I ARRIVED in the U.S. as a 17-year-old university student. And while I usually traveled home to Jerusalem for Christmas, I learned to navigate other holidays—from Eid to Easter—without my family. Now, my husband, two daughters and I make it to Jerusalem from our home in Philadelphia at least once a year, but we celebrate the majority of holidays with my husband’s family here. As much as I enjoy those feasts, I am still keenly aware of the absence of my own parents, brother and extended family.
This year, across the U.S.,…
