’t discriminate between different types of Jews) but we so starkly discriminate within ourselves?

The more time we spend here, the more I believe that being fluent in Hebrew is my key to unlocking my new identity.

Leaving friends and my brother in the United States was not easy. Leaving the small town I had lived in for almost thirty years was not easy. But seeking a more Jewish life here, in our homeland, in the place where our history began four thousand years ago, is easier than it might seem.

Labeling ourselves and each other is natural however over labeling and subdivision disconnects us from the greater group, from our connection to the different parts of the Nation of Israel. The goal of “Limits of Labels” is to raise awareness of how labels affect us and learn how to create unity despite our different labels.

Carmel Kaufman beautifully articulates the profound experience of coming to Israel: “Israel is different than any other land, not just because her beauty is one of a kind but because we change because of our encounters with her. We become different by coming to Israel. We become more like our true selves.”

Throughout Jewish history our people have been called by different names, for different reasons: Hebrew, Israelite, Children of Israel, Jew. What does our name, our title have to do with our identity? Which shapes the other?

Connecting as an individual or a community, to other segments of Am Yisrael and to the land of Israel strengthens the entire Nation of Israel. These are a few examples you can make a difference and have a positive impact on the unity of Am Yisrael.