Today, the last day of cohort two’s amazing journey, began with a lecture given by the Senior Vice President of the Shalom Center, Dr. Daniel Gordis. After a quick introduction, he began his speech by saying that Americans have always and will always believe that there is a solution to every problem, including the conflicts occurring in the Israel. For example, Americans think that if Israel gives the Palestinians land, the whole conflict will disappear. However, as seen in previous attempts, for peace solution has always failed and will continue to fail until a new generation of Arabs, who want a better, safer life for their families, is born.
Dr. Gordis also discussed three “ways” to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict. The first is for Israel to stop existing, which is obviously the opposite of what we want. The second is to kick every Palestinian out of Israel; however, they will not leave and continually fight back. Finally, to compromise on territory; however, it is not likely that our generation and the next few generations will live to see this day. At this point in time, there is no solution to this conflict, he insisted.
Dr. Gordis gave WOFI’s cohort two a few words of wisdom on how to take up the challenging job of advocating for Israel. He said that when advocating, one can never deny that Israel has done everything right and that the Palestinians have not suffered at all. These are what he called “undeniable truths.”
The modern way to destroy an enemy country is not necessarily through violence, but through the “battle of ideas.” For example, the Soviet Union, with an army bigger than some countries’ populations, was defeated without using a single bullet, because the idea of communism died.
The Palestinians are attempting to use this “battle of Ideas” to destroy Israel by getting other countries to condemn the Jewish state. So far, Dr. Gordis said, the Palestinian strategy has been working.
Pro-Israel advocates have “just as much ammunition as the Palestinians now,” Gordis insisted, because all they need is a computer and a pencil. Thanks to Israel, the Jews have been “a real player in the world”, and if Israel no longer exists, the Jews will return to being fearful and intimidated. It is our job as advocates to use our computers, pencils and voices to defeat those who wish to eliminate Israel.
I thought that Dr. Daniel Gordis’ lecture was both captivating and inspiring. Before his lecture I had never considered moving to Israel; however, after it was over, I began to think about the possibility of doing so. Since Israel is a nation constantly under the world’s microscope, I believe that we must stick together and fight to keep the Jewish homeland that gives Jews all over the world the liberties and freedoms to express themselves and their religion.
Initially when I was asked to blog about Yad Vashem, I was a bit nervous. Although I had never been to Yad Vashem before, my pre-conceived notion left me a little wary of what I would be writing about. I only had to take three little steps to realize, that there was so much more to Yad Vashem than just general background history of the Holocaust.
When I walked into the main building of the complex, I was immediately encompassed in a pyramid structure. Surrounding me were a variety of pictures and videos of Jewish children, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles and grandparents. These Jews weren’t in death camps, or ghettos. They were living happy, peaceful, normal lives.
I have studied the Holocaust in temple and in secular school, and the horrific pictures provided showed the Jewish people’s suffering . I think that those pictures were a great tool in understanding the terrors inflicted by the Nazis, but there was no sense of their life pre-Holocaust, no feeling that these people ever lived a normal life. I thought it was really mind-opening when Yad Vashem started with pictures of everyday life.
The pre-Holocaust pictures, which completely humanized Jewish people, contrasted deeply with the Nazi goal of dehumanizing and killing them.
In the middle of our tour we stopped at an enlarged document stating the numbers of Jews that were left to be killed in every country. This document was mind-boggling to me, whether it was the way Nazis completely turned the Jewish people into mere numbers, or the fact that all these people were meant to be sentenced to death, or that Estonia had no Jewish people left at all.
The museum documented the causes and events that led up to the Holocaust, and contains pictures, speeches, and 3 to 4 million personal testimonies of survivors from all over the world.
The last part of the museum involved walking outside and looking over at the beautiful view of Israel. I think this is supposed to show that a population that suffered so much anti-Semitism at the hands of its enemies is now thriving in Israel, a land to call home.
After lunch our group met with settler spokesperson Eve Harrow in the very large settlement of Efrat. She had a very passionate argument. She wants Israel to keep the settlements and as a resident she knows what it’s like to live there. She believes that Israelis have the right and the responsibility to live in the West Bank which she calls Judea and Samaria.
Later we went to the Urban Kibbutz in Gilo where the pre army program Beit Israel Mechinat is located. There we learned about this unique Mechinat program which teenagers can participate in as part of a yearlong program. What I found very interesting was that all kinds of teenagers participate in this event from different religious backgrounds and countries.
I found it very cool that this program has a few Americans participating. It is such a unique opportunity to learn about religion, study Jewish text, and grow as a person. The nicest aspect is that all sorts of teenagers come to this program making it a great opportunity to learn about different opinions and cultures. Learning with a group of people helps bring these teenagers together and great friendships form.
Leaving the more serious cultural aspect, we all headed to Malcha Mall for some shopping. The mall was a perfect opportunity to view soft advocacy (all the families there, the wonderful shops) and enjoy the Israeli culture. There were also some tasty places to eat dinner. What I had to keep in my mind while at the mall is that Israeli coins are worth more than American coins. It was fun just getting to walk through the mall and being in an Israeli environment.
It’s sad that this Write On for Israel trip has to come near the end, but what a great experience this was to learn more about our beloved Israel. Having learned all kinds of advocacy techniques from soft advocacy like the mall, to hard advocacy like guest speakers who talked about Palestinian and peace issues, the trip has helped us tremendously to develop ways to advocate for Israel. –Daniela Leibovici
Rachel Davidson – Day 9, June 22, 2010
Today was a day filled with hard truths and hard advocacy, as we talked about Iran and ventured past the Green Line into Gush Etzion (The Etzion Bloc). Sheldon Shulman, advisor to four Israeli prime ministers, visited our youth hostel to discuss the threat from Iran. We all came out a little bit terrified with the scenario Shulmann presented, but more knowledgeable for the experience. Mr. Shulman worked in intelligence and foreign relations, so we got a firsthand view of how relations between Israel, America, and Iran were constructed.
His overall theme was that Iran has the will and the capacity to destroy Israel, as a part of the nation’s goal to dominate the Middle East. He stated that Jews are just another minority in the area that is viewed as not being worthy of rights. If Iran were to nuclear bomb Israel there is a slim chance that the West will let Israel retaliate, as the majority of oil comes from the area, Shulman explained. Although these predictions were truly frightening, they gave us a better understanding of why Iran is such a threat, and what we need to be aware of.
After the lecture we drove into the West Bank, and began to hear about the lives and politics of settlers (who I think would prefer to be known as residents of Judea and Samaria). My fellow blogger, Daniella Leibovitichi, will tell you more about this, but I’m using my blog-space to tell you all about the sorrow endured by a victim of terror. Yoni Berg came to tell his story. In 2001 his mother was killed in a drive-by shooting, without rhyme or reason. Politics aside, I believe that no person should have to lose a mother in such a way, be they Jewish or Muslim, Arab or Israeli. I wish that no one would have to go through the pain of losing a parent, and I wish even more that no one would have to have their parent murdered.
Ultimately, if there’s anything I hope to prevent in this world, it’s more grief for innocent people like Yoni. Whether it’s by preventing mass murder from a nuclear attack from Iran, or by preventing conflict within Israel, I hope to save as many people as I can from the pain that war causes.
