Day Trip to Jerusalem

Josh, one of our 5 month Social Action track participants, recently wrote the following blog post about a group day trip to Jerusalem's Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood:

This past Sunday our program took a trip to Jerusalem for the day. The purpose of our visit was to tour some ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. Now, we currently live in a fairly Orthodox neighborhood, but evidently there’s a pretty big difference between “pretty Orthodox” and “ultra-Orthodox.” We went to a neighborhood called Mea Shearim, which is fairly well known. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I felt intially very uncomfortable. Why? Well, this is what you see when you enter the neighborhood:

The sign says, in part, “Groups passing through our neighborhood severely offend the residents. Please stop this.” We were a group of at least 20. Here is a group of people who purposely segregate themselves from most of the world for their own reasons and specifically ask that outsiders don’t come in and bother them, and yet here was a whole slew of us taking a little tour of their world. Nevertheless, we went on in.

It felt like it was still the late 19th century in there. The manner of dress, the lack of most technology, the seemingly simple lifestyle. Evidently, these super-Orthodox (technically the term is “Haredi”) do not have televisions or computers or the internet for fear of coming across any immodest images. They all have cell phones though, which seems slightly out of place given the rest of the environment, but whatever floats their boat.

In addition to the interesting sign that greeted us upon entering Mea Shearim, we also saw this one:

Some of the ultra-Orthodox don’t believe that a Jewish state can exist until the Moshiach (Messiah) comes and thus are opposed to the Zionist ideals that the state of Israel is built on. That’s fine, but signs like this are somewhat disturbing. They’re aggressive and make the environment feel even more foreign and unwelcoming than it already does. Not that I expect Haredi Jews to welcome outsiders with open arms, but.. I don’t know. I didn’t like it.

Overall, I found the experience to be a positive one. It was certainly uncomfortable at times, and there were parts where I didn’t want to be there at all. For example, we went to a supermarket at some point to see all the crazy hullabaloo happening in preparation for Pesach. Um, a supermarket? Really? I left and waited outside. It felt like we were treating these people like animals in a zoo. Despite ridiculousness like this, there were some good parts. We had an opportunity to watch some people make handmade matzot for Pesach. It was quite the operation and extremely hot inside the bakery (for lack of a better word.) The guy running the place was happy to let us stand inside and watch and even spoke to us for a little bit. This made me feel more welcome and less like an intruder, which for all intents and purposes, we were.

After our tour of this neighborhood, we had some free time in the big shuk in Jerusalem. I remember going there on Birthright. It’s quite a bit bigger than the shuks we usually go to in Tel Aviv. Jon bought some chopped liver there that was ridiculously good.

After our break at the shuk, we actually went to a small synagogue and spoke to a Heredi Jew about their lifestyle. This was very educational. The man, Ellie, was funny and eager to talk to us. I got the feeling he was among the more liberal members of the ultra-Orthodox community. We all spoke together for well over an hour. We all had a lot of questions for him and he answered them quite honestly. Abby asked him at one point about his opinion on increased settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. He said that although he felt that the land belonged to Jews and not Arabs, he felt like the settlements served no purpose other than to antagonize and thus were not a good idea. I liked this. It was honest and thoughtful and realistic. I don’t feel like I hear this response very often, and I did not expect it from a member of the Haredi community.

Our group headed back to Tel Aviv after this, but a few of us stuck around. It was a pretty last minute decision to hop off the bus, but I figured if I’m already in Jerusalem, I might as well check out the Old City and the Kotel. So, Alana, her friend Elisa from home, Evin, Josh M., and I wandered around the Old City for a while. We saw touristy stuff like King David’s Tomb, the Last Supper room, Zion Gate, and of course, the Kotel. Here are some pictures:

Old City street:

Dome of the Rock:

The Kotel:

The Kotel again:

I really like visiting the Kotel. Granted, this is only the second time I’m ever been in my entire life, but there is something special about it. It’s really, really, really old and has immense meaning for many Jews. I’m obviously not religious, but… I still think its special. I think I like it because you can see how much it means to other people. People are occasionally very emotional. You can see them praying by the Wall, touching it, rocking back and forth as religious Jew so often do. You can see that it has very real meaning to them and I think that’s important even if it doesn’t hold the same significance to me personally. I will certainly revisit the Wall again before I leave Israel this trip.

As many of you know, its tradition to leave a note or prayer in the wall, which I have happily done each time I’ve visited the Wall. As I was finishing writing my note this time, an Orthodox woman with a little boy asked to borrow my pen. I had a silly pencil in my bag that one of my supervisors had given me at one of my volunteer placements, so I gave the boy the pencil to keep. He didn’t say much and mostly just stared at me, but hopefully he gets more use out of the silly, colorful pencil than I did.

And so after our visit to the Wall, we headed home. Well, Evin and Josh M. and I did. Alana and her friend Elisa stayed the night in what appeared to be a pretty sweet hostel in the Old City. As we were leaving the Old City, we saw this displayed on the outer walls by Jaffa Gate:

It was thousands of little light bulbs lit up in the shape of the Israeli flag. It was HUGE. I think they were testing it out for something future event, because it was literally only on for 30 seconds. We lucked out when we nabbed pictures for ourselves. It was a great ending to an occasionally uncomfortable, always interesting, very hot, and very long day.

African Refugee Seder

Recently many of our current volunteers and alumni shared their Jewich culture by participating in an early Passover seder with about 500 African migrants in South Tel Aviv (http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=215684). Here's what Adam Workman, a current 10 month Social Action track participant, had to say about the experience:

For me, Pesach has always been a time to see that crazy family of mine, eat delicious food, and retell the story of our people crossing arid deserts to reach the Promised Land. As the holiday approaches this year in 2011, the southern neighborhoods of Tel Aviv had a gathering for their own family. Around 5:30 in the afternoon of Saturday April 9th, the African refugees from around the area, the Israeli citizens, as well as the Tikkun Olam participants all gathered at Levinsky Park to have a seder of their own. This, indeed, was a spectacle to see as individuals from several different cultural and ethnic backgrounds congregated to share this special time together.

This seder happened to take place approximately 24 hours following a demonstration by the Tel Aviv population that resents the growing African refugee situation present in Tel Aviv. People gathered to express their beliefs as to why the refugee “problem” is getting out of control while chanting outrageous and spiteful slogans aimed at the refugees. While the refugee population has been increasing over the past several years, there is no excuse for this type of behavior. While it is true that much needs to be done regarding the amassing refugees, there is only so much that Israel can do. On top of that, racism and hatred not acceptable and is blatantly forgetting that we too were strangers in the land of Egypt. It is our responsibility to never forget that. Having an event such as this Refugee Seder really seemed to breathe life into a population that has been the victim of insensitive and slanderous comments.

The night began with all of the guests arriving between 5:30 and 6:30 at the basketball courts in the center of the park. Conversation flew back and forth, despite the obvious language barrier. Hearing Hebrew, Tigrinya, Arabic, English and others in the same vicinity was truly mesmerizing. After Matzah, Charoset, and beverages were distributed amongst the tables, the organizers of the seder began a song session that included Hebrew songs, as well as songs that were believed to be universal, such as Bob Marley. The leaders of the seder recited the 4 Questions, the 4 Cups of Wine and explained a quick version of the Exodus from Egypt. Then, the refugees explained their stories of how they too traveled through the same land on their way to Israel. These stories were both fascinating as well as depressing, as they usually depicted difficult times during a difficult journey. However, there was a sense of closure as both sides realized that their recent stories and our ancestral stories were quite similar. Then, of course, it was time to eat; the best part of any seder!

After eating a filling and delicious dinner, several volunteers traveled around to distribute fruits for dessert, as well as begin to clean up the trash. During this time, other volunteers were taking the extra food and boxing it up so that the refugees could take it home. Even young children of the refugees were eager to lend a hand. After all the food and garbage was cleaned up, the festivities continued with song and dance sessions. A live band arrived to perform as circles of refugees, Israelis, and of course the Tikkun Olam-ers danced and celebrated the holiday, as well as the unity present. A true feeling of understanding filled the basketball court as the mass that was once a representation of several nations morphed into a homogeneous mixture of people simply enjoying coexistence. More events of this sort are needed to break down the walls of difference and misunderstanding and build new ones with a foundation of acceptance and respect.

Jewish Perspective on Asylum Seekers

Katie, one of our 10 month Coexistence track participants, recently had the following to say about asylum seekers in Israel:

Unlike many of the people in our program, I don’t work directly with African refugees. I can’t call them my students, my neighbors or my friends. My experiences have largely come from observation, conversation with my fellow participants, and my commute to and from the Secular Yeshiva. Watching young, unemployed African men crouched on the side of Har Tsyion, waiting for day labor contracts to come their way, raises a plethora of issues, but first and foremost, it raises the issue of what a Jewish State should be.

As a Jewish national home, does Israel have the room and resources to provide for the thousands of Africans who have fled conflict and settled throughout the country? The Talmud teaches that “Jews are the compassionate children of compassionate parents. One who is merciless toward his fellow creatures is no descendant of our father Abraham.” Does deporting young Sudanese refugees back to uncertain and possibly dangerous situations or interning them in a holding facility in the Negev fit in with this Talmudic understanding of a core Jewish value?

I could share with you terrifying anecdotes about the labor exploitation, xenophobia, and deportation of asylum seekers. This is a country that absorbed more than a million Russian olim within the span of a decade. Can it not provide paperwork and justice to a few thousand with no home to return to? Disentangling the issue of undocumented asylum seekers from the heated rhetoric oftentimes used to discuss it is a necessary step in order to truly begin to seek justice for the young men on the side of the road.

Building Future Leadership Conference - Part 2

Four of our participants recently attended Masa's Building Future Leadership conference in Jerusalem. Here's what Lisa, one of our 10 month Social Action track volunteers, had to say about the experience:

Almost two weeks ago, I went to my first MASA conference- a week long seminar hosted at a hostel in Jerusalem centered on building future leadership in the Jewish world. Walking off the bus and into the hostel, I found myself and the three other participants of my program surrounded by over 400 MASA participants, from both gap year and post-college programs. I spent the week with a group of 15 other post-college participants, discussing presentations as well as encounters from our time in Israel.

Being around such a diverse group of participants prompted a wide range of talks, ranging from living in Israel to the role of Zionism, to our roles in the future. With "Vision into Reality" as my focus, I was able to sit in on lectures hosted by members of the Israeli organization, Debate, as they disclosed the formula to attain your vision.

In the evenings, there were more opportunities to network with other participants as well as attend cultural and informative sessions. One such session being an open panel discussion comprising of four young adults from different sectors of the Jewish world. Ranging from working for the Israeli Defense Force, Hillel, or a start-up non-profit, the panel shed light on issues and topics that have emerged throughout my time in Israel.

The conference was a great opportunity to meet a wide-range of participants and enabled an open forum for discussion. It was evident by the conference that the MASA organization has a lot of confidence in the young generation to spearhead the Jewish world in the future. As a volunteer in South Tel Aviv, I often forget the role of my volunteering in the larger scheme, but by attending the conference and sharing my experiences, I realized that there is an immense support network both in Israel and worldwide.

Tikkun Olam Does the Desert

Alana is a 5 month Social Action track participant and University of Connecticut graduate. Here's an excerpt from her blog about the group's recent overnight trip!

This weekend marked our first group trip around Israel! Once a month we go on weekend camping trips through various regions. This weekend we drove down to the Negev (A huuuuge desert in southern Israel) for some hiking and farm tours. After a 2+ hour drive into the desert we found ourselves at an Alpaca farm down south. We learned all about the little critters and got to feed them too!

After learning about Alpacas (not to be confused with llamas…the farmer made that very clear) we took off for yet another farm tour. This time we found ourselves at a “Lone Farm” a few minutes south of the first farm. A Lone Farm is owned by one family in the middle of the Negev. There are quite a few lone farms in the area, which provides a nice community for trading, selling, etc…There is also quite a bit of tourism at Lone Farms, which is how these “middle of nowhere” vegetable/animal establishments survive.

The farm we arrived at was a goat farm, so of course we had to do a cheese and yogurt tasting. I’ve never had such great yogurt in my life! After that we learned more about the farm and why the farmer chose to live out in the Negev. The goats were fun too. We had a great time messing around, playing on farm equipment, and making friends with the animals.

Afterwards, we took off for Bedouin campgrounds in the area. We were off to spend a night in the great outdoors! The Bedouins are a nomadic Arab tribe that have lived in the desert for thousands of years. They generally work with livestock, but in the past few years that way of life has become increasingly more difficult. This is due to the tightening of zoning laws, the rise in Urban areas, land ownership rights, etc.

We arrived at the Bedouin camp and immediately set up our sleeping area. It was a little touristy, but still fun. We also drank some amazing tea that they were passing out at the camp.

The man on the right was the one providing the tea. After I finished my first glass I really wanted another so I went up to him and said, “Od-pa’am Bvachasha.” He looked at me kind of funny and my friends all laughed because I had said, “Another time, please.” In order to defend myself I turned back to him and said, “Ani ivrit lo tov.” This time he looked at me like I was seriously an idiot because I had said “I am Hebrew, not good.” After a few moments of contemplation I finally said it correctly (Ivrit sheli lo tov) and we had a good chuckle at my poor language skills.

Though embarrassing, I personally take no shame in this moment! Despite my lack of language knowledge I’ve totally put myself out there for the past few weeks. I say the words with confidence even if I don’t necessarily know that I’m correct. I may not always be right, but everything is a learning experience. One way or another I will figure out this wacky language!

After setting up our sleeping bags, a few of us hiked up the dunes to watch the sunset.

We then proceeded to cook up an incredible dinner. We made Poike (a type of vegetable concoction) and then finished up with chocolate covered bananas and marshmallows.


These homemade fire-baked pitas were also thrown into the mix. Oh my gracious, amazing.
After dinner we all sat around playing guitar, singing songs, and just plain chatting. We all went to bed together in the same tent area as one big happy Tikkun Olam family. 

The next morning we woke up bright and early to climb through the Ramon Crater (Mahktesh Ramon). The name “Crater” is actually quite misleading because technically it’s not really a crater (at least in the sense that a meteor did not hit the earth). Now, I’m no science whiz, but from what I understand millions of years ago the ocean sat in this specific area of the Negev. For various reasons the ocean eventually receded leaving behind this large eroded area.

The area is actually very cool, it looks like the Grand Canyon (at least what I imagine the Grand Canyon to look like).

Desert excitement! We proceeded to go on a 6+ hour hike (our toucas’s were on fiyah). We tackled this mountain/overlook, which had a killer view at the top.

Once we got to the top, we hiked around for a few hours and then made the descent back down. This is where things became a little dicey. The descent was almost entirely vertical and mostly sand/rock. There were a few boulders and footholds along the way, but for the most part it was a panicky trip to the bottom. Somehow I wound up in the front of my section of the pack and figuring everything out without someone helping was hard. When I’m nervous I give myself mini pep-talks, so I just kept saying things like, “This is great! I’m fine! We’re beasting this mountain! We are the alufs (champions!).” Behind me, my friend Davida was just as nervous so she kept laughing every time I fell on my booty/said something ridiculous. The trip down took almost 40 minutes and at the bottom we all kissed the ground with joy.

Afterwards, our guide Benji told us that middle school classes regularly come to do this hike. I don’t know what kind of mountain-goat kids they’re breeding in Israel, but I need to learn these secrets.

After a few more hours of hiking and a trip up another cliff we made our way back to TLV. We all took much needed showers and had a great time relaxing at the house.

Building Future Leadership Conference

Four of our participants recently attended Masa's Building Future Leadership conference in Jerusalem. Here's what Katie, one of our 10 month Coexistence track volunteers, had to say about the experience:

I recently spent a week with five hundred young Jews who are committed
to improving the global Jewish community. From Tikkun Olam, I was
joined by Nate Kemphues, Lisa Tankanow and Jodie Suckle at the
Building Future Leadership conference in Jerusalem. We participated
in workshops ranging from public speaking, tikkun olam, Israel
advocacy, team building skills, social entrepreneurship, to Jewish
leadership during the Holocaust. While the workshops were well put
together and interesting, I found that the people around me were the
most fascinating and motivating aspects of the conference. In the
small group that we participated in for the entire week, we heard from
young Jews who wanted to revitalize the Conservative movement,
radically change the way North American Jewish education works, bring
young Jewish communal professionals to Israel, and build stronger ties
between Jews and non-Jews across the globe.

Although the conference participants were a highlight, an evening
event called "Open Space" provided an amazing example of how to start
paradigm changing conversations. All 500 of the conference attendees
were crammed into a large room with large pieces of paper filling the
center of the space. A large box of markers was dumped onto the pile
of paper and we were told to write down any topic about any issue.
Topics were all over the place, from "Who is a Jew?" to "Do Jewish
Federations still matter?" to "Post Modernism and Zionism." We were
then told to pick a group, engage in the conversation and to move on
to a different topic if we weren't contributing to the conversation.
It was a truly impressive evening that we developed for ourselves and
that led to a variety of exchanges dealing with Judaism in the
Diaspora over the remainder of the week.

Discussing the challenges facing the Diaspora over meals and during
free time allowed me to finally commit to what I want to be doing for
the next five years of my life: professional Jewish communal work with
young adults and college students. I spent the last evening of the
conference discussing my resume and working on interviewing skills
with a conference attendee who used to be an HR manager at a Fortune
500 company. Friday morning I sent off an application to a position
that I never would have applied for if I hadn't received encouragement
and advice at the Building Future Leaders conference. While I'm a
long shot for the job, the conference was the motivation I needed to
commit to a serious job search so that I can help build the Jewish
community I want to raise my children in.

Katie Vogel is a native of Detroit, Michigan and attended graduate
school for urban planning at the University of Cincinnati. She plans
on returning to Chicago, Illinois after riding her bicycle from Moscow
to Berlin with her husband, Nate Kemphues. A participant in the 10
month Coexistence Track, Katie splits her time between grant writing
and research, pretending to be a dinosaur while chasing
kindergartners, tutoring English to high school students and
researching and developing bicycle legislation and policy for Israel.

Living Coexistence in Jaffa

Amy a 10 month Coexistence track participant and Brandeis graduate originally from Massachusetts, had the following to say about her exposure to Coexistence in Jaffa. Visit www.tikkunolamisrael.org/alumni for more participant testimonials.

Since arriving in Israel six months ago, and spending time both working and living in the mixed city of Jaffa, my views on the Israel- Palestinian conflict and Israeli policy have changed. Daily, my viewpoints sway both leftwards and rightwards - often at the same time, but regardless of politics, my understanding of Israel as home to so many different people deepens with every person I encounter. It is impossible to look at the conflict here, let alone any conflict, as a struggle between political players, but rather I've come to see it as something incredibly human in that it shapes individuals' daily lives. I see the conflict play out on this level: in the issues that influence the lives of the Yaffanese (my neighbors).

Just this past week, housing issues came to a head with multiple protests and demonstrations up and down the main streets of Jaffa. On Wednesday, a group of about 20 right-wing Jewish protesters marched from the Jaffa port until they reached the end of our street, demanding in the name of zionism that Jaffa is meant to be a Jewish city, and only a Jewish city. Although this is contradictory to the ultimate truth that Jaffa is home to 17,000 Arabs, it was nevertheless difficult to witness, respond to, and all the more so to turn into teaching moments for the hundreds of students we collectively work with.

But amidst the hatred this week, were also moments of coexistence and community - one of which I was proud to be a part of. In addition to the counter protests that followed the right-wing demonstration, I attended a pre-demonstration the Tuesday evening prior, calling for an end to the government's removal of low-income housing tenants from both south Tel Aviv and Jaffa. This protest also took place a few blocks from our apartments, but was instead filled with camaraderie and hope for future, as both Arab and Jewish residents shouted impassioned stories of shared struggle and the desire to keep all families, both Jewish and Arab, in their homes. As one man yelled, "Jaffa has always been both Jewish and Arab and will forever be both Jewish and Arab!" Women, children, old people and young people, councilmen and teachers rose to speak as the megaphone was passed around. As I looked at the crowd I had trouble deciphering who was Arab and who was Jewish, which even in Jaffa is a rare occurrence. Although the mixed population co-habitates in a very small area, it is unique to find an issue that binds the Jewish and Arab plights so closely.

Conflict is around and among us in Israel and Jaffa, however, the human moments of hope and true coexistence help us to get through the more challenging of days. Continuing to see the stories of people, both Arab and Jewish, as human stories, not those of conflict, makes our work and life here all the more meaningful.