America will always be home for the Black household, but our tenure here in Tel Aviv and Israel has given us much insight beyond the boundaries of our national origin. America is a great country, but are things outside of America as bad as they seem? There is a bubble around our nation that locks our minds into believing the outside world has more tumult than America. This notion leads people, who don't have the luxury of traveling abroad, to believe other places aren't safe(r).
Before coming here, my wife Kennedy and I studied numerous articles about the safety of Israel and Europe and the results weren't the best. We found many write-ups on the country being on the brink of war, world political views of Israel - who were and weren't their allies, and how the economies of the European region were affecting uprises and threatening counties' safety. Like most everything, the articles were supported by facts, but rooted in opinion and bias. We decided that Israel and this transition for our family was safer than what was written.
"Israel has been a breath of fresh air for my family as a whole."
We were very fortunate to know many people with connections to Israel that could give us first-hand accounts of the safety and luxuries of this country and Europe as a whole. Upon our arrival, as the plane descended, Kennedy and I felt so much peace. With a sigh of relief that we finally arrived, we exited the plane to fanfare and warm welcomes from Maccabi fans. It was a great experience that really eased our conscious on our decision to make Tel Aviv our new home. Since then, we have settled and learned the lay of the land for ourselves.
Israel is really safe and a fun place to explore! It has so much history, dating back millennia up to centuries. Like any country, you have your places to be aware of, but in all Israel has been a breath of fresh air for my family as a whole. My son Na'im, who is a year and a half old, has benefited from this time as much as Kennedy and me— yes, his name is Hebrew, but we agreed on his name two years before deciding to come here. Ironic, I know.
"A lot of the assumptions and judgments that start as opinion find rooting due to some's inability to separate propaganda from truth."
Now that we are more familiar with Israel and Europe, we've began our critique of the difference between here and back home. We've read article after article of domestic violence of many sorts and the political sea thundering and roaring with no foreseeable calm. Being raised by a mother who has run public relation departments for many years now, I know the power and influence of media. The old adage, to believe very little of what you see and hear probably holds its greatest prominence and prevalence in this day and age. Media creates perspective for many, so a lot of the assumptions and judgments that start as opinion find rooting due to some's inability to separate propaganda from truth.
There are some disturbing things happening in America and domestic safety has become very volatile. I remember I used to walk home from school when I was in elementary with my older brothers and we were safe and had no worries. Now, it's an unwritten law that you cannot allow your kid to be alone at any time without adult supervision; the cost of that decision could be unspeakable in our country today.
In ending, America is a great country! We all know it is a place with bountiful beauty. From the hustle and bustle of New York to the southern hospitality of Memphis, to the plains of Kansas, and all the way to the amazing hills and beaches of California. We have so much to be thankful for and we have an abundance that I'm thankful to have come from. But is America safer than being here? The answer is not as cut and dry as it may seem to be.