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.