It’s been over a month since my last update, and with that month I have passed the half way point in both my internship and the program. My days are spent working on articles and exploring Tel aviv and Israel with my friends on the program.
Recently I had the opportunity to attend the Masa global leadership summit, an event put on by the umbrella organization that sponsors all of the programs that support diaspora Jews coming to Israel. It was a week-long conference that taught us more about Israel and improved our leadership skills by encouraging thinking outside the box. It was an enlightening time, but also one that gave me the opportunity to experience more of Jerusalem, a city that I have only spent a little bit of time at.
The program as a whole has also conducted A dialogue seminar and a day trip to Sederot and the area around the Gaza strip. The Dialogue seminar was a day filled with discussions between diaspora Jews and Israelis, which further highlighted the differences between the environments we were raised in and our politics. One particularly impactful discussion dealt with allowing a Gay pride parade in Jerusalem, which the international attendees fully supported, but the Israelis disapproved of, for fear of insulting the Ultra orthodox, even if they weren’t orthodox. It was a stinging reminder that while Israel may be the most liberal part of the Middle east, it still has its own dilemmas to solve as well. This was further highlighted for me with the leadership conference, where I learned more about how the Rabbinate controls marriage for Jews in Israel, making it all but impossible to have a non-orthodox wedding, or to get divorced.
The day trip to Sederot and the area around Gaza was enlightening, however it was once again filled with divisions, as people from both sides of the political spectrum attempted to convince us that their view was the only answer to the problems.
All of these reminds me that I can’t watch the media back home and expect them to fully understand the problems here. Most of the people who live here don’t understand the problems. I can still be offended when some calls Israel an apartheid state or calls for its destruction, but I should recognize that there is some real pain for the Palestinians, some of which has been affected by the Israeli government (this by no means excuses the antisemitism that permeates the attacks and rhetoric, but helps me to understand how they can be so angry. If I am to remain true to my beliefs I can’t see all people as black and white, I need to realize there are shades of gray).
Other than that there is not much new right now. Work is great, and I love what I do, which tells me this trip was the right decision as it helped me accomplish a big goal, figuring out a path for the immediate and near future.
After the Program I plan to do a little bit of traveling, going to Italy with some friends from the program and Switzerland and Sweden to see some cousins I have not seen in close to a decade. The next month is going to be filled with a trip to the south, and more work as the program draws to a close. I’ll continue to update as the year comes to an end and I prep for my journey home.
2 comments for “November and December”