A Needle in a Haystack

      In some communities, such as in the Helinistic era of Israel, Jewish communities are surrounded by other cultures. I feel that when this happens, it challenges our judaism. It does this by making us feel compromised about our religion as well as our culture. For example, in small jewish communities that are surrounded by christians, during the christmas season most feel uncomfortable celebrating Hanukkah. Because other religions are perhaps arguably more popular than judaism, like all things, jews feel a pressure to adapt to the social standard. For me, at least, I felt this pressure several times when I was younger. This challenged my jewish identity because I felt as if I lost myself. I felt ashamed of my judaism, and therefore was not me. However after going to jewish camps, as well as joining youth groups such as NFTY, I feel more connected to religion despite being surrounded by other religions and cultures.

Conflicts and Confusion

     This past weekend was the first time since the beginning of the semester that I left the kibbutz to visit family in Israel. Not only was I thrilled to see my grandma, uncle, and cousins that I had not seen for over two years, but also to reunite with all of them over a Shabbat dinner. The food, people, and conversation were all amazing, even though it was in Hebrew and I did not understand most of it. What I did understand consisted of stray words that I tried to piece together and form sentences. Surprisingly, a calm family dinner soon transformed into a heated conversation about politics. They all agreed that "Bibi" was a bad prime minister, but disagreed on what should change in the upcoming election. My 11 year old cousin even joined in. Because my family came from Iraq about 70 years ago, they have mixed feelings about a two state solution and the Arab Israeli conflict in general. 

     On the one hand, they feel that protecting Israeli Arabs is important because they will most likely make up future generations of Israelis. On the other hand, they have been subject to Jewish expulsion from Iraq, and are aware of the threats that radical Islamists pose to Israel. My younger cousins support avodah, the workers' party, mainly because they are friends with many Israeli Arabs. However, my uncle and grandma disagree completely. My grandma was young when she, her mother, and 6 siblings left Iraq, and yet she still remembers her life there. One of the main reasons she is against a two state solution is because of the terrors she witnessed in Iraq. She remembers how Jews were publicly hanged in town squares or other populous places. My younger cousins disagree with her stance by arguing that only radical Islamists believe in expelling Jews, and that there are close to none living in Israel. With both of these sides arguing, I'm not sure what to think. I feel that I don't know enough about the situation yet to have an accurate and educated opinion. I'm hoping that by the end of these 4 months I will have witnessed enough to develop my own.

Defensible Borders in the Age of IS

     The Arab Israeli conflict is arguably one of the most complicated issues between two races in history. The article "Defensible Borders in the Age of IS" is a clear example of this issue. Many people around the world simply believe that the two are fighting over land that was claimed over 60 years ago. However, there is much that they are unaware of. In many discussions, Israel is named the "bad guy", or "Goliath" because they have the power to retaliate. However, Israel is simply acting in defense. Many Israelis and Palistinians alike would like to have peace, but there are questions that can only be answered with action, and that is something not many are willing to take. If Israel pulls out there forces from the west bank, who is to say that Hamas will not attack immidiately after, taking advantage of an unprepared Israel. According to Dore Gold, head of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Israel "needs to be prepared for any eventuality", even if one may or may not come. The majority of both parties desire peace, so why is it so hard to allow it? To many arabs, the IDF are the bad guys, as are arabs stereotyped by Israelis. In order to stop the chaos and simply achieve the peace that so many want, what must we do? Many politicians have had ideas, but none have been put into action. The idea of a two state solution is the most probable outcome, but is also vague. What would the jews living in arab areas do? What would happen to Jerusalem? For now, Israel will survive as it is, but soon a change must come.

The Important Things About Judiasm

       On the first day of Jewish History class, we labeled what being jewish means in Israel. To many native israelis, being religious can only mean practicing orthodox judaism. At first, this idea seemed irrational to me. I consider myself religious as a reform jew, and now Israelis are telling me that I'm not? Although I don't follow all of the commandments, I do follow the ones that I believe are morally and politically correct. I believe that Judaism should be up to interpretation, or at least reform judaism should be. There are reasons why there are so many holes that need to be filled in. They should be filled in with each person's beliefs to make the religion that much more personalized and real. Everyone has their own interpretations of the practiced religion, even those who are orthodox. I felt like the Israelis were unfairly labeling me without knowing why I practiced the religion. They didn't have the right to tell me who I am. I do.
     Then, last night, EIE took us to a reform temple in Tel Aviv. The sanctuary was full up to the brim with people of all shapes, colors, and sizes. This trip showed me that judaism can be practiced in any way, shape, or form, even in religious places such as Israel. These people had no correlation with anything religious, according to Israel, and yet they still came to temple. Their dedication inspired me. I decided that I don't care if I am labeled by others as "unreligious". If I believe that I am, then I am. My belief in myself is more important than any other beliefs that people have about me.
--A Religious Jew

Tel Gezer, Israel

Obsessive, Compulsive, and Indecisive

       In an article I recently read entitled "Obsessive, Compulsive, and Orthodox", Rebecca Klempner,  a jewish orthodox woman, confronts her OCD and how it affects her faith. While praying, she imagined visions of "renaissance era Jesus" and other religious figures. These images concerned her and made her feel like a traitor to her religion. Klempner "wanted to be a good jew", but she felt that her OCD prevented her from being one. This article made me question my own faith as a reform jew. What makes a "good prayer"? Should it be original and from the heart, or rather something more structured as directed in the Tanakh? I was raised in an environment which emphasized a "you do you" kind of environment. Of course the Rabbi directed the prayers, but the congregation was welcome to be silent or say the prayers in different ways. In orthodox temples, however, strict rules must be followed at all time. The congregation must dress modestly, pray in unity, and follow the rules stated in the Tanakh. Although there is no doubt that there are different interpretations of the Tanakh, should everyone follow all of it's commandments even if some are out dated? What should be modernized and what should remain untouched in this cherished book? In Israel, only the orthodox are considered religious, yet I still consider myself a jew. I am lost in my own mind trying to find the correct answer of what is right and what is wrong.

http://tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/188464/obsessive-compulsive-orthodox

Tel Me A Story

         Over the past few weeks in Jewish History class, we have been discussing if and how the Tanakh should be used as an accurate history source. Before coming to Israel, I would have stated that the bible stories are not true. I would have said that the stories are simply a way for all jews to identify with one past, one story. The story of the jews shows how even through violent ostrosisation we still stood tall and accepted our true beliefs, despite what our enemies thought. However, is that all it is? A story with morals that apply to modern day problems? Or is it a more--a telling of the story of the people of Israel, and how they preserved both their culture and language after over 2000 years of running from danger.
         Today we went on a "tiyuel", or a field trip to Tel Gezer. These few hours may have changed my mind about the Tanakh. In the holy book, it speaks of a town called Gezer, which is the only city identifiable in Israel that is spoken of in the Tanakh. Because the story corresponded so perfectly with the setting, I started to think how could these "stories" seem to become more and more nonfictional. For example, in Gezer, the Tanakh speaks of a prostitute that "lived in the wall" which was the city's greatest line of defense. At first this seems absurd, but once we arrived, we saw how it was a casemate wall, which has "rooms" constructed into it in order to save materials.
         Now, I'm not sure what I think. My scientific background begs me to believe in the fact that it would be close to impossible to have so many accurate stories in one book. Yet, after seeing the wonders that I have today, my gut tells me differently. All I know for sure is that the Tanakh is no longer "just a book" to me.