by Talya Jankovits (Chicago, IL)
I have only been to Israel once.
Ten days when I was eighteen,
a program that assured me
it was my birthright to visit
this land that so many feel
holy connections to.
The other attendees sped through
customs with generic Jewish names
or secular ones like Dusk or Dawn,
but my father’s name is Israel
and I carry a name that could
sound Israeli; Talya Shulamit.
They thought I was Israeli.
They asked question after question.
My father’s name is Israel.
His name made them wonder
at my American passport.
Whom did I belong to with a name
like Talya Shulamit Bat Israel.
To whom did I belong?
To whom do I belong?
Where do I, bat Israel
belong if not to Israel?
They tell me I don’t belong there.
They tell me I don’t belong here.
Tell me, where do you want me?
Oh, hear Israel. Let us listen.
Let us hear where they want us.
Talya Jankovits, a multiple Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, has been featured in numerous magazines, some of which she has received the Editor’s Choice Award and first place ranking. Her poetry collection, girl woman wife mother, is forthcoming from Keslay Books in 2024. She holds her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and resides in Chicago with her husband and four daughters. To read more of her work you can visit her at www.talyajankovits.com, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @talyajankovits.
The Jewish Writing Project 
Even then, even now. Beautifully said.