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.

April 20th, The Day We Witnessed History Being Made.

This morning stared off with many sighs, yawns, and unhappy faces, being as we were woken up at 5:30 AM to go to the Kotel to celebrate Rosh Hodesh with the Women of the Wall. I'll admit, for the first 30 minutes we were there, I was pretty bored. I'm a reform jew, and all of these women were fairly conservative, singing in many tunes that I didn't recognize. My friends and I sat down against the back wall for a few minutes, resting, and taking everything in. That's when we noticed a group of men from above spitting water at us. We got up to see what the commotion was about, and we were told that the full-sized Torah from the men's side was brought over to the women's side. This was a huge deal, as it was the first time that this has ever happened before. We all stood in awe, witnessing the history that was being made. I was so shocked that all of this was done so calmly, considering the division and conflict at the Western Wall. All of a sudden, Orthodox men began to push over to the Women's side, trying to steal the Torah back. The police came, and they were on OUR side, which felt safe and empowering. Today, the Women of the Wall were able to read an entire Torah service out of the full sized Torah. This is the type of thing that you hear about in the news, but I can't explain how special and empowering it was to be able to be a part of it.

My Trip To Auschwitz-Birkenau 3/26

6 million Jews. The number haunts me every time I hear it. Every time I think about it. But being here is different. There's no way to describe the horror and tragedy that is the Holocaust. You hear stories, you see pictures, and you imagine it. But whatever you imagine it to be, it's a million times worse. Jews were not only killed, but they were starved, beaten, separated from their families, and forced to work. They were either killed immediately, or they had to fight with everything they had to survive another day. Each shred of hope, pride, and dignity was taken away from them. Just like their lives and their food and their families were. Each time I think about it it makes me angry. What type of person would be so mentally unstable that they would want to eliminate and exterminate an entire religion and "race" of people? There is absolutely no excuse for this, and it makes me sick that people don't believe the Holocaust and its horrors. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the main death camp. 2 million Jews alone were killed here. There were between 3000-5000 people killed each and every day. Think about how many people that is. That's practically 3 or 4 times the size of my own high school. This horrible event destroyed families, people, communities, and so much more. Living in Israel for these past two months has given me such a new insight on the past, present, as future of the Jewish people. It makes me so proud to be Jewish. So proud to come from where I come from. And after everything that am Yisrael has been through, we're finally free. Together as a people, we have overcome so much. And today, we have our own state. We have a safe place for every Jew to go. To visit, to live, or to pray to. I think that it is so remarkable how far we've come in such a short time. We are strong people. We will never forget our past, for it has shaped our present and our future.

Yam L'Yam: No showers, No toilets, No complaints.

When you hear the words "Yam L'Yam" you think of five days of straight hiking, no showering, and disgusting food. Although that's pretty much what the trip consisted of, I had the best time! Going into this week I was nervous for what was to come, since I'm not the biggest hiking fan, but I ended up loving it. I got extremely lucky in having the best guide and group. We all got along so well, made endless jokes, told endless stories, making the hiking go by much faster. Not to mention, we made some delicious food.

During our tiyul, we learned how to cook tuna by lighting toilet paper on fire, how to purify water, how to build shelter, how to start a fire, and so much more. Not only did I have a lot of fun on the trip, but I saw some of the most beautiful sights. We climbed Mount Meron, the second largest mountain in Israel, AND we hiked from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea, which amazes me. I felt an entirely different connection to Israel by experiencing it with my own two feet.

Poland: A trip of tears, touching stories, and TLC.

Our masa to Poland was quite an emotional rollercoaster for me. We visited Jewish ghettos, concentration camps, and even heard the grueling stories of Holocaust survivors, and their experiences at the camps. Each additional thing that we did this past week, made the Holocaust seem more like a reality to me. The more I learned and saw, the more amplified my feelings and reactions were. While we were in Poland, we focused on both life and death. Although I tried to see the life that is still existent in Poland, I couldn’t help but notice all the death that surrounded me. Jews were stripped of their humanity, freedom, families, belongings, and so much more that cannot be replaced.

One of the first places we visited was Tikochin. Tikochin was a quaint little town, or shtetl. It had shops, homes, a beautiful church, and people walking around. Everything there seemed so peaceful, which makes me think of life. There were beautiful flowers, and you could hear the wind rustling through the trees. We gathered in the beautiful old synagogue, and filled it with life, just as it had once been.

Despite there being traces of life in Poland, I was more focused on the aspect of death, since that’s what our trip was centered around. The number ‘6 million’ was tucked into the deepest crevices of my mind. One of the places that really made me think of death was Majdanek. Walking around the camp while reading a survivor’s Holocaust story, made the entire site seem so empty and dead. Towards the end of the day at Majdanek, we approached a large dome. I didn’t know exactly what it was all about, but I had a feeling that it wasn’t pleasant. As I approached the dome, my stomach dropped. I looked down to see a gigantic mound of ashes. Looking at this massive pile of ash, I saw my ancestors. I saw those who had come before me, and weren’t as lucky as I had been. This particular sight was probably one of the most emotional things I experienced while I was in Poland. I don’t think anything represented death as accurately as a huge pile of ashes.

While we visited the various Holocaust sites in Poland, we learned about the term ‘Kiddush H’Chayim’, which means Sanctifying Life, or emphasizing acts of resistance. These acts of resistance were ones that really stuck out to me. Despite the Nazis trying to dehumanize and distinguish the Jews, we still resisted them, and proved that we are strong and united as Am Yisrael. One of the examples that truly inspired me was the story of Janusz Korczak. Janusz was a Polish-Jewish educator and children’s author. He had an orphanage, where he educated and looked after children. During the Holocaust, he was given a chance to leave Warsaw and return home, but he gave up that opportunity to stay and help the children. Eventually, he and the children all got killed. This story is a form of resistance, or Iberleben, because it shows that saving a group of children is more important than saving a single person’s life. It shows that it is worth sticking up for your beliefs, even if it means that you may suffer from it.

Rabbi Emil Fackenheim said, “Jews are forbidden to hand Hitler posthumous victories, they are commanded to survive as Jews, lest the Jewish people perish.” The way I interpret this quote, or 614th mitzvah, is that despite our tragic past, and the fact that the Nazis tried to eliminate the Jewish people, we must stay strong and remain as Am Yisrael. I completely agree with this statement. Whenever we reference the Holocaust, we say, “Never Forget.” Despite the fact that the Nazis tried to eliminate us, and came close to doing so, we are still here today and standing stronger than ever. Today, we have our own state! This is something that the Jewish people have wanted for thousands of years, and I think that it’s really important that we remember who we are, and what we stand for as Am Yisrael.

Overall, Poland was quite a long and emotional journey. Over the course of the week, we saw things that we never could have imagined were possible. We experienced the Holocaust in a way that is not possible through simply reading a textbook or having a class discussion. Although this Poland journey was quite difficult and terrifying, and although all any of us wanted was to get the hell out of this country, it was a truly inspiring and enlightening trip. We cried together, we helped each other through the tough times, and we all came out so much closer and stronger as a group.