I left my life in New York City in search of community and belonging—in Tel Aviv, I found it.

One year ago I decided to leave New York City and move to Tel Aviv. In the wake of October 7th and amid growing antisemitism in the US, I was feeling more isolated than ever. After a two-week volunteering trip to Israel, my mind was made up: that’s where I had to be. In New York, it seemed like no one understood what I was going through, but in Israel, we were all living it together. 

The sense of community and belonging I felt during those weeks in Tel Aviv was overwhelming; even in the midst of an ongoing war I lived without fear of being myself. I could wear my Star of David necklace proudly, talk about Jewish topics in public, and found that observing my religious and cultural traditions was the norm—not the thing that set me apart.

It was this taste of true acceptance I had never really experienced in the States that drove me, as a single, 31-year-old woman with a successful career, to leave everything I knew behind and move to a different country.

Moving to Tel Aviv meant changing every aspect of my life, down to the smallest detail. From my phone number and phone plan to my language, job, health insurance, bank account, citizenship, apartment, culture, friends, and of course, dating, once I made the move, nothing stayed the same. 

Now, after living here for a year, I can truly say I have never been happier. The total shift in culture from living to work in New York City to working to live in a society that primarily values........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)