Israel in America

It's been an incredible four months. I've met so many new people, explored all kinds of amazing places, and most importantly -- ate a whole ton of yummy food! However, while nearing the end is hard enough with trying to figure out how to say your "good-byes" to this awesome place (and all the awesome people), it gets a lot harder when I have to think how I'm going to bring Israel to the US with me.

Israel has had a lasting impact on my life. I don't just only want to make Aliyah and live in Israel, I also want to introduce people to this country I talk so highly about. The culture of America is so different compared to Israel. It will be very strange to try to make the shift back to American culture after I get home. Instead of trying to completely go back to the "norm," I can implement some of Israel into my everyday life back in America. This consists of things like reading about the news in Israel every morning, keeping in touch with the people I've met here, and finally, finding some free-time to enjoy some of that tasty falafel.

This may seem like it should be my longest blog ever -- because how can I possibly sum up my whole trip? But to me it doesn't have to. I know what I did on EIE -- and I loved every second of it. What is more important is realizing the impact of Israel. The fact that I am going back to America in two weeks is scary. But the idea that maybe I'll possibly be back in the Promised Land in two years (without a set-in-stone day that I have to leave) just get's more excited about coming home so I can finish high school and finally start doing stuff I actually want to do! Israel makes me happy. That's the sort of impact that I won't ever forget and that makes me want to come back and spend the rest of my life here.

My Thoughts On Late Summer Blues

This has been an incredible past week in Eretz Yisrael. We celebrated the freedom and creation of our Jewish state (Yom HaAtzmaut), and mourned for our losses during the Holocaust (Yom HaZikaron). This week was filled with all kinds of emotions and feelings that are difficult to explain, which is why I really want to focus on the movie that NFTY-EIE watched the other day -- called "Late Summer Blues." The movie is about a group of eighteen year-olds living in Israel and are preparing to join the army. The most interesting part about the movie is the fact that it takes place after the Six-Day War and during the War of Attrition. The young men and women entering the IDF at this time were incredibly nervous and even rebellious regarding the wars. The movie struggles with the different opinions that many teenagers faced before entering the army -- and without a doubt kept my attention the entire time.

I absolutely LOVED this movie. I related to a lot of the characters in the film because they all reflected different feelings that I've had in the past while thinking about moving to Israel and joining the IDF. I mostly related to the character Mossi and Tsvillich (A.K.A Joe). I related to Mossi because during the movie he has trouble with deciding what he wants to do in the IDF. Mossi falls in love with Margo and she tries to get him to join a band that performs for the rest of the IDF soldiers, but Mossi is considered an A-1 (which means he is very healthy and could be a good infantry soldier) so it is hard for him to get out of being an infantry soldier. Mossi eventually gets permission to join the army band, but he feels that he should be serving as an infantry soldier during a time when they really need it. This sort of struggle is something that I often deal with concerning what I want to do in the IDF (if I'm able to join). As for Tsvillich, he is more of a guy who just goes with the flow. He doesn't complain about the required service like his other friends do. For me, it feels like joining the IDF and moving to Israel is a necessity. I don't question why I should do it, I just know that I should. That is why I connect with him in such an interesting way.

"Late Summer Blues" was an awesome movie that I recommend to anyone who is interested in a really cool perspective on joining the IDF that most people will never experience themselves. It is in Hebrew but you can easily find it with English subtitles. Check it out!

Amazing Israeli Women -- Amal Ayoub

Recently, Haaretz (the popular slightly left-wing Israeli news-site) released a very interesting article that focused on sixty-six women from Israel who have all accomplished really challenging goals (not just for women, but for everyone in general). One that really caught my eye was Amal Ayoub -- an Arab-Israeli who has created her own start-up and has become very successful. I've done a good amount of research on start-ups in the past, but hearing about this was unexpected. An Arab succeeding in the Jewish state? Not only that, but she's also a woman (I have nothing wrong with her gender personally, but unfortunately I do recognize how women do not have the same privileges as men in society). All of this makes her story a truly inspiring one -- someone everyone can look up to.

Amal's story also really reminds of a very controversial song titled "American Tune" by Andrew Jackson Jihad (I have to give credit to my good friend Ben Gerber for the recommendation of music). The song is about the remaining social advantages that white, straight, and American men all have above everyone else. It is sad to admit how realistic the song really is. A section of the lyrics go as follow:

"I'm a straight, white male in America/

I've got all the luck I need/

Shit's gonna work out for me"

To me, these lyrics really emphasize why what Amal has done is so awesome. Her title of an Arab-Israeli female living in the Jewish state now has more depth to it.

It is not fun to point out the negatives of the society we live in. However, these are the sorts of things we cannot ignore, or else they will consume and destroy the good things we already have. Listening to this song makes me feel bad about coming back to the states, especially after reading things about people like Amal Ayoub which makes me want to stay in Israel. That's the sort of impact Amal has on me -- pride in Israel. The fact that Israel is a place where a person like Amal can succeed gives me hope. There isn't much more I can say than that.

I seriously recommend checking out the song on YouTube and reading the article on Haaretz!

The Amazing קובי אוז

The other day we went to an amazing private performance by Kobi Oz. It was part of our meeting with the URJ Board and needless to say, it was BODACIOUS. Kobi Oz is an incredibly well known Israeli rock musician that was part of the famous Teapacks until 2008. Since then he has continued and grown as a solo artist for the most part. Kobi's music cannot be defined by one specific kind of genre or theme. Some songs have a much more Tunisian feel to them because of his background from where his family is from. In addition to that, some are very emotional and others are more just silly Israeli fun. Either way, Kobi Oz has a wide variety of great music that appeals to all different kinds of people.

Although specifically, the song that had the biggest impact on me during the concert was "Push the Button." The song was essentially about how Israel does not like when surrounding Arab countries fire missles on the Jews (this is where the pushing buttons idea comes from). The song was really edgy. And when in the end Kobi makes the joke about how Israel will eventually "push the button" back, it caught many people off gaurd.

What I liked so much about the performance was that it was a true taste of Am Yisrael's culture. This kind of dark humor is not as popular in the US and it has become something that I've started to appreciate as the semester goes on. This experience as a whole helps me realize that I am one of the most educated American Reform Jews regarding Israel right now (it's a specific title but it is still important to recognize). These sorts of things I have learned so far will be the stuff I want to bring home and show to everyone when I get home. Am Yisael carries a truly rare and different culture that I don't believe you can experience anywhere else.

"Hemorrhoid" by Etgar Keret

I just read another very moving story by Etgar Keret titled "Hemorrhoid." By the name, you already get a sense of how strange some of his writing is. You are not alone when you think to yourself, "why would someone write a short story about hemorrhoids?!"

Well, in this story, Keret writes about how there is a man who has a very minor hemorrhoid. Yet as time goes on it grows and grows and becomes more difficult to deal with. But the man continues on with his daily life (work, private time, and as Keret simply puts it -- fucking). Eventually, the hemorrhoid becomes bigger than the actual man himself! So then the hemorrhoid has to live his daily life with this annoying little man attatched to his vein.

The way I interpret this story is Keret had created a metaphor for the Jewish people. The Jews are always seen as annoying and a waste of space. Yet slowly over time, we have managed to turn the tables and become the ones on top. This has more significance to me than ever right now considering this is exactly what we're studying about in Jewish History. The formation of the Jewish state is a perfect example of how no one thought anything special about the Jews -- they just wanted to get rid of them -- but then we overcome everything around us and thrive as a people and a nation. I think a little bit of Etgar Keret's Jewish pride shines through in this odd two-page story.

I definitely plan on continuing to read through Keret's "Suddenly, A Knock On The Door." It's already lived up to my expectations and exceeded them greatly!

Etgar Keret -- Insane Creepy Guy? Hilarious Author? Or Both?

The other day my Jewish History teacher lent us a very famous book written by the popular Israeli author Etgar Keret. As part of my credit for the class I decided to choose the option in which I analyze one of his many short stories.

The story I read centered around an Israeli soldier who is stationed at one of the many locations around the borders of Israel. Throughout his service he is constantly harassed by a local Palestinian who calls him "homo" and "faggot." A funny part about this story is how Keret describes the Palestinia through contextual clues. The character consistenly mixes the letters "p" and "b" together. In my opinion, this just made me more pissed off at the Palestinian character because he couldn't pronounce the stupid words right (if you're going to use them, at least make sure you're saying them right). He's instantly portrayed as a nuisance in the audience's eyes. Later on in the story, the soldier realizes that he can't just shoot the Palestinian because they are not on equal playing fields, so it would be unfair to just slaughter his enemy. To put them on the same level, he throws the gun between them. As they both race for the weapon, the soldier brutally beats the Paletinian to death -- another example of Keret's vulgar imagination.

By the end of the story the soldier comes to terms with what he has done -- lost his only friend. It's funny how his enemy was the one person he ever really talked to or interacted with. It shows the depressing lifestyle of a soldier protecting borders and how your morals can be totally flipped upside down and begin to conflict with what you know is right.

I liked this story so much that I decided to get another one of Keret's books titled "Suddenly, A Knock On The Door." I highly recommend you check it out!

Yam-Le-Yam Extravaganza

It’s really hard to pick what I want to talk about when I have so many things to talk about. This past week was Yam-Le-Yam -- the fifty-five mile hike across Israel. We spent five days sleeping in tents throughout the Galil, all while enjoying the great outdoors of the Promised Land.

My favorite part of the trip was definitely all the “me time” I got. I know it sounds silly, but as my fellow EIEers explained, Yam-Le-Yam essentially solidified why our group is here (in Israel). For that reason I was able to part take in a good amount of self-reflection on my trip and what is to come (and how I can make it the best month of EIE as a whole). I finally got to think a great deal about my thoughts on Aliyah and was able to answer questions like:

Do I REALLY want to live in Israel?

What would I do here?

What could I be doing in America?

Those are only a few of the things that ran past my mind as I strained up steep slopes and cruised down curvy cliffs.

In addition to all mental exercise, I also exercised a ton of other aspects of life that I had never really considered. Yam-Le-Yam really emphasized the idea behind being an individual but in the end coming together as a team. So when it came to things such as food, I was responsible for carrying a certain amount of produce (e.i. peppers and tomatoes, a portable stove and pan, or cans of tuna), yet it all came together as an actual meal when we combined our collective resources. It taught me how to prepare my own food individually but also provide for others -- something that is crucial in life anywhere you go, in my opinion.

In the end, Yam-Le-Yam was a blast. Not all of it was easy, but once I finished an uphill climb with a friend of got to finally relax at the tents at the end of a long day, it was all really rewarding. Yam-Le-Yam was an experience I will always remember.