Rewind to a week before break (12/16)......
....All of my section went with their Zionism classes to Zikron Yakov to see some of the developments of the First Aliyah. Following this the advanced class, my class, went to Kibbutz Ein Shemer.
Zikron Yakov was a town started by what is referred to as "The First Aliyah". The First Aliyah was the name given to the first wave of modern immigration to Israel (at the time it was called Palestine). In Zikron Yakov we visited the museum of the First Aliyah. To be honest, I was not that impressed. The information was all there, but it was shown throw a series of cheesy videos about a family who made Aliyah. I would have much rather just read a book. We then walked a few blocks to the Rothschild Synagogue. One of the first modern Synagogues built in Israel. This place has been around for over a hundred years, and every single day they have constantly had ten or more people three times a day for services. An extraordinary feat.
Across the street from the museum was one of the coolest playgrounds I have ever seen. Also happens to be one of the dangerous. I feel like the designer had in mind more fun for the parents than the children.
Kibbutz Ein Shemer was a very insightful trip. The Kibbutz maintains its original grounds from when it was first established to give people a sense of what life used to be like. They also have a museum where old relics and artifacts are held from the days of the first and second Aliyah.
What was perhaps the most eye opening was actually talking to the members of the Kibbutz. It is well known in Israel that Kibbutzim are not nearly what they used to be. I guess before I get into it too far I should explain what a Kibbutz is and why they were started.
A Kibbutz is a communal farming settlement in Israel. The original ideals of Kibbutzim were that they were to be entirely socialist. Each person living there would contribute and in return get what they needed. It did not matter if you were scrubbing dishes or managing funds. Everyone was equal on the Kibbutz. Along with that, everything was shared as well. Clothing, food, and even children. Yes, I just said children were shared. In the early days, most kibbutzim had children's homes. All the children lived together under one large building. Much like a bunk at camp. The older members also lived in a dorm like fashion. Children were raised by members of the Kibbutz, yes they had maternal parents, but every member of the kibbutz was in a way a parent. Kibbutzniks also had a romantic idea of Israel. They believed that working the Land of Zion would restore the Jewish nation. The Kibbutzim of the early twentieth century were responsible for making much of Israel inhabitable and setting up the first military defense systems.
Fast-forward about fifty years.....it’s now the late 90's/early 2000's. Things have changed a lot for the state of Israel, and the Kibbutz. Cities are now much larger and capitalism is the name of the game. Kibbutzim begin to privatize, essentially selling themselves out of their socialist ideas. People living in the Kibbutzim want to live like most other Israelis. Have cars, have their own space, and have their own money. So the kibbutzim had to change. People began to get jobs outside of the Kibbutz. Although the kibbutzim pooled their money, many members had their own bank accounts and cars. Families now lived in houses around the kibbutz instead of dorms. Agriculture was no longer profitable. Kibbutzim had to look to new options. Ein Shemer started an electronics factory. They had to take out a large loan for it, and are currently still working off the debt. It seems to me that within the next fifteen years almost all kibbutzim will simply just be small towns.
The following day we went to Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev started by David Ben-Gurion. I had been there before, so it wasn't too entertaining to me, but that view of always rocks.
Monday 12/22
A siyur with my Arab-Israeli conflict class. (I switched out of Communication and Persuasion; I had heard most of it before.)
We were originally scheduled to go to Sderot, we obviously that didn't happen since just a few days before it was hit by about 80 rockets. Instead we went around Jerusalem and discussed the issues facing the city, both past and present, and the potential outcomes. As we went to different places we talked about events that happened there. It’s crazy to be to visit a site of a place where major history was made. Imagine you are sitting in U.S. history class and you are reading about Paul Revere and the next day you go to the light tower. In Israel, that is exactly what you can do. I will give you one example.
Up the street from my apartment is an outlook over Jerusalem. Just to the right of it is a small area of forest where the UN building currently stands. During the War of Independence the county's forces were stretched thin. Every available person was used. At this specific location a group of chemistry professors from Hebrew University, about 45 in total, held off a unit of 400 Jordanian soldiers. A five minute walk from where I live right now.
At other lookouts we talked our instructor would point out where the city would be divided into East and West Jerusalem if it were to go back to the June 4, 1967 borders. Which many people see happening in the next fifteen years. If this does go through, we lose most of the important places in Jerusalem. Including the entire Old City. That afternoon I was so confused. I can't imagine the city being split like that, but at the same time, I would like to see peace in the land before I die.
(click to enlarge. The fence in the picture is the June 4, 1967 division of the West Bank and Jerusalem)
Winter Break! 12/23-1/3
Mitzpeh Ramon:
A group consisting of David, Sarelle, Ellie, Joe, and I started on a adventure to the Mitzpeh Ramon, a small town in the Negev that sits on Israel's largest crater. We left from David's apartment in Holon bright and early, I mean rainy and cold, to Mitzpeh Ramon. After taking three different buses and falling asleep on each other, we finally made it. As we get off the bus two things happen. First, we see a group of kids our age get off at the same stop. Turns out David knows one of their friends (this kind of thing happens everywhere in Israel) from last summer. At the same time I get a phone call from Yael, the hikes coordinator who helped me plan this trip. The conversation basically boiled down to this: "You cannot go campout in the crater tonight. It is supposed to rain heavily and the hike you planned for tomorrow I cannot permit you to do." So the group of us look at each other. CRAP, WHAT DO WE DO? It was much colder than we expected and sleeping in a tent was not going to be fun. The Israelis we met said, "Hey come with us. There is a hostel right around the corner." Turned out to be a great choice. 100 shekel a person (about $25) for a nice room, shower, and breakfast. We took it without hesitation. We spent the next day and a half hanging out with our new friends. We did a hike, although not as long as I would have liked, it was still fun and the views were breathtaking.
After the hike we had to make a desicion. Camp for the next two days and get the first bus back Saturday night because no buses run on Friday, OR go back that night and find something else to do. We had a couple people not so equipped for the cold. We took the latter option and headed back to Be'er Sheva to catch a bus to Tel Aviv. On the way there I remembered that I had some friends on YC that live in Arad. We called them to see about staying for Shabbat. They said it would be fine, but we had to wait until midnight because that was the time one of them got back. Then we checked the weather. Mighty freaking cold. We got the next the bus to Tel Aviv. While waiting for a bus I saw a group of soldiers coming back from a base. I recognized one of them. It was my friend Shirit's sister Lital. She had just finished her intense training for her unit. It was good to see here. I knew she was here doing a program called Garin Tzabar, but I actually hadn't gotten the chance to see her yet.
My friends and I, tired and beaten from the cold Negev, walked into the central bus station in Tel Aviv and saw a unit of Golani soldiers (Golani is an elite unit and the first ones called to any conflict). I recognized one of them because he was hanging out in my apartment about a week before with a friend's older sibling. His name is Dustin and he was on YC two years ago. Anyways, we were talking to him and he said that they were just waiting for the command to head towards Gaza. They had been waiting for two hours. We wanted to lift their spirits a little bit so we bought the whole unit sufgoniyot and said "Happy Hanukah". Right around that time their commander got a phone call. He hangs up the phone. Our hearts are in our throats. He then yells "Biyta!" meaning: "get the hell out of here and go home!" Within ten seconds those soldiers were on buses going to every part of the country. We said bye to Dustin and wished him good luck. I learned two days ago that Dustin and his unit are now doing operations within Gaza. I think of all of my friends in the army every time I read the news. It's so different than reading about a war with American soldiers. In the states you might know a handful of people in the military and few that are actually involved in fighting. In Israel the situation is much different. Everyone serves in the army, and everyone knows someone that is currently serving.
Since I was in Holon I thought I would take advantage of being back. While everyone was sleeping, I borrowed my David's bus pass and went and visited Nevi Arazim where I worked in the Gan. The kids were really happy to me, as was I to see them.
For lunch we decided to head to a restaurant I had heard about called Subkuch Meliaga (means: "everything is possible" in Hindu.) To make a long story very very short, we got lost because of Google maps. We ended up walking around South Tel Aviv and part of Jaffa until we found it. Turns out we had walked within a block of it at least three times. We felt dumb, but we were all the hungrier. The place is an all you can eat vegetarian Indian restaurant. We got more than our fill. We were sitting on couches, and went into food comas.
The place was very affordable too. 35 shekel (about nine dollars) for all you can eat as long as you can eat. Defiantly going back.
The next day was Shabbat. We spent the day playing card and just lazing around.
That night we had light Hanukah candles at David's apartment. My good friend Noah, his mom found me at Kikar Rabin, was in Israel with my other friends Evan and Emilie for YJ National Board business. Turns out they were staying at Aviel's apartment down the street. I went and got him and he came and hung out. Then I went with all of the Scouts and my friends into Tel Aviv for a little. So people went out, but Noah and I just wanted to hang out. So we came back with Aviel and hung out for a while before crashing.
Sunday, the last night of Hanukah, we had a nice little Hanukah party at Ellie's apartment. Allon came too! It was good to see him because it had been since before Jerusalem. Aviel and Yoni came as well. We made latkes, but they kinda sucked. We couldn’t figure out was going on with them. Anyways, David, Sarelle, and I were head to Jerusalem, so Allon dropped us off at the bus stop on the way to his place and we caught a bus fairly quickly to Jerusalem.
Monday David and I locked ourselves in my apartment and finished out college applications. Felt good to get that done.
Tuesday night Wendy and Ellie came and spent the night so they could catch an early bus to Eilat the next morning. Noah also came once he was done taking care of Presidential business.
Wednesday was New Years Eve. The group of us wanted to do something with our day. I thought it would be a good opportunity to see the village of Abu Gosh. I had been there earlier this year for lunch with Maytal, and her boyfriend Dan, from the Matnas. It was so easy to get to from my apartment. Abu Gosh is an Arab village outside of Jerusalem. It might seem strange to go to an Arab village given the current situation, but Abu Gosh, and villages like it, are very different. The Arabs living in the village are very friendly. They support Israel and have since before the establishment of the state.
Abu Gosh is known for its great hummus, so the group of us went there to get some lunch. Basically, we just got off the bus when we thought it was good, and walked until we found something that smelled good. Turned out to be a great idea, we got amazing hummus. Afterwards we asked the owner of the restaurant for a suggestion of where to get some coffee. He pointed us down the street. That coffee is so much better than I can make Turkish. I will learn how to make it that well sometime.
Hummus Toast!
It’s interesting how food can bring to separate people together. Check out the article title “Coexistence and Hummus”.
Friday I headed back to Bat Yam to help my friend Zach clean his apartment. They had some plumbing repairs done and were left with a mess. We put on some Rage Against the Machine and went to work!
Later that night I went with Noah and Ethan to have Shabbat dinner at Noah’s Parent’s apartment in Tel Aviv. I should probably mention that Noah and Ethan are first cousins, along with my old madricha from summer 2006 named Mara. She came to dinner as well. It was a nice “at home” kind of feel.
OK WOW…that is where I left off…TWO WEEKS AGO! WHY DID I NOT UPDATE?!?
I apologize for the lack of information. I was at my group meeting today with my counselor and he mentioned to everyone about my “awesome blog”. Right now he is giving me crap about how I haven’t posted in over a month. I think I should make a very late New Year’s resolution: update once a week. Shouldn’t be that hard, right? It will force me to not cram everything into a massive post.
