These days nothing seems extreme when testing out your country’s loyalty. The latest phenomenon of citizen “chutzpah” is overwhelming Israeli consulates worldwide. No matter where in the world they are, or how personal of a dilemma they got themselves into, Israelis seem to feel that anything is possible with that quick phone call to the local ambassador. “My son is late for his flight,” explained a distressed Jewish mother on the phone to one of the Israeli consulates in Europe. “I am asking you to stall the plane until he arrives.” When requests like these reach the embassy, it is quite puzzling for the counsel to explain that he does not have that kind of authority. Not in a single country, not in all of them combined. But despite polite efforts of the localized Israeli officials to...

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