tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32396117489529760512024-03-05T13:49:49.981-08:00Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-JaffaTake a peak into our participants' experiences!Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114767115617954729noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-90668142125440827972017-01-30T05:54:00.000-08:002017-08-23T06:12:16.132-07:00My Experience in Israel by Kupakwashe Yedidah Marazani My Experience in Israel<br />
By Kupakwashe Yedidah Marazani<br />
from Harare Lemba Synagogue Newsletter (Zimbabwe)<br />
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My participation in Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv Jaffa left me with a lot of experience in the
humanitarian field. Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv Jaffa is a Jewish pluralist organisation that works
with young Jewish people from around the globe. It engages them to work to contribute their
skills to poor neighbourhoods of Tel Aviv particularly South Tel Aviv. Tikkun Olam works with a
lot of organizations in Tel Aviv such as Messila, Yalla Africa, Windows, Kadima Youth Centers,
Bialik School to mention but a few. I worked with Yalla Africa as my internship. Yalla Africa is a
social network movement that helps young people from Africa to express themselves through
media as it advocates for peace, innovation, new projects and ideas through the use of
facebook, blog, and twitter. Part of my work was to find opportunities for young African people
by getting links on websites like Ofa (Opportunitis for Africa) to help young people who
finished high school, college and universities in various fields to advance their education
through funded programs. I then posted links on the Yalla Africa facebook page. The internship
helped me to develop confidence to work in an office environment and to research what to
post on our networks by following the Yalla Africa weekly media strategy plan framework, for
example macro agriculture, Africa is beautiful, motivational quotes, positive mindset,
environmental issues like pollution, land degradation, water and land degradation and to
research about solutions to these problems.<br />
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I also had two volunteering places, one of them being the potter day care for the elderly people
that I attended every Monday and Wednesday mornings till the afternoons. My duties were to
help the kitchen staff to help setting up tables for lunch, teaching elderly people computers,
English, helping decorate the home for the holidays like Independence and Passover and I
worked to help with anything general that needed to be done at the home. Elderly people
really needed young people around them to tell them their life stories and in some cases they
just need company of people around them. My time at the elderly people’s day care centre
made me to improve my spoken Hebrew as most of them spoke Hebrew. My second voluntary
place was The Kadima after school program for young children from poor neighbourhoods of
South Tel Aviv. I worked with Kadima to help children from disadvantaged families to stop
dropping out of schools and to become part of a normative society and not to fall into its
dangerous margins. I taught English and math to young children for their after school program
and I planned lessons that were taught in a fun way suitable for an after school program. I
helped them with their homework for math and English. My Hebrew also improved during my
time at Kadima and I gained experienced to work with young children.<br />
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I learned a lot by interning and volunteering through Tikkun Olam, by getting immersed into the
Israeli society I got to know about the Israeli culture. By working with people from different
backgrounds, this boosted my confidence and exchange of Ideas. I learnt about the rich history
of Israel and I met very meaningful friends in my program and by working with my supervisors I
developed skills like presentations, workshops, social networking, writing skills, and research. I
also discovered that it is possible for young Africans to participate in Tikkun Olam in the near
future.<br />
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I would like to thank the Kulanu Board for supporting me with airfare and partial living expenses
the airfare, and to thank the MASA program and Tikkun Olam program for my program tuition
and additional expenses. I’m very grateful for your support and I am very hopeful to see Jewish
young people from isolated communities taking an initiative to participate in Tikkun Olam in the
near future. Such an internship and volunteering opens doors for job markets by improving
their resume and experience. It also improves spoken and written Hebrew by taking Ulpun
classes and understanding the Jewish peoplehood, culture, and religion through taking twice a
week seminars. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-81967717640493786232016-12-04T06:05:00.001-08:002016-12-04T06:05:31.181-08:00Participant Spotlight: Daniel Egea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dUdVQlXNWwY/WEQgPGknzKI/AAAAAAAAAAM/DEIJ1cBoVvczN5PTU_8eZtDec-mJ-aVeACLcB/s1600/danielegea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dUdVQlXNWwY/WEQgPGknzKI/AAAAAAAAAAM/DEIJ1cBoVvczN5PTU_8eZtDec-mJ-aVeACLcB/s320/danielegea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Daniel was born in Brazil and grew up in a small town called Sao Caetano do Sul near São Paulo, where he lives with his sister and mother. Daniel has always been Jewish, but this identity did not become important to him until the age of 15 after he studied his family’s genealogy. As he learned more and more, he realized Judaism was a central value of his ancestors. Compelled to feel more connected to his roots and his family’s religion Daniel began to go to the small shul (synnagogue) in his community and has been an active member ever since. <br /><br />A few months ago, he decided to leave Brazil for the first time to spend a year of his life in Israel, volunteering and learning about Judaism with Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.<br /><br />Until he arrived to Ben Gurion Airport, Daniel had had hardly any connection to global Judaism. However, since the moment his feet touched ground in Israel, with the chagim (holidays), the ruach (energy), and his desire to understand this country, its history and its society, he found what he had lacked all these years: a sense of belonging to the Am Israel.<br /><br />Daniel left his job as an accountant to volunteer in Israel in two different Elderly homes, where he helps with lunches and shares his passion for Brazilian music and dance by teaching classes to residents.<br /><br />For Daniel, being in the Holy Land is a dream. His eyes are alive with the joy of learning and his heart is overflowing with love for Torah and the Jewish people. His fellow participant have said “Daniel is the heart of our group, he brings love and smiles to us all.”<br /><br />This Thursday, Daniel becomes a Bar Mitzvah!! He did not get the chance to when he was 13, and this year as he is turns 31 (the opposite of 13), Tikkun Olam participants and staff will gather at Daniels Center to celebrate as he commits his adult life to Jewish values.<div>
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Mazal Tov, Daniel! We are so happy to have you on Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-48957606237805460152016-11-30T04:44:00.000-08:002016-11-30T04:48:34.706-08:00Participant Spotlight: Erin West<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRL7ux3w949tlyxpcghM2VQY4EJTK_-saiu2XvP5bOF_WyPjBjpiRYZXh0-xf_SxAcV-TMXwbCwWezzx3ZF7ZTqR-P5EGwNCQuUxpX2EAF0SZbdNKJ_qeYIH6B2XluagIOtgJd29XwkEp/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2016-11-22+at+16.20.08.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRL7ux3w949tlyxpcghM2VQY4EJTK_-saiu2XvP5bOF_WyPjBjpiRYZXh0-xf_SxAcV-TMXwbCwWezzx3ZF7ZTqR-P5EGwNCQuUxpX2EAF0SZbdNKJ_qeYIH6B2XluagIOtgJd29XwkEp/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2016-11-22+at+16.20.08.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Hey y’all, I’m Erin West from the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. I vacillate wildly between being a granola hippie and a medium-maintenance millennial, often both at the same time. I do, however, maintain an unwavering love for dogs (with mine at the top of that list) and a personal mission to have even the tiniest positive effect on the world around me. <br />
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I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in May 2016 and here in Israel I am volunteering with Holland Center for children with special needs, Porter Elderly Center, and the Clinic for Asylum Seekers. The volunteer opportunities at Tikkun Olam vary widely across the non-profit sphere. As such I was able to select placements that fulfill me personally, gain experience in my desired field, and to give my time and energy in a way that benefits the communities I am serving. <br />
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I found Tikkun Olam through BINA’s Taglit (Birthright) extension program, where I was able to volunteer with Tel Aviv’s asylum-seeking community. I wanted to engage with the people of Israel and learn about the complexities of society and politics. In general, to learn about Israel beyond the rose-colored glasses of Birthright or the fear-mongering of American media. After the brief volunteer and educational program I participated in, I realized BINA was the kind of organization that asks and listens in order to provide a service which is actually needed. After establishing that and finding Tikkun Olam, it was just figuring out the details! Now, after 2.5 months, I know I made the right decision.kalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637524341938569486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-74784945836732900272016-10-06T07:10:00.000-07:002016-11-22T07:13:55.195-08:00Participant Spotlight: Rachel Fried<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5s2V1s5mQVIpqK7Qqrq2hbAXlLeRaXAa5eYCTNg38iT00FuGFys3UTCxKB93rwnhEssOZmWOS2aC-DC8lupWcH7P_kmdXhN-JrUuRNXlvnSbTUsNkrQMe4_Ep6gKo08fvwZxdjthJ6123/s1600/14601074_10154544103941250_7606908118903210866_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5s2V1s5mQVIpqK7Qqrq2hbAXlLeRaXAa5eYCTNg38iT00FuGFys3UTCxKB93rwnhEssOZmWOS2aC-DC8lupWcH7P_kmdXhN-JrUuRNXlvnSbTUsNkrQMe4_Ep6gKo08fvwZxdjthJ6123/s320/14601074_10154544103941250_7606908118903210866_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">My name is Rachel Fried. I am a tree-hugging vegetarian from Fredericksburg, VA. I have a Masters in Health Administration from Tulane University. I chose the Tikkun Olam in Tel-Aviv-Jaffa program to make the best use of my degree and further my career, while deepening my connection to <i>tikkun olam</i> and Israel. I am interning at </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=631134086975969" href="https://www.facebook.com/public.clinictlv/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;">Public Clinic Terem TLV</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, located in the Tel-Aviv Central Bus Station, which provides non emergency healthcare to those </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">outside the national healthcare system, mainly asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan. I am also volunteering at an after school program for at-risk children in South Tel Aviv - <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=150749578362934" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bialik-Rogozin-School-For-Immigrant-Children/150749578362934" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Bialik Rogozin School For Immigrant Children</a>. Tikkun Olam in Tel-Aviv Jaffa believes it is important to volunteer in the communities where we live, so once a week my roommates I and are volunteering with Nofim School in Kiryat Shalom, where we will be teaching English through theater and drama games. Over the next 10 months, I am looking forward to learning Hebrew, exploring Israeli culture, and traveling around this beautiful country. I can already tell this will be a year of immense personal and professional growth for me.</span>kalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637524341938569486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-4640049655593098252016-03-30T00:37:00.000-07:002016-05-09T17:06:39.035-07:00Green Lines and Grey Areas <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Shachar May, 22 years old, raised in New Jersey, is a current participant on Tikkun Olam's spring semester coexistence track. Shachar is spending her time on the program volunteering at Gesher Clinic, a psychiatric clinic for asylum seekers and other persons without status in Israel, Porter Center Elderly day center, where she is leading an art class, and Etty Hillelsum Israeli Youth Theater. </i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.tikkunolamisrael.org/shachar-may-spring-2016" target="_blank">Click here to read the full blog.</a></i></div>
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“Liminal” is a favorite word of mine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming from the Latin “limen,” meaning
“threshold”, the word originated to describe a person’s state while they are in
the midst of a transformative ritual – the in-between state where they are
neither here nor there. These days, it’s an esoteric term used in anthropology
and gender studies to describe people who are “betwixt and between” – people
who have fallen through the cracks of society and are neither insiders nor
outsiders. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As a half-Israeli, half-American, the best word I have for
my identity is “liminal”. Growing up, we visited my mother’s family in Israel
every year. I half understood the language. I was half familiar with the culture.
Coming to Shabbat dinner with my entire extended family feels half like a
tourist visit and half like a homecoming. In the States, I introduced myself
with my last name, “May”, for almost 5 years to avoid having to explain the
pronunciation of my first name. In the social-justice oriented circles I lived
and worked in, pro-Israeli stances were unpopular. I resented the time I had
spent in Jewish day school because I felt that I had only received biased
information. I saw that my upbringing was secluded and lacked diversity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I often fielded questions about Israeli conflict and culture
from non-Jewish friends, and my answers were always ambivalent. I lived with a
dual identity in a double-reality. I didn’t know how I felt. I felt that being
Israeli was incredibly important to me, but the more I read about the political
realities the less I agreed with my country’s actions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.tikkunolamisrael.org/shachar-may-spring-2016" target="_blank">Click here to read the rest of Shachar's blog</a> on the <a href="http://www.tikkunolamisrael.org/" target="_blank">Tikkun Olam website</a>.</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-61032917324747725482016-03-19T12:39:00.003-07:002016-03-19T12:39:54.804-07:00Home Is Where The Heart Is <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2raP1Kwz4h1owgvfrhT0WhOoM6LgQdqjJLAFqXnWYoz4YHTAM2qUXltOBhRtIRN7fbWjfntjxx1R24VoKulodOSAc7hB4qmLK5Ue5lcCuy5JGDmnlz0x021Qa2knG1OWqJyO_e2Bsi8/s1600/tom.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2raP1Kwz4h1owgvfrhT0WhOoM6LgQdqjJLAFqXnWYoz4YHTAM2qUXltOBhRtIRN7fbWjfntjxx1R24VoKulodOSAc7hB4qmLK5Ue5lcCuy5JGDmnlz0x021Qa2knG1OWqJyO_e2Bsi8/s320/tom.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Tom Albert, age 25, born in Israel and raised in California, is a current 10-month participant on Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. During her time on the program Tom is interning at Latet, Israeli Humanitarian Aid Organization, providing assistance to population groups in distress. </i></div>
<br />
Never in a million
years did I think I'd end up living in Israel again. I mean, I was born here,
and all my extended family still lives here, but I grew up and was raised in
the states.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, I'd visit every summer
and enjoy my time here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day would
be so packed- breakfast with one family, lunch with the cousins, and dinner at
grandparents. Lather, rinse, repeat until the month was over and we'd fly back <i>home.
</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
Home. It's such a
complicated word for me. I remember when it was time to leave Israel to fly
back to California, our families would take us to the old airport, before the
Ben Gurion Airport was built, and they'd stay with us as we checked in. In that
old airport, the check in counters where on the bottom floor, and to get to
security, passengers would need to go upstairs. I remember riding that
escalator up, crying as I waved goodbye to my Israeli family. I grew to intensely
dislike that escalator, and dreaded it every time we left Israel. We were
leaving one home to go to another. I hated leaving but I loved coming back. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
Over the years I
had come to terms with the fact that my family life was different than most. My
friends got to visit their grandparents on the weekends and were best friends
with their cousins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw my
grandparents once a year, and as I grew older, knew less and less about the
lives of my cousins. Despite this, I still had such a strong connection to my
Israeli family. But I accepted the fact that I would carry out my life across
the world from them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
That is, until my
parents decided to move back to Israel. After 18 years in the states, they
decided it was time to return <i>home</i>, to be close to the ones they love.
This move was very difficult for me and I knew that it would change a lot. I was
still in graduate school, and did not see Israel as a destination spot in my
future. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
However, sometimes
life has a tendency to surprise you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
first time I visited my family's new <i>home, </i>in Israel, after 5 months of
not seeing my parents or brothers, I felt a connection to Israel that I hadn't
in all the years past that I visited. It didn't feel like a visit anymore, it
felt like this was where I belonged. Immediately after my visit I decided to
look into different programs and options that would get me to Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to discover if I could actually see
myself living in Israel for…ever? I couldn't wait to explore this country, one
that I had always called home yet also always felt like a foreigner. I couldn't
wait to live near my family again and be able to spend Shabbat dinner with
grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
It has been 8
months since I moved to Israel. During this time I made Israeli friends, danced
at Israeli clubs, visited my grandparents on the weekend, met my new baby
cousin, and (re)connected with my Jewish identity. Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa gave me the structure I needed, and introduced to my life new best friends from
all over the world. Living in Israel has given me the opportunity to spend time
with my family, be there when my middle brother got drafted to the Air Force,
watch the Superbowl with my dad and little brother, and attend my mom's daycare
holiday party. I get to strengthen the relationships with my cousins, aunts and
uncles that I missed out on for 19 years. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
I am not ready to
leave Israel once Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa ends. I have decided to stay, for now.
However, I miss America. The culture I relate to, the food I love most, the
hobbies I enjoy are all mostly <i>American.</i> My best friends and college
memories are in the states. No matter where I am, I will be missing an
important part of my life. But I'd like to think that my connections are strong
enough to withstand space and time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say that home is where the heart is, but
what happens when your heart resides in more than one place?<i> </i>I'd like to
say that it means I'm pretty darn lucky to have my heart be filled with so many
people and so much love. If my hardest challenge in life is that I have too
many loving people in my life who live far away from each other, then I think
I'm one of the luckiest people in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-55082862458251613172016-02-23T01:09:00.001-08:002016-02-23T09:56:48.123-08:00Peacocks and Improbability <style>
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #373e4d; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Izi Silverstein, originally from Hotchkiss, Colorado is a current participant on Tikkun Olam's spring semester Internship Track. During the program Izi is volunteering with Beit Dror, a temporary home for LGBTQ youth, Kadima, an after-school center for at-risk youth from disadvantaged families, and at the Bat Yam Educational Farm.</b></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;">After
arriving two weeks ago in Tel Aviv, I can say without doubt that I had no idea
just how absurd peacocks were until the last few days. A peacock in full array
is an ostentatious display that’s practically comical to view. At nine in the
morning, as I round the corner of Bina before class, I look to my left and I
see Ruben, our track coordinator, and Jen, my roommate, standing on two plastic
chairs, intently focused on the roof to our right. I turn to see the focus of
their careful preoccupation, and lo and behold are three peacocks in the midst
of courting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
male peacock’s feathers fan out proudly, but neither of the females seem to
have any interest in his show. The display is put on at various angles for the
next five minutes or so before he finally gets a response, by which time much
of the rest of our group has shown up to watch the spectacle. As we are
silently peering, trying not to alert the peacocks, I find myself marveling at
the sheer absurdity of peacocks – how evolution shaped something so
immeasurably beautiful and preposterous amazes me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
sometimes feel like the peacock since arriving in Israel. I ended up here
through a series of unpredictable turns, crazy last minute planning, and sheer
good fortune. Honestly, I’m still in shock that I am actually here. But
whatever mishaps of fate lead to the peacock and his display or to my arrival
here, it is beautiful, and I am in awe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the classes we have had up to this week, one particular message has stuck with
me: When we speak of Jewish peoplehood, what does it mean to exist as a people
with a 2,000 year continued narrative, and why does it matter? Whether or not
you believe in the narrative of an unbroken lineage of Jews from biblical times
until today, whether or not you hold to genetic testings or Torah as historical
proof, the absurd reality is that as Jews today, we are continuing one of the
most fascinating, complex cultures and religions to exist. Cultures and
traditions formed in diaspora have intermingled here in Israel, and we now have
in this country a situation very unlike anywhere else in the world. Just
sticking to the ideas of a Jewish people living together (rather than
attempting to delve into the incredible complexity of Israel as a state
itself), Jews now are in a place to create and form a new intentional history,
one that hopefully reflects the beauty of mitzvot and of the larger world that
Judaism exists within. I’m not yet sure where I fit in that narrative, or how
my time here can make a difference in the larger reality of Israel or of Jews,
but I cannot wait to find out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;">The past two weeks have served as an introduction to the program, Hebrew,
and Tel Aviv – intensive ulpan, Jewish study, and tours of different volunteer
organizations have filled my days from beginning to end. As the first
non-orientation week begins, I am so excited to begin my own exploration and
work here. I’m not sure yet what it is that I will find, or what I will
accomplish, but however inexplicable it may be, I hope that it as beautiful and
as wild as the peacock and its improbability.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-45315546170511606362016-02-09T01:15:00.001-08:002016-02-09T01:15:59.290-08:00My Commitment to Social Change <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: georgia, utopia, palatino linotype, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Kylie Huberman, originally from Montreal, is a current participant on Tikkun Olam's joint M.A. track in Nonprofit Management with Hebrew University. During her time on the program Kylie is interning at BINA: Center for Jewish identity and Hebrew Culture. </span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">At 22 years old, I’ve found myself in
Israel for the sixth time. I try looking for opportunities to see other parts
of the world but for some reason, I always end up back here. I came to Israel
this time, to see the country in a way that I have yet to experience. I wanted
to learn what it was like to live here and I wanted to learn how to not only experience
more of the country that I’ve grown to love so much, but to struggle with it,
defend it, stand up for it and criticize it all at the same time. In my fourth
out of twelve months here (for now), I’ve accumulated a tremendous amount of
information that has sent my emotions on a wild rollercoaster. My mind is
expanding and my heart is too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I am studying my Masters at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. My previous
experience and involvement within the Montreal Jewish Community has definitely
prepared me for this field of study. With every concept I learn, I think about
how it applies to all of the organizations I have been involved with. I also
think about how I can utilize all of this new knowledge and implement these new
skills back into society. Sometimes people don’t understand what I am doing.
The reactions, rather confusion that I get from others comes in an assortment
of questions: “Nonprofit? Oh.” “Why aren’t you studying for-profit management?”
and my favourite “So is that what you want to do for the rest of your life?”
The answer to the last question is absolutely yes. There is a stigma behind the
term “non-profit”, and I have chosen to devote my life to changing it. The more
my career path is questioned, the more determined I become. I have never been
so sure about anything in my life. I have found my calling at a young age, and
I am proud of that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">While I study, I am also taking part in a
Masa program called Tikkun Olam. Tikkun Olam is a five or ten month program
where participants intern and volunteer in an array of welfare-educational
assignments throughout the city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. At the same time, they
participate in a diversity of Jewish learning sessions covering topics such as:
social justice, the history of the conflict, Jewish Identity and Jewish culture.
A part of the program is to engage in day trips and overnight trips all over
Israel. One of the most recent trips featured a visit to the Gaza border where
a woman shared her personal experiences of what it is like to live in a
neighbourhood where running to bomb shelters is a part of their routine. Tikkun
Olam is a program created by BINA and the Daniel Centers for Progressive
Judaism in Tel Aviv. I am doing my internship at BINA, an organization that
advocates and educates towards Jewish pluralism and social action by uniting
Jewish people from all over the world. What I am enjoying most about this
program is the endless amount of intricate conversations we have. The participants
in the program (my very close friends) come from all different walks of life
and each person brings something very unique to our ongoing discussions. We
question the society in which we live and the way we can improve it. This is
proof that my generation is full of people who want to understand the world and
change it, for the better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">The more time I spend in the country under
this learning capacity, the harder it gets to process my emotions. I am
excited, confused, in love, frustrated, happy and curious – often at the same
time. There is so much to understand about this beautiful place. One thing that
I have learnt in my time here is that in terms of advocacy, the Diaspora has an
even bigger role to play than the country of Israel itself. When I found out
that Sarah, a woman whose brother and father were killed in a terrorist attack,
invited the entire country to dance at her wedding, I felt inspired. I felt a
real connection to the Jewish people of Israel. When my Rabbi decided he would
fly in all the way from Montreal with 12 members of the congregation to attend
the wedding, I was overwhelmed with happiness. I felt an even stronger
connection to the Jewish people of Montreal. The reaction they received from
the media, the locals and people from around the world was riveting. They were
stopped in the streets and interviewed by many different newspapers. Because of
this, I know that I have a duty to return and work at home. The Montreal Jewish
community is a powerful one, and I know that I need to spread my love for
Israel within it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">It has been an emotional few months, but I
am enjoying every second of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Tel Aviv, where I live, is an
up-and-coming, exciting city, which I might even see myself living in for a
period of my life, but Montreal and my Jewish community will always be my home.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-67872205704024393412015-12-15T03:55:00.000-08:002015-12-15T03:58:40.522-08:00A Harsh and Humbling Reality <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcFeQR_28qTTUmZaxc2J0cbiSDc66Egt5mScUW2yRbXcRNHdsKx6rA-k8ms17GSjN18CGOaL_oSdeoYcSVxbxpmhxTJ9uYdQeEmeXYOqlGHqZ9N2HIgwJjKb6LcHvs-qyRLCPiT1DFFk/s1600/1238923_10201398206330037_1747208617_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcFeQR_28qTTUmZaxc2J0cbiSDc66Egt5mScUW2yRbXcRNHdsKx6rA-k8ms17GSjN18CGOaL_oSdeoYcSVxbxpmhxTJ9uYdQeEmeXYOqlGHqZ9N2HIgwJjKb6LcHvs-qyRLCPiT1DFFk/s320/1238923_10201398206330037_1747208617_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Rachel Kiner, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona is one of Tikkun Olam's current coexistence track participants. During her time on the program Rachel is teaching English at Ironi-Zion, an Arab high school, as well as volunteering at Windows: Channels for Communication and YALA Young Leaders, a Facebook-based movement creating and enacting a new regional vision of freedom, equality, prosperity and peace. </span></span></i></div>
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<i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I decided to come on Tikkun Olam I had two intentions. First, to understand the complexities within Israeli society to the best of my ability so that I could commit myself to making the world a better place through conflict resolution. On the other hand, I wanted to see if this was a society I could make my own. I thought to myself, what better way to acclimate myself to Tel Aviv as a potential home than by trying to understand even its darkest sides and then shine light in any way that I could in order to make it a better, more socially just and conscious society? I didn’t know if it was possible, but I wanted to try.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-08084227-a571-be71-9d38-1da49d5982ba" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Without having any expectations of the outcomes, these were the hopeful thoughts that I entered my experience with. What ended up surprising me was the harsh reality I was met with, and the journey it has been coming to terms with them over the last 3 months. At first, I was proud to say what I am doing here when an Israeli asked. I often answered with a big smile, “I’m doing a social justice internship program and working with coexistence organizations.” If they asked further, I would often explain that I teach English at an all-Arab high school and volunteer for nonprofits trying to create windows for communication between Arab and Jewish youth. </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It did not take long for me to realize that my pride was rarely met with appreciation or even understanding for the need of this kind of work. Most often the response is one of shock, sometimes followed by interest, humor or even anger. Some people laugh, assuring me that I must be silly to think that anything can be done to help the situation here. Others have seemed almost offended, implying that I must be a traitor to be a Jew wanting to help integrate the “other” into society. Encountering these various and unexpected reactions from Israelis has forced me to adjust my attitude. It is unfortunate that I no longer share what I am doing here with the same sense of pride as I did at first, but I believe this is part of the learning process, and I must understand these perspectives because they are the reality for Israelis who grew up in this charged atmosphere. Trying to empathize with their narratives has forced me to adjust my attitude about what I can do to help as an outsider. Now I meet their questions with a sense of apprehension instead of feel-good energy. The other day when someone asked that I must know peace is not possible, I found myself agreeing with him rather than scolding him for his attitude! It seems that the majority of people living here are adamant that nothing will change, and choose to live comfortably inside the bubble that is Tel Aviv rather than feel burdened by the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">balagan*</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that surrounds them. Here denial is a survival mechanism, and political apathy is a sad result of so many years of violence, fear-based media and loss of hope in the peace process.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although at times confronting this reality has made me doubt if Tel Aviv is actually a place that I can become a part of, my feeling of being at home in Tel Aviv has been even stronger. It is the place where I feel the most in touch with myself and free to express that individuality. I see my own individuality reflected back at me by others rather than feeling a pressure to fit in. Feeling like I belong here and wanting to stay in this community (at least for the time being) has been a struggle to reconcile with my feeling of responsibility to improve it. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Tel Aviv has been growing on me, at times I have caught myself gradually adopting the bubble mentality. This is not a conscious decision, but rather a natural response to daily life. Tel Aviv really feels like a bubble. It is a secular, liberal oasis apart from a right-leaning religious majority elsewhere in the country. Reflecting on my transformation of attitude since being here, I guess feeling like there’s nothing I can </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">really</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> do to help the discrimination, racism or integration of the other into Israeli society has caught me feeling apathetic, adjusting in the way that seems natural for Tel Avivians. But I feel guilty about this and recently have found myself asking if it is okay to know about all of the complexities here and ignore them? Is it okay for me to take advantage of the Jewish state’s inclusive immigration policies and build a happy life here for myself knowing full well all of the people who questionably have even more right to live here than me, but instead suffer because of the reverse coin of the very same immigration policies? These are questions that I am still dealing with today.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fact that much of this society does not want my help which I at one point was so proud to give has been challenging to come to terms with, but it has also been humbling. There is wisdom in understanding and respecting others’ realities, even if it does not resonate with my own values. But the real challenge has been adjusting my own approach to meet their reality, rather than allowing myself to become disappointed and apathetic. I am allowing myself to feel grateful for and humbled by this shift in perception, because there is wisdom in being empathetic towards multiple perspectives and also coming to terms with the limits of your own abilities. I may not be able to change the world as I once dreamed I could, but I am learning what I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> do to help change the world. And everything that I am capable of doing starts with my own mentality. If I can remain hopeful about a better future, even if that is generations down the road, then hopefully I can inspire others to feel that way too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">balagan = </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“mess” in Hebrew</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-7149082944542407082015-11-25T02:03:00.002-08:002015-11-25T02:31:17.496-08:00Reshaping My Vision on Israel <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOVhzgBDB-0bCeZ0dKiHKQk3f8XBVq4AtTIjn8dROFC2erjkMuilhj7EkK-oLvZUuDpdoqklEgeUoxwRFqfRFUnYB5-70WcL4_KIPnmB8B_my8hyphenhypheneP_Jak1uVy8h5f69ESuO1E-qFNnw/s1600/jenna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOVhzgBDB-0bCeZ0dKiHKQk3f8XBVq4AtTIjn8dROFC2erjkMuilhj7EkK-oLvZUuDpdoqklEgeUoxwRFqfRFUnYB5-70WcL4_KIPnmB8B_my8hyphenhypheneP_Jak1uVy8h5f69ESuO1E-qFNnw/s320/jenna.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jenna Cohen, age 23, originally from Skokie, Illinois is one of our
10-month participants. A Graduate from Knox College, cum laude with a degree in
English Literature and minors in Creative Writing and Spanish, Jenna is interning
at Latet Israeli Humanitarian Aid and volunteering at Etgarim, an organization
that promotes outdoor activities and educational programming for youth with
special needs. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Where I
live in South Tel Aviv, crumbling facades and rundown buildings are just as
numerous as the chic bars and modern storefronts that one typically associates with
the city. Appearance-wise, it makes sense that Birthright, a program designed
to entice young Jews to come to Israel, would skip my neighborhood. South Tel
Aviv is poor. Daily life is more of a visible struggle here. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">There are more beggars on the street, more prematurely weathered
hands digging through the trash to find their next meal. There are people in
need here—Jews in need—and it's not a pretty or an easy thing to see, but it's
something we need to see. I had already been to Israel once before, but I knew
there was another side to Israel that I needed to experience in order to truly
love and understand Israel, a country that had come to mean so much to me. So,
four years after I first set foot on Israeli soil, I'm back as a Tikkun Olam in
Tel Aviv-Jaffa participant, working to aid and embrace "The White
City" in whatever way I can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa is both and educational and an
experiential program. Participants divide their time between studying Hebrew,
Jewish texts, art, and history (among other subjects), and volunteering/
interning for social action and coexistence programs in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Such
programs include (but are not limited to) afterschool tutoring programs for
at-risk youth, volunteering at safe houses LGBT teens, and leading integrated
acting classes for Jewish, Muslim, Druze, and African teens. It's exhausting
work, but each night, my remarkable peers return home smiling with the
knowledge that they made a difference for someone that day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The work I do is a little less hands-on day-to-day. I work as an
intern at Latet Israeli Humanitarian Aid, which provides aid to Holocaust
survivors and families in need across Israel. I work in Latet's Development and
Community Relations Office, where I, and two of my fellow interns, work on
English grants, marketing materials, and international outreach. Most days, our
work at the Latet office is meaningful but not terribly glamorous. However,
last month, I had the extraordinary treat of going visiting one of the
Holocaust survivors who benefits from Latet's services. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Alex is a wiry gentleman in his 80s with faded Russian military
tattoos on his hands and the gruff voice of a man who has smoked 2 packs of
cigarettes a day for several decades. Most of the food on his kitchen shelves
is canned or boxed—having come from Latet’s supplementary food packages and
yearly food drives. And his living room doubles as a bedroom in order to make
space for the cobbler shop that Alex runs out of his apartment. On the day of
my visit, Latet was installing kitchen shelves, a new armoire and safety
railings in Alex’s home—a service Latet offers to Holocaust survivors who need
extra aid and spend a lot of time alone. I was there to photograph the
renovations, but all I could see through my camera lens was Alex and the quiet
pleasure that filled his eyes each time a new piece was installed in his home. As
soon as the kitchen shelf was installed, Alex began piling it with food; when
the new armoire was finished, he immediately pulled clothes off the chair that
had acted as his dresser and began purposefully placing them inside. When the
shower railings were finished, he practiced getting in and out, clearly
grateful not to have to use an old plastic strap to steady himself anymore. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVSmoNvgyc8ZKsehqvlKcLwkLZzbIoq1Zv_APzhyMagJdfjwgOQnnee4PmzRBRwVUwZLVrEvuDeWLRpcHdtX0F_EuauIrcnOYCCjs77SyFnQy6vd_TaZK01eFgKAvOQqcrIdQzGBGhlM/s1600/alex-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVSmoNvgyc8ZKsehqvlKcLwkLZzbIoq1Zv_APzhyMagJdfjwgOQnnee4PmzRBRwVUwZLVrEvuDeWLRpcHdtX0F_EuauIrcnOYCCjs77SyFnQy6vd_TaZK01eFgKAvOQqcrIdQzGBGhlM/s320/alex-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"> It took several hours to build and install all of the additions to
Alex’s home, but to me, the entire experience seemed to pass in a matter of
minutes. As the handymen hammered and nailed away in the background, Alex gathered
us on the couch of his living room/ bedroom and told us the story of his life.
And while I only understood a fraction of Alex’s accented Hebrew, I felt a
strong connection to him by the end of the afternoon; I didn’t need language to
understand his soul. I left that day with a renewed vigor for my work at Latet,
having seen with my own eyes the good that hours of work behind a winking
computer screen can do. My efforts not only meant something, they brought about
positive change that I got to see with my very own eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Working at Latet and meeting people like Alex are experiences that
have reshaped (and continue to reshape) my vision of Israel. Before Tikkun Olam
in Tel Aviv- Jaffa, I thought I knew Israel. But looking back, I see now that
knowledge of Israel was limited to the famous places that one finds on a
postcard like the Old City and the Dead Sea. However, after two and a half
months of working and living with the people of South Tel Aviv, I have richer
experiences to write home about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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program and the profundity of the experiences I’m having. I have never felt so
close to Israel and the Jewish people as I feel right now on Tikkun Olam. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-63602912717060421822015-10-26T07:27:00.001-07:002015-10-26T07:27:27.809-07:00To Live in the Bubble that is Tel Aviv-Jaffa<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENg24O0wcERdQ9vh0ZixvPq4UEaFdr14vcZgG9pbv0MUwzNcdHPRXBb8GnEIWVqrsAYV_UZT6UyLr7zIlSDXBhODS2t-2LYgttjQXUixEm8QlJ0LPYaZOtx6AC4abY_gk6DZ9pRaIjrE/s1600/molly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENg24O0wcERdQ9vh0ZixvPq4UEaFdr14vcZgG9pbv0MUwzNcdHPRXBb8GnEIWVqrsAYV_UZT6UyLr7zIlSDXBhODS2t-2LYgttjQXUixEm8QlJ0LPYaZOtx6AC4abY_gk6DZ9pRaIjrE/s320/molly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 15px;">Molly Block, originally from Chicago, Illinois, is a 10-month Tikkun Olam participant on the Coexistence Track. During her time on the program Molly is volunteering at ARDC (African Refugee Development Center), Mesila, a day-care center for refugee children, Ironi Zion, a mixed </span></i><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i>high school of Israeli Jews and Arabs, as well as Windows: Channels for Communication. </i></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>I
am in Israel. Amidst all the chaos, stabbings, rockets, and strife, I am living
a relatively luxurious and safe life. I have a weekly routine that could not be
bothered by the happenings around the country and a phone that doesn’t stop
ringing with the latest news updates. Living in Jaffa, a mixed Muslim, Jewish,
and Christian city within the Tel Aviv-Yafo hub, I truly do feel safe. I wake
up to the call to prayer from the nearby Mosque, go back to sleep, and then
wake up from my alarm. I bike to class/work every morning, smiling at my
neighbors opening up the bike shop, riding through the chaotic streets of
Jaffa, avoiding potholes on my left and the woman feeding a flock of pigeons on
my right. I go to yoga, I go to work, I come home. Maybe sometimes I’ll grab
dinner with a friend, stop at the beach, or even spend a night out dancing. As
you can see, I have developed the blissful ignorance that engulfs Tel Aviv.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Recently, with the escalation of
violence around the country, it sometimes hits me - I am living in a volatile
region. A family friend is connected to a couple that was shot in the West
Bank; I was at the bus station where there was an attack and an Eritrean man
was misidentified as a terrorist. These personal connections to the violence
remind me how much of a reality this situation is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
feelings of this dichotomy vary from complacency to frustration: "this
city is so beautiful and eclectic. I feel able to be myself without worrying
about the judgments of others" turns into "how the heck can NO ONE
talk about what's going on?!" pretty quickly. I have dense discussions
with the people on my program and other non-Israelis living here, but I find it
difficult to get into deep conversations about the situation with most Israelis
I meet. Often times, I am given short, generic answers that are hard and
one-sided with no wiggle room for discussion or debate. I feel that as the
friendships I have created grow, I will be able to understand more about what
people are truly thinking and feeling, but these surface level interactions
have definitely been frustrating for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;">There is also this theme of fear around
the country. For me, the violence isn’t really what incites the fear in me. I
am not scared of getting stabbed. I am not scared of bombs. I am scared of
running out of money. I am scared of being completely responsible for myself
for the first time. I am scared of being intellectually challenged and
confused. I am scared of the inconclusiveness of this conflict and region. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Fear. Fear is a scary thing, but it is
also a motivating tool. Fear of not living up to my expectations for myself
--<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fears of not living up to the
expectations of others. To be honest, fear is really what brought me to Israel.
I was having so many doubts: why am I coming here, is it worth the money, the
time, the unanswered questions. In moments of clarity (or positivity) I
realized that these fears truly shape the way I live. Fear makes me excited,
and that is why I'm here. I am here to learn and understand about myself, the
region, and how to come to terms with what people are thinking, feeling,
believing, and experiencing here. I am here to find my own sense of self. I am
here to be in the conversation and not be so swayed by the hearsay that has
surrounded me. I am ready to be challenged, to be confused, to understand, to
be understood, to clarify, to learn, to truly be vulnerable and open.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;">To live in the bubble that is Tel
Aviv-Jaffa, permanently or temporarily, one has to disregard the injustices
going on around this Holy Land. In order to enjoy my life, in order to be able
to take advantage of all that this metropolis has to offer, I need to sometimes
let go of the part of my mind that is determined to understand the situation
going on here and just live, be, and experience. At the end of the day, I
always come back to the reality of the region I am living in. It is a reality I
am just understanding on a superficially surface level and I cannot wait to
continue to dig deeper.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-26020634638435425822015-09-22T01:50:00.002-07:002015-09-22T01:52:34.557-07:00Trying to Kiss the Shore <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="line-height: 150%;">Tori Maidenberg, originally from Houston, Texas, is one of Tikkun Olam's 10-month Social Action Track </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">participants. Tori shares with us what her first month in Israel has been like, and what this Yom Kippur means to her. </span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;">As Yom Kippur descends upon us
tonight, I’m forced to look inward to reflect on the past year. Why did I come
to Israel? What does Israel mean to me? Can I both love and criticize her at
the same time? What does being Jewish mean to me? What do I want to get out of
Yom Kippur this year?</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The whole country will become
silent on Yom Kippur. Cars, buses, and taxis will all disappear, stores and
restaurants will be closed, and what I’m most looking forward to this Yom
Kippur is answering all those above questions. This year, my Yom Kippur is a
quest to find meaning and what better way to do it than to give back to a
country I hold dear to my heart through volunteering? I wrote the below poem in
an in-class exercise with Tikkun Olam. It represents my hopes and anxieties for
answering these questions within the next 10 months:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Lost at sea, I am reflected in
the sparkling, cold waters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Still, silent—I am here lost at
sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the distance, a relentless
wave never stops trying to kiss the shore.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think to myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is sweet to kiss the shore,<o:p></o:p></div>
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But even sweeter when you arrive
just to be sent back.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I chose to join this program
because every time I inched closer to a fuller picture of Israel, I was sent
back once again—just like the wave trying to kiss the shore. Since we arrived
here 3 weeks ago, we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly (and we only
just begun). We run into paradoxes every day, some more comical than others:
like the Tel Aviv Mayor making illegal the <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kapparot</i>
</b>tradition of swinging a chicken around one’s head in order to cast sins away,
whilst no resolution has been found for the thousands of stray cats that roam
Israel’s streets (but, hey, at least some chickens won’t die this year on Yom
Kippur). And other paradoxes are a bit harder to grapple with such as the
dialectic between a religious and secular state. Between safety & security
on the one hand and racism & exclusivity on the other, and the survival of
one people’s identity but in consequence of the uncertainty of another.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If anything, what I have taken away
from our seminars and discussions in the Tikkun Olam program is that sometimes
there are no solutions. Oftentimes, the world will give us dichotomies and it
is up to us to go beneath the surface in order to find various shades of gray.
Within these dichotomies we may stumble upon complicated paradoxes and instead
of acting upon an immediate yearning to solve them, maybe it’s best that we sit
back and first listen. Once we do, we can inch closer toward the shore—and
maybe this time we won’t be sent back.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On a more lighthearted note… I love
living in South Tel Aviv. Sure the Central Bus Station could use a good
cleaning and might be rough around the edges but to me its ruggedness is
precisely its charm. At night I return home to our apartment in Kiryat Shalom,
a religious Jewish neighborhood, and between the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tallit</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yarmulke</i> I
feel both safe and uneasy. On the one hand, these are my people but, on the
other, I feel so different to them. Something a Tikkun Olam staff member said
in one of our seminars reminds me though that it’s not necessarily about
reconciling these conflicted feelings so much as it is necessary to understand
them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Every day I’m getting the hang of
what it means to be a Tel-Avivian more and more. With my shiny new (well used,
but new to me <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span>)
bike, I feel a sense of freedom like never before, and I’m most excited to
explore this city on wheels. <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-24530853476686458292015-05-19T03:11:00.000-07:002015-05-19T03:12:19.363-07:00Yom Ha'atzmaut in the Classroom <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-9e46ac55-6ba0-8881-f167-df74931d15cb" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i>Sage
Paquette-Cohen, originally from Boston, MA is a 10-month Internship
Track participant. Throughout her time on Tikkun Olam Sage has been
interning at the Holland House, a therapeutic rehabilitation center for
children with special needs, and volunteering at the Women's Court, an
open space for girls at-risk in Jaffa, as well as Save a Child's Heart
(SACH), an organization which provides heart surgeries for children from
developing countries.</i></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7F4X6yDYGD66HqtnYoCmC5-jcXfrPSn5EK-5AL1_llfnW1cp9bYhsXUf8Uan6IYcqHMarxvq347I2RNbfhtTQ9Vz_K7gkUQmgaEaXzHzfGu2vj26G6bD1P5MrvNI9D5rKA_B8N5zmDBU/s1600/sage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7F4X6yDYGD66HqtnYoCmC5-jcXfrPSn5EK-5AL1_llfnW1cp9bYhsXUf8Uan6IYcqHMarxvq347I2RNbfhtTQ9Vz_K7gkUQmgaEaXzHzfGu2vj26G6bD1P5MrvNI9D5rKA_B8N5zmDBU/s320/sage.JPG" width="247" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-9e46ac55-6ba1-4cb4-dc4a-c24619adac1f" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Just
after returning to my normal work schedule following Pesach break, I
noticed Israeli flags lining the either side of the street whilst
waiting at a bus stop in Jaffa. I had been so busy with volunteering and
classes that I had almost forgotten about the approaching holidays: Yom
HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom Hazikaron (Day of Remembrance
for Fallen Soldiers) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day). </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-9e46ac55-6ba1-4cb4-dc4a-c24619adac1f" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">In
the weeks following, we would discuss the meaning behind and the
importance of each holiday as a group. As an American, I was interested
in learning how much U.S. Memorial Day (a holiday that is often
overlooked or rendered insignificant by furniture sales and backyard
barbeques) differs from Yom Hazikaron. The latter is, undoubtedly, a day
that is observed and honored by much of Israeli society. Unfortunately,
because of Israel’s mandatory military service, many people have been
directly affected by the loss of a loved one caused by acts of war and
violence since the country’s inception. To pay respect to those fallen
soldiers, people attend memorial ceremonies, wear white clothing, and
observe a 2-minute siren that sounds nationwide on the evening before
and morning of Yom Hazikaron. Naturally, the day is very somber and I
didn’t feel completely comfortable partaking in many of the day’s
activities as a bystander who has trouble comprehending the kind of pain
that comes with losing a loved one to war.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Aside
from my discomfort at the prospect of attending the day’s events as a
“tourist”, I was also taken aback by the rift that Yom Hazikaron and
Yom Ha’atzmaut create in Israeli society. This became startlingly clear
to me during work on Memorial Day. I intern at the Holland Center, a
daycare and rehabilitation center for disabled toddlers in Jaffa. The
Center employs both Jewish and Arab teachers; this is usually not an
issue, as all of the staff members take their jobs very seriously and
adore the children they care for. The contrast between the two groups,
however, becomes more obvious when religion enters the classroom.
Because the Holland Center is funded by the Tel Aviv Municipality and
is, for all intents and purposes, a preschool, Jewish education is a
part of the classroom “curriculum”. The children learn about approaching
Jewish holidays by way of arts and crafts and song, and Yom Ha’atzmaut
was no different. On the day before Yom Ha’atzmaut (which happens to be
Yom Hazikaron), the Holland Center threw a party complete with Israeli
songs honoring the country’s independence, tiny Israeli flags that were
passed out to each child, and even an Israel-themed cake. It was clear
that this level of Zionism, both its presence in the classroom and the
fact that it was being introduced to a group of two-year olds from a
myriad of different backgrounds, made the teachers uneasy. In the midst
of this celebration, the Memorial siren sounded. One by one, the
teachers stood -- all but two women, both wearing hijabs, and both
looking exceedingly uncomfortable with the situation. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">I’ve
thought a lot about that two-minute siren since that day. After
pondering it for a long time and working through a number of emotions, I
can honestly say that this is just one more example of how utterly
confusing and conflicting my life in Israel has been. Although, as a
Jew, I naturally feel more a part of the Jewish-Israeli part of society
here, living in a primarily Arab community through holidays that
celebrate the independence and religious nature of this country has
challenged me in ways that I still haven’t processed fully. It will take
a long time, I think, to understand my stance on the issues that
afflict society here; but I am grateful for the opportunity to ponder
these questions in a critical and tough way. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-23115011108643039692015-04-14T05:09:00.001-07:002015-04-14T05:09:25.248-07:00My Tikkun Olam Experience <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b><i>Becca Schwartz, originally from San Francisco, California, is a Tikkun Olam Spring 2015 participant. Becca volunteers at Terem Refugee Clinic, as well as ARDC - African Refugee Development Center. Becca shares with us her experience thus far on Tikkun Olam! </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">I first heard
about Tikkun Olam through my birthright trip and I knew immediately I wanted to
be part of the program. I fell in love with Tel Aviv and my interests lie in
psychosocial work with disadvantaged populations, so this program was exactly
what I was looking for post graduation. I applied for the internship track and
once I arrived here I chose to do my internship at Terem, the refugee hospital
clinic at the Central Bus Station. I spend most of my time at this clinic every
week and for a few hours on Wednesday nights I volunteer at <a href="http://ardc-israel.org/en">ARDC</a> (African
Refugee Development Center).</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The asylum seeker
situation in Israel is complicated and you cannot truly understand it until you
get here and experience it first hand. It is mostly one big “balagan” which is
Hebrew for fiasco or chaos. That being said, there are many organizations
trying to assist by promoting advocacy, awareness, and policy change. Both my internship and volunteer hours are
spent at two of these organizations. At Terem I work in reception and take on
special projects for the clinic. At ARDC I help applicants fill out Refugee
Status Determination forms. Both places I work not only allow me to provide aid
to this population (which primarily comes from Eritrea), but work along side
them. My co-workers and clients are wonderful. They have taught me what true
strength, compassion, and determination looks like. It is through these
experiences, I have kept a positive and hopeful out look on the complicated
asylum seeker situation. It is my hope that the Israeli government will adapt a
better system to determine refugee status and no longer keep this population in
a legal status limbo. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
I first got here adjusting to Israeli culture was a bit tough. The cultural
norms are pretty different from California where I was born and raised. But
after living here for two and half months I understand why the word “sabra” is
used to describe Israelis. The word refers to a cactus that is prickly on the
outside but soft and sweet on the inside. This is a perfect description of my
interactions here. It might be little intimidating at first but know that the
kindness you will encounter here will be like unlike any you have experienced
before. Israelis truly are the most genuine people I have ever met. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Everyday
I am here I discover more and more about this beautiful city. There is always a
new food to try, a new street to explore, and a new face eager to talk to you. I
am excited to see what the next two and half months hold.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Natalie Astor, from Potomac, MD, is a 5-month Internship Track participant. She is interning at the Terem Refugee Health Clinic, and volunteering at Kadima Wolfson, a community after-school program for children in South Tel Aviv. </i></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">After studying
abroad and interning in Tel Aviv for almost 8 months last year, I thought that
I left with a deep connection to the city and a sense of understanding and
belonging. However, in all my time living, learning, and experiencing life in
Tel Aviv, I never once ventured into South Tel Aviv. Not only was this a place
that I did not feel the need to go, but a place I purposefully tried to avoid.
Being a naïve newcomer to Israel as a whole, I pretty much started on a clean
slate and developed my outlook over time based off the information I gleaned
from others. My first exposure to the notion of division in the city was when
my friend and I were planning a trip to Jerusalem and our <i>ulpan</i> teacher told us not to go to the central bus station (located
in South Tel Aviv), but to go to one in the center of the city. When we asked
why, she simply said that it was a bad area of town that we should avoid and we
would not be safe there. Another time, I wanted to buy a bike located in South
Tel Aviv, but when I spoke to my friends about going to look at it, they said I
should only go to look if it is during the day and I am not alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumiq6n0bWnFR-8MtLvLi1gKRFzLdwmlVhU94UF4_QssvEnEM1lhdUjxA1ZUekjrW1-dYJ86EwnCw3jaTc7pf4PvMk5hl-45j7dx1TzpPmPQrPMFCIIbPeo3jq4_qlMtvRoVuP68gOUYA/s1600/get-attachment.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumiq6n0bWnFR-8MtLvLi1gKRFzLdwmlVhU94UF4_QssvEnEM1lhdUjxA1ZUekjrW1-dYJ86EwnCw3jaTc7pf4PvMk5hl-45j7dx1TzpPmPQrPMFCIIbPeo3jq4_qlMtvRoVuP68gOUYA/s1600/get-attachment.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">A year later
when I told my friends and colleagues that I was going back to the city I loved
and that brought me so much happiness, I was confronted with mixed reactions.
Nearly everyone I encountered was supportive of the service work I would be
doing, but those who were familiar with Tel Aviv advised me not to go to South
Tel Aviv (or live there) and to be careful. They said it was “another world”
and that it was too dangerous for me. Even people I spoke to in Israel tried to
instil a sense of fear within me by telling me that South Tel Aviv, and the
bus station in particular where I would be working, is not only the worst part
of Tel Aviv, but the worst part of the country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This whole
time, I was basing my judgments off of the opinions of others, not any
experiences or interactions I personally had. Living and interning in South Tel
Aviv for nearly three months now has truly opened my eyes to another world, both
positively to diverse and vibrant cultures, and negatively to the radical
polarization and exclusivity exhibited by many in Israeli society. I’m currently
interning at the </span><i>Terem Refugee Health Clinic</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> at the Central Bus Station, which
offers an array of subsidized medical services to asylum seekers that are not
covered by the national health insurance law, which provides universal health
care to all Israeli citizens. It is a bit ironic to me that the national
insurance law, affirming access to health care as a fundamental and collective
right, would in reality not be universal and exclude a significant portion of
the population.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The failure
of the Israeli health system to include the asylum seeker population under the
national health insurance law demonstrates the larger problem of the
government’s unwillingness to grant this population refugee status. Though the
terms are often used synonymously, asylum seekers and refugees are quite
different in that asylum seekers are not entitled to the same civil rights and
social benefits as refugees. While thousands of asylum seekers have fled
persecution and sought refuge in Israel, only a small percentage have been
granted refugee status. Not only is this distinction damaging in terms of
access to rights, but the failure to grant refugee status downplays and
disregards the terror, hardship, and violence these people endured before they arrived
here. It pains me that after all the asylum seekers overcame to get here, they
are still denied the basic opportunity to better themselves and have limits
placed on their aspirations. Interning at the clinic has allowed me to interact
with the asylum seeker community in a variety of capacities. I get to work with
many Eritrean staff members, work in reception at the clinic, complete patient
histories, and conduct research in order to develop a chronic disease workshop
for the clinic. Whether I am sitting in reception trying to communicate with a
mother about her baby being sick, or asking a patient about their symptoms to
produce their medical record, I am exposed to the humanity and humility of
individuals that want the best for themselves and their families. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"> It is easy to get swept up into all that Tel
Aviv has to offer (the nightlife, coffee shops, beaches, etc.) and to live in a
bubble, blind to the struggles and challenges faced by those living right next
door. As difficult as it is, more people need to take a step and face the harsh
reality, in which the same place that is welcoming and allows so many thrive
and enjoy life, can also be exclusive and stifling to others. The division of
South Tel Aviv from the rest of Tel Aviv is indicative, to me, of the treatment
of asylum seekers and migrant workers by the greater society; as outsiders,
infiltrators, and those that are not welcome. The purposeful attempt to
restrict asylum seekers acts to separate them from the rest of Israeli society
and make them want to leave. Many people in Israeli society readily assign
blame and hatred to the asylum seeker community, without even knowing them or
giving them a chance. Characterizing South Tel Aviv negatively not only perpetuates
a cycle of fear and hopelessness, but exacerbates the consequences of categorizing
people as others and forgetting that they are human too. We need to stop simply
putting a label on South Tel Aviv as different and integrate it into Tel Aviv
and Israel as a whole. We need to put off finding a solution and recognize that
the asylum seekers deserve better. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-25963874066338208902014-12-11T03:10:00.002-08:002014-12-11T03:10:53.855-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.714285714rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><b>Rachel Allen, from California via Colorado, is a participant on our Joint MA track with the Hebrew University. She is spending her year interning at Mesila as well as completing an MA in Non-Profit Management.</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;">Oy, have I been busy! With school, my internship, my program and trying to maintain a life on top of it, I feel like the only reason I come back to the apartment is to sleep.</span></div>
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I love my grad program and find the classes to be very interesting and stimulating. Here is my class list:</div>
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Internship Workshop<br />Leadership and Social Responsibility<br />The Third Sector and Civil Society<br />Project Workshop<br />Organizational Theory for Non-Profits<br />Philanthropy and Civil Society<br />Researching Nonprofits<br />NGO Finances</div>
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It’s eight classes in two days. On Monday we start at 12:30 pm and are done at 6:00 pm and on Wednesdays we start at 10:30 am and finish at 8:00 pm with only 30 minutes breaks between each classes. Cap on either end of that over a two hour commute one way and it makes for some long, exhausting days. Each class assigns a lot of weekly reading and small papers as well. It’s proving a challenge to stay on top of it all.</div>
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On Sunday and Tuesday, I am at my internship. I intern at Mesila which is an NGO located in South Tel Aviv, where most of the refugee and asylum seeker community has settled. Most of the community fled from Sudan and Eritrea, walked through the Sinai Desert seeking safety in Israel. Mesila seeks to aid the children of this community. The parents work long, hard hours away from home. Because they are considered illegal, they are often exploited and paid very, low wages. They need a place to keep their children, so the community response to this has been the creation of around 70 illegal “babysitters”. What these places look like, generally, is an unventilated, small apartment that is filled with cribs. There are up to 30 children with one caregiver who only has time to look after their basic needs. There are no enrichment or development activities given to the children. All they do is eat and sleep for up to 12 hours a day. Some children get so bored, they start digging holes in the wall. They are starved of human affection and touch. It’s really heartbreaking.</div>
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Mesila seeks to address the phenomena on three levels; the individual level, the community level and the policy level. They put social workers and therapists into the babysitters to try to improve the settings for the children and also to identify the at-risk children and get them into a better environment. For instance, one social worker saw a three year old child who was not walking, only crawling. She got her to a doctor immediately and as it turns out, the child’s leg had been broken for several days and no one noticed or thought to take her in. At the community level, Mesila tries to partner with community leaders and parents through various programs and sessions, to give them them the tools and knowledge so they may advocate for a better environment for their children. Lastly, at the policy level, Mesila is trying to spread awareness of the issue and pressure the government to take notice of the phenomena and create some reforms.</div>
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The babysitters is just the main issue that Mesila is trying to change. They offer such a broad range of services to help combat other risks that a child from this community may be exposed to, such as violence and sexual abuse.</div>
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If you would like to read more about the organization, the issue as well as see some pictures, check out this website: <a href="http://friendsofmesila.weebly.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #9f9f9f; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://friendsofmesila.weebly.com/</a></div>
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My internship is working with the fundraising department. I just helped complete a grant application to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), which was a lot of work but was rewarding.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Something a little lighter</strong></div>
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My Tuesdays look like this: I go to my internship from the morning to the late afternoon, then a cafe to read and study and finally to an Ulpan class (where I learn conversational Hebrew). I don’t get home till around ten in the evening.</div>
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One Tuesday evening, my roommate and I had just finished our readings and we were gathering our stuff to walk to Ulpan when we realized we were a little early. We decided to walk to the beach to bury our feet in the sand for a few minutes to kill some time.</div>
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I have a tendency to focus on how I’m feeling right in the moment, like how tired I am or how overwhelmed I am feeling at the amount of things I am committed to in my life, that it’s sometimes hard to stop and pull myself out of it to look at the bigger picture and also notice nice moments in life.</div>
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The few minutes on the beach, I was suddenly able to do just that. I realized that I spent my morning writing a grant to the United Nations to bring in the much needed funds that would directly improve the life of a child, then I studied in an artsy cafe in the heart of Tel Aviv, and suddenly found myself on the beach looking at the beautifully lit, old city of Jaffa against the dark night sky and listening to the crashing of the waves on the quiet beach before I was about to head to Ulpan where I would discuss interesting subjects in Hebrew with people from all over the world. That was probably the longest run on sentence I have ever written but my point is, although I often get bogged down by normal life things (like I’m sure we all do), I’m really happy with what I am doing on a day to day basis and I’m writing it down here so that tomorrow when I forget, you guys can remind me! <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-smile" style="border: 0px; display: inline-block !important; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; min-height: 1.2em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative !important; text-indent: 9999px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap; width: 1.35em;" title=":)">:)</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-57530212495381591362014-12-04T01:17:00.003-08:002014-12-04T01:17:50.093-08:00The Balance Between Coexistence and Justice<h4>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Sarah Sheafer is a current Tikkun Olam volunteer from Indianapolis. As a participant on the </i><i>Coexistence Track, she spends her time interning at the Windows – Channels for Communication </i><i>and volunteering with children in Jaffa. </i></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Silence consumed the room as I stared into the eyes of three teenage girls. It wasn’t until one of them blinked did I clear my throat and continue with the next activity. Being a 22-year-old Jewish American, I feel somewhat out of place. I teach English once a week at an all Arab high school in Jaffa as a participant on the volunteer program Tikkun Olam. I don’t feel out of place because of the Arabic written all over the white board or because I don’t wear a headscarf like my students. Nor do I necessarily feel out of place because I “look” different. I feel out of place because they know I’m Jewish.<br /> <br />As I now reflect on that day, I remember the anxious feeling that spread throughout my body when one of my students asked me in the middle of our lesson, “Are you Christian?” I had paused for a second before answering “no.” She then asked me, “Are you Jewish?” For some reason, I experienced a mixture of reluctance and guilt when I told them “yes.” I was shocked she would ask me this the first day of class, but I also expected it coming from a girl who cannot escape the religious tension surrounding her life.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Later that day, I went on a run along the coast. Usually when I run alone, I tune out the world around me by listening to music. But this time, I decided to open myself up to the many sounds of Jaffa. As I ran farther south, I began to hear more Arabic and less Hebrew. The tidbits of conversations I heard were both foreign and familiar. When I listened to people speaking in Arabic, sometimes I would recognize a word or two. After having studied a little of both Arabic and Hebrew, I knew they were similar languages, but the words I recognized weren’t just “similar” words; they were Hebrew words spoken by Palestinians to other Palestinians. For the first time, I intensely observed the people around me as I tried to remember all that I had witnessed since coming here. Experiences that had just been “experiences,” suddenly became much more than a mere moment of happiness, sadness or bewilderment. They became living and breathing insights into life in Israel and the conflict that plagues this region.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvncSfOMqu6d2j33tcGeabEyBuPjsMZRYXfpWJOw_IapI3gvDMGqSYyfQ5Rux80F1BCsk6BrAIWBDZ2TLdRRTyE1xXKCsbWbMsSyIVokqa7Gukw3ultNP2k9Bgi58kE9bfZbOwWyYEDoU/s1600/10393676_10152856066469038_6579536182086181575_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvncSfOMqu6d2j33tcGeabEyBuPjsMZRYXfpWJOw_IapI3gvDMGqSYyfQ5Rux80F1BCsk6BrAIWBDZ2TLdRRTyE1xXKCsbWbMsSyIVokqa7Gukw3ultNP2k9Bgi58kE9bfZbOwWyYEDoU/s1600/10393676_10152856066469038_6579536182086181575_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah's view on her run in Jaffa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /> <br />Hearing Palestinians use Hebrew words in their daily speech should have made me feel happy, and maybe at the very least, indifferent. In Jaffa, Jews, Christians and Muslims coexist, and it’s not uncommon for Palestinians here to speak fluently in Hebrew. But something felt wrong. I began to reflect on everything I had observed since being here. At the same time, I analyzed the meaning of the word “coexistence.” In Jaffa, I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable being Jewish because it is known as a place of coexistence, but I can’t help but feel like I am intruding. The degree to which tension fills even a city like Jaffa makes me wonder the authenticity of this “coexistence.” Beneath the exterior of this forced relationship - Jews, Muslims and Christians - there are many narratives unable to penetrate the surface. While Jaffa may appear relatively peaceful, I found myself asking: “How can there be true peace when there is no justice?”<br /> <br />I ask myself this question every day during my time interning at the non-profit organization <i>Windows – Channels for Communication</i>. When I first visited its office, I remember glancing upon a white board with words connected to the organization’s name. One of the words stood out: anti-normalization. The process of normalization occurs when certain ideas and actions become “natural” in everyday life, regardless if they are just or unjust. Critics against normalization sometimes call it the “colonization of the mind,” referring to the process by which an oppressed subject comes to believe their situation is “normal” reality and accepts the status quo. Windows is a unique peace organization because it recognizes the danger of a creeping normalcy. Instead, it realizes the need to promote not only coexistence, but also justice.<br /> <br />The organization empowers Palestinian and Israeli youth to openly speak about their<br /> beliefs regarding discrimination and the violation of human rights. The participants engage in discussions and workshops, exploring various narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As part of the program, the youth produce a magazine in Arabic and Hebrew. Because of my experience with design and journalism, I am the intern in charge of the magazine’s layout. Last week, I transcribed an interview in order to write an article about one of Windows’ graduates.<br /> <br />The interviewee’s story left an impression on me. The young Jewish Israeli talked about the moment when she realized her life was built on the missed opportunities of others. When she was 10 years old, her mother took her to Atarim Square in Tel Aviv, pointing to the bustling place and told her, “This used to be a Muslim cemetery.” From that moment on, she struggled to cope with the reality around her. It is her desire to change this reality by addressing the Israeli education system and tackling the language barrier. While Jewish Israelis study Arabic in school, they do not study it to the extent they focus on English. Some school graduates are barely able to muster words like shukran (thank you). For those who remember the language, many never speak it to their Palestinian neighbors. There are two official languages in Israel, but one is pushed to the side.<br /> <br />In addition to interning at <i>Windows</i> and volunteering at an Arab high school, I teach English at a mixed middle school in Jaffa. During our orientation, the volunteer coordinator told us that some of the Palestinian children have better Hebrew than Arabic because all of their classes are taught in the former. Some of their parents intentionally placed them in this school because they realized a strong grasp of Hebrew is necessary to succeed in Israel. If both Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of Israel, one shouldn’t be considered secondary.<br /> <br />I’ve also noticed language serve as a barrier when I volunteer at <i>Shahaf</i>, a center where kindergarteners from all over Jaffa come and learn about the environment. Many of the kindergarteners speak only Arabic, and I find myself struggling to communicate with them. I’ve made an effort to learn a few words in Arabic, but I can’t help notice that some of the Hebrew-speaking staff members refrain from even trying to communicate and only speak in Hebrew to the confused children. If Israelis work with the Arabic-speaking community, why don’t they make more of an effort to learn the language?<br /> <br />I’ve only lived in Jaffa for two months, but I’ve already observed the intricacies of the issues present in Israel. I decided to volunteer on Tikkun Olam’s Coexistence Track because I thought “coexistence” meant peace. As I learn that there’s more to peace than just an absence of people shooting at one another, I’m starting to notice the need for more open dialogue and the promotion of justice. My participation in Tikkun Olam has opened my eyes to a necessary shift in social perceptions and attitudes about the conflict. <b>We should not only be focusing on coexistence; we should be struggling for a just peace.</b></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-57449515001109435962014-11-19T07:36:00.001-08:002014-11-19T07:36:45.315-08:00A Window Into My Life<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Jodi Becker is a 10-month Social Action track participant from Sydney, Australia. During her time on Tikkun Olam, she will be volunteering at Kav L'Oved, Kadima, and BINA. Here she gives a personal account of her first two months on the program. </i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Two months ago I
arrived in Israel as part of the Tikkun Olam volunteer and internship program
in Tel Aviv – Jaffa. The first month here was devoted to orientation, where we
had an opportunity to get to know each other, do intensive Ulpan and go on
placement visits in order to start thinking about where it is that we would
like to volunteer/intern. I was really grateful for this initial period, as I
felt it was a time which helped me get my bearings in terms of getting a feel
for how to navigate myself around the city, being able to make myself
understood in basic Hebrew, building friendships with the other participants
and Israeli locals and to start thinking about where it was that I wanted to
volunteer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Living within the
city of Tel Aviv has also brought me a continuous stream of multifaceted enjoyment.
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">This is a city with its own irrepressible soul - and
I can say from experience that there's nowhere else like it. </span><span lang="EN-US">From the buzzing, upbeat and youthful liveliness, which is
encapsulated by the hustle and bustle of going to buy fruit and vegetables at
the shuk, where you can h</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">one your bartering skills</span><span lang="EN-US">; to spending my Shabbats basking in the sun at Jaffa beach, whilst
countless dogs create mini sand storms as they zip past you, and where you can
be rocked by the ocean’s waves, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">soundtracked by the happy
pings of 10,000 games of matkot and the muezzin — or Muslim calls to prayer</span><span lang="EN-US">; to dancing the night away in the countless clubs and bars all over
the city, where </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Tel Aviv nights become Tel Aviv
mornings before you know it</span><span lang="EN-US">, as </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">"last call" only comes when the final patron has finished
their drink and stumbled out the door</span><span lang="EN-US">; to the countless
fresh juice stands dotted all over the city, which </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">sell
giant cups of life-giving fruit juices that taste like they were squeezed from
the vine of Eden; <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-themecolor: text1;">to the relentless diversity, which is evidenced by the insane mix of </span><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">ethnicities and religions, which today
stir through the city</span>; </span><span lang="EN-US">Tel Aviv is a city where
you never need to be bored; it is a place where there is always something on
offer, for absolutely everyone, as it is filled with countless opportunities to
appreciate the simple pleasures in life. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Something I’ve
also enjoyed, from the very beginning, is the experience of living communally
with people from all over the world. Living in an international share house, with
eight housemates, is an incredibly enjoyable experience. In my house we have
two Americans, from New York and California (one of whom has previously lived
in Peru and speaks fluent Spanish), a Chilean, an Argentine, a Brit, three
Israelis and me. It’s a truly amazing experience getting to live in such a
diverse environment, with a constant stream of Hebrew, Spanish and English
ringing out in the background of my daily life. It’s incredibly interesting to
be exposed to such a wide variety of differing cultural perspectives on a daily
basis. I feel that this experience is widening my eyes and opening my mind,
simply by being constantly surrounded by such a variety of people, with
differing perspectives, experiences and beliefs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A tradition, which
I have been partaking in with the other Tel Aviv participants on a regular
basis, and which I enjoy a lot, is our weekly potluck Shabbat. Every Friday
night we all get together and each bring a dish, or something to contribute, to
my friend’s apartment. It’s really nice to have this time together, at the end
of the week, to unwind and enjoy each other’s company over delicious homemade
food. During this time we also go around and tell each other what the highlight
of our week has been. It’s a good way to check in with each other and see what
it is that is being valued most by other people who are sharing the same
experience, on a weekly basis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Ulpan has by far
been one of the best on-going experiences I’ve had here in Israel. The classes
are great in themselves and our teacher, Yael, is incredible. These classes
make me feel so motivated to improve my Hebrew, which is reinforced by the way
Israeli’s treat me when I make the effort to speak with them in it. I’ve also
recently signed up for an Ulpan alternative, called This Is Not An Ulpan. This
is a non-profit class devoted to food, where we meet once a week with people
from all over the world to talk about food in Hebrew, as well as to cook and
eat together. It’s a really unique and innovative way of learning Hebrew and
becoming more comfortable speaking in it in a relaxed, fun and open
environment. I’m feeling incredibly motivated to improve my Hebrew and I can’t
believe how far I’ve come with it in only two months. I also find that my daily
interactions with Israeli’s have become far more interesting and I feel as
though they respect and accept me more, with every effort I make to converse
with them in their own language. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The thing which
has struck me most, and which has been the best part of my experience here so
far, is the experience that I am having with Israelis. From the very beginning
I have felt as though I have been welcomed into this country with open arms and
have been given the feeling that I have a place here in Israel, my second home.
One of my favourite things to do here is to spend time alone, exploring the
city. As every time I do I am overwhelmed by the incredible experiences I have
with the locals. <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">Whether it’s an
artist I met at the artist’s market, who told me of his recent trip to India
over a cup of Chai; to a new friend I made sitting on a public bench, who I
hardly go a day now without speaking to; to the local store owners who get
excited when I make the smallest effort to speak with them in Hebrew; my
amazing madricha, who has been there for me one hundred percent, whether I’ve
had a fall and needed stitches, or needed advice on where to volunteer; to the
countless Israelis who have offered to help me find my way whenever I’ve
appeared lost; and the multiplex of other incredible experiences I have here on
a daily basis.</span> There’s without a doubt something incredibly special and
unique about Israelis. They are extremely un-superficial, have a sense of care
and feeling for each other (even amongst strangers), which I have not yet
witnessed before, have very unique and beautiful outlooks, and ways of
perceiving their surroundings, and have a way of making me feel so accepted and
cared for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel so comfortable here,
knowing that even though Israelis can often come off as rude and abrasive on
the outside, as they can be</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> rough, pushy and brimming
with <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">chutzpah</span>, if you push
back, drop the foreign formalities, and approach them with an open mind and
open heart, the people of Tel Aviv will take you in as one of their own, as </span><span lang="EN-US">when it comes to anything important they will be there completely,
as on the inside they know what really matters.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My experiences
with the people here have also led me to question my Jewish identity, as this is
something which I had felt estranged from, for a long time in my past, and
which I have been thinking about a lot during my time here. A long time ago I
stopped believing in religion and started to develop my own form of
spirituality to live by. Yet I had still retained a sense of cultural identity
as a Jew, however this is something I hadn’t really started to explore until I
came here. For the first time in my life I now really feel as though I’ve found
my people, who I feel extremely connected to in ways I can’t yet explain... I feel
as though the people here are tied to each other in some underlying way, as
though this is a country made up of a big family, with roots going back
thousands of years. Although there is simultaneously a deep divide between the
religious and secular Jews, which I am aware of everyday, and which made me
uncomfortable in the beginning, I am coming to understand, and come to terms
with, as the way things are more and more every day. I have started to
appreciate their way of life from a detached, outsider perspective and have
started to really enjoy having it in the background of my life. For example,
whenever there is a chag, I really enjoy sitting on my roof and listening to
the festivities going on around me. As I live in Kiriyat Shalom, a religious neighborhood
in South Tel Aviv, it’s easy to be a silent witness to the goings on of the
religious way of life here, without having to actually partake in it at all.
It’s really nice to hear people coming together, to sing, dance and eat, all
united by traditions, which date back for centuries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Volunteering has
also been an amazing part of my experience here in Israel so far, although I’ve
only just started and have still yet to start my most important one. After
going to nearly 20 placement visits, and getting a sense of the multitude of
differing placement options on offer, I have decided to volunteer my time at
Kav L’Oved (which I’ve yet to start), an organization which provides help for <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>disadvantaged people, including refugees,
migrant workers and Arab Israelis, by helping them find resilience in
overcoming difficulties they face at work, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>assisting them to navigate their way through
legal limitations which are imposed on them, and making sure Israeli labour law
is being enforced. I have just started volunteering at Kadima Youth Centre,
which is a daycare centre for children aged 7-12 of African descent, where I
spend my time helping kids with their homework, teaching them English and
playing with them. I’m enjoying volunteering here a lot, as they soak up any
information I give them like little sponges, whilst helping me to improve my
Hebrew. Finally, I’m volunteering my time at Bina </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-themecolor: text1;">Secular Yeshiva,
which</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"> is the only
non-orthodox institute of its kind in Israel today. I really believe in this
organisation, as it provides an opportunity for secular Jews to come together
to learn Hebrew, Israeli history and discuss what it means to consider oneself
as culturally Jewish. It’s an amazing organisation and I think it’s very important
to have such an institution in Israeli life, which enables secular Jews to
engage with Judaism in a way which is meaningful for them. </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Looking back and
thinking over my time and experiences here it’s hard to believe I’ve only been
here two months. So much has happened, my thinking has been challenged in so
many ways and I’m growing to love this place more and more everyday. It’s only
been two months and I’m already thinking very seriously about making Aliyah, as
the only recurring thought I’ve had since I’ve been here, which has really
troubled me personally, is that ultimately this experience will come to an end.
I love it here in Israel and everyday it starts to feel more and more like the
best home I’ve ever known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe one day
it really will be…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-92170397419080915652014-06-08T00:26:00.004-07:002014-06-08T23:10:13.955-07:00Yom Haatzmaut at the Michael Levin Lone Soldier Center<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Leah Thomas is a current 5-month participant on the Coexistence Track. She spends her time interning at the Lone Soldier Center and volunteering in Jaffa. On Yom Haatzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, Leah and other participants of Tikkun Olam organized a Friday night dinner at the Lone Soldier Center. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My name is Leah Thomas and I am a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin. This time last year I was brainstorming what I would do after undergrad and I almost immediately realized that I wanted to travel and volunteer (more specifically I wanted to do some type of “Jewish volunteering”). After checking out my options and stumbling upon the Masa programs browser, I found <b>Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa</b>- a Jewish social justice program that combines seminar classes and hands on opportunities to volunteer and intern with in-need populations and non-profit organizations in South Tel Aviv for 5 or 10 months.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here I am!...writing about one of the most wonderful experiences I have had yet, which was helping organize <b>a Yom Ha’atzmaut Shabbat Dinner that included reading and re-interpreting Israel’s Declaration of Independence, at my main internship site, the Lone Soldier Center in Tel Aviv.</b> But before I go in depth about this event and it’s significance, I will first explain what the Lone Soldier Center is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lone Soldier Center is a non-profit organization with four physical locations (in Beer Sheva, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Kibbutz Gesher in the North) that runs solely to support lone soldiers in the IDF from Israel and from abroad. The center does everything from hosting Shabbat dinners and offering a warm family environment for soldiers to assisting soldiers with literally every logistical problem they may and will encounter.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlGXA4BlMowpxKXYDWDoKpp5gQFwVC2vvfVJYdXAIuAchaVCZ_4hJ6CB97sSUIPedsm0yPiiOuqfnIZf2DsNprMujbef42FbIecI-U_6tBOg5fOfL1gE36lYGLZki7hMjzclE0uYpbf0/s1600/10277591_10152458312223623_735259045027394535_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlGXA4BlMowpxKXYDWDoKpp5gQFwVC2vvfVJYdXAIuAchaVCZ_4hJ6CB97sSUIPedsm0yPiiOuqfnIZf2DsNprMujbef42FbIecI-U_6tBOg5fOfL1gE36lYGLZki7hMjzclE0uYpbf0/s1600/10277591_10152458312223623_735259045027394535_n.jpg" height="320" width="196" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjtlB6IFzz4SWSO-qp6cwDelleVI3scvHF8jvjl8ttNjFwer5VbkgmNbo3Mlpto-7xm3JTod188kcmPMCJbqsq5eLsEhotjXk4Z8SWKiymq0Q7FBFMIc-v02FaE61eYMiJahFQ-kBmLg/s1600/1902783_738296759527059_6095291694147926207_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjtlB6IFzz4SWSO-qp6cwDelleVI3scvHF8jvjl8ttNjFwer5VbkgmNbo3Mlpto-7xm3JTod188kcmPMCJbqsq5eLsEhotjXk4Z8SWKiymq0Q7FBFMIc-v02FaE61eYMiJahFQ-kBmLg/s1600/1902783_738296759527059_6095291694147926207_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now returning back to the topic of the Yom Ha’atzmaut Shabbat dinner... Every Shabbat dinner I have attended through Lone Soldier Center has been wonderful but the Yom Ha’atzmaut Shabbat stood out in particular. What it made it so special was, firstly, being able to celebrate Israeli independence day with the brave men and women, who left their home abroad or left their home in Israel through adverse circumstances to serve this wonderful, small and balagan country; the Jewish state. Secondly, taking the time to read over and analyze the Israeli Declaration of Independence gave this holiday extra meaning and further solidified the moral grounds that Israel was founded upon and still strives to uphold in the present. Lastly, two German members of parliament attended this event- MP Roderich Keiswetter and MP Dr. Thomas Feist. Their presence was greatly appreciated and was a unique opportunity for both the Israelis and Anglos who were there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not surprisingly, this event was a great success for the lone solider community, for the Daniel Centers and BINA (Tikkun Olam's parent organizations), who arranged a range of projects surrounding the Declaration of Independence around the country, and for my other outstanding friends from Tikkun Olam. My time at the Lone Soldier Center has exposed me to people and narratives that I would never have had the opportunity of being in contact with or knowing of normally. Also, a huge moment of thanks and recognition should be given to the staff and volunteers who make the Lone Soldier Center run and for the lone soldiers themselves, who are human symbols of what it means to be a hero and a leader. Every day they do their</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">service for Israel out of their own will, compassion and ambition and for that, all I can say is <b>“Kol Hakavod and Toda Raba!”</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tikkun Olam participants at the dinner</span></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-79909099761679897122014-04-10T04:40:00.002-07:002014-04-10T04:40:38.239-07:00Tel Aviv - The Complex City <h3 style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;"><i>Aviva Kraus is a current 5-month participant from Los Angeles. As a participant on the Social Action Track, she is volunteering at LATET, the HaTikvah Elderly Center, the Lone Soldier Center, Bat Yam Urban Farm, and the SPCA. </i><i> Here she gives her take on life in Tel Aviv. </i></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kiryat Shalom is an intriguing mix of Bukharan Jews, from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and asylum-seekers and migrant workers from Eritrea, Sudan, and the Philippines. Our next-door neighbors have a big family with lots of kids and a grumpy cat. I am almost always aware of their presence, due to amazing smells coming from their kitchen, a bickering husband and wife, crying children, or a meowing cat. Our downstairs neighbors have big Shabbat dinners every Friday night, which they spend the whole day preparing for. My favorite neighbor is a very friendly little old man with a powder blue motorcycle and sidecar who rides around all day and waves to us when he sees us walking around town. He doesn’t speak a lick of English, but we often “Ha Kol B’seder?” each other when we pass in the hall. The apartment is definitely not glamorous, but I’ve been pretty happy here. I love my room. I put up a couple posters and have a big bed. My roommates love my room, too, which makes me happy. We often hang out on my bed and congregate in there to make plans or get ready to go out in the evenings. There’s a window right over my bed that I open as soon as I wake up every morning, giving me a chance to hear the weird call of our resident owl and let the sunshine in. I also have a beautiful view of the sunset through some palm trees if I happen to be in my room around 6pm.</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Israel is so complex. Seriously, nothing is simple here. </b>There are all the big international political issues, but there are also just a whole host of internal social, political and economic problems, much like any country has. But I think some of them are unique to Israel in that it is one of the most welcoming/modern/accessible countries in the Middle East. Israel, much like America, is a country mostly made up of immigrants. In multiple waves, people have come here from different places and developed different perceptions of what Israel is or should be. <b>Sometimes Israel feels like a huge mess of wires or necklace chains that are crissed crossed looped and twisted around each other, completely intertwined yet never really seeming to connect fully in any places from beginning to end. </b>Does that make any sense? That being said, I have never really felt that out of place in Tel Aviv, because there isn’t really an <em>in place</em> here.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Yesterday I was walking to Shuk HaCarmel with two of my roommates and we came upon a man who was lying on his side, seemingly choking and flailing around. With a panicked look in his eyes, he attempted to claw at his face. No one was helping, though one woman was calling an ambulance and a couple others were standing in shock. Then, the arab shopkeeper in front of whose shop this seizing man was laying bent down and lifted the man’s head so it was propped on a mound of plastic bags. An ashkenazi woman knelt down to communicate with the man, and helped the first man maneuver a bottle cap into the man’s mouth so he didn’t bite his tongue or lip. She handed me the leash to her dog, who kept trying to jump on her owner’s thigh with panicked squeals. A black woman hovered over them both, muttering suggestions every so often. Other than holding back the barking spitfire, I tried to help - especially since I had come upon a man in Los Angeles a few months ago who was also mid-seizure. I was able to help a little bit back then, but because I don’t yet speak good enough Hebrew, there was not much I could do yesterday. I looked the man in the eyes a few times and told him, using my limited Hebrew, that it would be okay and that someone was coming. I did the same in English, and I asked around to make sure someone had called and would stay with him before I walked away. But because I couldn’t verbally communicate, I was pretty unhelpful. Maybe I’m reading too much into the situation, but I realized that <b>despite the fact that all three of these altruistic individuals probably had vastly different backgrounds and potentially held different political and/or religious beliefs, they were all still connected, and able to work together </b>to help save this epileptic man who was lying, helpless on the ground.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Anyway, I think it’s impossible not to read complexity into theoretically simple moments when you’re living in Tel Aviv- impossible not to think about things like race, religion, politics, gender, health care, culture clash, immigration, or poverty. Unless one is purposefully staying eyes closed ears covered, and even then it’s difficult. From the homeless Russian immigrants without medical insurance who pick at their bleeding, swollen legs while begging for change outside the central bus station, to the thousands of black asylum seekers who can’t gain employment because they are not yet technically “refugees” and whose backstories I can only imagine, to the Jewish Israelis like Sarit, who works at the grocery store by my house and whose older son just joined the IDF last week, there is so much. It’s overwhelming and intriguing. But, like Sarit told me when I asked her whether she was afraid for her son, <i><b>“That’s just part of life here.”</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">(I took this picture down the street from my apartment. The graffiti says “whoever doesn’t reuse or recycle is crazy…”)</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-10589399270114681112014-02-25T06:13:00.002-08:002014-02-25T06:13:15.484-08:00My amazing 5 months in Tel Aviv<i>Samantha Beers has just returned home to Boston after her 5 months on the Social Action track. She will be returning to her job as a Special Education teacher. As she settles back into life in the US, she is already adding touches of her deeper connection to Judaism and Israel to her life and home. She recently hung a beautiful Israeli mezuzah to the door of her new apartment.</i><br />
<i>Here she describes her experiences on Tikkun Olam, and the effect it had on her. </i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Five months ago, I started on what became an incredible adventure. When I signed up for Tikkun Olam, I kept getting asked, "What will you be doing in Israel?", "Why do you want to go there?", "Why can’t you just work with kids in another state?", "What do you want from this experience?" All the questions were so overwhelming. I had left a great teaching job to take this opportunity and taken a big risk, but let me tell you it was the best decision of my life.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My time is this program was well spent. Every Sunday, I took classes on issues that Israel is facing, participated in a course that dug deeper into the Torah, and took a 3 hour course to learn Hebrew. Our Sundays, were full of group discussions and questions typically leading to everyone forming their own questions that we were all hoping to find answers to. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, I was volunteering with 5 different programs. The best part of volunteering was that it was so individualized. My focus was on teaching and working with children but there were opportunities to work with refugees, elderly, and honestly anything you were interested in. The program coordinators either had connections to places or would help you find something that fit your interest.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Mondays were split between Beit Holland and Lilach. Beit Holland is a kindergarten program for students with multiple disabilities. The staff was incredible and you just couldn’t help but fall in love with all the children ! Lilach was an afterschool program for at-risk and low-income families. I always looked forward to sitting around the table eating with all the kids, playing soccer, coloring, playing games, and especially going all out for their birthdays. On Tuesdays, I spent my mornings at Mikveh Israel. I really enjoyed teaching English to 11<sup>th</sup> and 12<sup>th</sup> graders with behavioral issues. It was a great challenge and in the process I learned so much from the staff and students. At night, I was making a quick outfit change to help out at Etgarim. This is an incredible bicycle program working with children and adults with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. Every week, I met another amazing individual who touched my life. I loved riding on a tandem bike or riding along with someone through the paths to the beach. It was a great way to get to know one another and a way to build trust. On Thursdays, I volunteered at Beit Holland and spent my afternoons at Sexual Assault Center. For 4 months, I was tagging, organizing, and putting together clothes for a huge Bazaar with around 500 designers. This event was huge and was going to help raise money for the center. In the end it was so successful! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">On Wednesdays, we took classes that discussed Jewish identity, Zionism, and Jewish Cinema. I always looked forward to Wednesdays because we also got the chance to do presentations on places we were volunteering at and could present on things that we were interested in.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My weekends were spent traveling around the country with or without the program. I went to Eilat, the Golan Heights, the Negev, the Judean Desert and many other great places! We even traveled with the group during the week to explore parts of Israel that we were learning about in our classes.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overall, 5 months flew by but this program made it possible to accomplish so much in so little time. I was able to help children, really focus on my own Jewish identity and learn about all the conflicts and amazing things that are all taking place in this small country that we love so much! Tikkun Olam is a great program and while after all my experiences, I am now heading back to Boston to a teaching position in a 3<sup>rd</sup>, 4<sup>th</sup>, and 5<sup>th</sup> grade special education class. Tikkun Olam will always have a special place in my heart <3</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-30690034376727475132014-01-19T04:27:00.003-08:002014-01-19T04:30:02.725-08:00March For Freedom: We are Refugees<i style="background-color: white;">Social Action Track participants on Tikkun Olam are based in the South Tel Aviv area, neighborhoods with a diverse and multi-cultural population. One group of people living there are the African refugees, whose plight has recently been the center of much debate in Israeli politics and media.</i><br />
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<i>Two of our participants give their take on the situation, and talk about their experiences with this community.</i></span><br />
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<i><b>Leah Rosenberg is a 10-month Social Action track participant from Alberquerque, New Mexico, who is volunteering in a number of different organizations aiding the refugee population.</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On December 15th over 150 African refugees from Sudan and Eritrea marched from a detention facility in Israel’s Negev to the Knesset in Jerusalem to fight for their lives. More than 50,000 Africans have come to Israel in the past decade, fleeing civil war, oppressive regimes, and ethnic cleansing. Many were smuggled to the Israeli border by Bedouin kidnappers who subjected them to physical and psychological torture. Upon arriving in Israel, over four hundred such asylum seekers have been imprisoned for their “illegal infiltration” into the state. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve heard stories like this before. We read articles about the plight of refugees and immigrants fleeing from unimaginable horrors; we hear the excuses and political rhetoric that emerge in host states; we know about the complex legal battles these individuals face, the criminalization of immigration, and the extreme racism and xenophobia that greets them when they finally arrive in new supposedly free lands. In certain ways I thought I had become numb to such stories. It seemed distant, far removed from my own life and experience. It was horrible, no doubt, but not something tangible or personal in any way. But last month, my perspective changed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After living in Israel for four months I have become part of a complex, frustrating, and deeply troubling situation unfolding in South Tel Aviv. Through my participation in a social action program called Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa I have worked with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that serve African asylum seekers, primarily from Sudan and Eritrea. I work in their neighborhood, babysit their kids at a daycare center, accompany new mothers and their children to doctors’ appointments, and teach them English. Through these volunteer placements, organized by the Tikkun Olam program, I have seen a population that works hard in the face of complete uncertainty, a people that supports each other, creating networks and organizations to meet the needs of the community. But I have also seen the racism they face, the obstacles to freedom and economic security, and their struggle towards an uncertain future. The articles published about their plight are no longer just words on a page or troubling accounts of something far away. It is the story of people I have met, the parents of children I babysit, the peaceniks and advocates I have the pleasure of meeting and working with every day. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On December 15th I marched with them. When I arrived at the Knesset I anticipated something far different than what greeted me on that snowy day in Jerusalem. I knew that 48 hours earlier over 150 asylum seekers left the detention center they were being held at in the desert, walked six hours to the closest city, and proceeded north towards Jerusalem, helped along the way by human rights activists and a hospitable kibbutz. When I heard their story I presumed the marchers would be angry, possibly hostile. I know I would have been given their situation. After all, the one democracy in the region, the one place within “walking distance” that was supposedly a friendly host for those fleeing persecution, was keeping them locked up. But that was not what I saw on that afternoon. Huddled together, probably in part for warmth, these 150 detained refugees, alongside their friends living in Israel and the advocates working alongside them, quietly chanted: “We are refugees. We are not criminals.” Chanting this phrase over and over, in both English and Hebrew, they remained calm and collected. I was in awe of their patience and their determination. After fleeing the detention center they could have run for their lives and attempted to find work illegally in Israel or hide out in a friend’s home somewhere in Tel Aviv. But they didn’t. They chose to protest publicly and raise their voices in pursuit of justice. They held signs citing the Torah, reminding Jews to “welcome the stranger.” They quoted activists like Nelson Mandela, and proclaimed that they too, were entitled to basic human rights. With resolution and a spirit, a ruach, unlike anything I have ever seen, they demanded freedom.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What unfolded after was nothing short of a tragedy. Immigration police officers, armed and ready, stormed into the protest and began to break up what was possibly one of the tamest political protests in Israel’s history. I was standing right there as these officers pursued what I can only describe as a racist strategy. If you were black, they grabbed you by the collar or the shoulders and dragged you from the march onto a bus just a few meters away. If you were white you were asked to step aside. Most protestors simply sat down on the wet pavement and waited. The officers would gang up, often three or more to a single person and violently remove them from the scene; they put these young men and women in headlocks, pushed and prodded them, until, after 20 or so minutes, the black faces that had comprised the majority of the march were gone and all that remained were articles of clothing, wet, torn and abandoned signs asking for freedom, and fifteen white Israeli activists screaming “we are refugees.” I stood helpless on the side of the street, in total and complete shock. Where was the law in this? How can such actions be considered moral or humane? What happened to the Jewish values that supposedly drive and define this state? It was the Africans, the Christians, and Muslims in the crowd that reminded us of what it means to be Jewish. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just two hours later, I had the opportunity to meet with Ruth Calderon, a member of the Yesh Atid party and a strong voice for civil rights in Israel. I visited the Knesset that afternoon with 200 young Jews from around the world as part of the Masa Leadership Summit. When I asked her about the anti-infiltration law that allowed for the detention of the men and women I had just marched with, she told our group that as difficult as the situation is, she supports the detention policy. She explained that Israel cannot be held responsible for all those in Africa who are subjected to economic or political distress; Israel does not have the capacity to house all the world’s suffering. She said that if we let these thousand refugees stay freely in Israel, then another thousand and another thousand will come. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s response was to announce that the refugees had two options: stay in detention or return to the lands that had persecuted them. In other words, stay jailed or risk death. Political responses to this situation have continued to shock me. They harken back 65 years to the Jewish pleas heard from Eastern Europe. As Jewish refugees fled for their lives, desperately seeking refuge, most western nations offered similar arguments: we can’t house them, it’s not our responsibility, we sympathize but who are we to get involved?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Israel has to be better than this. We know. We were there. Israel is a state built by refugees, a homeland whose vision is grounded in social justice and freedom. It is time to do more. It is time to stop accepting detention as the best solution. It is time to speak up for the 55,000 refugees currently residing in the State of Israel. It is time to stop making excuses. Israel does not have to take responsibility for all those who suffer, but we must care for those who are already here. Because as those 15 Israelis proclaimed after all the African marchers were detained, WE are refugees. We know the struggle they are facing. And we have to act. Now. </span></div>
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<i><b>Zoe Baker is a 10-month Social Action track participant from Denver, Colarado. She is spending her time here volunteering at a Mesila (a refugee daycare), Hagar & Miriam (a non-profit aiding pregnant refugees), and the African Refugee Development Center. </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Five
months ago I came to Israel as part of Tikkun Olam to work with the refugee
population. I was generally well informed regarding refugees on an
international basis but knew nothing of the status of refugees in Israel. Until
I spoke </span><span lang="EN-US">with the program coordinator before applying to
the program, I was unaware there were refugees fleeing from Africa to Israel.
With the focus on other issues facing Israel, little attention is paid to the
plight of refugees who have few rights in Israel. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">With
my program I volunteer with an organization, Mesila, that helps children of
asylum seekers and migrant workers find a day care for their children. Most
people from this population cannot afford private day care and don't qualify
for state-sponsored ones. I also work with Hagar and Miriam which</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> assists pregnant refugees
with the medical process in Israel. In addition, Tikkun Olam helped me obtain
an internship with the relocation team at the African Refugee Development
Center (ARDC) in south Tel Aviv, which is my primary opportunity to interact
with the refugee population. The ARDC is an NGO that works with refugees on
education, visas and relocation/family reunification. Since then, I've fully
learned to appreciate the objectivity of studying the topic in college opposed
to being immersed in it, all day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">My
first day at ARDC, my project coordinator told me that the most important
aspect of my job was keeping my client's </span><span lang="FR" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">expectations </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">realistic. Little did I know
an equal challenge would be monitoring my own expectations. Rarely we are able
to offer refugees a glimmer of hope by informing them there is something we can
do to help them relocate to another country- this must be tempered by advising
them that there is a two to seven-year waiting period. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Monitoring
my own expectations has been equally as hard. There have been many
"firsts" since I arrived in </span><span lang="EN-US">Israel: I'd never told a person in need that there was nothing I could
do to help them; never seen a deportation letter or seven-day notice; never</span><span lang="EN-US"> watched refugees loaded onto a bus like
criminals; met victims of torture and observed firsthand the after affects of
their trauma; never visited a detention facility for refugees; never had
someone ask me how to report the </span><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">murder</span><span lang="EN-US"> of a
friend who had been with them when they were kidnapped. I no longer have
unrealistic ideas about helping refugees get settled in Israel. Instead I help
this vulnerable population with the harsh reality that there are no options for
them here and the majority of my week consists of helping refugees leave the
country. </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The best part of
my day involves appreciating the little things-the rare times that there</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s something I can do to help someone. This may include
helping refugees fill out a Sponsorship Agreement Holder application with
Canada, one of the few countries with sponsorship programs, and the only
country that still allows refugees from Israel to apply (refugees in Israel are
not granted refugee status); or helping a man register for computer technician
classes who had had all his fingers on one hand removed in a torture camp in
the Sinai yet still had a positive outlook on life.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">However, the
majority of my day is spent handling the fallout of refugee</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s crushed dreams for a better life. One tragic story
after another: the man released from the Israeli detention facility for 30 days
to try and get his pregnant wife out of the Sinai but he doesn</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t have the $300,00</span><span lang="EN-US"> ransom and doesn</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t know what happened to her; the woman telling me about
the dead bodies left next to her at night when she was locked in a basement
while being trafficked by Bedouins and how they would electrocute her and burn
her with cigarettes. And the steady line of people on the verge of tears asking
me in broken English or Hebrew how I can help them only to be told there</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s nothing I can do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.travelpod.com/users/rvenezia/1.1389799508.freedom-yes-no-prision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://images.travelpod.com/users/rvenezia/1.1389799508.freedom-yes-no-prision.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">During the Masa
Leadership Summit in Jerusalem, I went to the refugee protest at the Knesset.
The refugees had marched from the newly opened detention facility, built </span><span lang="EN-US">to house the refugee population, to Jerusalem
to protest their treatment as criminals in Israel and their lack of rights. The
event resulted in the refugees being dragged on to busses by immigration police
to be bussed back to Holot with me left crying in the snow while the media took
pictures. On a positive note the protest inspired the March for Freedom in
which I have taken an active role. But it also culminated in my working the
front desk when panicked refugees came in with their “</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">invitations</span><span lang="EN-US">” from the Ministry of Interior to report to the
detainment facility and my feeling helpless once again when I tell them I don't
know how, or if, ARDC can help. Refugees now seek advice whether they should
renew their conditional release visas every three months as required,when the
likely result is that they will be given orders to report to the detention
facility, or even be outright denied a new visa.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">My time in Israel
has made me question where are the Jewish ideals I grew up with. Here I am,
living in a country that accepts me because I</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m Jewish, that is supposed to be governed by <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3239611748952976051" style="mso-comment-date: 20140114T2031; mso-comment-reference: _6;">Jewish</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-language: HE;"> values</span><span lang="EN-US">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
time I hear an Israeli use the n-word I</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US">m reminded
these weren</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US">t people who were involved in the American
Civil Rights movement for the equality of African Americans. Every time I hear
government officials and news outlets provide false information about refugees
being infiltrators or migrant workers and the need for their deportation I am
furious. The irony is, this is all taking place in a country founded by
refugees that is now violating refugees</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’ </span><span lang="EN-US">rights
and locking them in detention facilities. Somewhere along the way Israel forgot
what it was like when they were strangers and when their rights were being
violated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 15.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="DE">As Elie Wiesel said, </span><span lang="EN-US"><i>“I swore
never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and
humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the
victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”</i> Hopefully
pressure from the international community can help remind them. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-62897215316866635852013-12-10T04:39:00.000-08:002013-12-10T04:39:12.002-08:00My Time at the GA<i style="background-color: white;">Carrie Collister is a 10-month Internship Track participant from Wisconsin. During her time on Tikkun Olam, she is interning at the Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism.</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white;">Carrie was chosen to be part of the Masa delegation to the Jewish Federations of North America's General Assembly. Here, she writes about her experience at the conference.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I was lucky enough to be selected from the thousands of Masa participants, living and volunteering in Israel, to be one of 50 Masa delegates at The Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/masa-delegation-to-the-the-jewish-federations-of-north-americas-general-assembly/#_edn1" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="">[i]</a>. This year’s GA<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/masa-delegation-to-the-the-jewish-federations-of-north-americas-general-assembly/#_edn2" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="">[ii]</a> was held in Jerusalem making it quite easy for the young leaders of tomorrow to attend. Below is a brief account my time in Jerusalem – November 7-12<sup style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">th</sup>.</span></div>
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<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/group-masa.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Masa Delegation" class="size-full wp-image-49 " src="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/group-masa.jpg?w=930" style="border-color: gray silver rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 5px auto 0px; max-width: 97%; padding: 0px;" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #888888; font-size: 12px; margin: 5px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Masa Delegation - Carrie is in the last row, 3rd from right. Simi Adler, another Tikkun Olam participant, is in the last row, 2nd from left. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As I stepped off the bus in Jerusalem, as the sun was setting on November 7<sup style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">th</sup> I was unsure what to expect from the next five days. I knew little about Federations, having spent my Jewish life is very small communities, one which had a small Federation I had never engaged with (or had not engaged with me depending how one looks at it) and then in a town that was home to one congregation. Would it feel like I was drinking the cool-aid, so to speak, if I feel in love with this institution of Jewish outreach and engagement? Only time would tell…..</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The first two days were dedicated primarily to preparing the Masa delegation for the events we would be attending during the GA. I was not the only representative that was not entirely sure what a federation was and what exactly they did. To be honest, I knew they were some kind of community Jewish group that fundraised (and did something else) aka they like people with money; I saw it as, I don’t have money so they aren’t overly interested in dealing with me. During our prep time, we were introduced to Jewish Agency & Federation leaders to try to better understand their organizations and for them to meet and hear from current Masa participants. We also heard from a few heads of Federations in America. It was interesting to learn more about what goes on with Federations ranging from small to the largest in America. Although most have to focus to some extend on fundraising, they also focus on programs to improving the lives of Israelis, education both in and outside of Israel, Jewish Identity, elderly care around the world and ultimately being a second home for Jews in the communities.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">One of our prep sessions was led by Robbie Gringras from Makom, an initiative of the Jewish Agency for Israel, which trains leaders and creates educational content to embrace the vibrant complexity of Israel: The People and the Place. Robbie was highly engaging as he spoke to us about the Makom matrix and the ways Makom is looking to change how young diaspora Jews see Israel (side note- I believe the matrix works well for anyone to see where they are at & for educational leaders for all levels work to bring people to a high res-inside place.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Because of this initial time with Robbie, one of my favorite events was the <i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">MAKOM Global Jewish Forum- Moving Israel Education </i>held the morning before the Opening Plenary. We spent a great deal of time examining the Matrix in the Plenary, through viewing interviews of high school students who attended Jewish Day School in the US and Australia in which they were asked about how they saw their Jewish Identity and its connection to Israel.</span></div>
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<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/makom-matrix.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="The MAKOM Matrix" class="size-medium wp-image-53" height="224" src="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/makom-matrix.jpg?w=300&h=224" style="border-color: gray silver rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 5px auto 0px; max-width: 97%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #888888; font-size: 12px; margin: 5px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">The MAKOM Matrix</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Driven from multiple angles; including not only the changes within Israel in recent decades, changes in Jewish identity, and the rate of information exchange, think Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Makom sees a need in for change to occur within Israel education. Makom is focusing on “reimagining the way we aim for our young people to relate to Israel.” Examining the Makom matrix with us beforehand, Robbie explained their most basic goal is to get people into the high-resolution/inside quadrant. Instead of seeing ones connection to Israel merely as outside (no affection for Israel) or inside (affection for Israel) they added the dimension of High resolution & Low resolution. Example –““Low-resolution” would suggest that green is green. “High-resolution” on the other hand, allows for green to break down into its component parts and become blue and yellow. And Hamas. And Environmental Issues. And Egged buses. And Maccabi Haifa soccer club. And and… The higher the resolution, the more knowledge, detail and nuance…” <a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/masa-delegation-to-the-the-jewish-federations-of-north-americas-general-assembly/#_edn3" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="">[iii]</a> <b>I know since my arrival in Israel and beginning Tikkun Olam, I have moved further into Hi-Res. Between my classes and day trips with Tikkun Olam, I have been gaining a better understanding of the complexity of Israel and her people.</b> This way of looking at things really resounded with me and my goals for educating those around me and hopefully someday those in the congregation/federation/JCC/day school/Hillel that I work in.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The Grand Opening of the JFNA’s GA featured Israel’s current Prime Minter, Benjamin Netanyahu, and with that we were officially underway in our delegate responsibilities. The main events on Monday included an option to select from 20+ sessions held at three different times. I attended the following sessions; Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding: Harnessing the Power of the People, 1967 versus 2013: How to Effectively Speak Out for Israel in a Changing World and Many Shades of Black: Insights into the Haredi World. My goal was to get out of my comfort zone and attend sessions I wasn’t automatically drawn to, i.e. about issues I already knew a good amount about. I have to say, I think I accomplished this. The next day was a fast paced, first visiting Hebrew Union College and then onto visiting a school with students enrolled in The Azrieli Institute for Educational Empowerment. We were then bused to the final event of the GA.</span></div>
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<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/r-jacobs-carrie.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Carrie with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, current president of the URJ" class="size-medium wp-image-50" height="300" src="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/r-jacobs-carrie.jpg?w=300&h=300" style="border-color: gray silver rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 5px auto 0px; max-width: 97%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #888888; font-size: 12px; margin: 5px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Carrie with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, current president of the URJ</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">At the closing celebration, in Jerusalem’s Safra Square, we heard from Naftali Bennett, Natan Sharansky and Nir Barkat. Most in attendance then walked through Jerusalem’s Old City, in Jewish Unity to the Kotel. The most moving part was walking down to Azart Yisrael, the temporary egalitarian section of the Kotel. Azart Yisrael is a bridge to a permanent solution to ensure all Jews can pray at the wall in a way that is meaningful to them. It was an amazing experience to pray here. I was lucky enough to run into Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, standing in the section. By the end of day five I was relatively exhausted but going from dawn to dusk (usually much later) will do that to most young people.</span></div>
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<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/p-peres.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Israeli President S. Peres as seen from our amazing seats in row 4!" class="size-medium wp-image-48 " height="300" src="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/p-peres.jpg?w=300&h=300" style="border-color: gray silver rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 5px auto 0px; max-width: 97%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #888888; font-size: 12px; margin: 5px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Israeli President S. Peres as seen from our amazing seats in row 4!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Overall highlights included a scavenger hunt through the shuk with representatives from the Jewish Agency for Israel as well as some leaders of Federations from the US, seeing and hearing from; a Prime Minister, a President, an Israeli party leader, a leading Haredi journalist, a mayor, a US Ambassador, young leaders in the crowd sourcing & funding world as well as multiple EVPs and CEOs of North American Federations. It was also amazingly delightful to connect with other ‘High-Res’ Masa participants from around the world, with different ways of expressing their Judaism, now living in vastly different places in Israel. I learned much about Federations and about myself and how I can continue on my Jewish journey. I know that no matter where I end up, from Federation to Temple, JCC to Hillel, this GA will impact the work I do.</span></div>
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<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/yonatan.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Horsing around with our fearless leader, Yonatan Barkan, Masa’s Director of Academic Programs." class="size-medium wp-image-51 " height="300" src="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/yonatan.jpg?w=229&h=300" style="border-color: gray silver rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 5px auto 0px; max-width: 97%; padding: 0px;" width="229" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #888888; font-size: 12px; margin: 5px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Horsing around with our fearless leader, Yonatan Barkan, Masa’s Director of Academic Programs.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Final Note: Now I would not want anyone reading this to think no one at the GA spoke or expressed concerned about the Pew Study. To be frank I heard more hashing and rehashing of the Pew study then I care to share. The interesting thing is I don’t actually think we (the larger Jewish community as a whole) honestly learned anything we didn’t already know from Pew. I didn’t feel my time would be best focused on Pew and as I mentioned early I was attending session that would push me.</span></div>
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<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/logo.png" sl-processed="1" style="background-color: white; color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="logo" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-52 alignright" height="51" src="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/logo.png?w=150&h=51" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: right; height: auto; margin-bottom: 12px !important; margin-left: 24px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 4px !important; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/jafi.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="background-color: white; color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="JAFI" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-54" height="36" src="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/jafi.jpg?w=150&h=36" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; margin-bottom: 12px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 24px !important; margin-top: 4px !important; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/masa-delegation-to-the-the-jewish-federations-of-north-americas-general-assembly/#_ednref1" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="">[i]</a> The JFNA in its own words:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The Jewish Federations of North America represents 153 Jewish Federations and over 300 Network communities, which raise and distribute more than $3 billion annually for social welfare, social services and educational needs. The Federation movement, collectively among the top 10 charities on the continent, protects and enhances the well-being of Jews worldwide through the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world), tzedakah (charity and social justice) and Torah (Jewish learning). <a href="http://www.jewishfederations.org/about-us.aspx" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">http://www.jewishfederations.org/about-us.aspx</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/masa-delegation-to-the-the-jewish-federations-of-north-americas-general-assembly/#_ednref2" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="">[ii]</a> The JFNA’s explanation of the GA:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The <a href="http://www.generalassembly.org/" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_self">General Assembly</a> (GA) is the premier annual North American Jewish conference, attracting Federation lay leaders and professionals as well as the leadership of The Jewish Federation of North America’s partner organizations and other important national Jewish organizations. It’s an event that inspires and engages current and emerging Jewish leaders, tackles the most critical issues of the day, and showcases the best of the Federation movement. The GA plenaries, forums and workshops feature top speakers from the political, business and non-profit realms. <a href="http://www.jewishfederations.org/about-us.aspx" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">http://www.jewishfederations.org/about-us.aspx</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://tikkunolamtelaviv.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/masa-delegation-to-the-the-jewish-federations-of-north-americas-general-assembly/#_ednref3" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="">[iii]</a> <a href="http://makomisrael.org/educational-material/" sl-processed="1" style="color: #19196a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">http://makomisrael.org/educational-material/</a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-82265788872297085402013-11-24T10:54:00.002-08:002013-11-24T10:54:09.059-08:00"Peace is a Process"<i style="background-color: white;">Robert Venezia is currently interning at The Peres Center for Peace Sports department. He is working on their Twinned Schools Football project. Here he blogs about his experience at the project's first training seminar.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This past weekend I attended my first joint training football camp. We had about forty high-school aged Israeli and Palestinian girls attending this camp at Kibbutz Dorot, very close to the Israeli border with Gaza. The program they are part of is called the Twinned Schools Program, which brings together girls of the same age group from one school in Israel and one school in Palestine to play sports (mostly football) together. The Israeli girls were from the city of Kiryat Gat and they had experienced Qassam Rocket fire over the past few years. The Palestinian girls were from the city of Jericho in the West Bank. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.travelpod.com/users/rvenezia/1.1384942769.the-peacemaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://images.travelpod.com/users/rvenezia/1.1384942769.the-peacemaker.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white;">Robbie with two of the football camp participants</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The first thing that we did was introduction activities, which involved ice-breaker games to allow the girls to get to know each other. After the ice-breaker activity, we went to lunch and that is when I saw that I had a large hurdle to jump. The girls did not interact with each other; they only talked to the girls from their group. </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The Israelis only talked to the Israeli and the Palestinians only talked to the Palestinians</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. This was a bit disconcerting, because I had thought that the girls would come together and would interact and thus peace would be achieved. That was a pretty naïve thing to believe, because nothing in life worth accomplishing is ever that easy. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white;">The girls playing football together</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The one thing that the girls all seemed to enjoy was the music of Justin Bieber and football (soccer). When the girls began playing “Fair-play” football you could see that Nelson Mandela was right in a sense when he said, <i><b>“Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”</b></i> The girls did not seem to care who was Palestinian or Israeli, they saw only their teammate, and they only wanted to win. When they scored, they hugged each other. The girls did not see race or religion, they only saw their teammate. Mandela’s quote was proven partially correct in </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">what I witnessed. Sure, the girls before and after the football game did not interact much, but on the field they did. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.travelpod.com/users/rvenezia/1.1384942769.playing-bingo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://images.travelpod.com/users/rvenezia/1.1384942769.playing-bingo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white;">The bloodthirsty game of Bingo</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Throughout the rest of the camp, we did Yoga together, a drawing activity, and played games together. The most excited the girls got, however, was when we played Bingo. On an aside, I never remember Bingo being a game that involved yelling and fierce competition, but that was the case with the girls. They were in teams of two, one Israeli and one Palestinian, and even though they did not speak the same language, I saw that they felt a connection. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This blog took me a while to write, because I was unsure of how to state the conclusion. I realize that my participation in the Twinned Schools Program will not get me a Nobel Peace Prize and that peace will not happen tomorrow due to my efforts. </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Human beings are not very patient, they want immediate results and thus cannot wait for change to slowly happen. My friend and former professor Sam Mustafa once told me, <i><b>“peace is a ‘process.’</b> <b>It's not an end-state or a simple goal. It's an ongoing relationship that requires constant action and maintenance. It's not to be found in any treaty or agreement, but rather in a state of mind.”</b> </i>I believe that this is true, and programs like the Twinned Schools can make the dream of peace a reality. You have to have trust in peace and the process of trust begins with getting to know someone. The personal connection is the most important in breaking down barriers. There is no problem with the process of peace starting with football, because it has to start somewhere. A month ago, on Yom Rabin, I asked what Rabin’s legacy was and I think I have now realized what it was. His legacy lives on in everyone who was inspired by him to achieve peace and do things, both large and small to make his dream, that he died for, a reality. I feel that this is why I came to Israel. </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.travelpod.com/users/rvenezia/1.1384942769.the-path-to-peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://images.travelpod.com/users/rvenezia/1.1384942769.the-path-to-peace.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Israeli and Palestinian girls holding up a sign that says in Hebrew and Arabic the Path to Peace.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3239611748952976051.post-1583215758258695612013-11-11T02:09:00.000-08:002013-11-11T02:09:41.439-08:00Robert's Israel Journey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Robert Venezia is a 5-month participant on the Internship Track. As well as interning three days a week at the Peres Center for Peace twin-soccer program, and participating in the other segments of the Tikkun Olam program, Robert has managed to visit an impressive number of places all around the country in his first two months here! </i></div>
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<i>Robert has made this video filled with his memories of many special locations in Israel, proving that if you take the initiative, it is possible to achieve and experience a lot in a short time! </i></div>
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<i>We look forward to seeing what Robbie manages to achieve in his next three months here!! </i></div>
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