(RNS) — I was talking recently with a young man who described a date that did not sound like the stuff of romantic legend. The dinner seemed to be going well. The wine flowed, as did the conversation — with just enough spark to suggest possibility. He leaned into the moment, sensing chemistry, feeling that quiet optimism that accompanies a promising first date. Then, she leaned forward, lowered her voice and asked a question that changed everything. “I really like you,” she said. “I feel attracted to you. But I need to know something. Are you a Zionist?” He had expected something more intimate, something more personal. Instead, he found himself fumbling through an answer about loving, supporting and caring about Israel. The young woman was also Jewish. Let’s just say there would be no second date. Israel is the elephant in the Jewish living room.…