I’m not an adjective

Not at all an  “ish”

Im not relative to my

surroundings

Just one of my own.

And that’s the

big difference

In Israel I’m a “Jew”

In the diaspora

I’m Jew “ish”

In the diaspora

“Jew” May be a curse

In the diaspora

“Jew” May be

self revealing

In the Diaspora

“Jew” might be embarrassing

In the diaspora “Jew”

Might be a verb

In the diaspora

“Jew” might well have

It’s own adjective

But in Israel

I’m a noun

No fear

But essence

No embarrassment

No need to

Fix the world

Only to fix myself

In Israel Im full time

In Israel I speak

As a Jew.

Wearing a Talit

On the street on Shabbat

And holiday

Or draped over

my shoulders in Bet Knesset

That’s part of my world

No self consciousness

Natural to my “noun” ness!

My daily news is

About my status

As a “Jew”

My space ship and

Potential moon landing

Are my Ethnicity

And my pride

As a “Jew”

On Purim

I’ll read about

A man called Mordechai

Who Is referred to as a Jew

Not Jewish

An Adjective can’t change

Our destiny

Only a noun

Only a “Jew”

Is whole enough

To be a JEW