K'Tina Khozeret

The three stories contained in this thesis function as an exploration of hybrid identity. The main character, Nomi, is a "k'tina khozeret," a returning adolescent. In legal terms, in Israel, this is a person born in Israel who is removed from the country by her or his parents before her or his 14th birthday. The designation is important because of the slew of rights afforded to immigrants in Israel as a way to encourage Jews to emigrate to the country as well as help those Jews who likely come from disadvantaged backgrounds and were, most likely, persecuted in their home countries. Those born in-country who leave after 14 years of age are considered to have had a choice in the move and do not have much in the way of immigrants' rights. Those who leave before that age have the same rights as new immigrants, but require a different designation because of the complex system of citizen identification in practice in Israel. The status of returning adolescent, however, is not commonly known among citizens of Israel. For Nomi, being a returning adolescent holds far more than the culture shock one expects to see in new immigrants to any country. She must deal with her identity, but she must also deal with her parents' identities—their choices as individuals and as a couple—and her future and what she hopes and plans for as well as who she wishes to become. The stories are not intended to work as parts of a novel, but to stand individually, as stills in the movie of one woman's life.