[WizardofOz]

Shai's Mom,
I found out about my Jewish heritage only when I was 14 and so did my childhood friend. Our mothers were best friends, both went through WW2 and never wanted to be associated again with the word "Jew". It is useless to try to convince that generation that today it is safe to be a Jew. I made Aliyah to Israel soon after I learnt that I was Jewish, much to the dread of my mother. She still tries to convince me that I should convert to Christianity because she just fears for my life.

I lived in Israel most of my life and now I live in the Bible Belt, just opposite to you, LOL! Naturally, I made Israeli friends but I also tried to reach out to the local population. I had some negative experiences as you did, namely some people being nice to me and then shunning me as soon as they learn that I do not go to church on Sundays.

However, I also had very positive experiences. My son is of Cambodian descent and through his adoption I decided to learn more on Buddhism and Hindusim (Cambodian Buddhism is close to Hinduism). Over time, I developed a very good connection with the local Indian community and they received me with open arms. I even became a member of the local Hindu temple and I picked up the study of Sanskrit (their hole language, analogous to classic Hebrew). Who would have thought that! So as one door closes another opens, you always find your friends at the end.

Congrats to your two kids! I hope the adoption process in Israel is easier these days. I wanted to adopt an Ethiopian girl locally in Israel but social services were very slow and then I moved to the U.S. so it did not come to pass.