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.