Why did I go on this trip?
As someone who loves to travel, a free trip to Israel seemed almost too good to be true. Free flight, hotel, and 2 out of 3 meals? No way. There must be some sort of catch. Yet after researching this trip more, I found that yes, indeed this was true. I wanted to check out the beaches, the clubs, ride a camel, travel to Masada. I was interested in the religious artifacts, but only from a historical, not a religious perspective. What a great opportunity to see another country, to try new things, and to meet new people, with whom I would be staying! How much of an idiot would I be to not take complete advantage of such a glorious opportunity?
A free trip alone would have made me go on this trip. Yet there are other reasons why I wanted to come here as well. I have always wanted to check out Israel. My entire family are hardcore Zionists, and everyone except my grandmother on my mother’s side have visited here. My parents are completely secular, my grandparents a little religious, and my great grandparents were Othodox Jews. I discuss the news a lot with my grandparents, who watch way too many Russian Jewish news programs. I keep hearing how important Israel is to Jews, and how we must always support it. Furthermore, I have relatives living in Israel. Some of them have served, or still serve in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). I am curious about what their lives are like, and how they living here.
On the news, there is always so much going on between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Suicide attacks, Kassams, invasions, peace summits, negotiations, break down of negotiations. Some Israelis say that the land is theirs and the Palestinians have no claim here. Some Palestinians claim that this land was never Jewish, and that it was stolen from the Arabs. It is so difficult to understand what really happened, what kinds of human right violations were committed, who is more right and who is more wrong. Although I knew that I would mostly be getting the pro-Zionist side of the story, I was hoping that I would be able to witness first-hand about what is going on and appreciate what the people of Israel are going through each day a little better. Is my family right? Is Israel really in the right, and the Arabs in the wrong? Is there something that the media is not telling me? I believe that to truly understand a conflict, one needs to talk to all of the parties involved and to see the details in person. What an opportunity to understand the Israeli side a little better. Hopefully, perhaps one day, when it is safe enough to find out, I can look at the Palestinian side as well?
Day 1:
I arrive at John F Kennedy Airport at 7 AM, sad that I would be seeing one of my best friends, Alok, for the last time in a while (he would be leaving to India 2 days after I get to Israel). I meet up with my group and we all get in line to get our boarding passes. First, however, we must pass this intense boarding process. These agents ask us these stupid questions. “Why are you going to Israel?” “Do you know anyone there?” “Do you know anyone else in this group?” (I do, my friend and his girlfriend). “Who”? My friend has already passed this stage. I do not see him and cannot point him out. The agent actually takes my passport and looks for him! Finaly, after a long delay, she lets me pass. Wha is the point of all these questions. Could not a smart terrorist just make up answers and memorize the information on his passport.
The flight will be the longest one that I have taken in my life…9 hours. I have never been on a flight, or in a car, for that matter, for longer than 3 hours, without a break. I pass most of the time playing cards and chess. Bad idea. Before I know it, I owe my friend and his girlfriend a couple of beers. Each. Bad way to start a trip!
Finally, after what feels like forever, we touch down in “Eretz Israel”. Some people are clapping. The land of my ancestors. The home of my relatives. A sexy travel destination. It’s time to explore this place!
Day 2:
After getting and figuring out how to use our ancient Nokia cellphones that are not even made in the States anymore, we hiked through Ramat HaNadiv Park. This is the place where the Rothchild family tomb is located. The Rothchild family was, at one time, one of the richest in the world. They specialized in finance and banking. The entire family, at one time, possessed the most money in the history of any family, and some of its members were even inducted into Austrian and British nobilities. Some members were Zionists, others were against the creation of the Jewish state. All came became successful due to hard work…anti-Semites sometimes attempt to use the family as some form of international Jewish conspiracy banking, but in reality, they are just jealous of the family’s success!
Anyways, the trail of the hike was not that long, but it was a constant obstacle course of avoiding large piles of cow dung along the trail, We saw some red-and white spotted cows too, our first sightings of animal life in Israel, but certainly not the last. We viewed the ancient Roman aqueducts built here. Finally, we reached a spot where we could see ALL of Israel…from coast to coast. It rally brought the idea home of how small of country Israel really is…only about the size of New Jersey!
Next, we visited a private high school in Haifa. I cannot even begin to describe how impressed I was with these kids. In college, some of my friends called me “crazy”, even “suicidal” for pursuing dual degrees. These high school kids, 15-17 years old each, are REQUIRED to take at least 2 majors…and some do 3! They know a multitude of languages, with many knowing both English and Arabic, but some also learn Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and French. One of the most touching tributes they have is on their school wall. At first glance, I thought that these were honor students or distinguished athletes…until I was informed that these are actually the names of graduates or classmates killed in suicide bombings, in the IDF, or in other terrorist attacks or conflicts. That must scary…seeing the names of your former classmates, perhaps even your friends, knowing that they did not have to die. Yet the kids obviously have a life outside of school as well. They party by sneaking into clubs every other Friday night (which totally fail to check for IDs, unlike in the States, Israel, like most of the world, respects their citizens enough to make responsible decisions once they turn 18 and also does not waste it’s police resources on bullshit), without fear of getting caught by the cops and also hold dances at their school. It’s a great way to get away from the issues that they face…their education, their IDF training, the constant fear of losing loved ones…issues more complex and more serious than most us Americans, except maybe for those who are or have family or friends in the military, face. Yet the kids in this school are mature and handle their issues with incredible poise and dignity, and they are so proud to be Israeli and to serve their country in the IDF one day.…I wonder how a public Israeli school differs from the private one that these kids go to?
At night, we stayed at a kibbutz for the first time. A kibbutz was once kind of a socialist entity…everyone shared in the work and people took care of those who for various reasons were not able to make their own income. Earlier, up until the 1970s, kibbutzim were hardcore Marxists…everyone was paid equally, and all tools were shared. Today, however, some kibbutzim, with the collapse of Socialism, have become much more privatized. They are kind of like small neighborhoods now, like the street that I live on in Newton. It varies, though. Anyways, the guys in my group and I tried to go play basketball but unfortunately, there was no ball; anyways, the hoops were like 4 feet tall, it would have been a dunk fest. Later that night, we went to a bar, where the drink glasses were the size of at least 3 beers, and I tried Goldstar beer, which is Israeli, for the first time, which by the way is delicious! Even though I drank so much, I wasn’t really that drunk…technically we were not allowed to drink, but as long as we were not hung over the next day or did something stupid while drunk we would be OK. According to some of the ladies, I’m apparently agood dancer. Perhaps half a year of ballroom dancing in high school has paid off after all? Anyways, when going to bed that night, I was fully expecting to wake up at 3 AM to catch Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals; our TV had ESPN; but slept right through my alarm. Some Bruins fan I am, huh? L
Day 3
We started out by visiting the Golan Heights, the territory owned by Israel but wanted by Syria as part of any negotiation in recognizing Israel. The entire Golan Heights is still covered with thousands of unexploded mines, which were planted by the Syrians at previous conflicts, and people who get stuck in them sometimes need to be rescued by helicopter! Usually when countries plant mines, they do so in a “V”, “W”, “X”, or “Z” pattern in order to know where to look if they have to disenable them. For some reason, the Syrian military never did this in the Golan Heights. Thus, it is often dangerous to walk in these fields. It’s kind of messed up, don’t you think?
Unfortunately, we chose the worst day ever to hike on the Golan Heights. There were a bunch of other people there, and it was cool to meet random Jews, also on Birthright, from Argentina, Brazil, and Australia. Unfortunately, there was also a group of Hasidic on the trail ahead of us, and they ruined our whole hike! Wearing their dress shoes and long skirts, these morons got stuck on the trail. Look, if you believe so much that you will not go to heaven if you ever wear sneakers, don’t freaking go hiking! It was so frustrating to end the hike but whatever, shit happens. I got a free trip after all, so I shouldn’t even be complaining in the first place!
Next we went to the Syrian border, where we learned about the incredible story of Eli Cohen. Eli Cohen was an Israeli spy working in Syria. He developed a personal friendship with numerous high-ranking Syrian officials. To show Syrian troop movements near the Golan Heights for the Israelis, he planted trees to signal where Syrian forces were located along the Golan Heights. Finally, after numerous attempts, the Syrian Army figured out how to catch him; they turned all off all of the electricity in Damascus to track the spy, and in this way caught Eli Cohen and publically hanged him. Before this, Eli Cohen was so convincing that he was even the 3rd person in line for the Syrian presidency! Unbelievable!
After etching my name forever in the caves of the Golan Heights while looking over at the Syrian border, we learn that during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Syrians attacked through the Golan Heights. Over 400 tanks completely surprised the fasting Israelis, yet the 40 IDF tanks made a valiant stand, despite the loss of over 2,000 lives. The Syrians retook the Golan Heights and could have marched on all the way to Haifa…but stopped, and to this day nobody knows why. Israel eventually regrouped and eventually drove them back to the Syrian border, barely dodging a huge bullet.
Finally, we learned about the Druze. These are a religious group that left Islam during the 1100s and formed their own religion. They primarily reside in Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Jordan. The Druze are loyal to whichever government controls their territory, and most of the Israeli ones serve as loyally as Jews in the IDF. However, along the Golan Heights, the Druze do NOT show support for Israel. This is because they fear that one day Israel will give up the Golan Heights as part of negotiations for recognition by Syria, and the Syrians will punish these Druze as traitors for having supported the “Zionist Regime”.
After getting as close as I can to Syria until at least 2017 (when my passport expires; I cannot enter Syria now because my passport has an Israeli stamp), and after a brief stop to see an Israeli, non-Jewish artist living in a kibbutz who creates sculptures out of recycled materials and learning more about kibbutz life, we went whitewater rafting/kayaking along the Jordan River. Despite my reservations about taking my BU baseball hat with me, I was told to do so nevertheless. My foreboding was spot on, however, as I indeed did lose my hat after a tree branch knocked it off. At least BU will forever be represented at Jordan River now! We all got soaked, but the experience was fun and a great bonding experience.
That night, our tour guide invited us to a barbeque at his house. It was a beautiful place, with hills overlooking it, and the food was absolutely delicious! Where else does this happen? That your tour guide does more than just his or her job, but actually takes the time to get to know you? To meet his family and to visit his house? What an awesome experience! The people that I met in Israel were all so hospitable, and I felt so welcome and safe there.
Day 4:
Our trip started by going to the city of Tzfat, the mystical city of the Kabbalists, which was first settled by Jews after they fled from Spain during the Inquisition. We saw the Tzfat Synagogue, with its blue Torah scrolls. In Tzfat, I was introduced to “Yemeni pizza”, which tastes nothing like it. We went to the market, where I got a couple of souvenirs for friends and also finally found a sweet Israeli National Team Yossi Benayoun soccer jersey, one of the most underrated players in the Premier League (would the Israeli National Team really be tied for 2nd place in the Euro qualifiers without his 4 goals?)
After stopping off and buying gifts at Ahava, the body moisturizing company renowned for its fine lotions, the real fun began, as we went swimming in the Dead Sea. What a weird experience! First, we covered ourselves in mud…our bodies were literally so covered that if there had been African Americans or Asians in our group, no one would have known who was who. Then we washed off this mud in the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is so salty that it is impossible to drown in it. It keeps you afloat, so we were basically just chilling on it by floating! Not a single species lives on the Dead Sea, and it has been shrinking. We saw Jordan from the other side, which was pretty cool. It’s pretty amazing how close we were to Israel’s Arab neighbors…just a body of water away!
At night, we stayed at another kibbutz, but this one was boring. There was a pool table, so I played some billiards, but there was nothing much to do. Some of the girls wanted me to dance again, but I wasn’t tipsy enough and it was still way too early at night. I drank a couple of beers, checked my email, responded to a couple of interview requests, and went to bed early, at 12 AM, fully intending to catch the critical Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals at 3 AM, Israeli time, and watch my Bruins raise the cup. But—alas! I overslept…again! L
Day 4:
As soon as I opened my eyes at 7: 15 AM, I called my mom. 10 minutes to pack all of my bags, and I do not talk to her about anything except one thing…THE BRUINS ARE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS! I rush to the bar and go online to read the ESPN story. In less than a decade, all of the 4 Boston major sports teams have won it ALL! What other city can boast of such an accomplishment! Since the post 9/11 period, Boston has only won 7 championships…and that’s not counting 2 of BC’s NCAA hockey championships and my Terriers’ last-minute victory in it, where we scored 2 last goals in the last minute to tie it, and then win it all in overtime! Boston is no question the best sports city in the world! Pats, the pressure is on you…break the long drought of no championship since 2005! J
After breakfast, we entered Jerusalem. What an experience. This is the city that is holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims of all sects. Hasidic Jews in black suits and hats mingled with bareheaded guys in shorts at the bus stops. One of the greatest obstacles to peace between Israel and the Middle East is the status of East Jerusalem…both sides want it as its capital. The Muslims site their right due to the Al Aqsa Mosque, but the Jews have had the Western Wall there for a longer period of time. On top of all of this, Jesus Christ did his preaching here, was executed by the Romans here, and is buried here; the Vatican also has “holy water” in a part of the Jordan River, where believers can bathe in white shirts (we unfortunately never visited the Christian sites, a decision that I strongly disagree with). Jerusalem was controlled first by the ancient Israelis, then the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans, then the Muslim Arabs, briefly by the Christian European Crusaders, then by the Ottoman Empire and finally by the Brits, before 1948. Yet Jews have ALWAYS been here…even before the Zionist movement, the majority of people living here were Jews. During the creation of Israel in 1948, Jerusalem was supposed to be an internationally-controlled city, but Israel took control of West Jerusalem; East Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan from 1948-1967, during when Jews were not allowed access to the “Old City”; since 1967, Israel also took control of East Jerusalem and everyone except sometimes fighting-age Palestinians can visit it. Why can’t we all just share East Jerusalem? Just keep it open to all religions, make it an international city, and have some world body, like the UN insure that everyone has access to it.
At Jerusalem, we finally met 8 IDF soldiers…4 girls and 4 guys who would travel with us for the next 5 days. One works for the Military Police, finding roadside bombs. Another one works in backup security. Another one is classified...he says that he cannot even tell his mother what he does! I respect that because I do not think that I could ever handle such a secret…it must be so tough to never be able to tell anyone, even if some people (like in our group) think that you are hiding your job because you are embarrassed by it, and only mature and courageous people, with a strong sense of resilience can handle it. Since this guy works in the Air Force, my educated guess would be that he deals with nuclear weapons, which Israel is extremely secretive about, and which would make sense because they would be connected to the Air Force. Unfortunately, I probably will never know if my guess is correct or not. The girls have safer jobs…one, for example, is a social worker who helps soldiers with financial issues; another one is a dental assistant. They will probably never participate in combat.
I enjoyed meeting the soldiers and learning about their lives. One is a musician, who even has a musical tattoo on his stomach. Another one is a conservative, observant Jewess. A couple of them enjoy soccer just like me; both of them like my 2nd most favorite team, Barcelona. Some live in kibbutzim, others in Tel Aviv. Some go home at night, others stay at their base on most days. Some of their political views bother me. One of them hates all Arabs. Another one would gladly take any order oncesoever, without even questioning its morality, and would gladly do anything for the IDF. Another one wants peace, but does not trust the Arabs. One guy, however seems to have vies similar to mine; he does not hate Arabs or anyone, supports the 2 state solution, and wants a lasting peace with the Arabs. Clearly even in the IDF, the views on the Arabs and peace solutions are as varied and diverse as among the Israeli citizens.
Though no doubt the IDF is a dangerous place for 18-22 year olds, I am so jealous of their opportunities after service. Most of them get to travel for up to a year. An IDF guy is going to South America, including Brazil and Peru. Another one is going to the States, LA, Vegas, New York…and I think that we have convinced him to come to Boston as well. Others travel to Australia, Africa, Europe…anywhere. So how can they afford to blow 30 K in dollars (the cost of a 6 month trip to Brazil) for travelling? Easy. Their college costs only $6,000 a semester…that’s it! If us Americans had those types of costs, perhaps we could afford to travel as well! Instead, less than 30% of Americans own a passport…pretty pathetic, right? I really wish that we would adopt the Israeli model in encouraging travelling, learning about other cultures, and seeing the world.
One more note about the IDF. Israeli Arabs can but are not obliged to serve, as this may obviously be a potential conflict of interest for them. They pay less in taxes than the Israelis. Only children also do not need to serve on the front lines, the dangerous part of the IDF; the idea is that they are needed later in life to care for their elderly parents. I believe that this is stupid and counter-productive, as it encourages parents to have less children, thus contributing less to Jewish population growth. However, what pisses me off the most is that hardcore religious Jews can declare to study the Torah all day and then would not be required to serve. They do no other work…just study Torah all day. The Israeli government pays their money, and they need a lot of it to support their huge families (around 10 children per family). Some of these guys are the biggest right wing extremists, who instead of serving in the IDF allow others to do their dirty work. Israel allows these guys to get away with too much…just make them work like everyone else, already!
Once we became more acquainted with our new Israeli friends, we visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. It is a really emotional visit for me. I cannot imagine how any government can be so insane, so disturbed in the head, so evil as to torture and kill off another group of people on purpose, without being threatened or provoked by them oncesoever. I can not even imagine what kind of hell those poor 12 million people…6 million Jews and 6 million gypsies, homosexuals, Communists, the physically and mentally disabled, and political prisoners, as well as those caught hiding Jews and others, went through on the way to their deaths. Mass shootings into graves in Ukraine, often helped by the locals, gassings at the concentration camps, slave work with little food and inadequate clothing, the death marches during the last days of World War II…how could people do this to each other? There were pictures of people’s shoes, which were taken because of a lie…a lie of being transported to a better life, only to be piled into trains like cattle and exterminated like cockroaches. There was a gallery which read out the names, and ages, and nationalities of the child victims. 2 months old. 3 years old. 17 years old. France. Poland. Ukraine. I wish that I still remembered some of their names. How could the guards who did this live with themselves? How could these murdering scum claim to be following orders even as they knew what exactly was going on? These weren’t even hardened criminals. They were officers, doctors, lawyers, politicians. And how the hell are there still Holocaust deniers out there? Sometimes, it is a truly fucked up world that we live in, one that every once in a while goes completely insane.
After this unforgettable visit to Yad Vashem, we held a discussion…could this happen again to Jews? Perhaps in a different form. Maybe some army will defeat Israel and commit genocide on its civilians. Perhaps Pakistani or Iranian terrorists will get their hands on nuclear weapons or blow Israel up. One thing is certain. Holocausts on different people have already been happening. Stalin’s massacres. Rwanda. Darfur. Others. The Holocaust is more than just a tragedy, a catastrophe. It is a lesson to all of us. A wake up call to fight bigotry, of any kind and at every level, to nip it in the bud before it spreads. Because one day, another leader may just need another scapegoat to spread an agenda. “Never Again” should we allow such hatred, such insanity, such intolerance to grow a root…we must fight bigotry and ignorance every day and root out the scourge of racism for good.
At night we play games with the sokdiers. We are warned not to leave the Sephardic Center where we are staying, but some people do anyways to find and bring back alcohol. Our leaders are afraid that we may end up in the Arab Quarter and killed or something. I think that there is too much paranoia about this. Do Palestinians really just kill Jews as soon as they recognize them? Surely it’s not as black and white? I think that the leaders are just insuring that they will not held liable. I have friends whose parents would not let them go on Birthright, they think that it is too dangerous; even my grandparents warned me not to leave the group or I may “get kidnapped”. These parents have clearly never visited Israel. During my time here, I have felt no less safe as do in Boston.
Day 5
We start off the day by touring the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem before going to the Western Wall. Armed guards are all around us…Friday afternoon prayers are in order on the Muslim side, and it is necessary to insure that no violence will break out afterwards. The men go to one side; the women, to another. I am an agnostic-leaning, secular Jew, and yet even I feel holy here. There are people of all stripes praying here, touching the wall, bowing up and down. Hasidic Jews in black suits and tall black hats. Young secular dudes in shorts. Some probably aren’t even Jewish (even President Barack Obama once prayed here, too). Complete silence. Such a holy place. I have my moment with God, whom I do not even know if I believe in, and then leave quietly. As I look at the Wall one last time, I see the golden dome of the Al Aqsa Mosque right behind it. The holiest Jewish site and the 3rd holiest Islamic site, where Muslims believe that Muhammad descended into heaven, are literally neighbors. If the Palestinians control East Jerusalem, if they decide to send rockets into Israel, they could easily do so…right at the holiest Jewish site. I believe that the area of East Jerusalem should be internationally controlled because it is holy to the majority of the people in this world. Access should be allowed for all, and an international police force needs to insure that no one will fire weapons at the holy places and that all are free and safe to visit their holy places.
7 PM. We go to the Western Wall again. Again the men and the ladies split up. Only this time, it is a complete party! You know how college kids prepare to party on Friday nights? The Jews have been doing it in their way for ages! There is dancing. There is chanting. There is singing. Hasidic Jews dance with us. IDF commanders dance with us in their uniforms. Zealots in their tall, oversized hockey-puck like, furry black hats, the members of Neutrei Karta who deny the legitimacy of a Jewish state until the arrival of the messiah and have betrayed the civilized world by mixing religion with xenophobia and Holocaust denial by attending Ahmedenejad’s Holocaust Conference, dance with us. We hold hands. We wrap our arms around each other’s shoulders. We do the human train. We jump up and down. Complete strangers, united for a couple of hours under one huge party. Where else can you have a feeling like that? I have been to Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots victory parades. I have been to clubs and bars. I high-fived random strangers, saw girls exposing their tits, saw fights break out, saw overturned cars, lighted fires, alcohol, weed, pull ups on lampposts…I’ve witnessed it all….and nothing compares to I saw at the Western Wall. No chaos. No drunkenness. No violence. Just one huge, happy party. Here, it did not matter where you are from, what your politics are like, your race, what you do for a living, even your religion. For one moment, everyone was united, living in the moment, enjoying the biggest party ever. This totally made up for my missing the victory parade by the Bruins back in Boston!
Day 6
Shabbat, the day of rest. We hold group discussions about Jews and other stuff. We read quotes by scholars about how Jews are “the chosen people” and how they stand out. I am slightly disturbed by this…EVERY religion has its fanatics who believe that their views are the correct ones, and that they follow the only true religion. Muslim fanatics have the infidels; Christian ones think that everyone not Christian is going to hell. “The chosen people” should not be misconstrued as having some sort of special rights, whether it be Jews or any other people. Another topic that we discussed was if Jews were historically persecuted just because they are Jews. Again, I disagree with this. I feel like they were more discriminated not because of their religion, but because they were a large minority in various countries. I believe that as countries mess up, they look to find scapegoats, who usually just happen to be the minorities. Gypsies, Armenians, Chechyens, African Americans, Kurds, Palestinians, various African tribes like the Tutsis…these were all large minorities who were targeted for persecution by some majority. And this leads to the most important reason about why I support an Israeli state. Every significant minority needs one…as a safe refuge from discrimination where they are free to practice their own customs and have the rights that are deserved by human beings. Jews and Armenians already have this in Israel and Armenia, respectively, there is also Kosovo for the Bosnian Muslims. The Kurds, Tibetians, Chechyans and Palestinians want their own state as well, and as long as these groups can coexist with other nationalities peacefully, without forcefully displacing too many civilians, they have my full support. Yes, we are in the 21st century, and hopefully bigotry will continue to die out, but every minority group should have a place to always fall back on, just in case if persecution starts up again.
After lunch we relax a bit, and it is during this time that I learn that I apparently suck at chess. L. The real fun, however, begins at night, when we go barhopping. The Jerusalem bar scene is surprisingly good; considering that this is such a holy city, I really did not expect much nightlife. But I am pleasantly surprised; there is a strip full of bars, the music is passable but not great, and the atmosphere is pretty sweet. We stayed out till 12:30…we had to wake up at 7 am the next night, but we got totally wasted…my friend could not even recall the walk back to the Sephardic Center, where we were staying!
Day 7:
We started our day with a trip to Mount Herzl, which is the burial grounds for distinguished military and political people. Basically, this is the equivalent of DC’s Arlington National Cemetery. The cool thing about Mount Herzl is that unlike at Arlington, where only officers or commanders are allowed to be buried, even soldiers can be so honored in Israel. The not-so-cool, kind of disturbing, and even border-line racist thing is that only Jews could once be buried here, in accordance with Jewish law. This all changed when this Russian guy with a Jewish father but a gentile mother, a victim of frequent and violent anti-Semitism back in Russia, died for the IDF. The Israeli government gave him and other non-Jews a separate burial section, behind the burial grounds of the Jews, as a compromise. I think that this is wrong. One does not need to be Jewish to loyally serve in the IDF, one just needs to be loyal to Israel and serve her well, regardless of religion. Why can’t all of Israel’s heroes just be buried in one place? We also saw the grave of Michael Levine, a young American who left his hometown Philadelphia to volunteer for the IDF during the conflict with Lebanon in 2006 and lost his life while saving his comrades from stepping on a bomb. His tombstone stood out to me because of its numerous decorations, including a 2007 Phillies championship banner, and the types of messages left for him and the artifacts left for him touched me…it was clear that so many people, even random strangers, cared about this dude and appreciate his sacrifice. As we were about to leave Mount Hertzl, we noticed a ceremony for a dead soldier…not a funeral, more like a special ceremony one week later. It has been over a week after his death, and yet his grandmother was still sobbing uncontrollably and clearly shaken up. We watched the procession in silence. Later, I talked to some of the IDF soldiers about it, and they did not feel right about witnessing such a procession that was for the soldier’s unit and friends, and for which our group has not prepared for, and I agree with their view more than our tour guide’s who wanted us to witness this to honor the soldier’s sacrifice; I consider us more to be gawking intruders.
After Mount Hertzl, we saw David Ben Gurion’s burial place. Ben-Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel, he accepted Jewish law as the basis of the government (which I think was a huge mistake), and opened up Israel’s borders to any Jew. Ben-Gurion had the vision to cultivate the Negev Desert, which makes up 60% of Israel and inhibit it. To do so, he set a personal example by moving here, but unfortunately, few people followed, and he moved back to Tel Aviv a year later, although he is still buried in the Negev. Cultivating the Negev Desert would have been arduous work, but would have left more space for settlement and more freedom to move around. We placed pebbles on his and his wife’s grave, a symbol of remembrance and solidarity.
Instead of cities in the Negev, there is only desert. Sand dunes, mountains, and a small oasis. This is the area of Israel where Bedouin Arab tribes live, and we went to familiarize themselves with their culture; after all, about 20% of Israel’s citizens are Arabs. We got to the Bedouin tents and waited our turn to ride the camels. Obviously in the desert, there is really not much to do. No TV, internet, or bars. So how did we entertain ourselves during the days? Some of the guys had a 50 pound rock throwing contest…it is not easy to throw these rocks, and I totally suck at it! Finally, we went to ride the camels. This is the first time that I saw one, and they are majestic creatures. The Bedouins have trained them well. The camels sit down, we get up on them, they stand up, and then march in a line around a specific area, and sit down to let us off again once the journey has been completed. The ride itself was kind of boring, however, because the camels were going too slowly. I wish that they had an extra challenging course for the daredevils like me!
After our ride in the hot desert, with temperatures were over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, we went to eat dinner. The food was good, but there were no chairs, so we ate everything on the rugs. The tea, in particular, was delicious. After dinner, we lit bonfires, stargazed in the desert, and chilled. The desert got much colder…about 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit, so we needed our sweatshirts. We talked to the Bedouins, who seem like nice people…they tell cool stories and play relaxing Arab music at night. However, one major thing about them is troubling. If a Bedouin kills a member of another Bedouin tribe, the victim’s tribe must kill somebody from the murderer’s tribe. Not necessarily the murderer. Anyone in the family. What a twisted justice system! Not even an eye for an eye…just killing even more innocent people! Of course this is illegal under Israeli law, but these acts are nearly impossible to find or prosecute because there are practically no witnesses from any family!
Day 8
We woke up at 6 AM, having slept in a tent on a mattress but with no pillow…not comfortable at all! We went hiking up to the Masada, before it would get hot again. Masada has a pretty incredible history. This is the site of the second revolt against the Romans. Accroding to the only witness, the historian Josephus, the revolt was organized by Sicarii, a group of Jewish extremists who fled Jerusalem to here and hated both the Romans and other Jews who were friendly with them. The Romans finally got to them by building a wall up, but found almost 1,000 inhabitants---men, women, and children, all dead from a mass suicide…the zealots chose to die rather than be taking as slaves. Patrick Henry once said “give me liberty or give me death”…the zealots, actually put those words into action. Yrt their revolt is too romanticized by most people, including our tour guide. These were extremists…yes, they stood uyp to the Romans, but they refused to negotiate with them oncesoever. They harassed and sometimes even killed other Jews who disagreed with them.
On top of Masada, the view is simply spectacular. We could see the Dead Sea, land for miles around us, a long, twisting road, and even falcons. We also saw King Herod’s living quarters, including bath and a pool, while he resided here, even though he spent most of his life in Jerusalem. King Herod was a good friend of Augustus, who made him the king of the Jews. He was secular, pro-Roman, and crazy…he killed his 3 wives and even kept one of their heads, Mariamne’s as a souveneir! The religious Jews despised him, but the Romans needed him to keep the order.
After Masada, we drove to Tel Aviv University for the “mega event”, over a thousand other people with other Birthright groups from the USA, Canada, and Australia. In the auditorium, we learned how Israel rescued Ethiopian Jews and sneaked them into Israel, which I already knew. The speaker, an old former Mossad agent who made it clear that he did not want to be there, that the Ethiopians left because of poor economic conditions and the inability to keep kosher food according to the Jewish tradition. But I read a book on this and there shoudk have been said more. Ethiopian Jews were used as scapegoats by their Christian neighbors for poor harvests. Teenagers could be dragged off to war any day. I do not understand why these facts were not mentioned. We also heard Nathan Sheransky, the Russian Refusenik who sacriced years in Russian prisons to finally get Jews to come to Israel give an emotional sppech. It was touching for me and personal too, because without this courageous man, perhaps I still would be in Ukraine. I was disturbed by some people in my group laughing and making jokes during it…they clearly do not understand what was overcome by the Ethiopian and Rusisan jews to come to Israel, the United States, or Australia, and I hope that they are never in a similar situation as the Soviet Jews have once been. After these 2 speeches, we danced to some Israeli music, and while it was OK, I definitely prefer the diverse American variety…it fits my style a little more.
Day 9
We drove from our hotel in Jerusalem to the Mount Herzl National Center. We see the well where Isaac allegedly met Rebecca…and alleged hotspot to pick up ladies during ancient times, and wash our hands in its water. Over on the other side is the West Bank…barren. On our side, there are green trees. We see a line of green trees just before the West Bank and find out that the border between it and Israel is called “the Green Line” because of these trees, which…surprise!...are planted in a line. We plant our own trees; I dedicate mine to my grandma, the one on my mother’s side, who is the only mother’s side, who is the only family family member to have never been to Israel and seen this place, and unfortunately probably never will. That’s another cool fact about Israel, by the way. It is the only nation entering the 21st century who has planted more trees than it destroyed.
Finally, we arrive to Tel Aviv! This secular, bustling city is known for its vibrant nightlife, bustling businesses, and pretty beaches. It was once a desert, but is now a flourishing city. It even has a park that is built out of recyclables…how cool is that! Before going to the beach, I meet with my cousin, whom I have not seen in 22 years. He looks just like my dad! We talk about school, work, Israel, America, family members, life. I find out from him that sometimes the beaches on the Mediterranean Sea are closed due to canalization. Israel apparently dumps all of its trash here, and it needs to be cleaned up once in a while. Ewww…thanks cousin, just what I needed to hear before going swimming in the Mediterranean!
I overcome my grossness for swimming in trash, which I can literally see floating on the water and jump into the warm water with my new friends. The water is so nice and relaxing that I never want to get out…however, all good things must come to an end, so reluctantly, after drying off, I go to the bar and order a drink…”anything that you would have in a bar”. Apparently this hint is not enough for me to get alcohol, as I only get non-alcoholic juice! Jeeez!
After the beach, we prepare to go out. We could not have chosen a worse day! Tuesday is the middle of the week, people need to work, and along with Monday, this is the day when the clubs are closed. So our only option is the bar. Not content to pay the ridiculous club prices, we get drunk in our rooms, taking shot after shot of cheap, disgusting “Perfect” vodka…good thing that it is not sold in the United States! We then go to an American sports bar called “Mike’s Place”, which at 3 PM American time is unsurprisingly dead. Sportscenter is over. There are no day baseball games. I badly wish that Game 7 of the Bruins would be on this day, as I would have totally snuck out at 3 AM to watch it…my Israeli friends back in Boston told me before that this is the best bet to watch the Stanley Cup.
The bar gets boring, so we migrate over to this place called to this fancy place called “Le Mer”, which means “The Sea”. For those of you who have been to “The Beach Club” in Quincy (one of Boston’s suburbs), it is exactly like it. Beach chairs outside, drinks at the bar, and cool American music. We tried this drink called a “Flaming Lambourghini”, which you light on fire than drink…it tastes absolutely disgusting, like lighter fluid, and I I had this in Montreal as well, only I remember it tasting much better there. We stay out here chatting and enjoying the scenary half of the morning; although we need to be ready to leave by 7 AM tomorrow again, we are flying home and can sleep on the plane.
Day 10
After “waking up” partially hung over, we check out the Eretz Israel Museum. This is the place where Israel was declared a state. It’s a miracle that it won the War of Independence. Using Czech guns (some of which had swastikas on them because they once belonged to the Nazis), with the leading general only 26 years old, and much less resources and men, Israel somehow staved off 6 Arab armies. Sometimes pure will power, resilience, and luck can get you over the hump, and this is definitely one of those cases.
Our last stop was at Rabin Square, the place where Itzac Rabin was assassinated by, a right wing, religious fanatic. Rabin had his Israeli start in 1948 during the War of Independence at only 26 as a commander, and eventually worked his way up to Prime Minister. He was a dovish leader, under whose administration Israel and the Palestinian Authority recognized each other, and Israel began to pull out of occupied territories in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, the minority of extremists always make the most noise, and Rabin was shot three times in the head by Yigal Amir,the right winger, and paid the ultimate price for peace, just like President Anwar Sadat did after recognizing Israel over 2 decades earlier.
Finally we reached the airport. The line is absolutely insane. We wait for over 2 hours just to answer a bunch of stupid meaningless questions….just like in New York whn we were boarding here. I swear that this is the only place where someone will tell me “Sir, I am afraid that someone has put a bomb in your suitcase” and then let you go through to the next step! The flight itself was the longest I have ever taken in my life…11 hours. Considering that I do not sleep on planes like most other people, I found other ways to entertain myself. The night before, we were given the May, 1948 copy of the New York Times, which was the day that Israel was recognized. Other than reading the historical stories relating to this subject, I was pleased to read Winston Churchill’s personal memoir about D Day during the boarding of Norway…very interesting, insightful stuff! This is probably one of the few flights were I can take shots of vodka on the plane, and yet still be sober enough to teach a girl how to play chess, and then win 2 games against another one! Finally, we landed in New York. 4 hours later I was on the bus from New York to Boston, and 5 hours later I passed out on my bed at home…exhausted, and sad to leave, but happy to finally be back home and see my friends.
Some of my Perspectives
I am immensely thankful for the opportunity to have taken this Birthright trip. Other than the obvious luxury of travelling for free, it really opened my eyes to how my relatives back in Israel live. I am glad to have met so many cool people, both in my group and in Israel, whom I can share unforgettable experiences with.
Of course I realize that as a Jewish, pro-Zonist trip, I was only shown on side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We did not really discuss it at all, which is unfortunate and I wish that I was more educated about it and could have time to hear some more perspectives about solutions from the players involved. While we saw many Jewish sites, we did not go into the Arab Quarter or the West Bank, which would have been kind of cool, we did not see any of the Christian monuments, including Jesus Christ’s burial place, and we did not vacation in Eilat, which I would have loved to explore for a couple of days. Overall, however, I feel like I saw a lot of Israel, learned a lot about its identity and culture, and got a taste of how to live like an Israeli.
The talks that I had with various people and the sights that I saw have convinced me more than ever the right for the Jewish people to have their own homeland. Some religious people may want one for the religious sites, but my reasons mirror those of the founder of Israel, Herzl’s. Without Israel, Jews would always be a minority somewhere. As such, they would be potentially ripe targets for scapegoating and persecution. Without a state, they would not be respected as an independent and proud people. Having Israel allows Jews to be respected by other peoples, to stand up to injustices against Jews, and to always have a refuge against bigotry. Just as the Armenians or Kosovars will never be persecuted again as long as they have their own homeland and not suffer another Armenian or Bosnian genocide, neither will the Jews, as long as they have Israel, unlike the gypsies, Chechyens, or Kurds, who are at the mercy of other governments to tolerate them. I strongly believe that the only way to guarantee that every minority group with a population of over a million people could escape from bigotry bigotry again should be allowed to have their own state, where any member of the group can immigrate to.
Of course, the right for a Jewish homeland does not justify mistreating others. There are plenty of things that Israel does to Palestinians that bother me, and both sides need to figure out how to live side by side as neighbors, in peace. But people who deny Israel’s right to exist, people who want to see it fail, are either anti-Semitic or do not understand the importance of having your own homeland, must be stopped at all costs and must be taught that Israel is and always be necessary as a Jewish state..for a normal life free of persecution, for international respect, for pride. We can fight racism all we want, and I believe that we are making great strides in it, but whether Saudi Arabia or the United States, who knows what the atmosphere will be like in 100 years? Ancient Rome and Greece where centers of tolerance and democracy, for example…and then we had the Crusades during the Dark Ages a millennium later. Besides depending on the majority of citizens of different cultures, beliefs, or religions to accept you for who you are, shouldn’t each ethnic group have a backup plan of their own just in case?
