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