What does it actually mean to be Israeli – these days? And in general?

Being Israeli, especially these days, isn't just about a blue passport and strong feelings about hummus. It's a complete identity, loaded with layers, conflicts, pride – and chronic fatigue from the news.

Let's admit it – being Israeli means feeling like you're always a bit on guard. Not just security-wise – but emotionally too. It's an identity you can't take a break from. It follows you everywhere, in every language, at every airport, in every shadow of a suspicious glance.

Here are some small reminders of what it means to be Israeli:

• Entering any mall – metal detectors. Security. Sometimes ID checks too. While travelers around the world get excited about open, pleasant airports, we're used to checking where the danger might come from.

  
  

• When you're abroad – suddenly you become "Canadian," "South African," or simply "not from Israel." Because saying "I'm from Israel" has become a kind of gamble. And even if you do say it – you won't speak Hebrew out loud. You won't wear a Star of David. You won't wear a kippah. You won't draw attention. It's not fear – it's survival intuition.

• Israelis have "travel warnings" for almost every destination in the world. On the list of dangerous countries for Israeli travelers, sometimes it seems like even Mykonos made it to the middle.

  
  

• Every Israeli knows someone. Someone who fell. Someone who was hurt. Someone who disappeared. Someone who was found, but is no longer the same person. For us, there's no "distance" from tragedies – they're always close.

  
  

• Public spaces never really feel safe. Suspicious bag – and we already know the procedures. An explosion – and we immediately check where it happened. Who was hurt. Maybe it's someone we know.
  

• We live inside the news. We don't watch from the sidelines. We don't just read headlines. Part of our daily life happens right inside the "Channel 12 News" broadcast.

  
  

• Living under tension, but also living big. Maybe precisely because of this, when we celebrate – we celebrate to the end. Music, dancing, shouting. Because who knows what tomorrow will bring?

And there's also the beautiful side:

• Crazy mutual responsibility. You can be at the supermarket, not know anyone, and leave with friends for life.

• We speak directly, without masks. Sometimes this intimidates strangers, but it's also what makes us human. Authentic. Really alive.

• Humor. Even in the darkness. Israelis know how to laugh in situations where others would only cry. It's not insensitivity – it's a national survival strategy.

• We have a huge heart, and inexplicable strength. Something that can't be explained in words – only lived.

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So yes, being Israeli isn't always simple. It requires being brave, calculated, sensitive and indifferent, all at the same moment. But it's also being part of something unique in the world – a kind of combination of chaos and hope, of pain and love, of fear and courage. And most importantly – a sense of belonging that has no substitute.

Being Israeli isn't just what you are – it's how you feel. And it's complex. And it's special. And it's ours.

Feel free to add more – what does being Israeli mean to you?