When I left for Israel, I knew that living there wasn’t going to be easy.  I was prepared to experience a different way of life; to be shoved out of line by aggressive natives, to ride the crowded buses for hours each day and to feel like an outsider until I adjusted.  What I didn’t realize I needed to prepare for was coming home.

I went with my father last week to see the new movie on the Holocaust, Defiance.  Throughout my life, I have seen dozens of films on the topic, walked through the Holocaust museum in DC a handful of times, visited Yad Vashem in Israel five times in the past year and half alone, and taken classes on the topic, but for some reason the implication of the Holocaust never quite clicked.  I understood it as a historical event; as a defining point in Jewish history, but never as a defining point in my history.  After this movie however, I walked out of the theater with tears in my eyes and speechless.

Through five months in Israel and a whirlwind adventure in Thailand, through war, parliamentary scandals, and fifty hours straight of travel home, I didn’t think about what it would be like for me here, in Baltimore.  The most common question people ask me is if I feel like a lot has changed since I went away.  The honest answer is no; things were heading in a certain direction and have kept on that path.  What has changed is my perspective and my question now is where these new experiences will fit into an old life.

We are lucky to live in a city where Jews are ubiquitous.  Where the public schools basically shut down on high holidays and new kosher restaurants are thriving.  We don’t have to think about what being Jewish meant to our grandparents or even what it means to our peers in Israel.  Even in my family, where taking two days off for Rosh Hashannah and a day for Yom Kippur used to be a given, it’s not anymore.  Instead, it has become more important to keep our employers happy and our jobs secure. 

Understanding the importance of Judaism in our lives can’t be explained by someone else.  It is the connection that we, as individuals, finally make with something bigger then ourselves.  I sat in that movie and I realized, after a Bat Mitzvah, Hebrew High School, 6 trips to Israel, a Chabad house in Thailand, and being told millions of times, that I am Jewish and this is my history. 

Hello from the Chabad House in Bangkok Thailand!  The beautiful building, with kosher food, computers, and tour books, is packed with Israelis.  It is amazing to hear Hebrew on the street and see signs in Hebrew so far from home.  Tonight, we will be going to Shabbat dinner here and will hopefully meet a ton more people.

In the meantime, we went to the floating markets today.  They are literally markets that are on water.  Thais pull up on paddle boats next to yours to sell you some delicious Thai delicacy.  Shying away from the fried bananas and meat on a stick, my friends and I stuck to the amazing fresh fruit that they peal and cut into slices for you.  The paddle boat tour took us through the neighborhood where people actually live on the water.  Our tour guide noted that evey house has at least 1-2 boats because it is the only way to get around.  Literally, there are no sidewalks, no roads, just water surrounding the homes.  It was an extremely unique experience. 

It hasn’t made it to Wikipedia yet, but the Hummus Trail apparently exists in the mountains of northern Thailand.  Thousands of post-army young Israelis travel there (South America and Australia are also popular destinations) to decompress and see the world before they reenter life as an Israeli civilian.  They go for various lengths of time, usually from four months to a year, but now it is a norm in society, kind of like how Americans are expected to get a job post college.

I love this part of Israeli culture.  It recognizes that there is value and importance in seeing and experiencing the world and creates communities of Israelis all over.  The value of traveling is something I whole-heartedly buy into and will soon be joining the Israeli Connection (a real place for Israeli backpackers) in Bangkok.

Next Thursday February 12th, I will be starting a three week adventure.  From tribal treks in the north, to a national park where you stay in tree houses to elephant rides and boat tours of islands, I can’t wait to see it all.  This trip is easing the pain of leaving Israel.

The last five months have been a rollercoaster ride of emotion for me.  The initial high of moving to a new city plummeted during the War with Gaza and rose again once the tension in Jerusalem eased.  I now find myself leaving Israel with a renewed sense of pride in my Judaism, a completely different view on Israeli politics, and redefined understanding Zionism.

I think that it was really important for me to be here for the past five months.  I don’t mean to sound melodramatic, but modern day Israel has only been around for 60 years, so it is conceivable that in 60 years from now, it won’t exist anymore.  What if this time is just a blip in history where Jews have the privilege of walking freely amongst each other in the land that is written about in ancient Jewish texts?  What if my grandchildren found out that I lived during this era, and I didn’t take advantage of it?  Today, we are privileged to be able to touch the Wall and think about the temple times or visit the grave of Rachel and understand her integral role as a foremother of Judaism, or walk around the desert and realize that this is the same desert that the Jews wandered through when we read the exodus from Egypt.  This land is our living history and no matter how hard we struggle with it, disagree with it, try to ignore it, it isn’t a choice, it’s our reality as Jews.

I have spent 8 of the last 18 months in Israel, which is incredible.  The fact that I opened my shades every morning to an incredible view of Jerusalem including the Dome of the Rock and the Knesset is simply incredible, and there are so many things I want to remember about being here.  It will be interesting to reflect 6 months from now, a year from now, five years from now etc. to see how this experience has changed me.  For now, I’m looking forward to the next adventure, following the Hummus Trail.

10:03 am every morning I race out of my apartment to catch the number 30 bus from Mt. Scopus to Talpiot.  I try to pinpoint the places you can feel the change in atmosphere as I travel from East Jerusalem, the Arab part of the city, through the center of town to end in the wealthy American hub where my office is located.  Yesterday, about three stops after I got on, one of the Arab custodians from my building got on.  He’s probably about the same age as me and always smiles as he empties my trash can and vacuums the floor around me.  After he got on the bus and gave his usual smile, he bypassed the empty seat next to me to sit on the back of the bus.

Israeli Jew.  You never hear it used because it seems like a given.  If you call someone Israeli, the assumption is that person is a Jew.  Israeli Arab.  You hear that all the time, but if being Israeli inherently means being Jewish, then isn’t Israeli Arab a contradiction?  If it isn’t a contradiction, does it shown possessiveness?  This Arab belongs to the Israelis…

The tension felt between the term Israeli and the term Arab is one that Palestinians living in Israel struggle with daily.  Being born Arab in Israel means poorer quality education, high poverty and unemployment rates, and life as a second class citizen. Being born Arab in Israel also means equality for women, a voice (though it may be small) in the government and access to public education and services.

This duality, the pros and cons of each identity, makes the life of the Palestinian in Israel confusing.  The reality is that they have very different goals then the Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank.  Yes they want a two state solution, but many of them wouldn’t move.  According to a lecture by Mohammad Darawshe, the Co-Director of The Abraham Fund Initiatives and leading expert on Jewish-Arab relations, (and my cab driver from last night; cab drivers here are really talkative) most of them would choose to not to leave Israel.

Mr. Darawshe used the actions and inactions of the Palestinians living in Israel as proof of this statement.  He pointed to several Hamas leaders that called on them to begin the third intifada, and those calls were ignored.  Demonstrations have been peaceful and contained and Muslim leaders in Israel are thinking about the day after. They realize they will still be living in Israel the day after. 

Sirens went off in Jerusalem yesterday.  I was sitting with the writing team in our Wednesday lunch meetings, chowing down on salad, fruit and leftover birthday brownie with sprinkles, when alert started.  The siren was faint and no one moved or even acknowledged the noise as we continued eating and chatting about our current projects.

Arie, the Spanish desk head, rushed past our meeting room and yelled in Hebrew that we should not ignore the sirens.  Still the two Americans, Canadian and Brit on the writing team had almost no reaction.  The Canadian, our team leader, lives in Gedera, an area that has been barraged by rocket attacks.  Her kids haven’t gone to school in weeks and she just couldn’t be bothered.  All of them agreed that there was no real threat since Hamas doesn’t possess weapons that could reach Jerusalem.

It turns out that the sirens were a mistake.  They were working on the system and someone set them off. Oops.

My day to day reality hasn’t changed.  I have my routine of gym (well gym in theory at least), work and out with friends and that hasn’t changed.  I get around by bus and go to popular places in Jerusalem.  None of my friends have left the country and most of them are actually planning on staying a few months after our program ends.  The changes I feel are subtle.  It’s the extra hug that I give a coworker because her husband was sent into Gaza, it’s the extra phone call to my friend stationed in the north on reserve duty, it’s the second thought before going to the Old City, it’s taking my boss’s kids to the science museum so she can actually get some work done. 

I’ve been trying to keep up with some of the American media. Many of the articles are about the humanitarian crisis which is definitely a huge problem.  People living in Gaza are essentially trapped in the war zone.  Israel drops pamphlets warning them to get out, but where are they supposed to go?  The area is tiny and all borders are closed. I read one article in the New York Times about a doctor who lost his wife and son because they were caught in crossfire.  Most of these people didn’t elect Hamas based on their hate for Israel.  If that was the case, they probably would have chosen a much more extreme group like Islamic Jihad.  They chose Hamas because at the beginning, they were building schools, setting up welfare programs and creating other opportunities to help the Palestinian people.  Today, despite 20 days of fighting and over 1,000 Palestinian deaths, Hamas is continuing to fire rockets into the south.
Unfortunately, there was no better solution to the problem.  Israel needs to defend its borders.  No Israeli wants their family member put in harms way, especially in the face of an enemy that has no value for human life.  Everyday Israelis read the news hoping that today will be the day they will finally end this thing, that today their brother, sons, husbands and friends will get to come home.  Israel doesn’t want the territory; they just want their citizens to be able to live without constantly having to run to shelters.  Hamas makes it so there is no way to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys.  They store weapons and hide themselves in schools and hospitals, so that when Israel fights back, the headlines create International outrage. Hamas brought this on the Palestinian people, not Israel.

This is the reality in Jerusalem.  Everyone is continuing to live.  It’s only when we catch the fleeting seconds of vulnerability that we really understand that affects of this fight go far beyond the death toll.

Societal reactions from Israeli media (sent to us by the director of our program)...
1) In the last week, 4,500 Israeli families in the center and north of the country have volunteered their homes to fellow citizens from the south. This is a trend that began during the second Lebanon war, in which Israelis signed up in a website, and took strangers into their homes, fed and provided for them for unlimited amounts of time. This allowed people from affected areas who did not have relatives in other parts of the country to get out of the bomb shelters. To date, only 100 families from the south have taken them up on the offer, but the fact that they know that they have a place to go, undoubtedly gives them a feeling of confidence and support.
2) The entire school district of Herzeliyah and its surroundings has opened its doors to students from the south. Since the high-school kids have pending matriculation exams, there is a concern that extended periods of time out of school could affect their scores. Therefore Herzeliyah (as well as other school districts), are planning to invite the students to study with their teachers after school hours, and stay with host families in the area if the situation does not allow them to return to school in the next few days.

3) Channel 1 has been running “school on TV” programming since last week for kids that are in the bomb shelters. This morning programming started with President Shimon Peres, who taught a lesson on citizenship and government. Other leading Israeli figures will be “TV teaching”, and many Israeli rock stars and celebrities have been touring bomb shelters in affected areas and performing for free for the kids there.

Frustration.  Pure and utter, heart wrenching, hair pulling, foot stomping frustration.  So far three of my friends have been called for reserve duty and many of them are speculating they will be called soon. 
The retaliation attacks on Gaza have escalated the situation to the point where a prolonged exchange will be inevitable.  Hamas leaders are calling for a third intifada, so we have to hope they won’t be able to mobilize Arabs living in Israel.  The security wall and tight borders have been effective in keeping terrorists out of Israel, so what happened in the second intifada will theoretically not be able to happen again.  What the big question will be is if Hamas’s calls will be able to unite and rally Arabs in Israel to take action.  Then Israel will also have to be vigilant on the northern borders as Hezbollah has not gone away…

I’m frustrated because we Jews know better.  There is nothing better to unite a minority then their mass killing.  It seems on some level that Israel is just feeding into Hamas’s plan and I don’t think it’s a coincidence this is coming at the doorstep of the upcoming elections. 

From my perspective, sitting in my office in Talpiot, nothing has changed.  I am working on an environmental proposal for the Foundation because on top of all this junk, Israel is in a dire water situation.  I just returned from a vacation in Turkey where we met a middle aged Israeli couple that tried to take care of my friends and me.  They helped us book travel arrangements, gave us pointers, and even stopped by at the end of the day to check in.  Guy even commented that now I am a true Israeli because I went to Turkey for vacation.  This worldwide family is what the world should know about us, not this ridiculousness in Gaza.

Part of MASA’s Building Future Leaders Seminar, I was able to participate in the Parallel Lives Program that aims to bring Israeli soldiers and Diaspora peers together to dialogue.  The Seminar is three weekends and the soldiers participate in all of the workshops in order to bring the Israeli perspective.  All of the soldiers except for one were forced to miss the last weekend because of Israel’s retaliation in Gaza.  The following is what one of the soldiers wrote about participating in the program.

“My decision to join Parallel Lives was probably made at the most appropriate time.  This period has high potential as a turning point in my military service.  As a commander I had to deal many times with my soldiers’ questions including ‘why am I here?’, meaning why should I carry on my shoulders the defense of my homeland?  Why me and not someone else?  Is it worthwhile, because someone else can do it instead of me, isn’t that so?

I had to clarify these answers first for myself, before I stared my officer training and made the decision to take responsibility as commander, trainer and educator, responsible for the welfare of 25 soldiers.  There are no absolute answers to these questions and you being to wonder about it many times, especially when the service becomes harder and harder.

Now I move on to my personal experience while meeting with you, Jews from all over, my dear brothers.  I see your love for this country; see your honest care and ongoing interest in our doing.  I witnessed your enormous will to be part of the Israeli existence and your efforts to approach Jewish people from around the globe and connect them to their Jewish roots.  I witness that and become stronger, witness that and get excited and inspired.  I witness that and understand that on my shoulders lay the defense and contribution to preserving and preparing the platform for the fruits of your actions and in addition, eventually, to your Aliya to Israel to take part in ensuring the sustainability of the state of Israel.

It may look obvious to all of us, but it isn’t.  Not at all.  The road is still long and anything can happen.  For all of that, thank you.”

-Rotem Mirzae
IDF Commander
Age 23

I sat across from Guy at dinner at the Roladin Café in the new posh Mamila Shopping area adjacent to the David Citadel Hotel.  It is clear from the stores- Tommy Hilfiger, North Face, Roledex- that the majority of the people who shop there are wealthy tourists.  Scattered between the tourist traps are some decent cafes that have breathtaking views of the old city.

We asked each other the normal get-to-know- you questions of any first date and on the surface, we have very similar lives.  Guy lives in Tel Aviv (like most Israeli young adults), hangs out with friends and plays sports for fun, enjoys going to the beach on his day off and loves to travel.  Then we started talking about life experiences and suddenly the disconnect was apparent.  Guy is twenty-six and just finishing up his BA because he chose to become an officer in the Israeli army which obligated him to an extra three years beyond his compulsory service.  He couldn’t give me the specifics of his job, but recounted stories of patrolling settlements in the freezing cold middle of the night as part of officer training. 

With Facebook and Youtube, we are connected to the same global world.  As young adults, the same issues concern us- love, money, future- but at some point the reality of our worlds are completely different.  At 17, I was sitting in Pikesville High School consumed with what college I would attend and who I wanted to ask me to prom while Guy was running kilometers a day to prepare for the physical tests to be placed in a good unit.  I told him stories about my sorority in college and he told me about being in the Gaza strip.  Not only that, but Judaism in Israel manifests itself as a nationalistic pride.  Just as Americans are proud to be American, Israelis are proud to be Jews.  In the case of many secular Israelis, the two are synonymous.  They may never go to shul, celebrate Shabbat, or willingly keep kosher, but they are Jewish because they are Israeli.

The effects of the evacuation of Jewish settlers from a house in Hebron last week were felt all over the country as heightened alerts were issued for all public areas in Jerusalem.  I was out for dinner with a friend in the city center when her phone started ringing off hook with phone calls from her roommates.  Apparently her seminary had advised them not to leave their apartments as they felt the heightened tensions in the north were apt to manifest themselves in terror attacks in Jerusalem.

What happened in Hebron is happening throughout Arab communities in Israel.  Right-wing Jews who believe they have a right to live anywhere in Israel will pay exorbitant prices to Arabs for homes in disputed areas such as Hebron or the Arab quarter in the Old City. 

A few weeks ago when the Baltimore Federation came on a mission trip, we visited a few of these homes.  One family of fourteen was living in a home that needs to be protected 24/7 by an armed guard to ensure the safety of the family.  The father even told us one story where he was attacked and luckily he had guards walking with him that saved his life.  Their groceries are delivered to their home and the children are often escorted to school so they don’t have to walk alone.  They legally bought the home and fervently believe that they have a G-d given right to live there.

I was chatting with a coworker about the situation in Hebron and her 15 year old daughter is an ardent Zionist.  She asked permission to go and protest with the settlers.  Her mother said that she wouldn’t give her the money to go, but wouldn’t stop her either. I asked her mother how she could let her daughter go knowing the immense danger.  She responded that she is a Zionist and that it would be hypocritical to stop her.  The 15 year old didn’t end up going, but her friends were arrested for allegedly assaulting a soldier. 

We visited Sderot last week.  In order to understand first hand the issues that are facing this country, my program planned a visit which included speakers from Peace Now, and resettled settlers from Gush Katif. 

The trip started with a video and talk about the evacuation of Gaza in 2005.  The community looked like something out of the Truman Show.  Perfectly manicured lawns, modern buildings and homes, huge greenhouses, and children playing outside were the images that were presented.  They spoke about the lack of crime and the harmony that they lived in.  The farmers in the area brought in $100 million to the Israeli economy and many of them voted for Ariel Sharon because he promised never to evacuate them. 

Daily rockets fell in Gush Katif, but the people didn’t want to leave. 

57,000 IDF soldiers were trained for a year to evacuate 8,000 settlers.  Temporary army bases were set up in the area.  Bulldozers demolished all of the homes, but the public buildings and greenhouses were left by the Israelis to give the Palestinians an infrastructure to work with.  Those buildings were all destroyed by Palestinians a few hours after the evacuation was complete.

Today, they live in small temporary homes that they built on land between Ashkelon and Ashdod.  About 56 % of them are employed (higher then the average in Israel with is 54%) and few of them have built new homes.

According to the Peace Now representative, these people owe their lives to Ariel Sharon.  That their death was imminent and the evacuation was necessary.  The 8,000 Israelis living in the area with 1.5 million Arabs were consuming half of the water and 25% of the land. 

Sderot is now under the rocket attack that was once aimed at the settlement.  The population has decreased by about 5,000 and the economy is suffering.  Again, there are daily attacks on the city and the psychological damage it is causing to the residents, especially the children, is irreversible.

I heard about the disengagement in 2005, but never really understood the implications of the event.  The IDF, an army that is compulsory, had soldiers that had to evacuate their friends and family.  The images were difficult to see, but the action seems necessary, but did they really need 57,000 troops?  Was it worth it?  Look at Gaza today, a firing platform for terrorists.  What lessons do we take from this before pulling out of the Golan?  At the GA every politician talked about a two state solution; how will this work and how will it affect of the people who are relocated?  Lots to think about…

Quick(ish) update…

-Nir Barkat won!!!!!!!!

-I met Nir at the mall the day of the elections!  He was walking around with a few people campaigning for votes! It was like seeing a celebrity!

-The UJC’s General Assembly took place in Jerusalem this year. 

- I learned that the world is in a financial crisis at the GA (who knew..), so it is important to remember to donate to your local federation even if times are tough.

-At the GA I heard Olmert, Ehud Barak, Peres, Stanley Fisher, Bibi Netanyahu, and Tzipi Livni speak amongst others.

-Besides the issue with the Palestinians, many of these speakers pointed to education and crime as areas that need special attention in this country.

-All of the speakers (if they addressed the topic) recognized the need to create a state for the Palestinians.  Netanyahu even spoke at length about bolstering the Palestinian economy to create economic opportunity and a partnership between the groups.

-A highlight of the conference was the day trips that took the over 4,500 participants to over 60 nonprofits that are funded in part by the UJC.  I went to visit Lone Soldiers (young men and women who made aliyah without friends or family here) at institutions that are meant to ease the transition into Israeli society.  Other people went to the Dead Sea to learn about the water crisis or to visit Ethiopian communities or to other social justice organizations that have formed to fill a need.

-After the GA I went to a MASA sponsored “Building Future Leaders” seminar that featured a speech by Lieutenant General (res.) Moshe Yaalon who gave us the stump speech for the Likud Party that he recently joined as he is running for a seat in the Knessest ( I wonder if anyone told him we can’t vote here…).

-We also went on a wheelchair accessibility tour of the German Colony.  Turns out Emek Refaim (a very popular street with lots of restaurants) is not wheelchair friendly.

-Lastly, we went to Machne Yehuda market (a big outdoor market with lots of vendors; it’s where I buy all my fruits and vegetables because it is much less expensive then the grocery stores) to collect food for poor people for Shabbat.  Forty of us walked around with paper flyers and the amount of food we collected was incredible.  The organization Shehen Tov (Good Neighbor) collects and distributes food to needy families every Shabbat.  There are now 10,000 people all over Israel who receive food thanks to this organization.

Another major election is happening in Israel tomorrow; Mayor of Jerusalem.  Campaigners are out everyday with banners and hand outs to promote candidates.  This election will play a large roll in determining the future the poorest city in Israel.  With many of the city’s secular residents leaving due to the lack of economic opportunity, high housing costs and segregated neighborhoods (secular, religious and Arab), the elections will be symptomatic of the changing population.

The secular Jewish middle class is one of the populations being hardest hit by the struggle between populations.  They feel the pull of better jobs and the push of high housing costs forcing them out of the capital.  The average Jewish income in Jerusalem is $16,000 annually compared to $24,000 in the Tel Aviv area – and just $4,000 among Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem.  In addition, the cost of living in Jerusalem has sky rocketed in recent years.  One of the causes is Diaspora Jews that are paying exorbitant prices to own apartments in the city to only stay there for a few weeks a year.  The problem with the middle class leaving, however, is that they are the ones with the necessary jobs.  They pay taxes and are self sustaining where many other segments of the population are not.

Nir Barkat seems to be the choice for this group.  He is 49 year old secular Jerusalemite who made a fortune pioneering anti-virus software in the 1990s.  Barkat advocates reviving the city and its economy by focusing on tourism and making Jerusalem a world-class center for medicine and life sciences.

His chances of winning are slim, however, because many people in the middle class have simply given up.  Only a small percentage of them come to the polls compared to the droves of the orthodox population that will go to vote for the other leading candidate, Rabbi Meir Porush, a seventh-generation Jerusalemite and longtime fixture on Israel’s Orthodox political scene.  Rabbis from this comunity will implore their congregations to vote as a calling from G-d; a calling that is not heard by many other parts of the population.  In fact the majority of Arab Israelis have already refused to vote.

Porush sees the demographics of the city’s population as the biggest problem that the city is currently facing.  Right now, 66% of residents are Jewish, which he declared is “an emergency situation.” 
The third candidate is billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak, who claims that he is the voice of the people.  Gaydamak’s past includes an international arrest warrant for allegedly illicit arms dealing in Angola and paying out of his own pocket to house Israelis fleeing the rocket fire in the North during the 2006 Lebanon war.
Each of these candidates will take the city in very different directions.  This decision won’t just affect the residents, but Jerusalem’s reputation as a hub for all three of the world’s monotheistic religions. 

My friend woke up at 5:30 am this morning to go to an election party with some of people at her yeshiva.  The German intern went to a bar, waiting in anticipation.  A British coworker was out until 4:30 in the morning watching as the election results rolled in. The Israeli on the elliptical next to me at 7:30 am this morning was even talking about them.  Election fever is everywhere.  People from every country and every ethnicity were on edge to hear the results. 

The reaction was mixed here.  Most people my age celebrated Obama’s victory, where others had mixed emotions about how this would affect Israel.  When I told the man on the elliptical next to me Obama won, he shook his head in disappointment, but without comment.

While our government is preparing for a new leader, so is Israel.  Tzipi Livni failed to form a new coalition government within the time allotted, so preparations for elections have begun.  Two of my roommates were set to intern at the Knesset and now longer have jobs as parliament members hit the campaign trail.  The Knesset is no longer running sessions and things seem to be put on hold while they deal with this unique situation.

In the meantime, two rockets fell on Ashkelon, Baltimore’s sister city, yesterday as part of a larger barrage of rocket fire from the Gaza strip.  No Israelis were killed.

To strengthen the ties between native Baltimorean young adults in Israel with our sister city, Ashkelon, the ASSOCIATED and MASA cosponsored a night in the desert.  Baltimoreans, or more accurately, Pikesvillians from various MASA programs came together with peer alonim (people who immigrated to Israel) living in Ashkelon.  The idea was see if the group had chemistry and to brainstorm ideas on how we could begin building a person to person relationship between the two cities.  No other Federation has tried this before, and the majority of the participants present seemed excited about the prospect.  They hope to create a legacy project for future Baltimore/MASA participants.

I know, it was unfair of me to not have written for the past few weeks.  Nothing gets done in Israel during the holidays.  Generally, I will try to stay on top of my updates, but it has been an incredibly busy month.  With all of the holidays, a trip to the Golan and moving to Jerusalem I have a ton of updates.
First, for Yom Kippur in Tel Aviv, the ENTIRE city shut down.  Not a single store was open.  TV stations stopped airing programs.  Traffic lights were left blinking yellow as cars were replaced by families in white taking after dinner walks.  Packs of secular children used the abandoned streets to ride their bicycles and practice their rollerblading skills.  All over the country, it is against the law to drive.  There were even riots started when an Arab man drove his car in Acre, a generally peaceful city.  Jewish residents claimed that he was provoking them by driving through the city with music on, so they began throwing rocks at him.  He proceeded to call his friends to help him and this incident sparked days of heated riots in the city.
After Yom Kippur, families cut down leaves from palm trees to use as a roof for their Sukkot.  I went with a friend to celebrate the first days of Sukkot in Jerusalem where Sukkot lined the streets.  They are so common in Jerusalem, that people who have an area for a sukkah list it among the amenities when renting/selling a home/apartment.  Most restaurants even set up the temporary dwellings, so that customers could fulfill
the mitzvah of eating in the Sukkah during the holiday. 

During Sukkot, my group took a trip up north, to learn about and go hiking in the Golan.  We visited several lookout points into Syria and Lebanon in order to give us a more real understanding of the proximity of neighbors and the history of the country.  In the very north of the country, there is a Kibbutz called Misgav Am which is literally on the boarder with Lebanon.  It was a front for the fighting during the Second Lebanon War.  One of the residents, originally from Ohio, spoke to us about his life and his experience fighting in four wars (The Six Day War, Yom Kippur War, War of Attrition, and First Lebanon war).  He candidly spoke to us about his blind hatred of his Arab neighbors and gave is his version of the Jewish ties to the land.  According to him, there are no innocent Arabs living in Southern Lebanon. This mentality was very hard for most people in my group to understand, but how can we tell him he is wrong when he put his life on the line so we could be here today?  Please share thoughts..

Think about New York City at Christmas time.  Pine cones, Christmas trees, and fake snow adorn store windows leaving no doubt to passersby that it is a special time of year.  The same happened for Rosh Hashanah in Tel Aviv as apples and pomegranates were ubiquitously placed in window displays and school children took to the streets giving out apples and honey for a sweet new year.  Greetings of “Shana Tova” and “Chag Sameach” replaced “Merry Christmas” in the states, making it impossible to ignore the upcoming holiday.

The days leading up to the holiday gave me the impression that I was in for a treat.  I was expecting that the holiness of the day and my geographic location would allow for a connection to Judaism like none I had previously experienced.  What I found, however, was that Rosh Hashanah in Tel Aviv was more like a national holiday then a religious one.  An excuse to not work for a day and get together with family; paralleling what Christmas has done in America- blurred the lines of religion and a national marker in time.

Almost everything shut down erev Rosh Hashanah.  The streets had an eerie feeling and it took my friend Eliane and I over and hour to catch a cab to our host families’ house.  When we finally arrived, we were swarmed at the door by the entire family welcoming us to their home.  There were about fifteen people there total including three other 21-26 year olds who we were seated next to at dinner (the host had made place cards).  They dished about family gossip and gave us their take on American politics.

The couple who hosted the dinner had both been born to secular families and identified as secular when they met.  After they were married, something sparked the interest of the husband, Nir, and they gradually became more religious much to the chagrin of the rest of the family.  From what the young people explained, there was an underlying tension because their parents were especially distraught over their new found love of Judaism.  This tension was a microcosm of the tension felt all over Israel between the religious and secular communities.  With the exception of a few prayers and a short story, the dinner was like any other as the topic of conversation flowed between the American elections and the newest dance club in Tel Aviv.  After the dinner was over, Eliane and I were invited to join the other young people at a club which we declined feeling that it wasn’t really in the spirit of the holiday.

The next day we woke up to go to a local synagogue expecting standing only room only to find that it was empty.  There were maybe 30 people in the entire huge shul, most of whom were over the age of 60.  We stayed to hear the shofar blown and left to have a feast with friends.  We had stocked up on food thinking that all of the grocery stores would be closed for the entirety of the holiday only to find 8 out 10 of them open on our walk home. 

All the stores that had closed opened that evening.  Most of the Israelis I know didn’t do a meal the second night, and instead opted to go to one of the many huge parties that were going on.  In the states we never would have even thought to go out on Rosh Hoshanah, but we figured when Israel, do as the Israelis.  We ended up going to an area with bars to find that they were packed.  There seem to be more people out that night then a typical weekend night in Tel Aviv.

Overall, my holiday experience in Israel was very different from what I expected.  Israelis don’t need to go to synagogue twice a year to express their Judaism.  They don’t need to keep kosher or to celebrate holidays to serve as reminders that they are Jewish.  It plays a much different role in their identities; it is their nationality.  They risked their lives for it in the army, live in the land of our ancestors and feel that is more then sufficient. 

Out of the 102 Career Israel participants, about 60 are American.  The other 42 are comprised of 21-30 year olds from countries all over the world; twenty-one from France, a few from England, some from South America, Romania, and Georgia (the country).  The 102 of us spent the last week sightseeing in Jerusalem and then settled ourselves in Tel Aviv where everyone will live until after the holidays.

For the holidays, the Career Israel program set us up with host families, which there is no shortage of here.  It’s the culture in Israel.  It’s one where I am more important then you, but if you need something, you can count on me.  I have only been here for a week and a half, but I have received so many invitations for Shabbat and holiday meals that I can no longer keep track, but I plan on going to all of them.

This is the longest period of time I’ve spent in Tel Aviv.  My past trips to this country have always included short trips to the beach, but never more then a three day stint.  In my week here so far, I have witnessed cars driving on crowded sidewalks, been pushed out of the way in the market, and lost my place in line numerous times.

The majority of the participants in the program will be staying in Tel Aviv the entire time (only 20 of us will be moving to Jerusalem), which I only partially understand.  I mean Tel Aviv is great.  I am a two minute walk from the beach (which I go to almost everyday) and I’m surrounded by outdoor cafes, clubs and tons of young Israelis.  Life here is like life in New York; tons of fashionable people, fast paced, everything is open late.  But that’s just it, it’s like New York.  I can live in cities like New York all over the world, but I can only live in Jerusalem in Israel.

To survive anywhere in Israel, you need to be ready to assert yourself.  You need to be confident enough to say wait and be able to disregard the angry shop owner when he yells that you did something wrong.  Chances are if you wait five minutes he will invite you over for Shabbat dinner.

          I woke up twice this morning.  Once around 5 am to sound of the adhan, the Muslim call to prayer …allahu akabar allahu akbar (god is great)....  after which the overpowering sensation of jetlag sent me right back to a deep sleep.  The second time was to a serious craving for one of Aroma’s famous drinks- Ice Café.  Jetlag, shmetlag, this was one craving that got me out of bed fast.

There are a few staple foods that make my mouth salivate every time I think about Israel; the top three being chocolate rugelach from Marzipan (a world famous bakery in Jerusalem), a falafel wrapped in a lafah the size of a small baby, and an Aroma Ice café (a far superior version of Starbuck’s frappucinno.  There are no Starbucks in Israel; they tried to open in 2001, but they were unsuccessful. I like to think they failed because of the competition with tastier Israeli coffee shops such as Aroma, Café Hillel and Arcafe.).

So here I am, sitting on the balcony of my friend’s apartment in Talpiot, Jerusalem, sipping on my Ice Café (savoring every taste of the creamy blended coffee drink; hey, they are 17 sheks each, almost $5.00, so I will not get these often..) and thinking about how lucky and grateful I am to be here and the overwhelming potential of the next five months.  That’s right, today is the first day of the next five months of my life in Israel.

During these five months, this Pikesville native will experience what it is like to live in the only Jewish country in the world.  I will get a glimpse of Israeli life.  Where Judaism is not my religion, it is my nationality.  Where I don’t have explain to anyone why I can’t share the crab dip appetizer or justify not going out on a random Friday night.  Where flags with the Star of David line the streets and I am proud to wear my blingin’ Chamsah necklace.

But my reasons for coming extend much further then delicious food and a longing to be part of the majority.  After all, if you ask most of my peers, being Jewish hardly makes them “other” in the US.  So why am I here?  Why did I take five months from my fabulous life in Baltimore, Maryland where I had a steady job, great friends, and was temporarily living rent free (thanks mom and dad!) to actually pay to work here?  It’s a question that deserves a much longer post.  Right now, I am off to meet up with the 102 other young adults who have chosen to be poor for the next five months as participants in the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Career Israel program.

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