10

The last 2 years I've done this thing called "10Q". Between Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Jewish day of atonement) are the 10 days of awe—10 days where we are meant to reflect on our past year and all that we have done, things we are proud of, things we might want to improve on, and the new year to come. 10Q is a website that sends you 1 question on each of those days. They send the answers into a virtual vault and send them back to you preceding next year's days of awe. I recently received my answers from last year and they really have me thinking about where I am now and where I'm planning to go in this next year. The answers are private, but I thought I'd like to share my answers. I really encourage people to sign up for the 10Q! They never send me spam emails and I think it is important to take a little time (like say, 10 days perhaps?) to reflect on ourselves.  

1

Describe a significant experience that has happened in the past year. How did it affect you? Are you grateful? Relieved? Resentful? Inspired?

Your Answer:

I graduated this past year. Finishing a college degree is a very surreal thing. I'd think "well, here I go. I'm done". But when I actually sat down to think about it, I realized what a great accomplishment getting a degree is. I feel a new sense of confidence and pride ink self for accomplishing something like this.

2.

Is there something that you wish you had done differently this past year? Alternatively, is there something you're especially proud of from this past year?

Your Answer:

I'm glad to say that when I initially think about it, I can think of things I'm very proud of from this last year before I think of the things I wish I had done differently. I think that everything I wish I had done differently are things that I learned to do differently from those experiences. Ultimately I've had a very strong year when it comes to development and success. I'm happy and thankful for that.

3.

Think about a major milestone that happened with your family this past year. How has this affected you?

Your Answer:

My dad retired this past year, which was a really big deal for our family. Although both if my parents share our financial burdens, my day's income was significant. He also was paying for my college and took a big risk by deciding it was time to close his businesses. I think generally it was the best decision. He is a lot happier and our family is adjusting to the changes. My brother and I are really being forced to learn how to support ourselves and my parents are getting to build the next phase of their life.

4.

Describe an event in the world that has impacted you this year. How? Why?

Your Answer:

The escalation last November in the Gaza Strip, resulting in Operation Pillar of Defense in Israel, really solidified a lot of things for me. It pushed me to take on a serious role with my Israel advocacy and showed me that I am really capable of this job. It showed me just how necessary what I do is. And most of all it was the first time I felt a taste of the fear that Israelis experience. I found myself calling my friends, making sure they were ok, praying none of them would be called up for reserves, that rockets wouldn't hit their homes and that they wouldn't be sent in anywhere. Loss of life became a much more real thing, even though I was all the way in America.

5.

Have you had any particularly spiritual experiences this past year? How has this experience affected you? "Spiritual" can be broadly defined to include secular spiritual experiences: artistic, cultural, and so forth.

Your Answer:

I had the privilege of traveling to Israel this summer and visiting the Western Wall was an extremely spiritual experience for me. It hard to explain the feeling, but I felt the divine presence, and the presence of the Jewish people in my entire heart, soul, and body as I touched the stones and prayed. All of my anxieties about my faith seemed to melt away in that moment.

6.

Describe one thing you'd like to achieve by this time next year. Why is this important to you?

Your Answer:

I'd like to be able to speak Hebrew twice as well as I can now. This should be possible if I achieve my goal of getting back to Israel in early 2014 and doing some sort of program with a language learning component.

7.

How would you like to improve yourself and your life next year? Is there a piece of advice or counsel you received in the past year that could guide you?

Your Answer:

I want to try to really find a better way to cope with my depressive episodes. People live with conditions like this, but I want to do more than just get by.

8.

Is there something (a person, a cause, an idea) that you want to investigate more fully in 2014?

Your Answer:

This past year was my first full year of real Israel Advocacy work and training. I want to keep that momentum going this year. I want to be the best Israel Advocate.

9.

What is a fear that you have and how has it limited you? How do you plan on letting it go or overcoming it in the coming year?

Your Answer:

My friends and I are all leaving where we are for new places (again) and I'm afraid to start in a new place with people who don't know about my craziness, my depression and anxiety, or just about me. It is scary to find a new community to be accepted into.

10.

When September 2014 rolls around and you receive your answers to your 10Q questions, how do you think you'll feel? What do you think/hope might be different about your life and where you're at as a result of thinking about and answering these questions?

Your Answer:

I hope that I will be in some place even better than the place I am in now. I don't like to put such concrete measures on myself, so I'm not sure how improved I'd like to be, but I know I hope to be improved. Every year I want to move closer and closer to happiness.

11.

What are your predictions for 2014?

Your Answer:

I'm going to get myself back to Israel very soon and do something productive. I am going to do something that will really fulfill my heart and soul. Israel provides me with so much love, and I feel like I'll find more of that in all forms during my time there.

Vanity Fair

Hello everyone! I've decided to do a little bit of a redesign right now, so forgive me if things get a bit messy! I'll make sure to keep things as readable/functioning as possible during this time.

Terminology

My grandmother recently emailed me a conversation between her and one of her cousins regarding the current situation in Israel and the growing anti-Semetism the world is seeing throughout Europe, Canada, and even the United States. She asked me my opinion which gave me the opportunity to organize what I feel to be some very important thoughts. I decided to share them. 

CNN news segment on Europe's rising anti-semetism

First of all, we should clarify the terms "pro-Israel", "anti-Israel, and "anti-Semitism".

I always like to point out that being "pro-Israel" simply means you support the existence of a Jewish state and homeland for the Jewish people. It does not mean you have any obligation to support every one of it's policies. In fact, because Israel is a democracy it encourages you to be expressive when it comes to your thoughts and feelings about it! How beautiful is that? A second point I would like to make is that being "pro-Israel" does not mean being "anti-Palestinian". You can support Israel's right to exist and at the same time support a healthy livelihood for the Palestinian people and the establishment of their own state. I myself am both strongly "pro-Isreal" and "pro-Palestinian"; I fully support a peaceful two-state solution in which the Jews and Palestinians each have their own states with their citizens taking advantage of full democratic rights. This opinion sometimes puts me at odds with certain Israeli policies in areas such as settlement construction and the power of the Orthodox rabbinate in the government, but it does not make me any less "pro-Israel". The terms "pro-Israel", "pro-Palestinian", and even "pro-peace" are not mutually exclusive.

To be "anti-Israel", or more often referred to as "anti-Zionist", is to deny Jewish people their right to self-determination. This is a right promised to all peoples (Palestinians included) by the UN. If you take a look at your average anti-Israel or anti-zionist activist they are against the State of Israel, either in it's entirety or simply as a Jewish state, but they have no problem with the over 50 Islamic states throughout the world. Furthermore, they protest against what they will call Israel's "human rights violations" when Israel is the only state in the Middle East where populations of Christians, Muslims, and Jews are constantly growing, and there are equal rights for women, gays, and the like. However, they are silent about the ongoing persecution and targeted genocide against Christians throughout the Middle East, the violent civil wars in Syria, Sudan, etc, or a number of other atrocities being committed throughout the world. 

This brings me to "anti-Semitism". "Anti-Semitism" is defined as hostility or prejudice against Jews. If you look at the current protests happening in Europe, Canada, and even the United States, they are dripping with anti-semitism. I'll begin with the protest I went to in Portland as an example (a small window into my personal experience). There I saw signs supporting Hamas - an organization whose literal existence, as outlined multiple times by it's charter, calls for the extermination of the Jews. One very popular sign and chant I saw and heard in Portland, and you are almost guaranteed to see/hear at any of these protests, is "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free". This slogan is speaking of the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, calling for a Palestinian state to replace the currently existing Jewish state of Israel. This directly denies the Jewish right to self-determination while calling for the Palestinian right to self-determination. That is a prejudice against the Jews and that is anti-semitism. 

Aside from any of the double-standards being expressed against Jews, the protests around the world have turned into violent gatherings targeted at synagogues, Jewish businesses and establishments. Who is to say that the Jews in each of those synagogues or businesses is related to Israel in any way? There are plenty of Jewish people (sadly, in my opinion) who do not support the existence of Israel, or Jews who are not happy with Jewish policies regarding the present situation and many others. Targeting them, especially in this violent way, just because they are Jewish is anti-semitism.

Survivors

I'm sitting here about to go into my 2nd shabbat since my return and many have asked me how it feels to be back in the US. Honestly, my body might physically be in the US but my mind and soul are very much still in Israel.

For the last 11 days Israel has been engaged in Operation Protective Edge, a military operation they began due to an escalation in rocket fire coming from Hamas controlled Gaza. In those 11 days over 1,500 rockets have rained down on Israel's citizens and the IDF has called up over 70,000 reserve troops. Yesterday Israel officially launched a ground invasion into Gaza to destroy Hamas' tunnel systems being used to transport weapons.

My stomach churns with nervous feelings and uneasiness for the safety of my friends (really my Israeli family) and the IDF soldiers now deep in battle. My dad calls it "survivor's guilt"—Why is it that I am able to fly away to the US and escape all of the terrors of this war? Well, I've decided that this term in inaccurate for two reasons. 

First, "survivor's guilt" implies that the Israelis are not going to survive, but I know they will. I'm reading the book "Like Dreamers", by Yossi Klein Halevi, about the paratroopers of the 1967 (6 day) war. As was the case in many of Israel's wars, the soldiers went in hoping to merely survive, but instead they conquered. This war, similar to many others in Israel's history, should serve has harbingers of hope. We are strong and even when it looks like we maybe should lose hope, we don't and we survive. It is impossible for me to feel any kind of "survivor's guilt" — all Israelis are survivors, not just me.

Secondly, this concept of "survivor's guilt" also implies that I've escaped. Yes, I am no longer facing the threat of being hit by a rocket. Code red sirens no longer serve as my alarm clock (although my Red Alert app sure goes off a lot). Now I'm confronted with a different type of threat—that of the western media's hypercritical tendencies towards Israel. I read articles comparing Gazan and Israeli death tolls (over 100-1), failing to report the fact that the Israeli government does everything in it's power to keep it's citizen's safe (Iron Dome Defense Missile System that is 90% effective, bomb shelters and safe rooms in every structure) while Hamas publicly encourages it's citizens to stay in harms way and ignore IDF warnings (leaflets dropped, phone calls, text messages, warning shots fired, and door to door notification) to evacuate areas hours before. I see CNN news corespondents calling residents of southern Israel "scum" for sitting and watching bombs go off across the border (not an activity I endorse, but nonetheless) but neglecting to say a word about Hamas' strategy of hiding it's weapons caches and terror operatives in schools, mosques, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, literally using it's citizens as human shields. I watch as the UN, France, and even President Obama tell Israel it has the right to defend itself, but to do more to prevent civilian deaths. What more do you propose Israel does?!

So no, I do not have "survivor's guilt". Instead I feel the pain of battle all the way from America. I do what I can from here by posting the truth about the situation on social media and praying for my fellow Israelis and IDF soldiers, but it is difficult to be so far away from someplace that feels so much a part of you. I suppose it will take time to adjust, but right now all I want is to be back as soon as possible, despite this less than favorable situation. 

If you have questions about Israel's current situation, or Israel in general, please feel free to ask me. I'm always open to discussion; in fact, I encourage it! And please, keep Israel in your thoughts and prayers.

Fear

It seems that everyday I experience something more and more Israeli. I've been thinking for the last week or so about what my last post for this trip would be, however in the last few days things have changed a lot. As if the past 5 months in Israel did not bring me enough perspective, G-d (or Hamas or someone) decided to squeeze in a few more big drops of the stuff.

For those of you who do not follow the Israeli news (most don't, so there is no need to feel guilty if this is you), Israel has come under heavy rocket fire from Hamas in Gaza in the last week, especially the last few days. Read any news outlet you want on the situation: Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Haaretz.

(Times of Israel Live Blog)

Many of my closest friends and family know that the last 5 months have been very hard on me personally. I experienced some of the worst depression of my life, encountered medical challenges, and have been faced with a lot of large, complicated questions about myself, my life, the world, and where I'm going. All of it was difficult and scary. Some of it is still difficult and scary. 

Tonight is my last night in Israel. In light of some recent events I wanted to try to push myself to make the last night fun and special, so I texted 3 of my favorite Israelis and invited them out for some sushi. Just as I was saying my goodbyes to the kids in the family I'm staying with the Code Red siren went off in Tel Aviv (signifying a rocket was headed our way). I immediately picked up the 4 year old boy I was sitting with at the kitchen table and followed his dad, 3 month old baby in hand, to the stairwell. We waited there a few minutes, heard the boom of what we later found out to be the Iron Dome Missile Defense System intercepting the rocket, and went back inside. As soon as we walked in the door our phones lit up with calls and texts. His were from family making sure everyone was ok. Mine were those, plus my friends regretfully canceling our plans. We were not going out tonight. Everyone was staying home with their families and I could not blame them. 

The rest of the night (which I spent in eating pita pizza instead of sushi) I've been thinking about fear. I've felt so scared so many times in the last 5 months for many reasons. I faced the most aggressive depressive episodes of my life. I learned there are so many jobs I don't want to do, but haven't figured out the ones I actually do want to do. I've flip-flopped daily, even hourly, about whether or not I want to live in Israel or America. 

But tonight, literally under rocket fire, I did not feel scared. No. I take that back. I did not feel scared for myself, but rather I felt scared for others. I felt scared for the 4 year old boy I held in my arms. I felt scared for my friends who maybe weren't handling the situation as well. I felt scared for my friends I knew were coming to Tel Aviv to meet me, worried that although the rocket did not hit where I was it might have hit them. I felt scared for the people who live in much closer range to rockets who have to sleep in their bomb shelters for days because the rockets just don't stop. 

5 months sounds like a long time, but it really isn't. I came in with an unrealistic expectation of answering so many questions inside myself. Well, sorry-not-sorry, but after everything this is the small conclusion I've come to: What I am most scared of is anything having to do with me. It is always "How are YOU feeling Amy? What are YOU going to do after college/the rest of YOUR life? Where do YOU want to live?" These questions stop me in my tracks. These fears paralyze me. But when I am scared for others, worried about others, I jump into action. I scoop up the 4 year old boy to take him into the stair well. I text my friend across town in Jaffa to check if she is ok being alone during this time. I call my friend who was supposed to meet me and make sure he has gotten ahold of his boyfriend and made sure he is safe. 

In a few words, when I stop getting stuck in the "me, me, me" I am the best Amy, the one I like the most, the one that makes all the scary feelings and questions melt away. 

I guess now we go from here. Thank you all for your readership over the past 5 months. I'll continue to post while I'm back in the states, because I assure you my Israel journey is still just beginning. 

#BringBackOURBoys

I know I said that on Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut I truly felt like an Israeli, but I was wrong. Last night I went to a rally in Rabin Square for the 3 missing Israeli teens. I had prepared a blog post about it this morning and when I came home this evening to finish it I found out that this afternoon their bodies were discovered.

"Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar, and Eyal Yifrach were kidnapped on the night of June 12 at a hitchhiking post outside the settlement of Alon Shvut in the Etzion Bloc south of Jerusalem...The bodies were found at about 5:30 p.m., bound and partially buried, in an open field in a hard-to-access area known as Wadi Tellem near Halhul. The site is less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) from where the teens had been abducted." — Times of Israel, Hamas will pay, says PM after body of kidnapped teens found 

Yesterday I witnessed tens of thousands, myself and my friend Alex included, gather in this city square to sing and pray together for the safe return of these boys. I watched mothers hold their children, crying at the thought that those boys could be their boys or girls. I watched fellow teens pass out posters and stickers, swaying along to songs and prayers. Who knows how many of them might have known those boys personally. The Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin, and the mothers of the 3 boys addressed the crowd. Their strength in the situation was incredible and I have an idea why. They were able to stay so strong, never losing hope, because they had millions of Israelis and people around the world sending their love, thoughts, and prayers.

Unfortunately things did not go as we had all hoped. These 3 innocent boys were murdered in cold blood. Outside we may feel the blistering heat of the Israeli summer, but inside we feel the chill of this tragic event.

They chose the slogan for the hashtag campaign "Bring Back Our Boys". Last night I truly realized what that meant. They were my boys. These were OUR boys, all of ours. I sent my thoughts and prayers when my boys were missing, and I mourn with everyone knowing my boys have been murdered. We together as an Israeli nation, a Jewish nation, mourned their absence and hoped with all of our hearts for their return. And now we as a nation mourn their deaths, a murderous act of true terror. Sadly my epiphany of feeling like a true Israeli has come with such a tragedy.

More about the rally here (Times of Israel)

More about the kidnappings here (Times of Israel)

More about the Israeli Government's Response thus far (Jerusalem Post)

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Too much has happened since I've last posted for me to give you actual words about them all. So here are a few literal snap shots of what happened. My parent's visited, I toured the West Bank, I turned 23, I took a trip to the Negev, 4-monthers from my program left and I went camping for a night in Canada Park outside of Modiin.

Let The Kids Play

Monday was an interesting day for me. I spent the day witnessing one reality and the evening listening to something else.

Let's start with the evening. Our program's weekly enrichment was a workshop with a woman from a company called Debate. She was there to give us some tools for the challenges we might face when we tell people that we chose to spend time in Israel. As you read in my last post, not everyone is so keen on Israel. There are entire movements (like BDS) opposing Israel's right to even exist. So she was there to tell us about the questions we might be asked and some of the best ways to answer these questions without having our words twisted around. The precision with which one must speak about Israel is utterly ridiculous. Dissenters will take even the most positive of things and turn it into a negative. Although I experienced it for years, the battle of rhetoric and semantics about Israel in the rest of the world never ceases to amaze me.

Now let's go back to my day. I was lucky enough to spend the day volunteering at a Mini Mondial (Mini World Cup - Mondial is what they call it) put on by The Peres Center For Peace. This tournament was part of an ongoing soccer program that brings Israeli and Palestinian children together through sports. The children go to after school soccer trainings in their cities and are taught soccer terminology in each other's languages, sportsmanship, leadership, and team work, and most importantly they are brought together to play soccer with each other. All day I watched these kids have fun just playing together. Of course not everyone got along perfectly, but it was so amazing to see the mixture of Israeli and Palestinian children getting to be what they are – kids.


So here is what is happening in America (and other places around the world): grown adults are yelling in each other's faces because they can't agree on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And here is what is happening in Israel: actual Israeli and Palestinian children are learning about each other in order to create meaningful relationships, which will hopefully lead them to grow up with more understanding of each other.

I realize neither of these situations is the reality everywhere. Not every confrontation about Israel is yelling, heated, or irrational. And in many places in Israel the Jewish and Palestinians are not getting along. I've said it before, I'll say it again, and just about everyone else will also tell you that IT IS COMPLICATED. I just really felt that the juxtaposition of these two experiences in one day gave me some perspective about things. My perspective? There is hope for some kind of peace, somewhere in the future. I saw that in these kids and I hope that we adults can get ourselves together to encourage them to work towards it, or maybe even genuinely work towards it ourselves. 

"BDS...bigotry, dishonesty, and shame" – Benjamin Netanyahu

I've said before that I like to try to keep my blog apolitical, but some recent events have forced me to use my voice in this venue. The BDS – boycotts, divestments, and sanctions – movement against Israel is accumulating a lot of steam on the Portland State Campus. I worked with many amazing students and community leaders for 2 years to squelch it's hideous fire, but alas, it is still trying to burn a hole in out community. And this is why I will continue to support the Portland State Community in any way I can while I am thousands of miles away. Today I'm asking you to help out as well.

  Please sign this petition against BDS at PSU.

The BDS movement is an extremely damaging thing to infect any community, especially a college campus. As a recent alumni of Portland State I can tell you that I have first hand experience with how hypocritical, divisive, and intimidating BDS can be. The movement claims to call for a two-state solution, and yet many of it's leaders refuse to acknowledge Israel's right to exist. They call for the boycott of Israeli institutions, and yet the found of the movement, Omar Barghouti himself, attended Tel Aviv University. While studying at PSU I was constantly facing intimidating and anti-semetic rhetoric from the pro-BDS camp. I had my posters defaced with hateful statements and lies, I had students whom I had never met in my life refuse to speak to me because they were told I was from the pro-Israel group, and I was even asked to leave an open event put on by a student group on campus based on my anti-BDS opinions.

I am now living in Israel and I can tell you first hand that this is the only democracy in the Middle East. Yes, Israel is facing it's issues – both socially and politically – as any country does, but there is no apartheid, there is not a genocide, people of all kinds of religions and nationalities live full and free lives here. In fact, I've spoken to multiple Palestinian-Israelis (those who identify as Palestinian nationally but are citizens of Israel) who would not want to live in a Palestinian state because that would mean living without many of the freedoms they have in Israel. Israel is the only place in the Middle East to treat women, homosexuals, Christians, and many other groups with equal rights and the freedom to be who they are.

Additionally, the way to peace in this situation is not isolation. Isolating Israel with economic and academic boycotts will only bring us further from peace. We need to be encouraging collaborative educational programs, business ventures, and community activities between both sides in order to help us each understand where the other one is coming from and each other's wants, needs, and hopes. Only then will we have even the sliver of a chance to achieve a peaceful two-state solution. 

I urge you to sign this anti-BDS petition. The college campus is probably one of the #1 places where we can educate each other in order to work towards a peaceful future, but BDS kills that opportunity. 

Two Days, One People

The last two days in this country have been an emotional roller coaster. This is not an unusual occurrence in my life, but this time it was for a much different, and special reason. Monday and Tuesday were Yom Hazikaron (יום הזיכרון) and Yom Haatzmaut (יום העצמאות). In Israel they celebrate the Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks back-to-back with Independence Day. This is the most Israeli time of all Israeli times to be in Israel (what a weird sentence). I feel that so much of the Israeli ethos is captured in these two days. 

On Yom Hazikaron eve and morning the city's siren sounds for 2 minutes and the entire country stops whatever they are doing to stand together in a moment of mourning. I stood at the top of Dizengoff fountain and looked down as cars, buses, and people stopped, chills covering my body as the siren ended and we all continued to stand still because we couldn't escape what the sirens were signifying. They were there to facilitate a nation of millions of people to remember the 23,169 Israeli soldiers who have died defending Israel and the 3,728 innocent civilians who were killed in terror attacks. The sadness pours over the entire nation. No one can escape it. 

The day goes by and people do various things. Many visit graves or have memorial services for fallen soldiers in their towns or at their schools. My friends and I went to Jerusalem and I got to visit the Kotel (Western Wall) for the first time since arriving this trip. As soon as I touched the stones the tears began to pour out of my eyes. I don't think I've ever felt the need to pray so greatly and I don't think I've ever prayed so hard.  

At sundown the country makes the switch from a time of great sadness to a time of incredible celebration. When Yom Haatzmaut came I was still in Jerusalem. The streets of Ben Yehuda filled with families. People set up stands on the sides of the streets selling hotdogs, cotton candy, flags, and other patriotic toys and trinkets. Music blasted from every corner of the city. 

From a non-Israeli point of view it might seem odd or difficult to have these two days happen like this, but I've realized why it is the way it is. On memorial day we mourn. We are so deeply saddened for the lives that have been lost in the name of Israel, for the safety of it's people, or taken by those who continue to threaten to destroy us. But then we celebrate. We celebrate that we have an Israel to defend, that those who were lost were not lost in vain. We rejoice that they had something worth fighting for and that we still have this amazing nation, these amazing people, worth fighting for. 

There are days I feel so American here and there are days when I think I feel Israeli. These two days I really felt like I was a part of this place, and I hope that every person gets a chance to feel it for themselves someday. 

Let's Be Free

!חג סמח לכולם
Hag sameach l'culam! or Happy holiday everyone! 

The Passover holiday began last night at sundown and we commemorated it with a Passover Seder, or ritual meal. Traditionally in homes of the Diaspora we say "next year in Jerusalem", meaning that we hope to return to the holy land and be able to practice our Jewish customs in Israel. Well, this year I got that much closer and am celebrating the holiday in Israel! My boss Dori invited me to her family's seder. They are a large Yemenite family who live on a Moshav (small, farm-town, type neighborhood) and so I got to see what the moshav was like and experience a Yemenite Seder. Pictured is a traditional Yemenite Seder Table. Most are used to seeing the seder plate with Matzah (flat, cracker bread for passover), Maror (bitter herbs), Charoset (sweet mixture usually of apples and nuts), Karpas (green vegetable), Zroah (lamb shank bone), and Beitzah (hard-boiled egg). The Yemenite table is similar, but it has raddishes, lettuce, celery, and parsley. They also had roasted lamb meat, instead of just a bone, and the Charoset was blended into a paste with apples, dates, wine, many types of nuts, and some other ingredients.

Even though growing up we never did anything very traditionally I remember that I really loved celebrating Passover. This is for a few particular reasons.

First is the Passover story itself. In a very brief summary, during Passover we retell the Jewish people's journey of being enslaved in Egypt and being freed—it is essentially the story of the Exodus. I love that this holiday is about liberation. It reminds us not only of the liberation we experienced thousands of years ago from Egypt and eventually to the holy land, but it also serves as a yearly reminder for us to liberate ourselves from anything that we might be letting keep us from being happy and living better lives. It also reminds us to look at the world and see where oppression, such as the oppression the Jews faced in Egypt, exists and what we as a human people (not just a Jewish people) are doing about it.

Second is that the holiday, as many Jewish holidays are, is about tradition and passing it down. The reason we go through the Passover Haggadah, retelling the entire story every year is to tell it to the younger generations at the table. Last night I watched the children sit with their parents and read parts of the story. One of the younger boys had a special Haggadah from his kindergarten, and I just thought to myself as I watched him follow along with his father how I too will someday have kids and our family will tell the same story over our own table and create our own traditions and memories.

Lastly, Passover reminds me that the Jewish people are very diverse, which is very important to me as someone who is not a stereotypical Jew. There are so many varieties of Jews around the world, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Yemenite, Ethiopian, American, etc., and each have different passover traditions. It even varies from family to family. The beauty is that every family, every Jew, can have their own traditions and they will still do it with the core value of passing down the stories and traditions to the next generation.

I hope that all who are celebrating have a wonderful holiday filled with sweet company, delicious food, and wonderful memories are made! 

Keep Tel Aviv Weird - Episode 1

As someone who spent the last three years of my life in Portland, a city whose literal slogan is "Keep Portland weird", I've seen some ridiculous things—Donuts with bubblegum and tang powder on them, families with matching multi-colored mohawks, more white-dreadlocks than anywhere else, and the confusion of whether or not someone was wearing an actual Halloween costume or just in their everyday attire. Don't worry world. I have not been missing out on my daily dose of weird.  This is the Jewish state after all. We can assume it has it's fair share of quirkiness.  I see plenty of odd, usually laugh-worthy, things throughout Tel Aviv. I've decided that once a month I'll post a few photos of the funny things I've seen.

So here is "Keep Tel Aviv Weird - Episode 1":

EXTREME hair gel, because we all really need to get an extremem grip. Also, I think we all want to look like this young man on the package. (P.s. I'm fairly positive the brnad name in the top right corner says "kef", which translates to fun in Hebrew)

Macaroni and Cheese in a can...need I say more?

I bought these yogurt cups, not noticing that the witches' brooms were actually whisks because it was whipped yogurt. But can you blame me for being distracted by the witches!? Note that it is not Halloween here. There is no Halloween here...

Not sure why this man is upside down...Perhaps he is just so excited about the cell phone deal being advertised? (Ironically I actually use this cell phone company.)

The only Jewish country needs it's own, custom blend of TicTacs, naturally.

So we might not have Halloween, but we have a holiday called Purim, which was last weekend. One of the customs on Purim is to dress in costume. I spotted these inflatable cowboys on the street one night. Only in Israel will you find cowboys enjoying falafel!!!

And finally we have this guy. I'm not sure what to say about this. But I am glad he is at least wearing a seatbelt. 

Yes, I am alive.

So....yea, I have not posted in quite some time. I've officially been in Israel for around 5 weeks right now and a part of me is in major disbelief at how quickly the time is going. I feel as though I made so many mental lists of things I wanted to do and yet, I don't find myself doing a great deal of them. But here are some snapshots of what I have been doing:

Internship
Today I began my 3rd week working at Marom Philanthropy and Business Group. I've become more clear on what our company does, which is consulting and resource development for non-profits, as well as CSR consulting. WHAT is that?!? Yea, I had no idea at first either, so let me explain in context of my job. I research information about foundations, charities, philanthropists, etc. to see what type of profits and/or programs they give funding (usually in the form of grants) to. The next step is making contact with these people and hopefully submitting grants to them. The other part is CSR, which stands for corporate social responsibility. This essentially is if/how a corporation invests part of it's profits in social endeavors. So far it is pretty interesting. I've been learning a lot about rich Jewish people and different Jewish and Israel non-profits. Everyone in my office is extremely lovely, including my fellow intern Connie (whom I am naming because I can imagine she will reappear at some point in my posts).

The Dead Sea
This past Thursday our program took a group trip to the Dead Sea. Anyone who went on Birthright with me knows that the Dead Sea and I are not good friends. Nonetheless, the trip was pretty fun. We took a brief hike in Ein Gedi, which I am great friends with, and then spent a few hours at the sea. I did go in the water for a couple minutes but spent most of my time soaking up sun on the shore.

Jerusalem
This weekend I went to a Masa Shabbaton seminar on Security and Diplomacy in Israel. It was a bit of a blast from the past to be listening to speakers and participating in group discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, BDS, and other concerns of the state. But I realized something: this is truly my passion. I always am thirsty to be learning new information, to challenge myself to think about everything I'm told regarding the issue, and I believe that I play an important role in educating others. I think that we all have the potential to play this role, but I'll save my speech. I'll keep most of it to myself because I try to avoid politics on this blog, but I came to many realizations about the security situation in Israel, the current peace negotiations that are happening, what I foresee as possible solutions and possible problems for the future, etc. But there is one thing I will say, even though it might seem bold and rash to some: If there is no Israel as a sovereign Jewish state, the destruction of world Jewry is close behind. Israel is not only a physical place to go as Jews if we need to, it is also a symbol of hope that we are strong and we deserve our nation just like anyone else, that we have something that is ours to live, and even die, for. Israel and the Jewish people go hand in hand, we are part of each other, and if one is gone so is the other. 

Go Go Golan

One of many amazing things about my program is that we go on trips around Israel together. Group trips are a fun way to discover Israel because you are with all of your friends, the activities organized are often ones you wouldn't arrange on your own, and you get to have a madrich/madricha (guide) to tell you all kinds of fun facts! Monday and Tuesday my program took a trip the Golan Heights. For those of you unfamiliar, the Golan Heights a northern area of Israel along the Syrian and Lebanese borders. There is a lot of farmland and smaller towns and villages. It might be what you'd call "the country". 

They took us on beautiful hikes through agricultural terraces. From these terraces you can see the hills and orchards of orange, lemon, olive, and almond trees. We also had a little lunch break in Tzfat (צפת), which is a city in the upper Galilee region. In Tzfat you weave your way up and down the slopey, almost alley-like streets, lined with restaurants and shops. 

We also went wine tasting at a kosher winery called Dalton Winery. I've heard legends about the wine coming out of the Golan, so it was great to finally get to taste some of it! I ended up going home with a very lovely Moscato (for those of you who know me, you know this is my favorite!). 

After a night in a hostel on a Kibbutz in Kiryat Shmoneh we headed to explore some more amazing Israeli nature in the Huleh Valley. We went to a bird sanctuary. Did you know that 500 million migrating birds come through the Huleh Valley every year? Yea, that is amazing. A funny man told us how they "ring" the birds, and my new friend Sari held this Kingfischer while it was...playing dead...or something. A moment after this photo was taken they flipped the bird back onto it's front and it fluttered away immediately!

The last thing we did was visit a Circassian village. There we learned about the Cherkess, a people originating from the Caucus Mountains, and whose language and culture predate ancient Greece! One thing they emphasized a lot was the equality of men and women. They showed us examples of their traditional dancing, which is the way men attract women in order to date them. Usually the women dance around in circles, never being led, while the men will try to impress them with their own dancing around them. If a woman smiles then it means she is inviting the man to meet with her later. It was really amazing stuff. 

This trip reminded me of so many reasons why I love Israel. It is full of so many exciting and wonderful things, all in approx. 8,000 square miles! In that small area are geographical wonders, ancient ruins, numerous ethnicities and cultures, and so much more! I doubt I'll be getting bored anytime soon. 

"Started in America, Now We Here" – Drake

O hey guys! I'm in Israel now! Thought you ought to know. I left the US on Jan 30 and arrived on Friday the 31st just in time for Shabbat. My program officially began that Monday. So far we've been doing a lot of orientation sessions and bonding things. We begin Ulpan (intensive Hebrew lessons) tomorrow. There are so many interesting people on my program from all over the world! It is very cool. I live in a building right by the Namal, which is the Tel Aviv port. I have a beautiful view of the sea and there are fun little shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars all around the area. It promises to be an exciting time.

Before I embarked on my previous trip to the Holy Land I gave myself 3 challenges. However these past week in Israel has brought me into a different mindset. This time I am going to pose some important questions that I hope to/think I will answer (or at least explore) by the end of my program.

1) Will I stay or will I go? Some of you may or may not know this but I have a one-way ticket. I obviously love Israel and enjoy my time here very much. My interests and career desires make it so working in Israel is a huge possibility. Of course I've been goriwing Jewishly so much in the last few years and being here helps with that a lot. I feel a very strong connection to this place. I also feel a very strong connection to America and love it with all my heart. My whole life (literally) is in America. However, I honestly have little-to-no idea about if I want to move here for the rest of my life or not. My hope is that during this program (and possibly the few months afterwards) I will have a decision. Do I want to come back to America? If so, what will I be doing there? Do I want to stay here? Is the best fit for my desired life here, or somewhere else? It is hard to tell at this moment if I'll be able to answer this question by the end of the next 5 months, but I'm sure going to try.

2) What are my new priorities? As your life progresses and changes so too do your priorities. Before my priorities were finish school, try to have fun as possible with my college friends, save money for after college, etc. Now I'm in a new place in life. I'm out of college and am moving towards something new. What exactly that is, I have no idea, but through discovering what will now be my priorities I will be able to make a more fitting decision for my future.

3) What is my place in the world? I feel that the past 22 years of my life have been mostly a dictated path to some degree. When we are kids we go to primary school, then secondary and then high school. During this time we are generally under the control of our parents. We live where they make our home and we exist in a very symbiotic way. It's not like we don't have free will or freely developing personalities, but we aren't in a 100% independent environment or mindset. Now things are different. I am an adult who will decide what I want to be contributing to the world and what I want to be getting out of it. Who am I going to be for others? And what do I seek from them? And of course this all goes back to where will I exist in order to fulfill these things.

Here are a few photos from the past few days. I promise to start taking more and posting things with more substance once I get settled and begin work!

Countdown to Takeoff!

Considering I'll be in Israel in just 22 (ooh oooh...T Swift reference anyone?) days, I figured a small update might be in order. A few things about my life right now (mostly pertaining to Israel):

1) I've been living in my childhood room for almost a month now. It is surreal how it takes some getting used to but can be such comfortable place all at once. I had to put my linens from my apartment in Portland on the bed to get a good nights sleep, but it definitely is not for lack of eating! It is pretty nice to have a guaranteed fridge full of food that you did not pay for. My parents are also both retired so I tag along with them to a lot of places. It's like we are all retired!

2) Some of my friends from high school are home/have been visiting for the holidays. It is pretty fun for us to do "adult" things together. Wine club anyone? (PSA: Please drink responsibly.) We run into people we graduated with everywhere and it is both nerve-wracking and awesome to see them after so long. I love hearing where they are now.

3) After an interesting, new, transatlantic interview experience, I've officially secured my internship placement! I'll be interning with an Israeli company in central Tel Aviv called Marom Philanthropy and Business Group. I'm extremely excited to get there and get started! From what I can tell they are wonderful people helping wonderful companies/organizations engage in wonderful social endeavors!

4) I'm visiting Portland one more time before I head across the ocean. I booked flights on a kind of impulsive, emotional moment. I've been finding out more and more how difficult it is to leave. I miss my PDXers way too much. I left during the stressful whirlwind of finals and me moving, so now we have a chance for some carefree fun. Look out City of Roses!

5) I'm still looking for as much funding to help subsidize my trips expenses. Sadly, I'm not supposed to work in Israel while I have my internship (darn those VISA laws!). Luckily my two language gurus, Christy and Claire, were here to help me perfectly craft my submission for a scholarship. Let's keep those fingers crossed!

Next time I update will probably be right before I leave! Hang in there folks. I am!