On My Way Home

In 24 hours I will be boarding a plane on my way back to the US.  Its been a busy final month, with lots of fun and interesting trips and some interesting and important work.... at work (there should be a better way to phrase that).

I don't have too much to say yet, its way too soon to try and sum up the trip other than to say I am incredibly happy I did this and would do it all over again if given the chance.  I don't know when I will be back in Israel, but I will be back again and I will be back often.

This trip has allowed me a lot of great chances to see a much more real and personal side of the country than Birthright did, I got a chance to spend some serious time exploring Judaism and my relationship with it, and I met a ton of amazing Americans and Israelis along the way.

I will try and write some more later summing up the trip.  What's next? Three-ish weeks at home in North Carolina including a wedding and hopefully lots of time with all my friends then I move to Arlington, VA and start my PhD at George Washington.  I can't wait!

Refuseniks and My Journey

A few days ago, thanks to the long bus ride to and from Eilat, I finished Natan Sharansky's book "Fear No Evil".  For those not familiar, the book talks a little about his Zionist activities in Soviet Russia in the 1970s and then gives a detailed and fascinating account of the almost 10 years he spent in jail for his activities.

Sharansky always knew he was Jewish, but in Soviet Russia there was an effort to eliminate all national and religious identities.  At the same time, Jews faced very real Antisemitism, sometimes from individuals and all too often from restrictions and caps on Jewish enrollment in schools and jobs.  As he grew more and more aware of his identity he applied for an exit visa, but was denied.  After this, he became increasingly active in public protests; helping inform Western journalists of the terrible human rights conditions faced by ethnic minorities and religious people.  Eventually he was accused of spying for the US and arrested.  He spent over a year being interrogated and then from 1978 to 1986 suffered through mental and physical torture, a near starvation diet at times and extreme KGB pressure on him and his family.  Through it all his wife (who was able to leave for Israel just a few months before his arrest) organized an international movement for his release, traveling the world and talking to Presidents and Prime Ministers about his situation.

Avital meeting with Reagan and Bush in 1982.

The book is about  how he managed to survive, and more importantly how he managed to maintain his beliefs and his dignity.  How he was able to study the book of Psalms his wife gave him, the fights to simply get her picture back, and the agony of knowing that simply stating the truth of the Soviet system would keep him from seeing his mother and brother for another 6 months or year.

On his release in Berlin he was told to walk straight. He immediately walked in a zig-zag towards freedom.

What struck me while reading this book more than anything else was the responsibility that I feel towards Israel.  He spent a decade in jail, dropping from 150 to as low as 75 lbs at one point during a hunger strike, often being put in solitary confinement without a jacket for weeks when it was below freezing.  And yet I am here not just without any physical pain but with help. I was given a grant to come here, I live in a comfortable apartment and I have never been restricted in talking about the good and bad of Israel or the United States.

That it is so easy for me to be here and fully experience and participate in life here makes me think that I absolutely must do things to be worthy of my luck.

Israel is far from a perfect place; across the political spectrum people find faults.  But it is also wonderful in its own way and full of people not just willing to help but who will go out of their way to make life better for you.  It has been almost 4 months since I arrived and thanks to my job at the Israel Democracy Institute I feel like I am really starting to do things which might have some impact on Israeli society, making it closer to the ideal vision I have for it.

I also know that when I head back to the US in a month I can't just leave Israel behind.  I can't just say "that was a great experience I am glad I did it."  No, I must use my luck of coming here freely and not after years of torture and continue advocating for Israel and even more importantly for what I believe Israel can and should be.  If he could do it from jail, shouldn't I be willing to do it from my couch?

Yom Hashoah

I promised a full explanation of why Israel chose to remember the victims of the Holocaust but I never got around to it and plenty of other people did so why redo their work?

This is what the day looked like near my house:

The short story is that when Israel was established there was a debate as to whether to remember the Holocaust on a traditional day of mourning (as many ultra-orthodox do regardless of what the State does) or another day.  The decision was made to honor the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as part of the larger effort to show that Israel was a land of the “New Jew”.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/yomhashoah.html

Of course even that decision was political.  In the first few years the only thing we knew about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising came from just a couple of people.  They were socialists and tried to hide the role of the right, which fit in well with the fight between Ben Gurion and Begin.

http://www.cjnews.com/international/warsaw-ghetto-uprising%E2%80%99s-70th-anniversary

http://www.likudanglos.org.il/2012/02/truth-prevails-for-unsung-heroes-of.html

Happy or Lying?

A recent study by the OECD reported that Israelis are among the happiest of people living in Developed Nations, even as they lag behind in other measures such as income and housing.  The question is, why?  Haaretz hypothesized that maybe Israelis were more likely to lie, wanting to appear happy for an international audience or maybe the sample was flawed.  Maybe one or both of these are true, but I have an alternate theory from my admittedly short time here.

For many of the Israelis that I have met there is a purpose to living here.  Many Israelis have made an active decision to be Israeli.  Unlike many people who are born in a country and live there because that is where they are from, Israel is still a nation of immigrants.  There is a pride that comes from choosing to live in a place and finding happiness seems to be much easier in those circumstances.  The decision to leave your family, friends and culture behind is difficult, yet people make it every day to move here.

Of course, Israel isn't the only nation with immigrants.  Even for those who were born here, Zionism gives a purpose to living here that makes life very different from most places.  A few weeks ago I spent Shabbat with a family that lives on a Religious Kibbutz a little west of Tiberius.  Everyone in the family was born in Israel, but they believe that as Jews they are fulfilling a religious and national obligation by living and working there.  Granted I think it would be difficult to be unhappy where they live, surrounded by natural beauty with hard but fulfilling jobs and surrounded by great neighbors.  But even still, they are happy for reasons beyond personal and material.

For many secular Israelis who may not have the same religious belief of an obligation to live here, there is still a choice.  When violence has erupted here at different points some have chosen to leave for better jobs and less terror in other nations, especially the United States. Those that stay do so in spite of these challenges.  As an example I looked up salaries of Professors in Israel versus the United States.  The average salary of a full university professor in Israel is similar to the median salary for all post-secondary teachers in the US.  Considering the amount of Israeli Professors with degrees from US schools, it's clear their decision to live here is deeper than simple monetary concerns.

I think part of this happiness comes from a "living your beliefs" lifestyle that I see a lot.  I spent Seder in a community that is so proud of its mixture of secular and religious, Ashkenazi and Sephardic, that there is a waiting list and religious families can't buy a home there until more secular people move in to maintain the community's balance.  Similarly I have found most Israelis to be incredibly friendly on a personal level.  Last week while touring Haifa we asked someone for directions.  He thought directions were too complicated, so he just lead us to where we wanted to go.  And people here are genuinely interested in the life stories of the people they meet.  I think both of these come from a sense of community and unified purpose that few societies have.  Every news outlet here covers Israel, but they also cover the accomplishments (and failings) of Jews worldwide.  The sense of unity and corresponding happiness would certainly satisfy Weber's definition.

Of course there are tensions and problems, and the above observations don't apply to Arab Israelis and I'm not sure they apply to the ultra religious, so maybe Haaretz is right and there is a sampling problem.  But then again, maybe not.

Update: Another good look at this survey with some more data rather than anecdotes: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=8359

A Review of The Gatekeepers

“Pursue the peace process as if there is no terrorism, and fight terrorism as if there is no peace process.” – Yitzhak Rabin

I recently went to see “The Gatekeepers” here in Jerusalem and it is an absolute must see.  It was nominated for an Academy Award along with a Palestinian film “5 Cameras” both losing to “Searching for Sugar Man” this year.

The movie is a fairly straightforward documentary involving interviews with 6 recent heads of the Shin Bet.  The Shin Bet is somewhat similar to Israel’s version of the FBI except with a much higher level of secrecy and a more specific focus than the FBI.  They are responsible for keeping Israelis secure and so most of their mission is focused on foiling terror plots.

The documentary is a very frank discussion of the tactics that Shin Bet uses to keep informed about terrorist plots, find them and decisions that have been made to imprison or kill actual and suspected terrorists.

What is striking about the movie is not the things that these men have approved, but their regret at certain things.  The oldest former head, Avraham Shalom, was head of the Shin Bet from 81-86.  He spoke with great sadness about the missed opportunity to form a Palestinian State and his belief that the tactics being used were just making peace more difficult.

In a particularly powerful moment, Yuval Diskin, who was head from 2005 to 2011 describes the feelings after a decision to kill a terrorist from afar. 

It is hard to say definitively that I learned this lesson or I now understand this point, rather this movie drove home for me the recognition that the status quo in Israel is not good for either side and that we must talk and we must find a solution.  Towards the end of the movie the conclusion of all the men is that we must talk.  In the United States the past few elections there have been multiple political attacks against politicians saying that we should talk to our enemies.  Yet here these men are, men who spent their entire adult lives protecting Israel saying that Israel must talk to everyone, even Hamas and Hezbollah, Iran… everyone.

“There is no way to defeat terror through military means only. Terrorism will be defeated when we utilize diplomatic moves alongside uncompromising war, and time is not playing in Israel's favor…” – Former Mossad Director Danny Yatom

Cultural Differences

Tim Boyum asked me to talk about some of the big cultural differences between NC and Israel that I am noticing so I will do my best, but first a quick update.

This is our last week of Ulpan (Hebrew class) before starting our jobs full time on Sunday.  I have somewhat started a little early though.  I went last Tuesday and today to get acquainted with what is going on before work starts for real.  That pretty much consisted of reading a bunch of journal articles, but they were interesting and raised some important questions.

The articles focused on some legal terms, especially “proportionality” vs “balancing” and the question about how rights should be treated by the courts and by parliaments.  One example is “Freedom of Speech.”  In the US we view this freedom as almost holy and most believe it should be protected regardless of any cost in every situation.  That system works well for us and I doubt few Americans would change it, but does it work for everyone?  If you are like me you want to say yes, but what about Germany in the 1940s-60s? Coming out of World War Two Germany wanted complete freedom of speech but recognized that there were views that had caused Hitler’s reign and views caused by his regime that were terrible and didn’t deserve respect and protection.  Because of this (and some other societal factors) the understanding in Germany is that rights lie with the individual but that there are also societal interests and values that sometimes trump those rights.

Of course the question is where does Israel believe those lines fall and where SHOULD those lines fall in this country?  I’ve just started scratching the surface, but this organization is the type of place where these questions aren’t just asked but where they are taken to legislatures and justices in an effort to find the best possible answer and actually implement reforms to protect rights and Democracy.  It is going to be an exciting trip and a great internship.

This is the Jerusalem Theater.  We have a floor of the office space that houses some other groups and the Theater employees.

Now then, culture.  Let me start by saying I really enjoy it here.  The following has a lot of complaints but I am really enjoying my time here so know that the good outweighs the bad.  Having said that, Jerusalem is a very urban, modern city and some differences between here and NC are probably not particular to Israel, but they are new to me so here you go:

Big negative: No one cleans up after their dogs in my neighborhood.  When you aren’t dodging feral cats there are squishy mines all over the streets.  My “favorite” reaction that some give is “I don’t have to clean up, my family built this neighborhood.”

Aggressive Driving: I don’t mean they speed. I mean they rev their engines as you cross between cars stuck in traffic. They honk ALL THE TIME.  It is like an entire city of people with constant road rage.  One day I saw someone pull over and pick someone else up from a bus stop.  Another driver pulled to the side and yelled at the driver for slowing things down.

Lines: Israel doesn’t believe in lines, or as the British say “queues”.  Getting on or off the light rail is just a mass of people pushing against each other.  And you have to be aggressive to buy things if a store is busy because people just jump right up to the cash register when they are ready.

Cost of living: Some things are incredibly inexpensive and wonderful.  For instance the other day I got my apartment-mate some veggies for his dinner. 3 small tomatoes and 3 medium cucumbers fresh from the market cost me 2.40 shekels.  That is about 65 cents.  On the other hand, apartments are insanely expensive across the country.  I saw a sign in the neighborhood where I work for a studio apartment for sale, just $355,000… and water and electricity are incredibly expensive. Not looking forward to that bill.

Friendly people: One on one people are incredibly friendly.  They will answer any question they can and those that speak English are usually happy to help you stumble through Hebrew.  Of course that is only true for one on one conversations.  In crowds, watch out, they will run you over if you are in the way and get mad at you for not walking fast enough.

Trash: I don’t know about other cities but in Jerusalem they don’t have garbage trucks on every street. Instead there are trash cans or giant trash compactor style dumpsters.  You might think this would be a hassle but given the tiny streets and amount of alleys it makes perfect sense.  I imagine the city saves lots of money this way and there are more than enough dumpsters and recycling cage things so that you never really have to walk that far.

Hot Water:  Just like in the US every house has a water heater. But here they are on the roofs and they use solar panels for power usually.  If you definitely want hot water you can flip the “dude” switch (no idea) and you get incredibly hot water in 20-45 minutes depending on the temperature and time of day.  This isn’t that big of a deal, and it probably saves water and energy but it does require a little extra planning and time to take a shower. 

I am sure there a thousand other things but this is already too long.  If people are interested in specific things please ask.  It get easy to just get into a routine and not blog so suggest topics and I will do my best.

Feb 18 Update

Just a quick update for everyone:

I haven't been posting much because I have been busy but there hasn't been a ton of things going on that would warrant a blog post.  A normal day for me has been Ulpan (hebrew classes) from 9 AM to lunch and then we often have group activities or errands to run or something else taking up time.  I am already starting to get into a routine, although that routine will change very soon.

I met my future boss last week, once for coffee and once at the office.  Starting tomorrow afternoon I will go to work for a few hours the next few Tuesdays then starting in March I will begin working full time.  We get some vacation time so I plan on travelling and leaving Jerusalem soon.  Next weekend is Purim, which means lots of parties and costumes.  The weekend after Jerusalem is hosting a Marathon and we are all signed up as volunteers, which should be fun even if it means I have to wake up way too early.

It looks like (not surprisingly) I will be the baker for the group.  I already made one person a birthday cake, and will need to repeat that twice in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I am closing in on 200 pictures on facebook so that should keep folks busy.  And I just realized I have been here just short of 2 weeks, meaning my trip is about 1/10th of the way through. Hard to believe.

A Truly Zionist Moment

I grew up in a house that was supportive of Israel, but I wouldn’t say that it was a Zionist home.  I learned about Israel at our synagogue, and I can’t remember my Mom ever saying something negative about Israel as a child, but I wouldn’t classify it as Zionist home in any real sense of the word.

Before, but definitely after, my Birthright trip my understanding and use of the word changed.  Defining myself as a Zionist became more important, but it also became a very important question of “What does it mean to be a Zionist?”

Yesterday I found my answer.

To start this story I should say that yesterday was exactly why I came here.  It started with a quick stroll through the Shuk (market) for some juice and to buy Challah for Shabbat.  I then went to Ulpan (Hebrew classes), followed by a very cheap lunch in the Shuk (8 shekels, about $2.25).  After that the group met and we took a tour along the almost 2 mile walk to the old city.  Our tour guide was amazing, and she was deeply passionate and knowledgeable, showing us new places that are rarely visited, and certainly not in the short time frame most people have in Jerusalem.

I know I haven’t introduced my fellow group members but they are all great people, and wonderful to be around.  After the tour we had dinner together, and a group of us hung out and just talked for a few hours.  I think we laughed as much as we talked during dinner and after, which has made the trip all that much better.  I know that gets me ahead of my story, but this seemed like as good a place as any.

After finishing our tour in the old city we walked down to the Kotel (the Western Wall) for Kabbalat Shabbat.  This is a joyful service full of song, welcoming Shabbat before the evening prayer service.

On our way to the old city we passed the home of Eliezer Ben Yehuda, who is the father of modern Hebrew, and we talked about the first neighborhoods to be built outside the city.  150 years ago no one lived outside the walls of the old city and no one spoke Hebrew in their day to day lives, 50 years ago none of us could have worshiped at this place.  And yet there we were in the midst of a large city, worshiping freely.

After I was done, and was slowly making my way through the crowd and out of the main area of the Kotel I saw a huge group, probably 3 or 4 very large circles within each other, of soldiers holding their own service, singing, enjoying the beginning of Shabbat.  There were a few hundred members of the IDF there last night, apparently in the city for Shabbat while getting trained to become the Israeli equivalent of NCOs.  

And then in the midst of their service they all started dancing and singing “Am Yisrael Chai” or “The People of Israel Live [or ‘are still Living!’]”. 

To be there, in that moment, with thousands of Jews praying in a place where we weren’t allowed for centuries after the Romans tried to destroy us while a group of soldiers sang such powerful words with such joy was my first truly Zionist moment.  That joy, which quite literally brought tears to my eyes twice, was one of the happiest moments in my life.  It seems so small, that one group of people saying such a simple phrase, but I can now say without a doubt that I understand what it is to be a Zionist.  Not in an academic way with specific things I do or do not believe, but in my heart.

Am Yisrael Chai 

First 24 Hours

I am here!
After a very long day with a flight to Newark and a 10 hour flight to Tel Aviv I am in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. I have moved into my apartment, I will have 4 more roommates joining soon but they are with a different program so won't be here soon. My apartment is approximately 30 foot steps away from Mahane Yehuda, making it way too quick and easy to get amazing food.

I tried to upload pictures of my room (very small) and the view from a different room of our street, but that will have to come later when the internet is more cooperative. This neighborhood is just full of tiny alleys and then you wander and find a theater or a dance school or the market. My favorite part so far is that everyone has said "Welcome Home" instead of "Welcome", a very different perspective than I am sure folks back in North Carolina have of this trip for me, but I do feel very comfortable here (even if I can't understand any of the shop signs).

 So far we have just been settling in, but as soon as I publish this we are off for a hike in the Judean desert, an ATV ride and a group BBQ. Edit- The hike was cancelled but pictures from the first 2 days are on facebook now.

What, Where, When, How

As all of you should know by now I am heading to Israel very soon.  In fact, it is now less than 3 weeks from when I land in Ben Gurion.

This all started when I got back from Birthright (December 2011).  I just couldn’t get Israel out of my head, and knew that I was going to have to go back.  I did some quick math and realized that I would be finishing my Master’s Degree before the end of 2012 and of course getting political jobs in the spring following a Presidential campaign is incredibly difficult, so I decided to explore and here I am, just a few days from spending the next FIVE MONTHS in Eretz Yisrael.

When: I leave North Carolina on February 4^th and get back July 6^th.

Where: I will be in Jerusalem, less than a 5 minute walk from Mahane Yehuda, a market containing 3 or 4 city blocks worth of outdoor food stalls, bakeries, and restaurants.  I will be sharing an apartment with a number of other young people from the US (and maybe some Europeans?), but I will have my own room thankfully.

The best part of the location is that I am near the main bus and light rail terminal and I can walk to a lot of things.  I will be less than a 1.9 mile walk from the Kotel and about 1.25 miles from my work.

What: While I am in Jerusalem I will spend the first 3ish weeks in Ulpan (intensive Hebrew instruction).  I will have time during February to explore some and will visit my internship once a week to start getting used to the place.  Starting in March I will begin an internship with the Israel Democracy Institute.

IDI is a very large and prestigious think tank focused on increasing Democracy and rights and participation by all citizens.  It should be fairly obvious to anyone reading this why I asked to work there!  The group has done a number of exciting things, including setting up working groups for members of the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) and academics on a number of issues, conducting polls and recently ranked every political party in Israel on how Democratic they are.

All I know about what I will be doing for now is that it will involve legal research and I believe I will be housed in the Democratic Principles section.  In brief the goal of this group is to match the beliefs of Democracy and Human Rights with the actual laws of the State of Israel.  Their larger goal is to make Israel more inclusive, a “model society…which emphasizes tolerance and respect for others.” A state with “Effective governance characterized by decentralization, participation, accountability and transparency.”  Needless to say I am very excited at the opportunity.  You can see more of their achievements and what they have done here. 

How:  Part of the funding for my trip comes from MASA, an organization which brings people between the ages of 18-30 to Israel for long term trips including internships, study abroad, etc.  They connected me to my program, Real Life Israel and then gave me a $3000 grant, which comes from funds largely provided by the Jewish Agency and the Israeli Government.  I was incredibly thankful to get some contributions online from friends, and then will pay for the rest myself.  My program cost pays for rent and help while I’m there including help getting the internship and fun group activities.  I then have to pay for food and to get myself there.  Of course if you are willing to help me stimulate the Israeli economy you still can, just send me an email!

If you are in North Carolina and want to see me before I go please let me know ASAP so we can do that.  Between now and when I leave I will just be studying Hebrew and enjoying myself.  While I am there I will have internet so you can contact me by email, and I will have an Israeli phone capable of getting calls from the US and texts.  I don’t have that contact info or my exact mailing address yet, but I will make sure to get those for anyone interested.

While I am there I will do my best to update this with lots of pictures and writings, or at least to let you know that I am safe!