Israel Seminar Blog
Posted on 07/26/2011 @ 11:17 AM
At 8am ten groggy PDIers boarded our bus in Haifa and set off on our journey to the Galilee, namely Zippori. A hot, abusive sun and heated conversations lay ahead as our bus wound its way up the mountains. Today we explored the tension and interplay between our religion, other religions, other cultures and other time periods; we looked at what happens when conflicting narratives come together.
As we got off the bus, we were greeted by Amin, a 76 year old Arab Muslim who was born in the village of Saffuriyeh (in Zippori), was expelled from his village in 1948, watched as the Israeli army destroyed it, and has not been allowed to move back to that area since. Amin was nothing if not opinionated. While his story is clearly a sad one, some of his other opinions proved to be less than palatable to some of the PDIers (for example when he said there cannot be peace with Zionists—Amin drew a distinction between Jews and Zionists, although his definitions were hazy at best). Needless to say, this encounter was interesting and incited some heavy and heated conversation both with him and among our cohort. Amin’s struggle is definitely real but what are Israel’s responsibilities to him? After all, he is a citizen of the country, enjoys freedom, and lives not too far from his original village. It is also important to remember that there are many sides to the stories we hear.
After boarding the bus and continuing our dialogue with each other, we drove several minutes to the Zippori National Park. Here, greeted by olive, carob, and pomegranate trees, we enjoyed an amazing view overlooking this historic area of Israel. As our day and discussion continued, we discussed how in this area in particular, where the Mishnah was written, there was so much interplay between the Roman culture and the Jews. What did the Jews gain from the Roman culture? What did they adopt (besides the obvious—ornate mosaic floor of the Zippori ancient synagogue depicting the Zodiac)? We studied some Mishnah texts to frame our conversation and toured around, seeing the theatre, an amazingly ornate mosaic, and the Zippori synagogue.
On our last stop, we enjoyed a delicious lunch, a dip in the pool, and more conversation at Roberta’s house (Roberta is one of our wonderful educators) in “Modern Zippori.” Here, we were able to reflect on what it means for the Jews to live in such close proximity with the Muslim and Christian Arabs, what responsibilities the State of Israel has to them, what security and social issues are at play, and what are the greater social implications of all of this in Israeli society.
Back at the hotel, we were able to come together for a final class where we studied more Mishnah. This class refreshed the themes of the day and reframed the conversation that we are continuing to have. We ended the day with a free evening where most of us enjoyed some Kosher Chinese food, and were able to see a student rally for lowering rent.
The trip thus far has been an incredibly humbling experience for all of us. I think I speak for everyone when I say that the conversations that we have been having, the people we have been meeting, and the places we have been seeing, have proven to us that the picture is much more complex than any of us had previously imagined. We are all learning, struggling, creating opinions, and becoming better Jews and educators.
Alex Bolotovsky
Message from Bradley Deren (SJR) - CLTC 6
Posted on 07/25/2011 @ 04:40 PM
So a few months ago i heard about a program called CLTC. I didn't really know what it was but all of my friends convinced me to sign up for it. Since the moment I got here I have learned so much. I never thought I could learn so much in so little time. CLTC 6 has been one of the best experiences of my life. The friends I have made and the stories I have heard have changed me forever and I recommend every person in BBYO signing up for it.
Thank you for a great 2 weeks!
Posted on 07/25/2011 @ 03:59 PM
Impact: DC Jam 1
It is hard to believe that the two weeks are already over and Impact: DC 2011 has come to an end. We had such a wonderful group of teens and it was clear that everyone learned a lot and had a ton of fun.
Thanks for a memorable two weeks!
Natalie Sukienik, Program Director
PDI cohort 2 Israel Seminar
Posted on 07/25/2011 @ 01:21 PM
The Arab Israeli conflict is certainly a contentious issue. Today we had the opportunity to expand our own understanding of this conflict through conversation with two Israeli Arabs and one Jewish Israeli living beside an Arab community.
Iman Kadach is an English teacher living in Majd El Krum, an Arab village in the North. Iman discussed how life as a teacher earns her the same Israeli rights as any other teacher although Arab schools seem to receive less state funding and perhaps subsequently students score lower on their state scores. From a political standpoint Iman appreciates the opportunities she has as a woman in Israel but utilizes freely the discounts abroad from being from Palestine. Iman hopes for a day when everyone can live as they wish in a democratic society.
In Dir El-Assad we were treated to a delectable meal from Camla, a caterer and business woman. Camla spoke to us about how as an Arab woman she must cater her food out and that many of her customers are Jewish because in her culture men should be the dominant business owners. Camla is learning the laws of Kashrut in hopes of expanding her business in Israel and in the meantime serving her customers healthy and delicious parve and basari meals.
Our last stop of the day was to Yaad, a Jewish settlement in the Galilee. There Chasiah told us of her surprise to learn that her community was strategically mapped out by the Jewish Agency to surround Arab villages in an effort to halt their growth and serve as a lookout point over their villages. Chasiah and her husband also learned on a walk around their new town that the land had previously been Arab farmland and there was an Arab graveyard on site. Chasiah told us about her morale struggle with this new information but how she galvanized her community to halt their own growth that would have taken them on top of the graveyard. To do this Chasiah worked in conjunction with the Arabs and together they decided not only to halt the Jewish building but to build a fence around the Arab cemetery.
When speaking with these three woman it was evident to me that most important in this conflict, is the ability and willingness to gain new insight and prospective from others. On this sensitive topic we can only move forward if we’re open to the assumption that more than one view point holds validity and that as a whole no one community is innocent or guilty. I appreciated learning from these three women and their openness in sharing their views on the country they call home.
Leeba Morse
Week 2 Comes to a Close
Posted on 07/24/2011 @ 11:00 PM
Bobby, Jill, and Sam at the start of the Morasha/Mesora/BBYO exchange
We started our weekend off with a truly incredible Shabbat experience, including a service by the lake, a traditional Carlebach style experience, and a meditation service that received tremendous reviews. All of our participants were set to have a restful, meaningful Shabbat.
We relaxed through the day on Saturday and closed out our Shabbat with an amazing panel discussion, first with our educators and then our specialist staff and Madrichim. The questions teens were asking were thoughtful and thought-provoking. I was asked about my belief in the world to come, in piercings (turns out my choices come from a fear of needles more than anything else), and what I feel is the most important part of Judaism to pass on to future generations, among other things. Our teens also asked our other staff about Jewish life on campus and about their encounters with Anti-Semitism.
After the panel, we transitioned into a new week with a beautiful Havdallah ceremony out on the field. Participants sat down for a program about mysticism and magic, which looked at some crazy texts from our sages about witches, spells and more. After participants started sharing their views, our coordinators ran into the room shouting things like "expelliarmus" and "imperio" - turns out that we had rented out a whole theater to take participants to a late-night screening of Harry Potter! Surprise! Needless to say, they were pretty excited about it. We're hoping to upload the video of the reaction soon, because it was pretty overwhelming.
After a late start on Sunday (we only got back to camp at 1:15am!), we had a great day of learning and moved in to our evening program, the second exchange with the teens from Camp Morasha and Camp Mesora. We had singing and dancing - of which there are some incredible photos, participants cheered and sang songs together, played some frisbee and basketball and we ended the evening with a lot of promises to keep in touch post-camp. Many participants said this was one of the most meaningful Jewish experiences they've had, and I am just so grateful that we got to be a part of it.
Overall, our weekend was pretty exceptional and we've got a whole week of amazing opportunities lined up as we move into our final days (already?!) of Kallah. We look forward to telling you all about them soon!
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