Reflections

January 11, 2015

Sonia M.

Anton, Almog, David S., Ron, Katie, and James on the Salad Trail.

Wow I can’t believe how quickly this trip has progressed and how much we have done…After a very relaxing Shabbat spent at Sde Boker enjoying the much awaited sunshine and gorgeous views, we set off for today’s adventures. The road blockage due to flooding prevented us for going to Masada.  We even got off the bus at one point to watch some heavy flooding. Then we went to the Salad Trail and got to pick and taste some delicious cucumbers, tomatoes, kumquats& lemonquats, and my favorite (drumroll please) strawberries. These strawberries were special because they were hanging rather than planted into the ground—this is a brilliant solution to many issues that come up with harvesting strawberries. We also learned that because strawberries are a very delicate they were originally grown on straw, which is how they got their name! We got lunch in Sderot and then headed to a memorial where we were able to see Gaza in the distance.   There, we talked about the events of the past several years including this past summer’s Operation Protective Edge. Now we are in Jerusalem where we will spend our last days of the trip. I am so impressed with the way Tzach, Becca, and David were able to change our plans when necessary and swiftly find great alternatives. I am looking forward to the days to come and feeling a lot of love for the people in this group and this country.

Becca S.

The border with Gaza as seen from Sderot

After one rainy night in a Bedouin tent, a reflective Shabbat on the edge of a cliff, and about eight too many power outages in our rooms in Sde Boker, we've arrived at the final spot of our journey: Jerusalem. It's hard to imagine what the next few days will be like, because I'm still trying to digest everything we've experienced in the past few days. (That includes all the hummus I've eaten.)
I haven't had enough time to condense this weekend into real thoughts, but some contradicting words come to mind: openness and boundaries, celebration and mourning, hope and impossibility. We spent Shabbat morning looking out at a huge canyon in the Negev, sharing our dreams with each other in a place where everything seemed possible. We spent part of this afternoon looking across a field at the Gaza border, talking about everything that's happened there. Some of the Israelis shared their experiences as soldiers in a time of war. It was hard to stand in such a serene place and imagine so much violence. It was even harder, after spending Shabbat in such a magical and open space, to stand so close to this border and think about how much is closed off--how much stands in the way of peace.
I'm sure my confusion will only grow when we visit Yad Vashem tomorrow. I'll have even more to think about in terms of my Jewish identity, our history in Israel and the world, and how all of us will continue to connect with Israel once we leave. But above that confusion, I'm really excited to spend the next few days in Jerusalem. Maybe we'll even get some well-deserved sunshine.

January 12, 2015

Jenya L.

My name is Jenya and I’m an Israeli soldier that's served in the Israeli Border Patrol for the past two years. I joined this Taglit group 4 days ago. It was a cold day and I didn’t knew what I should expect. I had mixed feelings that messed with my head for the hour ride on the train, I didn’t know if I would like it, if I would get accepted to the group and what should I expect from the Americans on Taglit.

The initial meeting was hard for all of us: we were really nervous to meet each other (the other Israeli soldiers), and on top of that we had to meet the Americans for the first time. It felt like going to a new place, even though I had already been there and Israel is the country I grew up in, but it felt so special, like it was my first time there. So we met, and it was awkward to say the least, but it our first time seeing each other. It’s not that the Americans haven’t met Israelis already – and it wasn’t that we didn’t meet Americans in Israel, it was the bond and commitment to the group that made it special.

Everyone was so different, you have a really big variation between people – it’s not that common with Israelis. They presented our life with a show and threw a great show to everyone's life story, they lied that I like Kangaroos just because I said I wanna go and live in Australia – it was funny to see them try as hard as they can to put up a good show for everyone else.

We traveled in Tel-Aviv for few hours, the tension was really big between the Americans and Israelis. Even though we were should have hanged with Americans we were sticking in groups with the other Israelis, I guess it was because we felt uncomfortable.
When we got to the southern part of Israel a few days later, we couldn’t ride camels because it was raining (I guess camels don’t like rain or they are just too spoiled…) so we were brought to the Bedouin tent and it was really awkward. Me and another Israeli named Ron placed our beds next to each other because we felt out of the group – I guess it was really weird to go and place your sleeping bag next to someone you don’t know. At dinner we met other Americans, so I guess you can say the ice was broken (do you know what’s the weight of a polar bear? Enough to break the ice… haha…) and we started talking to them, slowly but surely we made few friends and met new people.

We went back to the tent during free time and I spent that time to meet new people, I talked to as much people as I can and I saw other Israelis done it too – it was good we were finally starting to feel like we belong.

Everyone was nice to us, treating us like we were one of them, asking lots of questions about our personal life and our service. And how can a conversation be complete without the Israeli-Palestinian conflict talk – it was feeling really good that suddenly new people joined to the circle and people were asking questions and listening from the other side of the room – we felt like it was a serious subject to talk about and the Americans are really interested hearing our opinions and hear our stories.

The night was HORRIBLE – it was cold and I woke up 6 times during the night, tired at the morning we went to Mitzpe Ramon (which is the Ramon crater) and learned about the amazing geographical thing that happened there, most of the tour was dedicated to Ilan Ramon (the first Israeli astronaut) and to be honest there were things that I didn’t knew about Ilan Ramon or the crater.

We finished our trip early due to bad weather and we went to kibutz ‘Sde Boker’ we got our rooms – I was roomed with Todd and Max and they are really great guys.

Friday night was awesome, everyone went to hangout together and to meet each other more personally – I had lots of fun with the Americans and I bet the other Israelis did too – that’s when I felt we really stepped out of the awkward zone and into the friendship zone, everyone was having so much fun!

Saturday wasn’t too special, again bad weather influenced our trip – thankfully our tour guide Tzach found a quick solution and took us to the ‘Salad Road’ which is a farm where you pick fruit on your way and eat them fresh out of the crops, David the counselor from America ate the second hottest paper in the world – it was funny.

On our way driving everyone was really feeling comfortable with everyone – we were talking about so many things even things that had nothing to with Israel or Judaism – just things we found in common with each other.

I’m gonna finish with a note – I met two good friends from the US, we became really close and I actually feel like I met some real friends, I learned so many things about the American culture and American people, hearing other opinions really spread some light on how I see things, I will defiantly go and visit my new friends in the US once I finish my service.   

Mifgash

January 8, 2015

Michael A.


Today we visited the cultural education center at Givat Haviva and heard two lectures. The first was delivered by an Israeli named Schlomo, who gave a history of Israel and the general region. This history lesson incorporated cultural and geographic factors that have led to the current conflicts facing Israel today. The lecture also explained some of the major ethnic groups that exist in Israel and the surrounding regions, including Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, Palestinians living in the West Bank and Palestinians living as refugees in the neighboring Arab countries. After this history lesson, we had the opportunity to hear from an Israeli Arab named Amir who discussed his life as a Palestinian living as a citizen in Israel.
                While many of my peers on this trip saw this as an opportunity to learn about the conflicts in Israel from the “non-Taglit” perspective or “the other side of the story,” I saw it as something else. My family is an odd mix of various ethnic and religious backgrounds. My father is Jewish and descends from Eastern European Jews. My mother’s family includes Maronites (Catholic Lebanese), Italians, and Puerto Ricans. My parents are both secular and have educated me in the cultures and traditions of all the various aspects of our family background. Because of this, I both feel tied to each of the cultures and ethnic groups that make up my family while also feeling unable of identify as only one specific aspect of this varied heritage. In fact, identity is something I am struggling with at this very moment. Although I am participating in a Taglit Birthright trip, my Jewish identity is in flux. I have grown up with elements of Jewish culture. My father lived in Israel for a few years while in college stays up to date with current events in Israel and has educated me on the conflict. I do indeed feel connected to the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. However, I’m not religious and have another half of my family that participates in another diverse set of traditions. Because of this, I have never fit neatly into one category. While I have always loved the privilege to experience other cultures and be aware of them, it does make “fitting in” a difficult task at times. To some of my non-Jewish friends, I’m the most Jewish person they know. To many Jews, I am a member of their community. But to many other Jews and according to some Israeli laws, I am not Jewish at all. Sometimes I’m seen as Arab, other times as Hispanic and other times as simply white American.
                Hearing Amir talk about his experiences and how they differ from those of Palestinians in the West Bank and the surrounding Arab countries made me more aware of just how complicated the current situation is. Even people with the same ethnic background and same history now find themselves in different situations with different goals. The issues this region faces are typically described as the Arab-Israeli conflict. This experience at Givat Haviva made me realize this is a misleading idea. There are also conflicts between Israelis and other Israelis and conflicts between Arabs and Arabs. Although the people of this region share common histories they also have very different experiences and desires. While I cannot say I completely understand what Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank are going through, I can say that I identify with some of the identity crises they face. Perhaps my varied ethnic background does not need to clash with my connections to Judaism and Israel. Identity may be a lifelong process rather than a label. In fact, grappling with these issues may be the very thing that connects me to this turbulent yet amazingly diverse place.

January 8, 2015

David S.
Earlier today, a group of Israeli soldiers joined our Taglit-Birthright group in Tel Aviv. In no time at all, the students and soldiers began separating into small friend circles and striking up conversations about our similar interests. As we explored the back alleys and street shops in the heart of Tel Aviv, the discussions ranged from our favorite reggae bands to the socio-political tensions in the West Bank. I was personally fascinated by how willing the Israelis were to tackle tough questions and explain their feelings about their service in the army. I can’t wait to continue developing our friendships and learning more about the experience of growing up in Israel!

Avi S.
Today we went to the Independent Hall in Tel Aviv, the location where David Ben-Gurion declared state of Israel. The Hall integrated presentations of the background information with the building itself. When we were shown a picture of the original building, the presenter pointed out that part of the room we were sitting in was shown in the picture. After we were taught the background history, we were brought into the large room where the declaration was announced and signed. From there, we were given a play by play description of the event. On the bus afterward, we realized that none of the Israelis had been to the Independence Hall either, which was surprising, considering the iconic symbolism of the hall. On the other hand, most New Yorkers have never visited the Statue of Liberty, either.

Day 2 - Can't Rain on our Parade

This post is comprised of contributions from Allie S., David G., and photos by the one and only Jason.

Haifa

David and a new friend playing with excess dirt in the greenhouse at the high school.

Day two began at a local high school just outside of Haifa, a city on the coast. Haifa is Boston's sister city, and CJP, Boston's Jewish federation, sponsors a program that connects Israeli and American students of all ages. The school was a village within itself, with some students living at the school 5 days a week. Unlike most American high schools, there was an emphasis on teaching skills that the students planned to use in the future, including agriculture, robotics, art and even radio! We were even lucky enough to try a few different types of delicious cheeses that were made from the dairy of cows on the campus! In addition, I was live-interviewed by a few of the students in charge of the radio station. I was impressed with their English and their curiosity about my opinion of Israel. However, I was most interested in hearing about their experience as Israeli teenagers. In the next year or so, all of these 17 year-olds will be enlisted in the IDF (Israeli army). For me, that seems terrifying, but for them, they all seemed excited to finish this current part of their lives and move to the next surrounded by their friends. In a way, this transition seems similar to that of the American teenager attending college, which is a scary time for many. I appreciated hearing about their hopes and dreams and, as cliche as it is, it's amazing how similar the experiences of growing up actually is between cultures.

-Allie S

Tzfat

Yemenite chef in Tzfat, making customers happy.

Afterwards we arrived in the holy city of Tzfat where Judah (correct me), our fabulous bus driver navigated windy roads and narrow alleys to bring us to an old and beautiful Ashkenazi synagogue. Afterwards, we dispersed for a quick lunch of crepes and Yemenite food while meanwhile exploring the city's quaint shops and artists colonies.

-David G

Day 1 - Don't Go Chasin' Waterfalls...

This post is a joint contribution from Todd, Igor, Fred, and James.

Banias

We started the day at Banias, home to what is undoubtedly Israel's best outdoor trails. Despite Mother Nature's best attempts to sweep us off our feet, we managed to brave the slippery stairs and find our way to a beautiful waterfall.

During the interim, Tsach, our fearless tour guide, pinned several of Israel's most prominent sites on Todd, who 'volunteered' for the task. Learning about the geographic and cultural diversity of Israel was both an eye-opening and engaging experience. 

Syria

After a delicious lunch of hummus and falafel from a local Druze restaurant, we took the bus up Mount Bental where we had an overlook of the Syrian and Lebanese border. With the current conflict in Syria right in Israel's backyard, we discussed questions such as when and how to intervene especially when the international borders have historically been so unstable.

Akko

To finish the day we visited Akko, a thousand year old city that was built during the crusades. It served as their home base. We wandered through the old city's small streets and peered out over the Mediterranean Sea during some stormy weather. We learned about Israel's history and the important role it plays in several religions and cultures including Judaism, Christianity, and the Ba'hai Faith.

The wonderful, enthusiastic Harvard-Wesleyan Birthright Team in Akko! We had an awesome first day filled with eating, walking, seeing beautiful scenery and more eating! We're all so excited to get to know each other better and continue our journey through this beautiful country! -Igor Liokumovich