To Belong

Tamar, an Israeli woman, is fiercely loyal to her husband and children but carries emotional scars from growing up in a kibbutz children's home, separated from her parents. She dreams of fulfillment as a mother of a large family. A group of Sudanese refugee children come to Tamar's nursing clinic in beautiful Eilat, near the Red Sea. The refugees' predicament tugs at her heart. She becomes obsessed with thoughts of rescuing a small brother and sister abandoned at the refugee camp. As Jews who follow Yeshua, Tamar and her family walk carefully as they live in community comprised of Messianic Jews, secular Jews, a former Orthodox Jew, Holocaust survivors, and immigrant Jews from other countries and cultures. Fostering the children leads to constant red tape and the brunt of official hostility toward refugees. As Tamar's family, along with extended family and friends, enfold the children and seek justice for the refugees, an unlikely group of people are united in loving fellowship. Along the way, healing happens-of emotional scars, rejection, relational tensions, and religious extremes. They all find belongingness-to caring community and to common purpose. Readers will enjoy learning about family life and customs in Israel.