They know one thing

This morning my elderly neighbor entered the walkway at the same time as me. "Hello," I said, knowing that she is an English speaker. "Do you live in this building?" she responded. "No, I live in that one," I said. Pointing to a different building she said, "I live in that one. But I have lived in many places." She has told me before that she has been forced out of at least six apartments, like many of the people here in this land of housing shortages about which the government does nothing. Not mentioning her frequent relocating in Israel, she added, "I have lived in Florida, and California, and Colorado." I said, "And you grew up Massachusetts," something I knew from prior conversations. Here's the rest of the exchange:

"That's a beautiful place," I said.

"It's OK," she said.

I paused, and then said, "You are not obligated to disparage where you come from."

"It's OK, but it's not here," she said referring to Israel.

Since she's an elderly widow, I held back and ended the conversation there. But I wanted to say, "Do you like living in a place full of abrasive anti-religious people who put Jewish boys in prison?"

I can only guess her response. I felt as if I were talking to a zombie. Does she really like Israel? Was she told that she likes Israel? Does she actually examine her life here? Is she getting quality healthcare? I doubt it. Is it challenging living in a country whose language she doesn’t speak. I would think so. I can assume that she is not bothered by the millions who violate Shabbos here. I won't unpack it further. I'll just call it a weird encounter, the kind that happens all the time here. These people are so brainwashed. They know one thing: Israel!