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 4th and
get back July 6th.
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!
