What does it mean to be a part of Am Yisrael?

Before coming to Israel, if you asked me what it meant to be a part of Am Israel I would have probably mentioned the earliest Jews wandering in the desert for many years. However, being in Israel for these past three and a half months has given me so much new insight on not only what it means to be Jewish, but what it means to be a part of Am Yisrael.

Part of me wants to say that all Jews are a part of Am Yisrael, however, it depends who you ask. In my personal opinion, I think that if you identify as Jewish, then you are a part of Am Yisrael. On the other hand, if you ask a member of the ultra-orthodox community they may not consider many people as a part of Am Yisrael because they do not see any other sect of Judaism as legitimate. As history has showed us, there are also many complications that come along with being a part of Am Yisrael. As these Jewish people, we have been persecuted for thousands of years. We always seem to have a target on our backs, but I think that is what has made us so much stronger. To me, someone who is a part of Am Yisrael is someone with Jewish values, who supports Israel, and is a part of the Jewish community.

Palestinian Speakers: Kids4Peace

Yesterday we went on a Tiyul to the Supreme Court, which was very fascinating! Afterwards, we went to look at and learn about the wall that separates the West Bank from the rest of Israel. We learned about the multiple Intifadas and suicide bombings that have occurred somewhat recently in Israel. Last night, we had three speakers from an organization called Kids4Peace come and talk with us.

One of the speakers was a Palestinian who was Muslim, and the other two were Jewish Israelis. They came to tell us about the organization that they are a part of, and their feelings about the Palestinian and Israeli conflict. What I found most interesting about these three speakers was that they were all fairly young. The oldest was the Palestinian guy in his 20s, and the two Israelis were around 15 and 16, which amazed me.

In their organization, they are working with Israelis, Palestinians, Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc, to promote peace, and to promote the two sides working together. Although the things that they are doing both inside and outside of this organization are quite interesting and impressive, I was a little bit disappointed with what they had to say. What bothered me the most was that they seemed uneducated. They didn't seem to have much knowledge of the actual conflict between Israel and Palestine, or what we were even fighting for. We asked them a series of questions about the conflict between the two religions and countries, the physical barrier that separates the two, a one-state vs. two-state solution, the government, and what they believe should be done to resolve these issues. All three of them basically had the same answer to these questions: peace. Peace would be an incredible thing to have, however, it doesn't just magically appear out of nowhere. There are many steps that would have to be taken in order to maintain peace between the two sides, and I think that is sometimes overlooked. Sure, we can say say that both sides should stop fighting in order to maintain peace, however, it is much more complicated than that. This issue is one that thousands of people have lost their lives over, and it won't be resolved so simply.

There was one point that they made that especially bothered me. They pretty much said that they don't think Zionism is important, and that they think it is more important to have one state for all races and religions, than to have a Jewish state. And this was coming from Israelis!! Even I, a person who is in Israel for their first time, believe that it is so incredibly important to have a Jewish state. Jews have been persecuted for thousands of years, and we deserve a safe place to come and live freely.

Likud-Shas Deal Article

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Likud-Shas-deal-to-transfer-rabbinical-courts-to-Religious-Services-Ministry-rallies-criticism-402171

The link above is to an article that I read having to do with current events. In the article, it mentions that Shas recently joined the Coalition, and grants the Haredi party control of the ministry. it talks about how there was an agreement made between Likud an Shas, saying that the rabbinical courts system can be transferred from the judge ministry to the religious services ministry. However, the transferring of these courts is a problem because the rabbinical courts have exclusive jurisdiction over Jewish marriage and divorce. The transferring of rabbinical courts also greatly effects the marriage and divorce rights for women, because the rabbinical courts rule the validity of marriage, and of Jewish law related to manage.

Reading this article, I became very frustrated, because I feel like the Ultra-Orthodox have such a strong influence in Israel, taking more and more power away from all other sects of Judaism. In reality, the Ultra-Orthodox are quite a minority in Israel, so it's upsetting to me that they control much of the country, and can make most of the country's decisions. I have always believed in equal rights for both men and women, and especially talking to Anat Hoffman today, I have gained a whole new outlook on the importance in advocating for women's rights in Israel. If we don't argue and fight for our rights, we may never get them. I think that from here, we can only move forward. It's important that women continue to fight for their rights, no matter what they are. And one day, I hope our voices will be heard.

My Final Month on EIE

The fact that it's already May terrifies me. I remember getting off the airplane in Israel and being surrounded by 72 fresh faces, excited, but nervous for the journey that lay ahead. That day feels like it was just yesterday, but in reality, it was three months ago. My time here has flown by more quickly than I ever thought it would. Time here passes like it does at camp: a day is a week, and a week is a day. Meaning that each day feels like forever, but the days fly by.

Well, three months have already flown by, and my friends and family are counting down the days and hours until I return home, but I am nowhere near ready to leave this incredible place that has now become my home. I'm going to save the sappy "I love EIE" and "I've had the time of my life" stuff for a few weeks down the road, when I unfortunately have to return home, but I wanted to use this time to brainstorm ways to continue my Judaism and love for Israel outside of this program.

As I have mentioned before, I have been attending URJ Camp Newman for the past 10 summers. Camp is the place in which I feel most connected to my Judaism, that was until I came to Israel at least. Israel has given me a completely new sense of myself, especially as a Jew. I'm truly looking forward to returning this summer to be a CIT, surrounded by many of my camp friends who are now EIE peers, and helping to instill a more meaningful Jewish experience into my campers. Israel has instilled so much knowledge, history, freedom, and responsibility in me, and I'm really excited to be able to bring these things back to America with me, never forgetting Israel and all that it's helped me achieve.

Should Ultra-Orthodox Jews Be Forced to Join the IDF?

Today in class, and many times over the past three months, we have debated amongst ourselves whether or not Heredi Jews should have to join the IDF. Our class was somewhat divided, and the discussion got pretty heated, which is just an example of how controversial tis issue is in Israel. At the age of 18, all Israeli citizens are recruited to join the IDF. However, the ultra-orthodox Jews don't serve in the army, because "they are fulfilling their service to the country by studying Talmud."

If a Heredi man wants to sit in a Yeshiva all day and study Torah and Talmud, I have no problem with that. However, in no way does that protect the citizens of Israel. Most Israelis put their lives on hold to serve in the IDF. They risk their lives to defend their country, and I think it is completely unfair that the Ultra-Orthodox are living off of the country's benefits, when they are doing nothing on behalf of Israel. Why should they be given the same benefits of someone who is putting putting their life and education on hold, not to mention risking their life each and every day to protect their country?

Obviously this issue is one that is very controversial and has been since the creation of the state of Israel. Despite its controversy, I don't think that the two sides will ever be able to come to a conclusion unless they compromise. I'm not saying that the Ultra-Orthodox need to be fighting in the front lines of a combat unit, but there are so many other things that they could be doing in the IDF, or other places to help serve their community in a way that counts. We fought incredibly hard to have our own Jewish state, and we won't be able to preserve it unless everybody works together in order to do so.

My Local Jewish Community

At my home in the Bay Area, I have a pretty spectacular Jewish community. I'll be honest, I rarely celebrate Shabbat, and attend services. However, I am very active in my community in other ways. I have served on the board of my temple youth group, CRuSTY, for two years, and I am very involved with CRuSTY as well as NFTY. And, as of a few weeks ago, I will be serving on NFTY CWR's Regional Board of 2015-2016, which I am thrilled about! In addition to CRuSTY and NFTY, I have been attending URJ Camp Newman for ten consecutive summers. Camp is truthfully the beginning of my Jewish identity. It's the place where I am surrounded by hundreds of people just like me, experiencing the same things, creating the same, yet very different memories, and having the summer of a lifetime. I am fortunate enough to have many of my camp friends a part of my local Jewish communities, which makes me more interested in engaging in activities in the community.

In the Bay Area, we have a newspaper called the J. This newspaper features those who are having upcoming bar and bat mitzvahs, stories of famous Jews, articles from summer camps, and much more. I looked at their website to see if anything interesting was happening and I found an article called "Visiting Young Israelis Chat Up the Country They Love." These two Israelis are from Tel Aviv, and they want Americans to be able to see Israel through their eyes. This pair is going around Northern California and sharing their love of Israel by putting a face on the IDF uniforms, and explaining their experiences in their beautiful country. I found this article interesting because here I am, studying in Israel, gaining such an appreciation for the land and the culture and all of it's beauty, however, it is so difficult to be able to express my love for this place to everyone back at home. The fact that they are traveling all over to express their love and pride for their country, is truly inspirational and moving to me.

Etgar Keret

Etgar Keret is one of those people who just cannot be explained. While reading his stories, my mouth  drops in utter awe, as I cannot believe what I'm reading. He says some of the most vulgar inappropriate things, but is still somehow very relatable and deep. All of the Etgar Keret stories I've read have been his typical vulgar, funny one's, however, this time I ended up reading a collection of very depressing stories. One of the stories I read was called 'Surprise Egg'. It talks about a woman who was killed in a suicide bomb attack near a bus stop when she was 32. He compares her death and the findings in her body to a surprise egg, as in there were a lot of mysteries inside, such as the tumors they found. This disheartening story talks about the mourning that her family went to, and I think that this is especially relatable to today, Yom HaZikaron. Today we are commemorating the thousands of soldiers that have lost their lives defending our country. Despite Keret's strange sense of humor, I think he does a really good job of connecting his stories to life in Israel.