I have two homes.

It was Israeli Independence Day here. I was with one of my best friends from Boston University. We both chose to leave America and live in Israel. Dancing in the streets of Haifa, I was was on my latest Zionist highs. Then I happened to look at my phone and I had a text in the group I have with my BU friends. There were two bombs at the Boston Marathon. What? The Boston marathon? That even I used to celebrate by drinking all day and screaming motivational sayings at the runners? It couldn't be. It's Boston. As Krim and I looked at all the images and videos and testimonies the next day, I struggled with my emotions. I had spend three fantastic years in Boston. I enjoyed my time, exploring the city, going to events, and building the economy with coffee from various cafes. I also spent my time there thinking about Israel. Whether it was Operation Cast Lead or the Carmel Fire, I longed to be a part of Israel, to understand the tragedy, to do my part to help.

It's hard, feeling loyalty to two different places. It's not that I'm always wishing to be in America, but this week deepened the love I have for the Land of the Free, the country that I grew up in. I constantly was reading the news, talking with my BU friends, and liking the statuses of all o my BU almni friends. It's true that in times of tragedy you feel the patriotism. I won't lie. But I do love America. Seeing that someone could penetrate Boston, the greatest city in America, my city, infuriated me just as much as it infuriates me to see rockets fall in my current home, Israel.

So I thought a lot about my life. Had I chosen my Jewish identity over my American identity? Am I an ex-pat? Am I no longer a part of the American Jewish community? And how do i feel about all of this?

But the truth is I don't need to answer these questions. I will always be an American (just ask everyone on my army base who giggles every time they hear my accent). I will always feel loyalty to Boston and Philadelphia and America. I will be sad on Thanksgiving and celebrate July 4th in my own way. But I will also enjoy Israel's Independence day, bask in the glory of Kosher for Passover restaurants, and enjoy the Jewish State. I don't need to choose, I just need to realize that it is not an identity struggle I have to deal with. I am privileged. I feel comfortable in two places. I have two passports. I speak two languages. I have two homes.