jewish terrorist

For 12 years he's been acting, and alone, and nobody stopped him until now. He even confessed to killing two men and was dismissed because of lack of evidence. It seems that every headline in Ha'aretz. I think that the only "positive" things I can get from this are that in both English and Hebrew they are calling him a terrorist, yes, a terrorist and not just a serial killer or a hate criminal, even though he's Jewish... oh, and that even the spokespeople for the settlement movement condemn his activities:

Acts of the kind allegedly committed by Yaakov Teitel are grave, prohibited and unacceptable. The security forces should be congratulated for discovering him.

So said Danny Dayan, chairman of the Yesha Council. But discovered now? After 12 years? Perhaps these so-called security forces should be investigated for bias. I highlighted some other words in that quote that really tell it all. Allegedly, because his proud confessions and the 12-year-long file of his crimes are still not enough evidence to really say...

This situation is just one of the many disgusting stories that we hear from Tales of the Occupation. I hope my next post can be a little more uplifting. After all, there is one less terrorist standing in the way of peace now that this guy's all found out.

washington, jon stewart hold peace conferences

The same test being applied to Obama is now being applied to the American Jewish community. This past weekend, I was fortunate to be able to attend the first national J Street Conference in Washington, DC. There, I saw an amplification of the activists that I got to meet in Nazareth at the New Israel Fund board meeting back in June. Many of the same people were there, but they brought all of their friends and colleagues with them this time. In addition, there were hundreds of students who feel similarly about the conflict and a need to end it, as it's time. This event marked a turning point in the American Jewish rhetoric, with the masses to back it despite others' fears and criticisms leading up to the event. They should be afraid; no longer can the American Jewish community sit around and watch a minority feed its agenda to Washington, perpetuating the situation in the Middle East. Peace is security; force, occupation, and military might are not.

The atmosphere in the conference was slightly euphoric, optimistic, and--yes, even--realistic. It went like this: these are the facts, this is the situation, this is the way out, take it or leave it. I attended presentations about the settlements and their being an obstacle to the peace process, Palestinian economic empowerment, civil society in Israel and Palestine and how they use social change to bring communities closer to peace and stability, and other panels dealing with relevant activities and issues. There were great speakers, among them being Daniel Sokatch, the new CEO of the New Israel Fund. I had the pleasure of meeting him, and in our short conversation I told him what an incredible position he had and how important his job was, wishing him the best of luck. His reply? "It will be your job in 10 years or so!" Insha'allah. Overall, I felt very positive about the message and the goals of the conference, and one of the most interesting aspects was that while the vast majority of the participants were American Jews, there were quite a few Christians and Muslims from all over the world, including Arab states. It's great to see that these efforts at changing the attitude of Jews in the US and policies in Washington are appreciated by members of the Palestinian community.

***

In addition to this, I read an article on a blog that I frequent and I invite you all to read, The Black Iris of Jordan, containing video of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in which he holds his own peace conference with an American Jewish woman, Anna Baltzer, and a Palestinian, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti--both non-violent peace and human rights activists. I encourage you to watch the videos posted in the link, obviously. The only thing that made me a bit uncomfortable was Baltzer's praise of the boycott initiative as a non-violent struggle for Palestine. I feel that a boycott of Israel is a serious threat to Palestine, seeing as how over a million Palestinians are Israeli citizens and many products in the West Bank (not sure about Gaza, but I would imagine the same is true) come from Israel. A boycott of Israel would make the already difficult lives of Palestinians even more difficult. I had a discussion about this exact sentiment with Palestinians and Americans at the J Street Conference the other day, as a matter of fact.

***

Yes, the general trend in America these days is to oppose shying away from our discomfort with political decisions that perpetuate instability and injustice in the world. We, as a community and hopefully as a government, are confronting our evil policies in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we are confronting our unfair and blind support for Israel and its cruelties towards Palestine and the Palestinian people. While there are many people working towards such positive progress in Israeli society, I wish I could see a corresponding trend that would bring that society toward a unanimous and genuine peace process. Still, unfortunately, I do not see that kind of thing sweeping Israeli society anytime soon.

Peace שלום سلام,

Abraham

jim jones

I'd like to direct your attention to this speech at the J Street Conference by Jim Jones, unfortunately with a name too similar to this Jim Jones, but more importantly to the comments below it. It's incredible that there are very limited angry comments or sweeping blows at J Street as an organization. Maybe I'm reading the comments too early though because the count is only at 16 so far. Either way, it's good to see some positive responses to the J Street success in Washington this week. Upwards of 1,500 participants to their first national conference, myself being just one of them. Much more to come, photos and stories, once I get a free moment. Until then, enjoy the article.

the doctor but not the king

Recently, Brandeis had the opportunity to host Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish (which I would rather spell as izz ad-din abu el 3ish, but this is how he spells it in English). You may have heard about him, especially about the tragic story of how he lost his three daughters during the war in Gaza earlier this year. His message remains hopeful, which is highly respect-worthy in light of his tragic losses and the difficulties he must have faced in living through that war and being affected by it so personally, as many people in Gaza have.

He spoke of his "roadmap to humanity." He made it very clear that this "map is not territory" and even stuck his neck out to say that he did not see Palestinian statehood as the priority. In crediting the King, he declared, "I have a dream that my four children will live securely and peacefully." Unfortunately, not all of his children lived to see his dream come to fruition, and I felt very strongly for him.

Dr. Abuelaish also presented some very biting criticism of the PA, as I think it deserves, indicating that the Palestinian people are a victim of their government and that he hopes "a time will come that we admit that we are responsible," when referring to Palestinians taking their fate into their own hands and not leave it in the hands of those who have managed to gain power from the current situation and its vulnerabilities.

Why am I bringing this up, is it just to tell you that I saw him? No. It's because something did not sit right with me about the presentation. This man is going on a tour with Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, a progressive Jewish-American organization, visiting dozens of synagogues across the states and I believe Canada (and Brandeis). What concerns me most is that his message is exactly what undecided and mainstream Jews want to hear:

I am from Gaza, and I am a real person to whom you can relate. I am educated, and I am a leader in my community. I believe in peace, but the Palestinian people are not ready for a state.

What is wrong with this statement? Well, I have news for you, but the two-state solution is the easiest way to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip at this point, and it may be the only option for Israel if it wishes to survive in its current form. The logistics of it are complex, of course, but if American Jews, prominent in their communities, hear from an educated Palestinian from Gaza whom they assume to be a leader of his community that the state is unimportant, they can cause much harm.

I understand that to most Palestinians their instincts tell them to protect their children, wish for a safe environment in which their children can thrive and have opportunities like children in all free peoples of the world. But they cannot right now, and the occupation is a large contributor to that harsh reality. The two-state solution is the most widely accepted platform to which Americans can subscribe that will end this occupation.

I understand that it is not the ultimate goal of many Palestinians in addition to others who advocate for a one-state solution in which all of the people in Israel and Palestine can participate in a national government that encompasses everyone's historical and cultural connection as a solution to the neverending story of the conflict. However, never before have these two nations been more separated in every realm of life. Children don't know each other but "know" all about each other. Young adults, Jewish and Arab, have recently experienced two wars that pitted Jews and Arabs against each other once again.

Look, the one-state solution is a beautiful thing in a world that does not exist. These people don't know each other and are not about to have a meet-and-greet at the first assembly of the Isratinian Congress. On a microscale, these things happen. On a national scale, no. Israel needs to make peace with any Palestine and remove all of the sources of hatred from Occupied Palestinian daily life.

...

Meanwhile, here I am at the J Street Conference. I have met Jews, Christians, and Muslims all dedicated to understanding and engaging this issue in an honest and open way. Much more to come after the conference. Stay tuned, and do me a favor, send this blog to 3 or 4 friends you think may be interested in what I'm writing here. While I cannot thank my followers enough for being so faithful and dedicated to reading these posts, I feel that I can reach more people and open up broader dialog. All feedback is always welcome!

beer fest

A friend of mine sent me this video, which I am overjoyed to watch. I had heard that Taybeh was having an Oktoberfest, but the extent of participation and the success is a beautiful thing to watch.



On my birthday, my friend Morgan and I went to Ramallah to check it out, see how the most vibrant city in Palestine rolls. We got bouzeh from Rukab's, delicious. We saw Arafat's tomb.

From Take a stroll around the region..

And we tasted Taybeh.

Now I'm not sure how many of my readers are familiar with beers from the Middle East, but while living in Israel I frequently encountered two labels: Goldstar and Maccabi. Don't drink the Maccabi. Goldstar is tolerable, best bet for your buck. But after I had tried Taybeh and its golden goodness, I could not bring myself to drink Goldstar again.

If you have not figured it out by now, I am not big on promoting conflict. In fact, I'm opposed to bringing the conflict into other competitions, as it spreads the conflict into realms of life that should remain unaffected, thus giving people a chance to maintain some sort of ability to understand one another in these other realms. If Montague and Capulet had football teams, for example...

What I'm getting at is, however, that Palestine won. Their beer is way better. And Israel should learn from this. A majority Muslim country makes better beer than a majority Jewish country. True, Taybeh is made in a Christian village, but I can assure you that many of the company's clients are Muslims, if not a vast majority of them. In Israel, there are many stereotypes of what a Palestinian State would be, and one of the most powerful beer exporters of the region is certainly not a part of that stereotype. Insha'allah this will become a reality, along with night club exchanges between Israel and Lebanon. Insha'allah.

obama momentum

As I eat my delicious albeit slightly inaccurate attempt at mansaf, I am wondering how to react to the news of the latest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, President Barack Hussein Obama. My first reaction created the following scenario in my mind.

A group of very pale men with bright blue eyes and bright white hair sit 6 feet tall in an old room in a castle, two of them pacing back and forth on the side.

"You mean nobody here has thought of anybody to pick for the Peace Prize this year?" one blurts out in perfect yet frustrated English.

"Nei..." the rest mumble, embarrassed.

"Sorry..." starts one man, obviously apologizing before he speaks, "but we could always pick Obama... I mean... at least everybody knows him."

The least obvious choice for the award, yet arguably the most inspiring dancer being in the world. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize is certainly I could foresee for Obama--in perhaps 10 years if all goes to plan. Nine months into his presidency, I have seen him make many bold declarations: rid the planet of nuclear weapons, engage in diplomacy with those coldest to the West, solve regional conflicts that have been uncracked codes since the First World War when this age of nationhood swept the planet, and the list goes on. And what have we now? Well, not much has changed since our former Accident left office. The US and Russia can still blow the world up 93,274 times over each, Iran and North Korea seem to be following their plans to be independent of foreign influence in making all kinds of decisions related to nuclear programs and not, and Israeli and Palestinian leaderships are nowhere near close to being ripe for making final status agreements--one doesn't believe in the steps he has to take and the other has remained in office past his term's expiration despite the fact that he has done almost nothing for his people but continue to help divide them.

Obama, I respect you, I feel that you have some major work ahead of you, and I feel that your rhetoric reflects true passion and sincerity towards fixing this broken world. People everywhere look up to you; you inspire billions of the world's inhabitants. But the world is no more peaceful than it was before you came into office, nor has your policy had time to settle in long enough for us to even know whether it will help or harm.

Some argue that you should take advantage of this opportunity, that it will "strengthen [your] capability to contribute to regional peace in the Middle East," as Minister of Defense Ehud Barak of Israel commented. How, Ehud? How does this award strengthen him in any other way? Was his authority as President of the United States of America, the largest and most powerful superpower in the world, not enough? Does it somehow give him the ability to restore unity among the Palestinians, securing the trust of their own people in their leadership? Does it magically deradicalize the religious and ultranationalists in Israel, convincing them that the Settlement Enterprise is immoral, illegal, and harmful to real people that identify as Palestinian? Does it in any way remove nuclear weapons from the Middle East or the world at large just by rewarding him for saying that such a utopia should exist one day? If only it were that easy.

Then there's this weird conspiracy theory that is floating around in my head. Maybe, just maybe, all the world is in on it. What if secretly somewhere anyone with faith in humanity all got this great idea that if a young, inspiring leader comes along with all of the right qualities that allow him or her to touch the heart of people regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, sex, religion, shoe size... you get it, what if he or she came along and we all gave him all the praise and support that we could possibly muster up. Day after day, we told him [because it is a him in this case] that he was saying the right things, doing the right things, deciding in the best way for humanity, and so on. We gave him every award, every chance to speak, and all spoke so highly about him where it mattered most. We give him and the world this false sense of hope that all of the right things are happening until...

Voila.

All of the things that we used to believe are no longer relevant, now that we've all convinced ourselves that Barak Obama has already done everything in his capacity to help us all cooperate and cohabit this beautiful earth. Wars between nations will be a thing of the past, we are now fighting global warming, and together! Every one of us 7 billion dancer beings are committed to living energy-efficient lives, live and let live, man. Abusers of power see the great success of Obama's honesty and determination and vow to dedicate all of their efforts for improving the lives and freedom of all of the citizens of their nations. It ends with representatives from every nation sitting in a circle at the UN in Geneva singing Kumbaya in each person's respective language in the most beautiful harmony ever witnessed on the planet.

If these constant encouragements, such as Nobel Peace Prize, are intended to replace insecurities with a false sense of security that becomes actual in the way that I have described above, then I welcome it. If such a massive conspiracy is not in the works, my skepticism and anxiety for heightened expectations remain.

unparalleled youth

The reason why American Jewish youth seem to have a "waning love affair" with Israel is not reparable by simply working "as partners, for the long haul ahead" is because of a general difference in values. We cannot simply join hands when our goals are vastly different. I am very well acquainted with people my own age who shock me in the juxtaposition of their high level of education and dedication to racist policies. I have had friends tell me that they have no interest in living amongst Arabs in their country and others asking why they can't just leave Israel. When these views are popular among young people, how can the older generations expect us to see eye to eye?

In programs in which American and Israeli youth interact, many close friends are made and these friends surely see each other again when the Israelis visit the US and Americans go back to Israel for other programs. However, I've noticed that my American upbringing has led me to develop this egalitarian ideology in which nobody has the right to trample the rights of another, regardless of ethnicity, race, political status, or religion. I understand that this way of thinking is not typically American, either, as many Americans do not exhibit this kind of behavior. However, the general policy of our country is to uphold this ideology in which everybody is equal and has the same basic rights.

In Israel, many of my friends do not see matters in the same light. They understand it from the American perspective, but when applied to their own country they just cannot agree. Even some of my American Jewish friends have the same dilemma in applying such standards to Israel, and in fact, they sometimes conclude that Israel cannot be expected to uphold the same morals. I simply cannot figure out why people who believe in the morals of equality and justice can pick and choose where these morals belong in the world. This is the reason that I have noticed a strain on the relationships that I have with many of the friends that I have met on my travels to Israel, as well as why it may be difficult for our young communities of American and Israeli Jews, which are growing apart in terms of our central values, to work together in combating something that only one of these two demographics sees as a threat to Israel's future.

j street and the jewish exponent

Finally, a group comes along where I feel comfortable supporting Israel's future existence while simultaneously criticizing the policies that I believe are bad for its long term security. J Street calls itself Pro-Israel and Pro-Peace, and I feel that it is very important for the American community to have a group like this, that acknowledges the wrongdoings of Israel while also urging our society to support Israel in the most effective way. We are citizens of the largest superpower and our relationship with Israel is extremely important to them.

Then there are those who do not quite get that. I just want to take some time to respond to some of the points that this man argues.

• Israel was founded, though not entirely, through force, violence, and yes, even terrorism, and I do believe that overturning the injustice of Israel's turbulent beginnings is in its own interests as well
• Israeli policy, especially during times of extreme unrest, have been reckless, as has the policy of the USA and most other nations in the world
• While the PLO conference praises "killers of Jews as heroes," Jews all over praise killers of Arabs as heroes and even elect them to their highest offices of government--did you know that the two communities have been at war with each other several times in the past century and have not yet resolved their differences?

I'm not going to take the time to pick apart every wrong sentence that he spouts, but the general idea of his claims are inaccurate and harmful. His unwavering praise of Israeli policy for the past few decades is blind, and when he calls out the PA's "16-year failure ... to dismantle terrorist groups," he is discrediting the PA for the only thing that they have accomplished. I am not saying that the PA is a wonderful and functional organization, but the only violence that they have exhibited in the past 8 years since the last major direct conflict with Israel has been directed exclusively at extremist groups and groups that refuse to participate in the peace process in their own jurisdiction. They train policemen with US backing and dispatch them among the PA strongholds in the West Bank in order to promote their centralization of power. What do we want over here, democracy someone on which we can depend? Abbas is committed to fighting any power that is not him for the US and Israel's sake as well as his own, but perhaps this is at the expense of democracy. Congratulations American Jewish community, this is what you're asking for, and it's still not enough.

I understand that turning this man's argument around is not doing any good for the situation. Bashing Israeli policy makes them look like the Big Satan in this situation, but promoting it does no good for their future. Israel is there, a thriving society of millions of people, that is understood, and the world must do what it can in order to protect that nation from its own demise.

go women

I was reading this blog entry on Huffington Post, and it reminded me of my experiences this past year, specifically in Israel when working with the women's groups through Shatil. Being a feminist to an Arab Muslim woman does not mean removing their veil or anything like that. How about having a community in which women can talk about reproductive health, sexual issues, and other various subjects that are important to women? When your society prevents you from discussing these issues, they can become amplified and lead to larger issues in society.

At some point during my job with Shatil, I wondered whether or not my efforts were imposing in some sort of vague imperialistic way. The work that I did was not an attempt to direct the organizations, and through simply listening to their goals, objectives, and activities through which they realized these without offering my suggestions, I learned a lot about what is important to these women and the other groups that I worked with. Arab women in Israel are living in the Arab society that is not promised a role in the state, and on top of that there are different obstacles to their full participation in their own communities.

One of the women I worked with explained it to me in this way. Imagine two women like to meet and talk about issues in their respective marriages. Every day around a certain time they talk about these things in each other's houses, but they don't discuss these issues with other women because they are not comfortable with that. Information spreads quickly in the community, and God forbid, it should come back to hurt them that somebody hears a personal issue that one of them is having. However, even meeting with the woman one on one every day in such a fashion causes suspicion among neighbors. People start talking about the two women and how they see each other so frequently, and why?

The incredible woman I worked with decided to make a center in which women can come and share all of these issues about health, both physical and emotional, grow as a community of women, and feel empowered to bring progressive ideas to other women in their community in a way that does not create fear of destabilizing the community. These women don't want to wear what the girls are wearing in New York, they just want to vent--and know about their bodies and how to keep them healthy. Despite the fact that many Arab women, especially in Israel and Jordan, have the opportunity to pursue graduate degrees, they do not necessarily have access to information about their own bodies.

These concepts are a brand of feminism that we take for granted in the United States. All kinds of attention is poured into raising girls so that they can take care of their bodies by seeing the right doctors and checking the right places in order to prevent serious illnesses. However, some societies are a bit more shy about these issues, and as a result, many people are suffering from lack of information.

mother russia

One of the most fascinating aspects of Israel is the Russian dynamic that has changed the country for the past twenty years. This article in the Jewish Exponent, Philadelphia's major Jewish newspaper, discusses many of the achievements of the Russian Jews in Israel since the mass migration in the early 1990s, and it also touches on some of the challenges that the community has faced.

However, they paint a pretty picture in some of the accomplishments of the new Russian community. All of the facts and figures about engineers, medical professionals, and educators are based on truth, but we are talking about a community of somewhere around one million immigrants nearly 20 years ago.

When I lived in Israel, who did I see cleaning the streets? working in menial clerical positions? panhandling in major pedestrian areas? sometimes begging? Older Russian men and women, many of whom have degrees in engineering, chemistry, medicine, etc. These people had come to a society in which they were given anything but the chance to maintain their status as professionals. Sure, there were plenty of Russians who did succeed upon arriving in Israel, but many were not given such opportunities. Overeducated and overexperienced Russian immigrants could not find work unless it was work that the rest of Israel did not want to do.

The article I linked to earlier did mention the issue of the rabbinate not accepting many of these self-identifying Jews as halachic Jews, of Jewish status according to religious law. It is true that many cannot marry in Israel, but they are readily drafted into the army. It is a tough society for them because of the fact that the older generation does not speak Hebrew as a first language, and the younger generation must go through formal Orthodox Jewish conversions in order to have the same rights as their non-Russian peers.

The changing dynamic in Israeli demographics has always played a role in the national character, and every generation sees an influx of a brand new ethnicity that adds to the incredible diversity of their society. The challenge remains to be met in which Israeli society can create a national identity in which all of its diverse minorities can truly feel that their society belongs to them.

example

This is yet another example of the inequality that so rampantly appears in Israeli policy. I forgot to discuss another issue I was thinking about today, which this article seems to bridge over to perfectly.

The concept of a community is beautiful, and the Jewish community is one in which I have grown up and felt at home for my entire life. However, I am very uncomfortable with the exclusivity of Judaism in certain ways, whether they be religious laws that prevent certain kinds of mixing or even just the stigma that there is against intermarriage and dating outside of the community.

Then I am presented with this argument: "How can we expect to retain our identity in the world if we simply do everything like other people and don't maintain a degree of separateness?"

Touché.

As always, however, I have a response. I am a huge fan of tradition and culture. It's fascinating to me to have my own to show off to the world and I love learning about others'. I practice my culture and heritage not only out of fascination and pride, but also because my family has been doing this for so long, and it is a way for me to feel as though I have a stronger connection to them and their accomplishments which have led to my great life. When looking at the big picture, I don't see that the purpose of our morals, values, traditions is to be exclusive, to not share them with the world. I see our virtues to be examples, to show what a beautiful society we have without imposing it on others. I see sharing amongst all peoples, which happens so regularly in the US and other parts of the world, yes even Israel. Why should I follow strict dietary laws that prevent me from eating at a friend's house or drinking wine that he or she has poured?

I understand that these laws were intended to maintain the strength of community that we have, to prevent us from diluting our people and becoming one of the rest. But are people not to be trusted? Can we not balance our personal culture with our roles as global citizens? Am I really going to connect more with someone based on which day of the week I don't command electricity so much so that I will never be tempted to marry someone who is not Jewish? On the flipside, is it a given that if I choose not to eat kosher that I will sacrifice all of my Jewish heritage for a life completely free of it? I am looking at a big picture, and the line between participating in the world and upholding your heritage is not too fine. There is a wide spectrum of ways to fulfill both at different degrees, and I feel that neither one of these obligations set before us--whether we choose to fulfill either one of them--should interfere with the other.

--Abraham

part/apart

While reading this article, I read statements that have become so familiar to me and reflect nothing new in my stream of consciousness. However, I remember not too long ago when this article would have told me many new things. What this article does not say is something that I am constantly reminded of every day since my return to the US. Many Americans are oblivious to these arguments.

Israel should become a secular state
I think just two years ago before I had undertaken the task to learn as much as possible about Israel and Palestine, and I may not have even realized that Israel was not a secular state, that secularism of government was not something that the Israeli mentality as a whole saw as progress or beneficial to their society. I, like many Americans, assumed that Israel was far more like what we are comfortable with than not. It's not true. Israel can be a very open place in social life, but policies on social issues can be very close-minded. This may be obvious to people who study the region or have traveled there, but it is not clear to the average American that just because Israelis in Tel Aviv can walk around town with a beer does not mean that the government does not impose policies of Jewish law on secular Jews and non-Jews, that the government does not use tax dollars toward Jewish education and even programming for Jews living outside of Israel to travel within Israel--20% of tax payers are not even Jewish. These are only a few light examples of governmental injustices in which Israeli religious groups take advantage of a non-religious majority and a non-Jewish minority. Many Americans do not know this, but the Jewish community in America has yet to confront Israel in an effective way on these issues.

Israel should learn from Europe's example
I agree that Europe should be applauded for its incredible accomplishments in becoming the most peaceful region in the world, considering that in the last century the continent erupted into the most gruesome wars that the world has ever seen after centuries of constant fighting. However, this argument can be made even stronger if Israel could accomplish a secularization in which anti-racism was seen as a strong, core societal value. I don't need to recount the struggle for civil rights in the US, but in Israel, ethnic minorities face situations similar to black Americans in the 1950s and 1960s in the US. In my experiences, I learned that Arab citizens of Israel are told that they are not allowed to live in certain towns, even certain buildings. In some situations, their legal rights do not match up with the societal pressure from within their own community not to send their children to certain schools or live in certain areas in addition to an often belligerent Jewish community--secular or religious, of any socioeconomic class, regardless of level of education--that does not want Arabs to "infiltrate" the town. For example, just earlier this year in Carmiel, candidates for mayor ran on platforms intending to keep Arabs out of the city.

I feel that Israel's real battle is not simply secularization, but its domestic triumph will essentially be one of civil rights. Secularization is an important step in realizing the goal of equality for Israeli citizens, but the means must not replace the ends or we will never reach justice.

--Abraham

i found it

I stepped out of the car, awkwardly glancing down at my shorts and flip flops. I felt a bit greasy after a long day's work and being chauffeured around the country by those I work with, from the office to several artists' homes in the Wadi Ara region. It was a very interesting day, but my boss and I ended up rushing to get to this event in Nazareth without getting a chance to change or shower or anything. We had arrived, and who cares in what form, we are social activists.

And my was I lucky to be there.

The New Israel Fund and its international board meets twice a year, once in the US and once in Israel, for an event accompanied with several meetings and conferences. This year, they chose to have the Israel event in Nazareth, which was significant for many reasons. Out with the old and dry hopes of calling for coexistence, the new buzzwords are shared living. Here we were in Nazareth, a historical and culturally vibrant city, that is rarely regarded as one of Israel's cultural cornerstones by a majority of its citizens. However, as a former member of Knesset said last night in similar words while referring to the event itself, "This is it right here," and as she looked out into the hills of the Galilee and the Jezreel Valley behind her, she said, "This is the society that we envision for all of Israel."

The event was led by two very accomplished activist women, one Jewish and one Arab. Two by two, prominent Jewish and Arab activists were honored on the stage for their work in various fields. As one very passionate speaker said, "We refuse to be enemies!" Feminists, humanitarian doctors, religious activists, civil rights lawyers, progressive journalists, children from bilingual schools with their parents, and more of the most prominent activists for social change in Israel attended this event in order to express the need to stay dedicated to the vision of joint living and social justice and to honor the work of other activists. It was fascinating, every person that my boss introduced me to had already accomplished so much, yet they were interested in meeting me--despite my shorts and flip flops--because I was fresh, I was new, and I shared that vision.

Israel is and has been for me a very difficult place. Conversations get heated, and I will never "understand." However, it is my moral obligation as a Jew not to let the nation that claims to represent me and all of the people in this community of mine to misrepresent what it means to be a member of the community. One of the "pillars" of Judaism, if you will, is a concept called tikkun olam, which directly translates to fixing the world. Heal the world. Sounds like a pretty large task, doesn't it? As I was a child, in the very limited Jewish education I received, I learned that this can mean something as simple as picking up garbage or as monumental as the vast accomplishments of the King.

After I had decided that I would study in Israel, I became very stressed. I was concerned that I would get there and would not know how to most effectively spend my time in a constantly healing society, how to be as engaged as possible and contribute as much as I could toward this concept of tikkun olam. Through chance and a series of increasingly desperate phone calls, I found my boss, Elana, who gave me a position to volunteer with her in Shatil.

I worked with her in Baqa al Gharbiya, a town in what is known as the Triangle Region of Israel, where a large cluster of Arab cities and villages are located. The infamous Triangle. I'd heard about it in classes, about how some super right wing two-staters--they exist--wish to hand it over to Palestine when the time comes, etc etc. Bah. They never mentioned that the area is beautiful and that it is being taken over by social activists and progressive artists. But I found out. Sure, the society is not yet a safe haven for progressive thinking and activism, but some of the most inspired Israeli activists I have met and heard are Palestinians from this region. Of course there was an office in Haifa, but Elana happened to live around the corner from me and drove to the Triangle herself. To Haifa, the multicultural office that literally represented every population group in Isrel, or to Baqa where the entire staff were Arabs and Elana? Yallah to Baqa!

Elana introduced me to everyone, from activists in organizations that worked with Shatil to her coworkers and bosses who were involved in various initiatives. She introduced me to all-star activists who have made serious gains but still work tirelessly toward their vision. She even had me over for dinner and introduced me to everyone in her family--children, husband, in-laws, and yes her mother. She taught me how to write grant proposals to help fundraise for these organizations--a work in progress. She treated me like family, let me in on an incredible community, and provided me with all of the resources I needed to help make social change as I carved out a path for my future of working further in this field.

I have been here for only a few months, and no I did not drastically change the society in that time. In fact, my impact is very much unnoticeable thus far. However, I now have a clear vision of how I am able to help. I am working with some feminist groups and anything else that I can get in on--the art gallery at Umm el Fahm?--, writing grant proposals as well as translating materials. I am working closely with one group, Awareness For You من اجلك למענך--whose director was honored last night at the event! I feel very lucky to do even the small work that I do now because I know that the people that I work for and with are making great changes, bit by bit.

I return to the United States in less than 24 hours. I plan to continue my work with Shatil from abroad, and when it's appropriate I hope to find myself walking into the Baqa office again to continue with this work, giving a loud mar7aba saba7 al 5eir!! to all of the inspiring people who run that office. I will remember last night in Nazareth as a turning point in my life, when I actually realized the extent of my internal accomplishment and the accomplishments that I now have the capacity to realize.

--Abe

imminent return

On Tuesday, I return back to the United States of America. I am, after all, estadounidense, not to be confused with americano. I'm not quite sure if this post is going to conclude my experience, nor am I sure if I will continue this blog or not. I think that I will, more as a sideline commentator than an in the field correspondent. Either way, I learned a lot this year and saw a lot. I need to go home to digest it before I explode. I'm getting close...

News today blows my mind. Israel may discover the fate of one of their symbols in the coming days, while the world has lost one of its brightest stars. Poor Farrah Fawcett, is swept to the last pages of the paper.

I don't know how to process all of that, or the most recent adventures that I've enjoyed. I must say that my trips into insha'allah Palestine have been both enjoyable and unfortunately confirming of how bad it can be. While Ramallah is a beautiful little town with a vibrant culture--local beers, famous ice cream, all kinds of attractions--spending time in Hebron is not what one would call enjoyable, but rather I felt somewhat embarrassed for people having to show me how they actually live under such a tight fist. We're talking about streets where the Arabs are restricted to walking only on one side, entire neighborhoods evacuated, cemeteries restricted to anyone but them. I don't think that I should go back to Hebron unless I have something to offer the city, some work I am committed to. It is not a tourist destination, but it is important to go at least once just to see. It is not enjoying the comparatively "nice life" that other cities in the West Bank manage to muster up in times of relative calm.

And then I went to Beirut:

From Take a stroll around the region..

What a beautiful and fascinating city. And the people there treated me like a human being. It was incredibly beautiful and fun. Exciting city where something is always happening. I was lucky that I did not show up at a time when things were getting tense, despite their being elections three days prior to my arrival. The purpose of my trip was not to see everything, it was to relax and to get a feel for what is going on in Beirut from day to day. I think I did alright, and it was really nice to meet up with a friend of mine and meet a bunch of her friends. Very smart and interesting people. And the American University of Beirut was one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. I'm simply blown away by that trip, and I cannot wait to go back to Beirut to spend more time there and to hopefully explore the country a bit more.

But here I am in Haifa, finishing up the last bits of work I have to do before I return to the US. I realize that I'm going home to a different situation entirely. There is a new president who is accompanied by a new popular movement that has reached even here and beyond, my parents live in a very new place that I've seen briefly in the center of Philadelphia, and I have not lived at home in nearly 3 years...should be very interesting for me. I am returning exhausted. This year has been long and interesting, but long nonetheless. I have had many exhausting conversations and experiences. I don't remember how to enter a store and ask a question in English--I'm sure it will come back. I'm less patient. I'm concerned that after a bit of time, the US won't stimulate me in the ways that living in the Middle East has for the past 10 months. I could go on and on about things that make me uncomfortable, but I feel incredibly lucky and excited that in just four days I will be back in Philadelphia, having had such a rewarding experience.

Thanks for following, and I'll be around.

--Abraham אברהם ابراهيم

eloquence

This is a much more eloquent response to the Haaretz article that I ranted about the other day about "natural growth."

I had completely forgotten about the rules that apply to the rest of civilization when I considered the case of the settlers because I had been convinced for a moment that I should not treat their situation like one involving normal people. However, I have met settlers, I have spent time with them, and -- brace yourselves -- I really like some of them. Very sweet people have fed me, given me a place to stay -- yes I have slept in a settlement -- and been very nice friends to me. We disagree politically, clearly, and it confuses me very much as to how the people that I have met who are very smart, nice, and seemingly moral people are able to make a logical conclusion to live there and raise their families there.

One time, at a meal in West Jerusalem, hamdulillah, I was speaking with a settler couple and a couple that was hosting all of us. The couple from the settlement were young, had small children, and were very fun and nice. The couple from West Jerusalem were also very nice and young, but the wife was much more militant in her speech. She assured me that she was "sure that there are good Arabs." <> excuse me, what? However, there are clearly many more, perhaps it's even in the larger culture, who are full of hate. <>

I just don't understand how a large community of Americans -- and all of the settlers and even that woman from Jerusalem were Americans originally -- that are raised in a society where racism is condemned and has been a central battle for decades in our country are able to reproduce the same kind of hatred that kindergarten teachers and Sesame Street have been preaching against for years.

Now I should concentrate on doing something as opposed to complaining about this situation and the unfairness that the settlers cause for all of us. I am halfway through my exams, and I cannot wait for Thursday, the day of freedom, mostly.

--Avraham

unsettling

If there is one thing in Israel that really makes me cringe, it is the attitude of some people and the government toward settlements in the West Bank. Natural growth is one thing, but this is quite another. In terms of the settlements that morally should not be there anyway, I understand if you have 20 children and need to expand your house or build another one next door; however, I think that what you are doing to the world by having 20 children is an atrocity, and that raising your children in a politically unstable piece of land is not fair to them and is a clear indicator that you do not love your children as much as you love dogmatic beliefs. If one looks at the article that I posted, one can easily see that this "natural growth" phenomenon is a huge concern to settlers because they all just got there.

You'd think that by reading government declarations about this "natural growth" that some well established people living in old homes are in their third generation in these towns, but no, often times it's just people who moved there in the last 10 or 15 years since after a peace accords announced that they will fool the Palestinians into allowing them to solidify and expand the settlement enterprise. People argue that the settlers' whole lives are there, that children are born there and see it as their home. Well guess what, the children who were born there, my hearts go out to you. Nobody chooses where they are born or to whom, but your parents are reproducing at rapid rates in order to immorally create a political environment that will pit them against the Palestinians and their own nation, Israel.

--Avraham

ibtasimu

I spoke with a friend this morning who I worked with last summer in videography at camp. He recommended this video to me, and I ask you to take 15 minutes out of your day to enjoy it.



Have a great day!

--Avraham

to zahra, with love

She is certainly one of the most sensational things to happen to Iran since Netenyahu's commitment to the US's negotiations policy toward the democratic Islamic republic.

Just look at her beautiful, large glasses. That knowing smile. The way she raises her arm up saying, "You can trust me in the Green Mosque." I may sound like I am jesting, but no, I'm serious.

Zahra Rahnavard, successful in academia and public affairs, is a prominent woman figure that is sweeping the people off their feet: Iran's Michelle Obama. If you compare photographs of the two ladies, you would find that they look very dissimilar, however they both possess a finesse that delivers the message of "you can trust me, after all, does it look like my husband's allowed to screw up?" They are powerful, independent, and important.

Zahra, however, speaks openly about the limitations on women in her country and the appalling effects of such policies, in a country where many outsiders may not know that the progressive culture is suppressed in the public image presented by the leaders of that society. It was not long ago that Iran was not on the top of everyone's political agenda as an archaic human rights offender, perhaps aided by the fact that the US was slaughtering millions in the Islamic Republic's neighboring states at the time, but even so.

So what can we learn from her and her public participation in her husband's campaign? Iranians identify with a beautiful unity between husband and wife, which shows us that their politics may not be too different from ours when it comes to campaigning for the people. The returns in their vote will tell us how important it is for Iranians to know their leaders' personal lives as well as how the Supreme Leader views such attempts to evoke empathy from the people. Maybe Mousavi is not the best candidate, but I must say his campaign is certainly one of the most sensational as far as I am concerned. Maybe my opinion is just skewed as I am a Westerner who read about it on CNN and it is an attempt to fool us in the West that things are moving back from extremism in Iran's leadership. Insha'allah the democratic aspect of their system wins over the authoritarian this time around, and if that means more of the same from them, I suppose I cannot impose my imperialist opinion on a fair democratic election (assuming it is such).

Keeping an eye on Iran, but an even closer one on Lebanon. Interesting times, for better or for worse.

--Avraham

24

24 May days ago I left you with no intention to forget to write, but it happened.

Here I am, nearing the end of my studies--finally--and actually enjoying the experiences that I wished I was having all along. I am working hard in my internship, researching foundations for feminist groups in Arab towns. I have been traveling to cities that you only hear bad things about in the news and finding that the beautiful and warm people that make the actual character of the town are completely overlooked in such reports. I'm learning Arabic and learning even more through speaking with people who cannot speak to me in any other languages. The relationships with a few of the friends that I've made here are very close and comfortable, and I am glad to have those kinds of relationships both here and when I return home. I have beautiful plans made for June, once my program ends. And last but not least, I don't think I will be failing any of my classes, insha'allah.

I go to the beach as much as I can. I avoid doing laundry because I don't like hanging it. I read the news obsessively in preparation for the Lebanese parliamentary and the Iranian presidential elections. I'm following Obama's Middle East policy meetings and speeches like a hawk. I'm getting to the core of the issues with people that they effect, and from this I am learning that not only do these issues affect people but they also have a daily routine amidst obstacles that I can barely fathom in such regularity.

I'm not shy, and I'm not self-conscious here. I ask for more chocolate in my hot chocolate, if I wanted hot milk I would have ordered that and paid less. On the other side of the same coin, I am less patient and less collected under pressure. I am beginning to feel even stronger the stress of being stuck in a place that is not familiar or comfortable, having to rely on exhausting skills just in order to satisfy my basic needs.

But I'm here, and I'll be in the region until June 30. And boy do I have plans. All I can say for now is, I think I'll have to write a bit more of this when I get home so that I don't have to think about security people watching me at borders. It sounds silly, but I know that this is actually a potential bother that I would have to face--I'm in the system, they told me last time at the bridge.

--Avraham

back in town

After my longest absence from this here blog thing, I return with photographs from my parents' epic visit to Israel, if you dare to click the link!

--

I was riding the bus for quite some time, standing in fact due to the high number of passengers. I kept ducking to look outside, hoping to see a sign or even an intersecting road, in order to check my location. Would I ever see another sign of humanity in this never-ending sea of sand dunes and rocky hills? To my right was yellow sand and stone, to my left were the tall peaks of Jordan, and there we were, on route 90, going south.

I finally see the sign, I press the red button to alert the driver of my descent from the bus, I grab my stuff, and I approach the big blue gate. After dusk, Kibbutz Ketura did not look like very much from its entrance, but as Alana brought me deeper and deeper into the campus, I saw that they had turned a piece of desert land into an oasis with flowers of every color and very mature and healthy looking trees. Now, if you've ever seen a kibbutz in the Negev before, you may not be too surprised; surely it's beautiful, but this story is not unique just yet.

Alana studies at the Arava Institute, an academic center in the middle of the desert that provides courses, a masters program, and conducts some very interesting environmental and desert studies research. The research and the commitment to educating an international audience about environmental threats and solutions is beautiful, but even more beautiful was the makeup of the student body at the institute.

I had Shabbat dinner with a girl from Ramallah last weekend.

I'm guessing that few people can say that sentence and mean what it says, but I am very honored to e one of the people who can. Students at the Arava institute come from the US, Latin America, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Europe, down the road at some other kibbutzim, and I think we get the point. Living in a small housing complex, Israeli Jews, American Jews, Palestinians, and Jordanians hang out and learn together, discuss all kinds of different perspectives and insights, and find so much common ground on their dedication to the environment that the political issues seem to disappear in this tiny bubble in the middle of nowhere.

It was a really fun weekend, and I met plenty of cool people studying at the institute and living on the kibbutz. I left my jacket, so I'll have to go back, even though I was planning on it anyway. It felt really great to see peace and cooperation breathe so much life in the Negev.

--Avraham

m and p

My parents finally came in (photos to come after the visit), and we are having a really great time. Fitting in as much as we can, and enjoying each other so much. I'm so happy they're here and I can show them around, especially taking them places I have never been yet. Details will come later, but for now I want to direct your attention to reactions to the article that Ari wrote in his last column at his newspaper, that I linked to earlier.

In his blog, he posted a response to the article from our incredible friend Jackie. I would just like to mention that in going to Jordan, I expected that I would have to hide my identity as a Jew so sacredly and that I would be afraid of it even coming up in conversation. Quite the opposite happened, eventually, and I was very comfortable discussing this situation with most of my friends there. However, my expectations for open-mindedness in Israel were very high, yet I find that I need to be more careful as every "leftist" comment I might make can be interpreted as a personal threat. "You don't live here, you don't know what it is like to have to worry about security..." etc. I don't, but at the same time, nothing justifies the racism that I continue to see daily.

Today, at Rosh Haniqra, or Ras An-naqourah, a beautiful grotto just snuggling the Lebanese border, these guys asked us to take their picture, fine. Then, as we were waiting in line for the cable car back up (super cool), my dad and I waited for my mom who was in the bathroom. An Arab family was there, all excited, clapping and celebrating the event, it was really cute. They were the only ones in line for the cable car. These guys were about to join the line, then they turned around and said something along the lines of, "Maybe we'd better wait a bit."

"Why?" I responded, casually.

"I don't think we should wait behind them in the line," one of them muttered, or something to that effect.

"Why, what's the problem?" I insisted; I would not budge.

"Oh, I couldn't imagine," the guy replied, dryly. Screw him.

Even a sector of the Jewish tourists are trained to know not to trust Arabs, not to get in taxis with Arabs sometimes, and not to recognize the Arab history of this land. It makes me sick that some of these people come over and stay in a tourist bubble.

This is the best part. My mom joins us, I get right up in the line with the family, and when the car comes, there isn't room for the three of us but the two of them fit quite nicely with the family. Serves them right, I hope they pissed their pants.

--Avraham

APRIL FOOL'S!

When I saw on my calendar that the first was approaching, I knew that I had to put on my thinking cap and conspire with those friends of mine across the river in Jordan. My friend Ari was the unfortunate albeit quite exposed target of this prank, and it worked perfectly. We convinced him that he had a meeting to discuss with a high level official from the State Department or someone sent by the embassy that wanted to meet with people interested in foreign service that had high level language skills. Of course he bought it and took the requests to dress for an interview very seriously.

A thousand shukrans to everyone who helped in executing this for me and especially to those who added their own creative spins on it in order to make it as believable and successful as it was! Special thanks to Rana, my co-conspirer, Allison for her incredible theatrics and improvised fine tuning, and Ahmad for capturing the spoil on video! I hope that everyone enjoys it!



--Ibrahim

meshulash

Good day, to all!

I come with some interesting updates. First of all, I finally started my volunteer job. I will be working on two projects.

One involves traveling to The Triangle, the meshulash in Hebrew, I don't know how in Arabic, and working with several community groups in order to help them write grant proposals, newsletters, and research funds in English in order to help build and continue their projects. I went on Sunday for the first time and met with a few feminism/women's groups as well as a youth-oriented group. It was great! First of all, we learned about the triangle in some classes, about how the local governments are generally corrupt, there is crime, the schools are bad, and people talk always of trading it to a future state of Palestine without even asking the people where they wish to be. It's sad. But I must say that it is a beautiful part of the country, with beautiful trees and farms, cute neighborhoods with nice looking restaurants and cafes that line the sides of the main roads, and some very pretty mosques sprinkled throughout. The people I met were incredibly impressive, coming from a difficult society and having such optimism and ambition to create social change. Refocus priorities on education and the youth, overcome social constructs of the role of the woman. I'm glad to be able to help these people.

The other project I'll be working with is under the banner of Haifa as a Shared City. I'm to be researching models of shared societies in the midst of conflict or multiethnic societies and analyze how education is used to create a shared culture or sense of belonging in the society in order to build bonds between the groups on at least a local level. The goal of the project is to redefine what living in Haifa and being "Haifaim" mean in order to create a constructive society and avoid what happened in Acre from ever happening here.

And here I am, finishing up my last week of classes before break. I'm so excited! My parents are coming in and I have tons of plans for us. I hope they're up to it! I can't wait to see them, and I miss them a ton. I'm also really excited for them to see me here, as I was able to see their life in their new home when I went home for that week. It's too bad that I won't be able to take them to Jordan, but I do plan to take them to Nazareth and other Arab parts of Israel in order to show them different societies that live here.

I want to take a moment to direct you all to Ari's column in his school's newspaper. He wrote a really interesting article (I got a shoutout, woot woot!) that I think you may find interesting. It's a very accurate view of some of what I experienced in Jordan when I lived there and continue to when I return for visits. I'm excited for him to come visit during break!!

Alright, I'm going to be getting some food now so that I make it to the university in time for class. Take care!

--Avraham

looking toward the ofeq/afq

I never shared these photographs with you of my amazing time with Jackie. I already got to enjoy a great spring break before mine even came. My parents come to Israel in just 10 days, and I can barely wait to see them and take them all over the place.

This week's start of my new phase has really gone well. It's not easy, and my mindset is very different, but I am noticing that this is important. I need to be able to build a life for myself here without the foundations being too far away from where I am or out of my control, and after I feel confident that I am doing just that, I can reintroduce the comfort elements of my life in order to be stronger while I'm here.

I'm gon' take my prize, as we say. I met with a woman I'm supposed to be working with this semester today and happened to meet with someone else in the meantime about another project with which I am looking to be involved. It looks as though I'll be able to offer a lot to this group, Shatil, in terms of research as well as services. I'm meeting with a few groups, finally, on Sunday to discuss their goals and help them to write grant proposals and/or newsletters for current donors. In addition, I will be researching how education has played a role in diverse cities or cities in the midst of conflict in order to create a shared culture or sentiment among the city's inhabitants despite the larger challenge of the various groups in conflict of the region. Basically, what can we learn from the rest of the world in order to help Haifa achieve that strength?

I am pounding through tons of Arabic homework, lots of reading and writing. I am putting a lot of time into this class, and it's good for me. I'm learning a ton of very useful words--useful to sociology, at least. The class itself is a bit stressful and a bit less rewarding than the assignments, but it is also very demanding of my attention and helping me to increase my ear for Hebrew while also increasing my speed at reading Arabic. In my head, I'm reading quite quickly. Out loud, I'm working on it. Shway shway. Khi6watan fa khi6watan.

It's far too late, but I was finishing my homework. I'm really excited for the end of this week and for my spring break. I have beautiful plans and will be spending it with people that are incredibly important to me. By then, I am hoping that the weather will be warmer and that I will feel a bit more planted here in Haifa so that I can miss everyone while still fully enjoying this new and important experience.

I miss you.

--Avraham

shift

Hello all, it's your faithful blogger Abe.

Recently--last night--I decided to make a few decisions in order to help me refocus my energies here. I need to stop living with one foot on the other side of the border, and I need to take my economic hits a bit more seriously. I'm sick of living off of lifelines, and it's not healthy for me to rely so heavily on them.

I should be in a town in the center today at a women's conference and meeting with some community groups with whom I will be working in order to help them write English grant proposals. However, the woman I'm to be working with had an emergency that she needed to attend to. I am home, have been doing some homework, and eating some leftovers from the weekend.

This weekend was long. And technically it's not over yet, as I don't have classes on Sunday either. This week was long. I feel like it's been an age since the last Sunday.

On Thursday, I went to an event where I happened to see many Brandeis students. It was nice at first, but it soon reminded me of a reality that I thought I could be prepared for, and that is late August of this year. Too many conversations about housing, people, and classes later, I suddenly had to leave. Exit immediately and go somewhere else where I would not have to think about my readjusting to Brandeis culture. So I did, with some friends, and it was nice. However, it did not solve the problem.

I came back from Tel Aviv the next day--that's where the event was--to greet Alana and Tali, who stayed with me for the weekend. It was great to have them come up, and although I don't have kosher equipment here, we made it work by begging for plastic plates and eating things fresh--aka cold. Everything was delicious, and the company was really nice. Yesterday we even walked all the way to the German Colony--one of my favorite spots in Haifa--in an amount of time I didn't think was possible. There are lots of stairs that cut right through the mountain that I never knew about, so I'm really excited to have found them.

The city is so beautiful, and while I'm happy to be here now, I know that there is a strong local culture that is difficult for me to connect with. That's why projects such as Haifa as a Shared City leave me wondering how I can offer anything to help. It's great that the residents, or some of them, are taking initiative, but I am just a visitor.

I want to discuss my Arabic class. Which is taught in Hebrew. It's hard, but it's good for me, I suppose. I'm hearing a lot of Hebrew, reading a lot of Arabic, and having an experience which is just about as authentic as it gets here. I've been walking on roads in the middle of the desert by myself or with just a friend--shoutout Jackie--and it made more sense than the feeling I have when I'm in that classroom of "how the hell did I get myself into this?" It's an adjustment, but I'm working on it every day. It's also good to keep me going, reading Arabic nearly every day and learning new words with it. It's not a particularly hard or demanding class, but I can get out of it a lot more than it offers as it is a good framework for learning a lot of very useful words in the language.

I hate to say that I think to myself quite often, "What would I do if I simply left the program?" It's not possible, as I'm relying on all kinds of scholarship and reimbursement monies in order to stay here, in need of the credits in order to graduate on time, and not stupid enough to have very little to do for 4 more months. That's a long time, isn't it. I have friends, interesting classes, and a nice place to live. I miss some spontaneity in my life, but I have plans for that--well isn't that just a paradox. Last semester, too, I thought many times that I should just drop the program and go on adventures, learn things in a different way, but I didn't and that experience proved to be incredible. So here I am, trying to get from this situation the most that I can. When I get some time off, you can be certain that I'll be MIA for a bit.

Thanks for following.

--Avraham

springtime

Welcome back! A brief welcome video, should do the trick..



Thank you, Ernie and Cookie Monster; I didn't get it!

I just had a week on high, as Jackie came to visit for her spring break. I felt so good to have her back. We went to Amman, Tel Aviv, Yaffa, Haifa, Akka, and we had a great time. Spring struck just in time. On our drive down to Amman from the bridge, we saw families under every tree picnicking with barbecues going, just sitting in the shade and enjoying each others' company and the weather. Amman was incredible, just like we'd never left.

Our trip back into Israel, through the Allenby Bridge to the West Bank, was kind of ridiculous. We heard a woman, who was discussing her situation with the guards, say "let me clarify, I work in both Jerusalem and Ramallah." Nearly lost control laughing. We crossed okay, but they gave Jackie a bit of a hard time. I smiled and talked us through everything in my beautiful Hebrew--eh..

Purim in Tel Aviv was fascinating. Our evening was spent eating great food, walking around, and finding a really huge street party in an area called Florentine. We even got to meet up with Allie, Lauren, and Darya later on, and went to a diner with them. Deelicious.

The next day we hit up more of Tel Aviv and then Yaffa. Shani met up with us for some coffee later in the day, and it was really nice just to hang out and casually walk back along the promenade by the sea. Very beautiful place. We came back up to Haifa that night, and for the next few days we simply went everywhere in the city--Downtown, Hadar, even Hof ha-Carmel where we met a friend playing guitar on the beach by a broken boat. We spent a day in Akka as well, where we wandered the old city and watched the sun set over the Mediterranean. The week was ideal, and though I had some classes and work, it barely interfered, hamdulillah.

However, back to reality. My Arabic class requires a lot of work from me, as the entire class is taught in Hebrew, while the texts are in Arabic. I'm meeting lots of cool people in the most random ways, and while they're not all going to be constant figures, it's always fun--that's how I roll. I have plenty more to discuss, but I thought that a brief update on my whereabouts was necessary to bring people up to speed. I've got plenty of serious stuff to talk about, but I felt that this light entry should be nice for now. I have photographs to come, as well!

--Avraham

okhteini

I'm at a pretty good place right now. I feel like I am setting up my next few months quite nicely while at the same time keeping strong relationships with people who are not close to me. I am meeting new people and feeling quite engaged in a social life here that suffices without being too demanding as my schedule is filling in pretty nicely.

That being said, I am missing home, my family. My sisters in particular, as we are all in three different regions of the world. I am here, in the Middle East, Anna in New York and sometimes Philadelphia, and Sarah out in Arizona.

I got a voicemail from Anna this morning, and it made me smile because nobody else could have put these words together in this order and this tone except for my sister Anna. It went a little bit like this:

...I found out something gross that you and I both had as babies, and it's this sick disease that mom told me about the other day, and if you want to hear about it call me back...

That gave me such a grin, I can't even tell you!

Also, Jackie has been getting me to listen to all of this new music that is so San Francisco that it makes me miss Sarah. Flannel shirts, folky music, well anyway here's a music video that reminds me of Sarah and I hope that someday she finds the way to express talent like this that she might be hiding somewhere:



On top of that, I have some photographs from this weekend. Ari and Allie came over to visit me, and we had a beautiful weekend with some delicious meals despite the endless rain and thunder. It was nice to have visitors in my new apartment, especially these two who mean a lot to me.

From shoko bisakit

Take care, everyone, and wish me luck this week in picking out of my classes. I'll be sure to give a bit of a description of them when the time comes. 4 days until Jackie comes!

--Avraham

east and west bank

I'm at the point where I'm pulling blog entry titles from the url itself. I feel as though I'm at the midpoint of this year, this very interesting and mindblowing experience.

Here I am the weekend before last:

From valentine's day in the center of the world

And here I am this past weekend:

From one day in jordan, one day in israel

I spend one weekend here on this side of the river, in Jerusalem of all cities, and the next weekend in Jordan, in Amman. I traverse the border as if it's becoming routine. I live above nation-states and their borders. I live the life that so many people from this region either cannot live or would not consider living. But it gets even more confusing.

Since my first visit to Israel, I have always felt a profound connection to the land and the fate of this nation. The founding principles of Israel are beautiful: provide a security for Jews that may be persecuted in many countries around the world, create a democratic state with equality for all of its citizens, and so on. With extreme misfortune, this is not what is happening. In fact, every time Israel screws up, sharp waves of anti-Semitism jostle Jewish communities globally; on top of that, Israeli society is far from fair to many minorities living here.

When I arrived in Jordan, I knew that I would never be a part of the Jordanian society. As much as I loved it, I knew that I could not openly be Jewish within the society nor could I ever feel that I was a part of the national identity of the kingdom. However, the longer the time I spent there, the more people began to expect me to be Jordanian or Arab, the more people truly wished I was more like them (often cases as a Muslim). The line began to blur as I felt more and more welcome that I started to even feel a bit Jordanian--which is not quite sanity.

What I am getting at is that I expected to feel more a part of Israel and wished I could associate with the society in order to feel like I could play a role, but it's difficult. However, in the case of Jordan, I knew that I could not play a role in society or associate with the people in the same way but I am feeling that the barrier is breaking down. It's a very strange feeling to be in love with a country that exceeds my somewhat less liberal expectations and as a result feel as though I've cheated on someone--Israel--and may no longer love them in the same way.

That being said, I am still adjusting to this place. I have a meeting tomorrow with Shatil to discuss volunteer options in Haifa, and on Sunday I begin volunteering at the town in the Triangle. More to come soon about classes, which started yesterday. Super analytical stuff going on, and it's exciting to feel stimulated.

--Avraham

in the forest

Well hello everybody, and welcome back.

I live in the forest, and you could just drown in the greenness of it all. This city is so incredibly beautiful, I can't put it in any other words.

News: I am the newspaper.

I found an apartment, and I will be living there as of the 18th. Wednesday. I'm very excited, as it will be a real place with a real kitchen and nobody to tell me who's allowed in and out except of course myself and my flatmates, who are awesome. It's right near the Carmel Center--top of the mountain commercial area--so it's easy to get anywhere from there. Buses straight to the bus/train station, straight to the university, mish mushkila.

Additionally, I found volunteer work! I made a series of emails, phone calls, and various messages via telegraph in multiple languages, most useful of course Norwegian, until I found myself being thrown numbers and messages from people who want me. One opportunity I spoke about in depth with a very nice woman who will be taking me with her weekly to the Triangle, an Arab area in the center of the country, about an hour away, which is unfortunately a center of poverty, corruption, and crime but also high high-school graduation rates, somehow. I will have the pleasure of working with several groups in helping them with raising funds by writing grant proposals--in English. Most of the communication I will be doing with them will be in Arabic--YES! It sounds so exciting, especially hearing about some of the groups I'll get to work with--women interpreting the qur'an themselves in order to understand their rights in Islam, youth leadership groups, advocacy for early childhood education and making that provided by the state as the state once had an initiative in which it would potentially spread that to the whole nation. It's a mess here, of course, but I'm going to help do some stuff to clean it up, insha'allah.

The elections happened. Big victory for the right, although Tzipi Livni's Kadima, a centrist movement, seems to have the most seats--barely--of any party. Either way, it does not look like the occupation will be getting any better, for one. When reading an article like that, I wonder what it means. Who are these 20 people arrested? What did they do or are they suspected of? 3 lines about it happening shows me nothing, and it only makes me more suspicious of what actually happens in the West Bank. Another issue I'm concerned about is the prospect of civil rights for Arab Israelis. With Lieberman already running the show--hmm.. I know who I will pick to recommend for prime minister.. I just won't say it yet! because if I do then I don't get as much attention.. hmm....--well anyway, who knows what will become of Arab towns' education, infrastructure, social and economic well-being.. It's a tough time to be on the left in Israel these days.

So where does that leave me? This weekend, Jerusalem. I'll be spending it with some friends and even missing class on Sunday to stay through Alana's birthday! Next week, a meeting at the Shatil office--activist branch of the New Israel Fund--in Haifa next week in order to discuss volunteer work here in Haifa, and exactly one week from today I will be well on my way to Jordan!

I have a lot coming up, and hopefully I'll even do something photograph worthy so you guys don't have to just read all of this text I keep spitting out.

--Avraham

contradictions

Every day, now, I am faced with gross contradictions. One second, I am talking with a group of Jewish Israelis who are talking about all of the left wing or at least centrist parties that they will vote for. Wonderful conversations I'm watching in front of me, people who I never imagined to have political positions are suddenly extremely engaged in critical discussions about the different parties. Meanwhile, I speak with someone else who is voting right for all of the reasons that I can neither agree with or understand fully, according to the majority of people who are voting right. I don't live here. I come here to visit, for a few months this time, and I have not felt the way that they have felt as they hear about wars all over their country. Hell, some of them are veterans at the age of 21 or 22, and I can't even imagine. It's easy for me to just arrive and say that parties only concerned with security today are not good enough for the state. My friend even said that no, he is not racist, and he has plenty of Arab and Druze friends, but that does not influence his vote. He loves them, and they love him, but he cares too much about the country's current security to risk letting someone in power who will simply give away land to terrorists.

Well, that was yesterday. Today, I met some very sweet Arab girls. From where? From Israel, they told me. Muslims, Israelis. I have met several Arabs who identify as Israelis. Several who identify as Palestinians. However, they all know that their current nationality is Israeli, regardless of how much they identify as such. We had a nice time, and I got to practice Arabic. I still feel like a total nerd trying to spark conversations with people who don't necessarily know me. I did bump into one of my "friends" today who approached me to say hello, very nice guy named Ahmad (first one of those I've met.. NOT). Anyway, the point of my story is that in the same day I speak with some very sweet Israeli Arab girls who are voting maybe for Meretz or maybe for Chadash--left wing parties who believe in equal rights for all Israelis, because she refuses to vote for a party with "blood on their hands" after this latest war--I read this article, which makes me sick.

Yisrael Beitenu is a party that has been very vocal about their stance on Israeli Arabs and loyalty to the State of Israel. Avigdor Lieberman, leader of this party, speaks out against Arabs that are disloyal to the State of Israel and has spoken about introducing legislature that will denationalize them. And younger generations are agreeing with this. No, not everybody, but it scares me that this kind of party can be growing in the polls the more that they speak. I am afraid of what Israel could become with people like Lieberman in control.

How did this place get to be so insane? There may have been a point earlier on where things could have been settled, before all of the pain that has polarized both sides of this endless conflict. People should have seized that then, but now it's so much more difficult.

I tried to get to this demonstration held by Peace Now in Haifa, which was listed as every Saturday night at the same place, but the website is outdated, said the woman whose number I called. She said most of their activities are in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem because that is where their offices are. Tomorrow I'm calling Physicians for Human Rights and the New Israel Fund. I need to find somewhere to volunteer because I'm feeling pretty useless without something like that.

--Avraham

בחירות

That means elections, people. They're coming. Here are a few ads that you might find interesting, and even if you don't understand the words, it's worth watching how crazy this gets.

Likud, "right of center" party led by Binyamin Netenyahu, a Philly native. If I were voting, I so would not vote for them, although they are projected to win... We just have to hope that they form a centrist government as opposed to a right-wing coalition.





Kadima, a centrist party. They seem to be in the middle, especially after the war. We now see that they will both negotiate peace and discuss concessions as well as launch full-scale invasions of Gaza. A part of me wishes they would stay in power but also move more to the left--try harder in making peace, recognizing the rights of the Arab citizens of Israel, and lifting the occupation...

So here Kadima strikes back...


And Tzipi showing off her really famous friends (Obama), and looking as good as she can:


Labor, a left with party with a sweet webpage (that's right, Ehud Barak just walks onto the screen), dominated the scene in the first 30 years after Israel's independence, but since they're not quite as strong a contender as they once were, they seem to be trying to play to a bigger audience, like a bit more right than they used to. They do, however, have an Arab member of Knesset. Anyway.. Here we go...

This is silly:


This one, if you don't follow, is about a lifeguard who can't swim, she won't be "Ready in the moment of truth." However, according to the gentleman who approaches her, Ehud Barak will be.


Let's go back to the right.. jjust briefly. Cause it scares me a little. Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beitenu (Israel, Our Home) party are very hard on Israeli Arabs and claim that they need to prove their allegiance to Israel. This ad, which points out some money scandal with some Arab member of Knesset, ends with the slogan "Rak Lieberman (Only Lieberman)," but this time they add on the "Mevin Aravit (Understands Arabic)" at the end. Only Lieberman understands Arabic? Well, I am pretty sure he is fluent in Russian, but I never knew he understood Arabic!



HaTenuah HaYerukah-Meimad (The Green Movement-Meimad--which comes from the acronym Medinah Yehudit, Medinah Demokratit or Jewish State, Democratic State) is a party I have been supporting to an extent. It's a convergence of Meimad, a left-wing religious party, and a rising green movement. They promote environmentalism, education, and good campaign items that deal with the future of Israel as opposed to temporary security today. One thing they promote is giving equal funds to Jewish and Arab schools as opposed to spending more on Jewish public schools. Not okay to me. This video is where their number 1 guy talks about how focusing on security is important but when it is the only concern, that's not okay. "A state that kills 1400 people every year [...] is not a Jewish state!"



I could keep doing this all night, there are 34 parties participating. But I'm not going to. Everyone enjoy the experience. They used to set a block of time on the major channels during prime time to broadcast all of the ads at once, a certain amount of time for each party based on what percentage of representation they had at the time, but they moved it to late at night now so that it doesn't interrupt regular broadcasting. Also, the parties started to make too much of a fool of themselves so that the campaigning got really nasty. That's what I've heard about the change, so that's what I'm reporting. The elections are on Tuesday. It should get very interesting here, and I will be sure to keep you all posted.

--Avraham