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.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/08/09 at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)
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