 |
| Carmel Market in Tel Aviv |
 |
| Amazing hummus at Abu Hassan in Jaffa |
 |
| Jaffa Port |
 |
| Dizengoff Square |
 |
| The Kotel on Simchat Torah |
 |
| Outside the Old City of Jerusalem |
I recently returned from an exhilarating
weekend trip to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with other Yahel participants in Lod and
Rishon. While I had a lot of fun immersing myself in these extraordinary cities,
going to one after the other also made me focus on their drastic differences. I
have always known and heard about the contrasting natures of these two cities,
but this time I was able to see the differences much more clearly. These
differences were brought further to fruition this week after the devastating terrorist
attacks in Jerusalem's Old City, which had a major impact on my group's plans.
To me, this past weekend brought brand new
meaning to the word complexity. As one who spent his entire college years
studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I am very aware of the complex
nature of the conflict. After living in Jerusalem for a semester, I am
especially aware of Jerusalem's unpredictability and the risks that arise when
going to such a contentious city. After all my years of studying about and
traveling to Israel, I thought my response to this situation was a clear one:
to go to Jerusalem despite the terrorism. I knew this would be a risky move, and
one that would involve many precautions in order to ensure my safety. However,
after living in Jerusalem and hearing about the increased security presence
there for the holiday, I was confident that I would be safe if I avoided
certain areas that have been historically prone to tension. Jerusalem is one of
my favorite cities in the world, and I knew my heart would have been filled
with so much sorrow and regret if I decided not to be there to celebrate
Simchat Torah as I planned.
What made this decision complex was taking
what others had to say into consideration. First, I thought about what my
program recommended I should do. While I was in Tel Aviv, I received messages
from my advisors and counselors saying I should be very cautious should I
choose to go. My program gave me much independence in this regard, but it was
also clear that they would rather I skip the Jerusalem leg of the trip and not
put myself in harm's way. Second, I looked at the news, seeing what reports on
the ground had to say about the situation. Perusing articles from many sources,
I got very contradictory information. Some sources were describing the horrific
and dangerous scene in Jerusalem, while others were reporting about measures
being taken to strengthen security for the holiday celebration. This turned out
to provide very little assistance, and I decided to turn to other means to make
my final decision.
The issue that mattered most to me was what
the rest of my group was thinking. From the get go, both the Lod and Rishon
groups were very torn about what to do. This is partly because many of my
fellow Yahelniks have not been to Israel many times before, and were anxious
about the possibility of traveling to a city where sparks could easily fly at
any second. In the end, many of my group members, including all the Rishon
representatives who were with us, decided it was best not to go to Jerusalem. I
respected their decision and their desire to stay safe. I also knew that part of the
value of this trip would be the community aspect of the celebration, especially
since these people have truly become family to me.
After the majority of our group decided not to
go, I and four others were very on the fence. We truly wanted to experience
what we knew would be a holiday celebration to remember, but at the same time
we also knew it would be bittersweet to celebrate without our new family
members as we planned. In the end, the five of us decided as a group that it
would be best to go to Jerusalem for the holiday. This was a very hard decision
to make with so many unpredictable pieces involved, but we realized how special
this celebration would be and were willing to take the necessary precautions to
enjoy Jerusalem in a safe manner.
One lesson this experience taught me is safety
and security can be viewed in a variety of ways, especially in Israel. It
amazes me how one just needs to travel the half-hour car ride from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem to look at important issues through entirely new lenses. In Tel Aviv,
the most I was concerned about safety was when I was guarding my possessions at
the beach and trying to stay alert when walking around the city center late at
night. In Jerusalem, I had no choice but to be concerned about safety, since I
was walking near streets that days before had been the epicenter of mass
terror. In Tel Aviv, I was able to enjoy
a relaxing couple of days sitting on the beach and witnessing many of the compelling
sites, restaurants, and bars. In Jerusalem, while I was able to meaningfully
celebrate the holiday through prayer at the Kotel and delicious meals with host
families, it was impossible to escape the tension in the air from the recent
events and specifically the notion held stubbornly by many that Arabs will
continue to heartlessly kill innocent Jews. During my conversations with many
people I met in the Old City, the idea of any effort to make peace with the
Palestinians seemed like a naive dream that should be kept in fairytale books. At
this time, it seemed that the world was divided between Jews and Arabs, and any
membership of one group required hatred of the other.
Another lesson that I took note of is how
powerful the emotional bond is with family and friends. When you are near a
situation in which your life may be at risk, you for sure know who has your
back, and who is there to give you support when you really need it. Throughout
the weekend, I received multiple messages from family and friends asking me if
my trip to Jerusalem was still on and telling me to stay safe. When hearing
these thoughts, I felt really appreciative of all the love and care I have in my
life. I learned that though you may
disagree with people some of the time or not talk to them much, if they really
care about you they will be there for you when it counts, and that is truly a
sign of having love in your life. I want to thank all of you who sent me
messages and continue to give me your love and support.
In the end, I'm proud that I went to Jerusalem
for Simchat Torah, and I'm proud of all the work I will be doing soon in Lod to
promote a peaceful and stable society in Israel. Hopefully one day, through
efforts such as mine designed to affect coexistence between Jews and Arabs, terrorism
and violence in Israel will just be in the history books and never incorporated
into the lives of innocent civilians. The principal of the Arab high school I
visited today said something I found very wise. She said that children who
throw stones don't have hope and know nothing but fear, and these children can
only be cured through education. I truly hope that my work in Lod can help
provide Arab and Jewish children the education they need to know that conflict
is not the solution, and it is possible and necessary for both sides to coexist
peacefully.
No comments:
Post a Comment