Are you asking what I am doing in Israel?

I know I have written about the topics that I have been prompted to think about from the seminars I attend and anyone who writes to me.  However, I would like to simply discuss my work here since I have not given any updates about how and what I have been doing.  In the beginning,  I was sort of just left to my own devices to develop my internship here and how I would volunteer.  Let me tell you that it was not so easy.  Aside from the language barrier, Israelis like to pretend that everything is ok.  Also, there is the lack of communication and the cultural differences about just "joining in".  In the US you are given a date and time as well as what exactly will be going on and you join something based on this information.  Here, this does not happen.  Some people on my program get very frustrated by this and the lack of communication, as well as the fact that our role as the "Americans" (even though we also have a Canadian in our group) is very unclear.  Everyone certainly wants us here, in my opinion, although others in my group do not feel so welcome.  I have found that if I make myself a positive attribute and participate in events regularly, the staff and students really appreciate my presence.  In fact, one of the guides here recently told me that it makes him very happy when he sees his students coming up to me after a weekend away and hugging me and he sees me sitting and talking with the student  because the students are genuinely are excited to see us and have us here.  This also makes me very happy and I am glad that the English speaking of the students is improving before my eyes because it will present so many opportunities for these students.   The confidence and initiative it takes to push your way into a group that did not originally outwardly express enthusiasm for having you there, though, can be hard and while it was for me at first, it still is for others in my group at times.  Nevertheless, I feel as if I have found a niche here at the Kfar and I really enjoy being here.

Every time I go to a conference put on my Masa (the umbrella non-profit that my program is under) I compare notes with participants on other programs.  Most of the programs sound like great opportunities- professional internships in areas of your choice, internships in the government, living in different cities throughout the country, kibbutz ulpan, etc.  However, I am really happy I chose to live on a youth village and volunteer my time because it is something I will never be able to experience again.  An agricultural boarding school is unique to Israel, and I will never again live on a farm/village where I wake up to the chirping of birds and walk out my door to see the beautiful view of a farm that going on long enough to end with a view of the ocean.  I am learning to organically garden while still helping kids learn english and trying to teach them about the environment.  Also, I am immersed in a multicultural environment with Arab, Israeli, Russian and Ethiopian children on one of the most disputed pieces of land in world history.  

To explain the work I do, let me just tell you that planning out your full day here just does not work because something always comes up.  I am rarely board, and if ever find myself this way, I simply take a quick bus to Tel Aviv and explore that for the day.  On Sundays I usually find myself in meetings about my recycling project or working on it in one way or another.  I have found now that everything here is in place for people to recycle such as receptacles, I just need to get the Kfar to do it.  The Department of Environmental Affairs came and met with myself, my director and three other people on my program who are helping me.  They told us they have been trying to make the Kfar more "green" for years and it has just not been done.  We have started to collect paper but it is not in reach of students for the most part to recycle their paper.  Also, bottles are only collected in the boarding school to raise money and it is not taught to the students why they recycle nor do they do so when they are on school grounds, which is where many bottles are used and thrown in the trash.  So, I am creating laminated signs to inform the students about recycling and promoting so that the boarding school students recycling more often.  Also,  I am putting paper recycling receptacles in the boarding school.  Other people on my program have taken on the idea of starting a compost to teach the kids about it.  It is going to start small but we want it to be adopted by the entire Kfar because it could then save them 15% of the water they currently use to irrigate the fields and the cost of soil.  This way, kids will see how they can help the environment by putting their bottles and cans one place (in Israel they collect bottles and cans together), their paper one place, and their organic refuse another place.  With 1200 students coming to this school and 400 of them boarding here, I hope we can affect change with the children so that more of Israel begins to understand how important this is to the environment.  It is difficult, though, because the Kfar is very divided between the school and boarding school, so it is hard to get a universal agreement to everything when I want everyone to work together.  The people who work here do it because they love it but they are very busy and, I think, probably underpaid for their hard work.  For this reason, to incorporate these new ideas, which they agree will benefit the Kfar, it is difficult to find people with the time to help you.  This can get frustrating but my patience has really grown here because I really do want to help make the Kfar a better place.

On a side note, patience is truly a virtue in this country.  I have been here for 2 months and it has taken me that long to get the paper company to agree to pick up the recycled paper from the Kfar.  While everyone tests your patience here, they do not seem to have patience for others.  I find that the teachers, who are certainly underpaid and overworked more in this country even than in the US, are very short and harsh with the students.  At times, so are the guides.  There is a lot of yelling at the students and rough criticism.  I try to show them by I, myself, not yelling and using constructive criticism.  In the beginning, the teacher I work with told me that I am too nice, I am too American, that the students need to be handled roughly and with discipline.  Since then,  I think she sees that my way works because the students are doing much better and enjoy my being a part of the classroom.  They tell me that they enjoy class more now and love having me there, and I notice that they do not skip as often anymore.  It is interesting, too, that here in Israel their studies are not taken as seriously, nor is skipping class.  Also, the guides of the group we live with is always yelling at his kids, and they are on punishment often.  I tell him "Stop yelling Alon" and he looks at me and yells "I NOT YELLING".  It has become a joke between us and I think that has influenced him to realize how he sounds to an outsider.  I notice that he does not have to yell as often in front of me and slowly I hope he realizes it is not as necessary in general.  Maybe this is why the students like having me here.  But, if I can incite a little more patience with the staff here for the students, I think it could be a better place.

On Mondays I teach English in the morning, then help in the organic garden where we are growing lettuce, broccolli and cauliflower and then I will usually study Hebrew either on my own or with a guide here who I help with his University level in English in exchange for tutoring me.  My hebrew is coming along slowly but surely.  Our hebrew classes were not very good at the beginning but they are getting better and better by trial and error of how to make 11 students who are all learning from different levels and at different rates to all learn as much as possible.  Personally, I study as much as possible on my own so I am learning a lot that way.  Last week Amy (the Canadian participant on the program) and I went on a trip to the North with the 8th grade and were put in a group with low level English.  I spoke Hebrew as much as possible during the hikes and I was very excited that I was able to converse with the students and get to know them.  It was basic conversation about myself and themselves, but nonetheless it was conversation.  

Organic gardening is really interesting and nice.  I am out in the fields on beautiful days and I am helping the environment by not using chemicals to kill the weeds and bugs.  The person who does this is named Victor and he is originally form Argentina so when we cannot find the words in English or Hebrew to talk about something, one of us will usually understand it in Spanish.  He is so happy and excited to have our help is very excited that we are starting to teach about recycling and compost because he has been wanting to do so at the school for a long time.  As I had written in earlier blogs, I had wanted to work with the gardener at the Kfar to make it more beautiful.  However, it is beautiful on its own now because I have realized now that the winter/rainy season is over and they have cleaned it up so they do not really need help.  I was working at the visitor center doing landscaping and gardening over there but organic gardening interests me more at this point because there was not so much going on over there, jsut weeding around the plants, so I am enjoying it much more.  So, my beautification of the Kfar did not really happen because it was sort of unnecessary, which is fine with me.  Oh, and I was going to organize a trash pick-up but I learned that they have some people from the local mental hospital (I do not know the most PC term but they are mentally disabled adults) come to help at the Kfar and they do the trash pick up.  Also, students who are on punishment for smoking go around and collect cans for recycling that are left around or from students.  

On Tuesdays I teach in the morning in the English classroom again and then Noah (another participant in my program) and I go to Tel Aviv to work in a soup kitchen called "LaSova" in the Shapira neighborhood, which is a very poor neighborhood.  "LaSova" means "to be full" in Hebrew.  The people that work there are very welcoming and appreciative of our visits.  There, too, I am forced to use my Hebrew as many of the works and almost none of the people who come to eat speak any English. I was very proud that I was able to use my Hebrew to learn that one of the people I work with has a birthday only a few days before me, and he is only one year older than me!  To explain the soup kitchen itself, let me tell you that I make the joke about the soup kitchen that "beggars can't be choosers but here they are" because the food is good food and people are always complaining!  We are changing what we are serving often because we run out and people will come up and say they do not want what they were given because their neighbor now has green beans and they want green beans!  Also, it is different than an American soup kitchen because we serve them like a restaurant.  Also, they are asked to pay a shekel (about a quarter) if they have one, but if not they are not refused.  They are given a lot of food, a full plate with a starch, meat and vegetables, a roll and soup as well as many different options of soda.  They can have as much of everything that they want except meat, and they can bring containers to bring food home for dinner because the kitchen is only open for lunch until 230.  But, make sure to get them the right soda or they will get angry- "LO DIET!" they say often if you bring them diet coke instead of regular!  It takes some patience there but they were, regardless, simply very hungry and, in the end, very appreciative.  The kitchen itself makes huge quantities of food for other kitchens like this all over Israel after school programs in these neighborhoods too.  I have not had the opportunity to work in the afterschool program in the Shapira neighborhood but it runs from noon to midnight sunday through thursday and it feeds the kids, helps them with homework, and gives them activities such as dance and art to do there.  This is the only organization like this in Israel and it was started by an attorney and his wife on their own accord.  I usually work there for about 2-4 hours (as long as I can) until I need to get back to the Kfar for a Hebrew lesson.  

In the evenings that I do not have Hebrew or finish early enough, I try to spend time with a group I have decided to devote my time to, which is the group in which many of my students live.  So, I will go over and help them with English or hang out and talk to them.  They are in 11th grade and they are really uniue kids.  A lot of them are very musical or artistic and they are usually hanging out in the group playing the guitar and dancing and laughing and goofing off.  They are very forward and love to talk about themselves so I have learned about where they are from and everything.  Some are Morrocan, some Arab, some Russian but I not yet met one that says his family has been Israeli for generations!  In fact, many people here, including the students, are amazed that I am at least a third generation American on both sides.  Also, they ask a lot of questions about the US and me, and I am happy to share most things about myself with them as well as discuss topics with them and help them with problems they may be having.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays (they are less busy than the rest of the week), I do my organic gardening and teach English but something else always comes up or I work on my blog or tutor English or study my Hebrew.  Thursdays are like Fridays in the US so by 2pm school is out and no one really does anything anymore because it is the weekend! 

So, I am finding myself very busy between trying to see and do everything as well as filling my time with volunteering and studying hebrew.  However, like I said, when I am not busy I find the time to meet relatives or friends of friends here (like Tami and Helen) or go to explore and get to know Tel Aviv better.  Every week, though, there seems to be a holiday or event at the Kfar or a school trip they want me to  be a part of! Last weekend, though, I was on the Kfar and free on Friday so I went in a took a Bauhaus tour of Tel Aviv.  It was very interesting to learn how Tel Aviv developed and why it was so influenced by the international style.  Tel Aviv was not considered a city by its number of inhabitants until the 1940s.  Before that it was considered a suburb of Jaffo, which is now considered the "old city."  Originally, Jews and Arabs lived together in Jaffo but in 1909 the city because so crowded that suburbs formed, and the Jews moved to live in Tel Aviv.  In the early 1920s there were riots between the Arabs and Jews and more Jews began to leave Jaffo and settle in Tel Aviv.  The relationship continued to get worse and Jews even began to move to Europe where they thought it would be better.  While there, the Jews were influenced by the architectural style and certain well-known Israeli architects attended the Bauhaus School.  When Hitler came to power in the early 1930s many Jews escaped to Israel and settled in Tel Aviv.  For this reason, more and more homes needed to be built.  Many homes were designed during this time in the international style by those that had escaped Europe.  Tel Aviv continued to grow, quadrupling in size every 5 years.  Now, the typical style remains Bauhaus with very functional designs and straight lines and gardens in the front and/or on the roof of the homes and apartment buildings.  Also, rooms inside are very large with large windows that provide a great deal of natural light.  However, Tel Aviv does not provide money for renovation of these buildings and, although Tel Aviv was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its architecture, they also do not provide money for renovations.  So, many buildings have begun to sell the roof, which was usually used as a garden, and use the money they make off of that to renovate the entire building and make the roof another floor. So, the renovated homes in the Bauhaus style in Tel Aviv today typically have 4 or 5 floors rather than the typical 3.  Now that I understand how Tel Aviv grew and developed I feel like I both understand the city more, as well as the layout of the city.  Dad and Brad, are you proud that I took the initiative to learn a little bit of architecture?  HA!

In any event, I am loving being here on the Kfar and giving my time learn about this school and Israeli culture and give to it as I see the places for improvement.  I get the sense from some people that they think "Who are you to say what the problems are? You do not live here" but then I remind myself that if one of them came to the US and  did this I may feel the same way.  However, I try to be as respectful as possible and show the small ways to make it a better place and hope that maybe someone will do this for me some day.  When I met Helen Goldfarb, who I mentioned in my last blog, we talked about my volunteering.  Her husband was truly unique in his efforts to give to others and treat every man equally.  She told me that he would have called what I do "positive egoism".  I agree with her, because I certainly came here for personal growth but also wanting to help people.  I think this is OK because as long as I do my best to give to the people here in every way, my own personal growth and learning from it is simply a wonderful affect of my work.  Also, we discussed how the world was such a problematic place right now the way that people are, how they act, and the disputes/war that exists.  I told her that I try not to look at the negative because it only makes everything seem impossible.  Rather, I look at it as Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world".  I am not here making war cease or feeding every person who is hungry in the world- in fact, it is not even close!  However, I am doing my small part to step out of my comfort zone to help people that do not have the opportunities that I had as an American.  It is my hope that someone, such as the students here or the people who read my blog, will see what I am doing and want to do it too or at least encourage someone else who is thinking of it.  If more people travelled the world, if more people volunteered just a small amount of their time on a regular basis, if there was a little more understanding in the world, this is the change I want to see and I am trying to affect the world by living that way.  Now to be clear here, I am not perfect nor am I right all the time (yes, I am admitting that)- but I hope in this way my example can lead to others following the example.   Maybe this is egotistical, but I think it is just being positive about the world and doing the best I can do with my life at this time.  Hopefully I will remember this when I am worrying about the job I will get out of law school, what I will get paid, and how big my house should be...but for now I try to remind myself every day that the world can be as beautiful a place as we want to put the effort into making it.  

So this is what I am doing here in Israel, in case my philosophical and topic-oriented writing has left you asking the question that is the title of this blog.

Chag Purim Sameach

This past weekend was Purim.   Here on the Kfar it was celebrated for a whole week.  It is really cool how Purim is so celebrated here, and while it is usually equated to Halloween it is actually quite different.  During the month of Adar, which is when Purim happens, it is a mitzah to be happy and celebrate.  People genuinely want one another to have fun, which includes a lot of drinking usually, but still it is not in a "PARTY!" way, but in a jovial way.  In any event,  I fully enjoyed the week and found myself very happy to be involved in the events that went on on the Kfar.  I hope that at home I can get more people to celebrate it more fully because it is a GREAT holiday!

Because I was on the leadership conference, I missed the first party that started off Purim on the Kfar.  The first event that I witnessed was a special dinner of breakfast like pancakes and french toast (which we never get on the Kfar) and all the boys from the group that ran all of the events for Purim dressed up and did a lip sync on stage, it was very funny.  Then each group had to do a skit based on a topic, which I did not understand a lot of because it was all in Hebrew.  I did understand that the 7th grade group that we live with WON!  They were very cute and excited. 

The next night they had this like calm like Yoga themed thing with everyone sitting on the floor and it was nice and relaxing until they all burst through with bumping club music and surprised us with a Disco!  It was fun.  They asked us to perform a "Traditional American Dance" and teach it to the school so we chose the YMCA.  It was SO fun and funny!  The kids got really into it and so did our group!

The next day, unrelated to Purim, I met Helen Goldfarb, a cousin, in Tel Aviv.  I spent a wonderful day with her as we ran some errands, had lunch, and sat for tea and cake at her house.  She told me about my Grandma Ruth and my Uncle Jimmy and about her husband Mordecai who was a wonderful man.  She was an inspirational woman with her stories of traveling and of life.  I felt honored to have a full day with her and loved her company, it was very special to meet someone who knew my family so well but who I had only met once prior to this visit.  Hopefully I will be seeing more of her soon.

That evening was the "All Night Party" on the Kfar.  I dressed up as a butterfly, but everyone got really into their costumes.  The party was for both the boarding and non-boarding students.  The boarding students each had two costumes: one that they coordinated with the group and one that was their own.  It was really cute to see everyone all dressed up and into it!  I also felt really like a part of the school because when I got there people were excited to see me there and I just fit in with the kids I knew and spent time with them.   I didn't go to sleep until like 5 that night because we were dancing at the party and hanging out for so long!

My director, Lori, had us over for a sleep over at her home.  I volunteered to help with the food-shopping and cooking, which was really interesting.  Lori took us to a nearby Arab village that is "within the green line" meaning that it is not a part of the West Bank.  It is unbelievable though because these people are not governed or supported by the Israeli government so their streets are not cleaned, their trash is not picked up.  We drove through when they had the "call to prayer" but because we are in Israel, people are more liberal so cars do not stop for the people to pray right there.  However, I did see a little boy on the street stop to pray right there, it was very cute as well as interesting that such a small boy had the discipline to do so.   That night just before dinner we packed as many people as possible into Lori's car and drove over to a mental institution by her house.  We put on funny hats and walked around giving out candy to the residents and telling them "Happy Purim".  They were all so happy to see us and it really made me feel good to make their Purim as little more special.  We had a fantastic meal and went to bed.  In fact, I slept on Lori's daughter's bed which is a water bed....ha!  It was funny because every time I moved it was like I was on an ocean...ha!

I spent most of the rest of the weekend at the beach because it was the first really hot and summery weekend in both Herzlia and Tel Aviv.  We went out at night in Ramat HaSharon and Tel Aviv.  There was no absence of parties in Israel during Purim and everywhere people were having fun!  I also spent a lot of time with the staff here on the Kfar going out, going to the beach and having barbeques and getting to know them.  They all have interesting stories and come from different areas of Israel.  Each loves the children here and must be commited to put the time and energy it takes to help these kids, so they are all really genuinely good people.  It was good to get to know and spend time with them.  They all have stories of the army and growing up that have lead them to being where they are now, helping at the Kfar while going to University.  The staff members I was spending time with are between the ages of the 27-32 and right now in University.  It is just such a different life because while we go to college they serve their country, then they save money and travel the world before University.  But, I usually equate my wanting to be here with their traveling after the army and they tend to understand that for me, once I being Law School, I will be unable to travel like they won't after University is finished.  The cultural and life differences, that they face death for their country while we go to parties and class, are something that will always separate Israelis from most other industrialized countries.  However, it also keeps the strength of the nation and pride in the country strong.  

The MOST exciting thing I did during Purim and in the Purim spirit, was that I went skydiving.  It was right next to the beach so when I jumped I could see Haifa, a very well known military based, kibbutzim, mountains and clear blue ocean.  It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and when I finished I asked if they would take me up again!  It was exhilarating and I would do it again in a second!  If you want to see the video of it, the person I went with, Noah (another participant on my program) got a video taken of it (it cost extra and I decided against spending the extra money) and I am in it.  You just have to go to Youtube.com and search "Noah Serbin" and it will come up.  They show us getting ready and going up together and I jump out just before him, I am the first tandem jumper so you can see me jump out of the plane and then I land right before him and they show that too.  It's a cool video too and it is only like 8 minutes or something...so enjoy!

So Purim all in all was very much fun and very interesting and I tried to enjoy every moment of it!  Hope you enjoy some of the pictures of it!

Let me rephrase that...

Shalom Shalom...

There are a few things I want to make myself more clear about on what I have blogged about previously here.  I do not think that I properly explained myself when I talked about Synagogues and Judaism in Israel.  Here in Israel, there are Jews from everywhere in the the world, as I have mentioned meeting many of them, and there is a synagogue to suit every one of their needs.  However, many-if not all- of those synagogues are in Jerusalem.  THere is a Conservative shul in Tel Aviv but it is small and not regularly attended nor do many people attend it in general.  In Jerusalem, it is AMAZING how many different services you can attend with in the city in walking distance of almost anywhere near the old city.  Also, it is wonderful that there are no dues that need to be paid to the synagogues by those that attend, and the government helps to fund the synagogues. However, the rest of the country does not have those options and many of them are not aware of their options in terms of practicing Judaism, at all.  For example,  many of the people on my Kfar do not know anything about the Reform or Conservative movements or what they mean and are actually very interested to learn from me and talk about them because they much more agree with the ideals of those movements than that of Orthodox Judaism, which is all they know.  For this reason, they do not attend Shul regularly but practice in their home or with friends and do not daven regularly because they do not have a Shul nearby with which they connect in ideals and practice.  For this reason, they consider themselves "Secular".  

Another point I was trying to make is that there is not representation of the reform and conservative movements in the Knesset while there is representation for the "secular" and "religious" groups.  In my opinion, the "secular" representatives do not represent those that could be considered conservative or reform or somewhere along the spectrum.  So, while they are free to choose which synagogue they attend, their beliefs are not represented for them.  Also, they are not free to be married by any rabbi, only an Israeli Orthodox rabbi.  THere are flaws in the system, is all I am trying to say, in terms of people who want to practice in their own way in a synagogue in the remainder of the country, where the synagogues of Jerusalem are not available to them.  THere is also a lack of education about the options in the rest of the country.  It just makes me appreciate how most places in the US have these options for Jews, even though it lacks many of the beautiful aspects of being a Jew in Israel, in the country built on Judaism and our ideals.  While I understand that the reform and conservative movements were born in the Diaspora, I think that Israel can adopt them more fully and that many Israeli Jews would identity with them rather than identifying themselves as being secular, enabling them to have more of a Jewish identity rather than considering themselves more "israeli".  Many secular israelis say this, that they are more "israeli" than "jewish" which is an oxy moron to me, but to them to be "jewish" is to be "religious".  For this reason, 60% of Israelis identify themselves as being secular.

Also, it is not that I believe religious and secular Israelis are unable to coexist or be friends with one another, but that it amazes me the differences and disputes among them because we are all Jews.  Some of each groups are not respectful to the other and some of them do not believe in being friends, but for the most part they do and simply disagree hugely on what being "Jewish" and living in a "Jewish State" means, which is funny to me because we are all Jewish!  It is also sad because I do not see a solution to some of the political disputes on this topic. 

On the same note, I think it is important to note that Jews have always been a small group, it is how we are meant to be.  We grow and we fade and we are isolated and we are powerful, but we never go away and I truly believe we won't, even if we morph again.  We morphed into the Shtetls of Poland, the movements in the Diaspora, into a nation in Israel, and soon I think we will morph into more of a culture than a religion, even though the religious aspects will remain present.  Think about it, right now we are 1% of the US population and 11% of the representative in Congress.  What other group can say this?  It is the only time in the world that people proudly display their Judaism in the world, and proudly support the State of Israel.  I feel strongly, no matter what anyone tells me about the Jewish population withering or about Jews needing to make aliyah, that Judaism is at a powerful point and that we will continue to flourish in our own way, as a small but powerful religious and cultural group.

Who Would YOU Call A Leader?

I have been accepted onto leadership program which is three seminars that are three days long each, through the non-profit organization which my program is a part of, Masa Israel.  The meaning of "Masa" in hebrew is "Journey" and I have discussed before in my blog how this was the vision of Itzhak Rabin.  In my opinion, this a great organization.  It is in its second year and is now offering partial scholarships to EVERYONE who comes on one of its programs.  These scholarships come from the taxes of the Israelis which are matched dollar for dollar by donors.  At the first of the three leadership conferences, for which they told us 121 people applied and only 50 were accepted, the man who came up with the idea for Masa came and spoke.  He was so excited to see everyone there and had us all go around the room saying where we were from and what program we were on.  Then he told us about how 5 or 6 years ago Ariel Sharon announced to the Jewish Agency that he was looking for a way to use a certain amount of money that had been allotted to helping the image of Israel in the world.  So, he came up with this idea that he thought was going to be rejected for sure-to use the money to bring Jews from the Diaspora to Israel in the image of what Itzhak Rabin has envisioned.  He wanted it to be something that could, potentially, open the door for people who want to make aliyah but that its sole purpose was to bring more young people to Israel to understand it.  Part of his reason for coming to this idea was that he learned about all the Americans who go abroad during University and he thought, "why are the Jewish students not coming to Israel?"  So, he brought it to Ariel Sharon and he thought it was a great idea.  In two years, Masa now has over 8,000 participants!  Only a few of the programs existed before and just became a part of Masa, hundreds of programs were created...all from the idea of ONE man!

Anyhow, we had a great three day Shabbaton about leadership in which we went to Mt. Herzl and to the new Herzyl Museum.  I have been here only a few years ago and it did not exist, in fact the Israelis who were with us got teary-eyed at the end of the museum because they talked about Israel as the vision of Herzl and all of the accomplishments if Israel.  It made me teary-eyed too and reminded me how lucky I am to live at this time because I cannot imagine a world in which there was no Jewish state.  The question came up over the weekend, "where did your Zionism originate?"  For many people, it came from their parents or grandparents or families.  My immediate family is certainly a strong supporter for Israel, but no one would call themself a Zionist like I do.  In fact, my grandfather openly talks about how he was not a Zionist and did not understand the need for a Jewish state when it was forming.  He visited Israel since and now supports it, but still will tell anyone who wants to listen that he is NOT a Zionist.  So where does mine come from?  Well, like everything in my life it came from the support of my family and especially my parents.  When I was a child I wanted to come to Israel and, while I do not think anyone (including myself) knew why I wanted to go there, my family made it happen.  My parents supported my love for Israel and my desire to return on Birthright and for a longer period of time.  My love grew out of curiosity, learning, and visiting this beautiful country which was created for MY people by my ancestors and through the dream and hard work. of another singular man- Herzl.  

We also went to the Menachem Begin center, where I learned a great deal about this former prime minister who grew up escaping Russia and then becoming part of the underground who fought for Israel from the British.  He planned the bombing of the King David Hotel in 1946, which lead to the British handing over Palestine to the Jews.  I had known him only for his harsh politics and destructive end in which he became isolated due to his wife's death and the deaths of many soldiers and civilians as a result of his military tactics.  However, he was actually a promoter of peace and signed the peace agreements with Egypt.  He was a good man, a strong politician and, I think, lead the country to the best of his ability during very difficult times.  However, he did not believe in giving the Palestinians any rights or any land, which I simply do not agree with because they are human and resided here for a long time on their own.  Nonetheless, it was a beautiful museum which walked you through his life and taught me a great deal.

The whole weekend I began to wonder "Am I a leader?"  I am in a group here where I do not feel like the people can be lead because there are such strong personalities and I just do not know how to talk to most of the people in the group.  However, I think I am a leader in the sense that I do not go with the flow.  I do not do things because others are, and I have always prided myself on this personality trait.  Furthermore, I am a leader because I want to be the change I see in the world, as Gandhi put it.  I am here in Israel volunteering my time at a school with underprivledged students who are Arab, Israeli, Russian and Ethiopian and working at a soup kitchen once a week.  I do think partially for my own satisfaction and the experience, but even more for the impact I hope to have on others and the world.  It is my hope that by seeing what I am doing, taking the time to give back to the world and experience it in a new ways, others will do the same.  I also hope to impact the people I work with here both on the Kfar and at the soup kitchen in Tel Aviv.  Finally, I hope to bring what I have learned back to the US and teach people about it.  

As part of the leadership seminar, we are required to do a project to connect our community at home with Israel.  I intend to come up with a penpal system between high school students here at the Kfar and high school students in the US.  There will be seminars and discussions for both the Israeli and American students so that they can learn about one another so that understanding can be built about the multicultural Israelis that live here and the Jews that live in America.  The disconnect is unbelievably huge, and it is important that in a world that is so connected, we make this connection to form understanding.  

So, who would YOU call a leader?  Me, Herzl, Begin, my family?  For me, this seminar is helping me realize how to use my intelligence to become a leader as well as how important it is for leadership in this world-without it where would we be?  What could be accomplished?  Leadership does not need to be someone as famous as Herzl or Begin or Rabin, but someone like the person that started Masa or a mother who encourages her child to be everything they can be so that the world is just a little bit more a better place.

Israel and Diaspora Jews

Shalom, Shalom!

Well this past weekend I attended a seminar in Jaffo, the old city of Tel Aviv.  It was called "Israel-Diaspora Relations" and it was put on by Masa.  The seminars that Masa has organized for the participants are really wonderful in my opinion.  People from all the programs that are under Masa come and get together and are able to interact and learn from one another.  This particular seminar, however, was even more special.  It is the first time that they have had a seminar in which 5 seminars are being held at one time.  The separate seminars were for the languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Hebrew.  Many of the parts of the seminar were separated by language, such as when there were speakers or discussions, so that people could understand. When we were all together though, everything was said in each language so that everyone could understand and it was really neat to hear something in Hebrew then English then Spanish then French and then Russian.  The most interesting part was that English speakers were by far the minority in this situation!  However, it opened with a reminder of what had happened the night before, thursday night.  The shooting in the Jerusalem Yeshiva was so shocking and disappointing to me.  To kill young people, at a school that is meant for studying Judaism was just such a slap in the face.  I was a little scared because the situation does appear to be escalating here but I do not feel unsafe.  I know that Masa would pull us out as quickly as possible if they were worried because the bad press would be so detrimental. 

The seminar began with a program at a nature reserve called Neot Kedumin.  There we had groups split up randomly and I was in a group with people from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Russia, France and Chile.  We did a zip line and hiked through the reserve.  It was a beautiful day and I learned a lot from interacted with these people.  For example,  I spoke to a girl from France who was around my age and making aliyah (becoming an Israeli citizen).  She was telling me how she experienced antisemitism regularly in Paris so she and her sister decided to move to Israel.  That was so sad to me, because I live so freely as a Jew in America that it is hard for me to fathom that we are losing touch with the Holocaust or Shoah or whatever you prefer to call it so soon after it occurred.  I know our slogan is "Never Again" and "Remember" but I fear we are not doing enough to make it this way.  

We also had an Israeli song sing along right before Shabbat began on the roof of the hotel.  It was beautiful to see the sun setting over the old city and the ocean and listen to beautiful music while talking to people from all over the world.  Many people did not speak English well but we used what they knew of English and what we knew of Hebrew or Spanish or French to communicate. It was a very special experience.  

Our speaker for the weekend was an American man who made aliyah here, is raising his family here, and is a journalist here for many different news organizations.   His basic message was that nowhere in the Diaspora is safe for Jews and so every Jew should move to Israel, we will develop the Negev and prosper as a nation of Jewish people.  In fact, he told us that the US is not going to be the powerful country we know it to be today in a couple of decades, so American Jews should get out now before they become the scapegoats like history shows us to always be.  Now, I understand why Masa chose him as a speaker to stir up discussion and debate, but give me a break!  It is not going to happen, man!  This is what I told him too, because he was worried about assimilation and annihilation of Judaism in the world and, to be honest, I think it is a valid fear because our numbers are dwindling fast.  However, all Jews making aliyah is not the solution, my friend!  Solutions can include ways to get kids in the Diaspora involved in Judaism if they want, allowing people of different levels of Judaism, whether their mother is Jewish or not, to be active in Jewish organizations and come to Israel without a problem.  If you are not aware, you cannot become an Israeli citizen or come on Birthright or Masa if your mother is not Jewish even if you were raised in a Jewish home.  In fact, I have to extend my visa for being here and we are meeting resistance at the visa office because in order to stay here this long I need to prove that I am Jewish by getting a letter from my Rabbi or presenting my parents Jewish marriage license, the Ketubah.   The reasoning is that they do not want Christian missionaries here, and I understand that but if it deters people from their Judaism, how is it helping us at all?

Most of the people in my discussion agreed with me that this guy was CRAZY but some actually agreed with him and believed it was the right thing to do for all Jews to move to Israel, because it is what G-d wanted and what should be done in the modern world to preserve Judaism.  We are outnumbered hugely by Christians and Muslims and more Jews could only make the nation stronger.  I understood this point, to an extent but there were many times that I just believed I was right.  For example, he asked what Zionism was to our group and some people answered that "to be a Zionist, you must live in Israel" but I do not agree with this at all.  If I live in American and promote and support Israel in my community, as well as encourage people to go to Israel, to live there, am I not a Zionist?  Also, the speaker asked the group about how people vote in elections their home country, whether Israel is their number one priority.  If you know me, you know that I believe that I am neither only American nor only Jewish when I vote, and I must vote as an American Jew, thinking of what is best for American with what is best for Israel as one of the important issues for me.  For many in the room, this was an unusual concept.  Most people in the room said they vote solely on who would be best for Israel.  It was sort of eye-opening for me because although I knew this was common among Jews, I did not know how common it was among young Jews.  

As the speaker sat there and spoke about America losing its power, which I agree will happen but then they will earn it back, I realized how American I actually am.  I believe in what our country provides not only for Jews but for immigrants as a whole.  I know this is certainly a controversial statement but the ability to climb the ladder in the US is much more possible than anywhere in the world.  Also, the country itself is much more politically correct and respectful towards different groups, even if certain people or groups are not.  In Israel, it is acceptable to call a black person a nigger, which is outrageous to me!  The Ethiopians do not really care either, is the strangest part!  With so many Ethiopian Jews here that are struggling to survive here, it is just so disrespectful, but to them it is just another word.  It would not be acceptable in the US.

Another topic discussed a lot at the conference was how Israeli Judaism is so different than Diaspora Judaism.  Here, you are either religious or secular and there is no in between.  Those that are secular practice in a lot of the ways that American Jews do who do not consider themselves observant by driving on Shabbat, not keeping kosher, etc.  However, secular Jews in Israel usually do not even belong to a synagogue!  Also, there are disputes between the religious and secular Jews over political issues.  As a religious state, Israel is not a democracy and the people lack certain freedoms which I love about the country I come from!  There are so many different synagogues, organizations and options for Jews in America.  If you don't like your rabbi, go down the street to another synagogue, maybe that one is right for you.  If your child is not in touch with their Judaism or having trouble making friends, send them to one of five different youth groups in your area.  There are just so many options.  

All in all, it was an enlightening experience which reminded me of my values and my opinions as well as taught me about the Judaism in other countries and how proud I am to be an American Jew!

Family No Matter Where You Are...

Shalom!

Well, being in Israel has been amazing so far, but always difficult.  The cultural differences, expectations that were not met in one way or another and missing everything I know in the US have been pulling me away from my experiences here.  This past week and a half or so I have realized what I have always known about myself: I think too much.

So, I let go of my insecurities and expectations and started to just let myself have fun in every way.  Guess what?  I am MUCH happier.  In realizing that my internship on the Kfar is MY internship and I can do with it as I will, I have had a new perspective.  I work on what I want, when I want and how I want...what a concept!  When am I ever going to have this freedom again?  Certainly not when I am in law school or a lawyer!

But what this blog is really about is what I found when I relaxed and let life happen.  Last weekend I decided to stay in Jerusalem for the weekend after a concert that my group attended.  It was Idon Raichel and it was AMAZING!  After the concert I ended up sticking with one of my roommates on the Kfar, Amy, and going out that night.  Jerusalem has a GREAT nightlife...which is surprising for such a "holy" city!  The next day we wondered around the beautiful new city  before going to the Old City to a hostel to stay.  The hostel we stayed in treats you like you are staying with family and sets you up with local families for Shabbat dinner and lunch who all welcome you like you were their extended family.  It was a very powerful experience and I enjoyed it very much.  For Kabbalat Shabbat (the friday evening service), we davened (prayed) at the Kotel ("the Western Wall") with a group of women who were studying at a local Yeshiva.  Unlike the other times I had gone, this time everyone sang and danced on the women's side and it was a great time!  In the past I have always found the women's side so solemn while the men's side prays loudly and sings and all.  It was so great to be surrounded by other women my age there who were dancing and signing and joyous! 

This week on the Kfar we have been preparing for Purim.  Every group makes a video clip for Purim to the same song that is chosen by the principal of the school.  Our group decided to be a part and make our own as well so making that has been fun.  It is a competition so I will let you know if we win!  We have also been helping make decorations for the dining hall, which they are decorating tonight!  Purim is so so so soon, I am VERY excited!  The Kfar has a party all night long for the kids and staff and it is supposed to be VERY fun!  It is amazing how I am realizing what wonderful place the Kfar is for these children, with each age group like big brothers to the younger and such loving and caring staff to provide a family for the students.  It is like camp, to be honest!  Just another place in Israel where you feel like everyone is family! 

But the most special experience this week of all was meeting my cousin, Tamar Goldfarb, who lives in the SAME town as I do.  She is the granddaughter of my great grandfather's half sister Leah, which makes her my 2nd cousin once removed (I know it is distant, but those who know me know about my "family circle" and how organized my family is...)  I was very nervous to call her but I should not have been because she is SUCH a wonderful woman and was SO happy to meet me.  She told me a story about my great grandfather that was so special.  She told me she settled in Ramat HaSharon because she did her army service on the base in that town.  My great grandfather Sidney came to Israel while she was serving there and she went all the way to Tel Aviv (which was not as easy to do back then) to meet him at his hotel and see him.  She told me that when she met him on that visit he offered to pay for her to move to the US and go to university there.  She turned him down because she was in the army and she had a boyfriend and she loved Israel, she could not think of the US or of university!  So when she finished her story I was just blown away and I told her, "you know that Sidney is my great grandfather, right?" and she said "I thought so...you complete the circle, I have always thought about how he offered me that and I turned it down because everyone was mad at me for that..."  It was a VERY special moment.  

Well, Tami and I went and picked up her granddaughter who is named Eden and beautiful!  Her daughter is pregnant and due any day so it was good to take Eden off her hands.  We played in the park and watched TV and talked at her home, which is literally a ten minutes walk from where I live!  She video-skyped her father so we could see one another.  He was so sweet and when he saw me he said "You are such a beautiful woman, you are in my family?!" which was so cute!  All in all, it just reminded me of what I realized in Jerusalem: this is a country of family.  Everyone invites you to their home whether they have known you for 5 minutes or 50 years.  This visit was very special though, to meet a 2nd cousin who was so kind and welcoming!

Anyway, I want to get outside...it is like 85 degrees right now!