THIS Land is My Land

Yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I took the opportunity to point out to every American Israeli I saw (including my own children) that, whether you agree with his policies or not, it is pretty cool that the day after MLK Day, the US would swear in its first black president. Tonight, at 7pm our time, we crowded around the laptop screen as a family to watch Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. Like I said, very cool and inspiring. I mean, look how far we've come. I am proud to be an American. The invocation was given by Pastor Rick Warren. He began really well - the kids thought it was really neat that he quoted "Shema Yisrael". He spoke about how everything belongs to God and the entire world exists for His glory. Good stuff. Then he switched gears and Jesus became his focus. He ended with the Lord's Prayer, a cornerstone of Christian worship. I felt blindsided. Here I was, sitting in my living room in Israel, proud to be an American, proud to come from a country that promotes the same values as Judaism, and then enters Jesus. It reminded me that while the United States of America is a wonderful country, it is not, and never will be the place for the Jews.

That's here.