Many religions approach their movements like a ladder: the higher up you climb, the more “authentic” your faith. And generally speaking, the more conservative practice is usually what you’re striving for. Judaism has a motto of horizontally-intergrated faith. A belief that Judaism is not a climb to the top, but rather a continuum that you place yourself on. More liberal? Slide to the left! More Orthodox, then move to the right.
Judaism, for me, is more like a spider web. A spider web starts by having a few pillars to hold it together. From these platforms, the spider is able to weave its web to the center. The purpose: to catch what the spider needs in order to survive. If one of the pillars that the web is connected to simply cannot hold the web, then the creative little spider finds a new anchor. If someone breaks the web from the inside, then the spider repairs it, differently than it was originally created. Still, the web stays intact. And every spider web is different, just like everyone’s Judaism.
Well, I’ve been home for over a month now. Readjusting to school, trying to reposition myself to make some positive changes for the people around me.
I find myself cutting in line, as it was to be expected. However, I also find myself getting into many almost-fights while I’m out in Westwood on account of my hyper-agressiveness. Also, Persians seem to not like me.
I find myself saying funny things like “I’m not gonna date Jewish girls no mo” but still find a strong pull towards the strong-nosed, motherly types.
I find myself explaining my time abroad as “a really special experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. But I’m glad to be home.” This feels like the most truthful way of projecting my time in Israel. There are so many things people expect or hope for me to say upon my return, and while I can say them fairly easily, I just don’t feel like using the verbatim words I’ve heard a hundred times before.
Because, honestly, it might be a while until I go back and I’m okay with that. Right now, Los Angeles is home, even if it’s just a house. I never thought I would find a place with people who move faster than they do in LA, are more blunt about their opinions than LA or has arguably better weather than LA, but Israel was at least all of that for me. So the decompression continues into month number two, and that’s okay. Today was a better day than yesterday. Yesterday was easier than the day before. I only check Ha’aretz and JPost once or twice a day now.
With that, this blog’s purpose has expired. I will probably maintain it in someway. Repurpose it. I hate to let a good URL go to waste.
I’m closing up my study abroad time here in Jerusalem. After 5 months, I have to admit that I’m just sick of religion and politics and war. But I’ve also learned a few things.
This is no longer an issue of national identities, unfortunately. It has boiled down into a war of ideas, perhaps the worst kind of war because it means top-to-bottom reconciliation on a whole ‘nother dimension. This is now an issue of Western democracy versus Islamic theocracy. On December 24, Hamas voted in favor of implementing Sharia law. If you want to name a straw that broke the camel’s back, I believe this is it. (That’s funny, because there actually are camels here…)
Unfortunately, the Israeli blockade since Hamas took power has made Gazans even more dependent and endeared towards Hamas. This is why the blockade has backfired.
Itamar Marcus at Palestinian Media Watch documents the TV shows, music videos, cartoons and crossword puzzles made available in the territories - the indoctrination is very obvious. Israel has begun to teach about the War of Independence simultaneously as “The Nakhba.” Yet, Hamas teaches only hate and fatalism in its schools. There is no hope in the territories, only a desire for death. Khomeini only encourages this by declaring each death in Gaza a martyr.
Hamas leaders knew that this would happen. Israel’s humiliation in Lebanon in 2006 necessitated a showering of force. Israel has not even received its newest toys from the US yet, which is a whole set of top-of-the-line F-35s. Israel did give fair warning, for nearly two weeks. But the only thing that changed is that Hamas leadership bolted from Gaza to Lebanon while Qassams continued to rain down. 2,500 mortars and qassams have been launched at Israel in 2008.
Imagine sitting down for your morning paper while your kid eats sugar cereal. A siren goes off and you have 12 seconds to get to safety. After 12 seconds, a chunk of your daughter’s wall is missing. What if she had been sleeping? Now imagine this happening over 100 times a month. What would you expect the United States army to do, really?
Why do we clip our fingernails if they keep growing back?
Violence begets violence, and with Hamas, as soon as one top official is killed, another steps into his place. So Israel, after experiencing relentless mortars and Qassam rockets fired at the southern regions of Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva, as many as 80 in one day, decided to do something else.
Rather than keep clipping the fingernails, they decided to cut off the finger at the joint.
Here in Jerusalem, I am isolated from what is happening in Gaza. Certainly there are many Arabs here who are outraged, and I am also quite close to the West Bank. The Arabs in East Jerusalem have a fairly functioning middle class and conditions are definitely better there than they were in 2000-2003. Most violence coming out of East Jerusalem is being perpetrated by youth, teenagers and young adults.
The Old City is supposedly closed off and I’ve been advised to avoid it anyway. Most of the Old City is comprised of Arab residents, even in the Jewish Quarter. Tension can be high there even with smaller incidents such as in Akko earlier this year. However, I would like to visit my friend Suleiman before I leave and here what he thinks about these “developments”. (See what I did there, that was an understatement!)
I’ll be avoiding inter-city public transportation and places like Ben Yehuda. Finals are closing in and I need to stay in and work anyway. I just wanted to update everyone with the situation from my perspective and let you know that I’m safe and well-informed regarding changes going on. Jenna is also here, of course. She is on a trip with a private bus and I’m sure will be fine. All the Birthright trips have full-time security staff.
At this point, the best thing you can do is imagine the human condition in Gaza, because that’s where the tragedy is. But it’s like I told my friend Alex who got caught in Haifa during the Lebanon War in 2007 and came back to study abroad at Hebrew U last spring, “it wouldn’t be abroad in Israel without getting caught in a war.” B’hatzlacha l’Tzahav.
Please view my presentation on Banksy and other artistic responses to the West Bank Barrier. Some label it the “Apartheid Wall” and some call it the “Security Fence.” Others call it canvas:
The terrorist attacks in Mumbai sent shockwaves through my system today. The Indian special forces have been calculated and impressive, but something disgusting happened to day at Nariman. As I spent the whole day following the Twitter stream with up-to-the-second information, I felt an immense rush of hope after an initial victory was declared. I felt a madness of confusion as information about hostages was not being made available. I knew renewed fear when the battle picked up again on the 3rd floor. I began mourning the terrible news that has emerged since.
5 dead hostages, among them, the Rabbi and his wife. Their 2-year old child was released to safety yesterday and now awaits its new orphaned life. My feelings for Chabad aside, the attack on such Jewish ground is a direct challenge to my senses and my understanding for humanity continually dimineshes.
I will probably write more about this story because this attack has potential repercussions the world-over. Know that India and Pakistan have large nuclear arsenols pointed at eachother, and any unilateral action will invoke immediate responses by China and Russia. This could be the powder keg. The times they are a-changin’.
Happy Thanksgiving all! I’m having dinner here sponsored by Hillel, hopefully it’ll be tasty. As a Thanksgiving present, here’s Matisyahu’s new track Two Child One Drop. Unbelievable.
When I hold you In my arms And I feel your trigger Around my finger…
Today marks 40 years since the release of the White Album. Mom and Dad, it was the greatest present you ever gave me. John, Paul, George and Ringo, it was the greatest present you gave the world. Thank you.
And I haven’t even posted which classes I’m taking!
Hebrew - Level Bet - Accelerated I’ll be finishing the whole level in one semester, which means I’ll have completed 2 years in 5 months. Suuuuucks…
Art in Israel It would be hard to find a class like this anywhere else. Had my midterm on Sunday.
Chassidism: From Mystic Fraternity to Reactionary Movement Great idea, not very well structured. The professor, a Chasid with a Ph.D (quite rare) has a hard time facilitating in-class debate, which there’s a lot of…
History of Modern Jewish Thought Focuses primarily on 18th and 19th Century German thought; we just finished Moses Mendelssohn. I’m really enjoying this class.
Internship Course - Workplace Skills or some shit This class is not good. The professor has been condescending and quite pessimistic about any career not in business or academia.
It’s way too big of a course load (like 21 units) and I’m regretting it. I wish I could drop the Chasidism class but it’s just not an option anymore. Anyway, back to studying for my Hebrew midterm on Thursday!
