BDS in Northern California

     UC Davis is located approximately one hour from my home. Recently, UC Davis, as well as the majority of California universities, have participated in BDS movements. UC Davis recently passed a BDS measure which demanded that the university divest it’s holdings from companies that “contribute to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.”  After, students crowded in the front law waving “Free Palestine” flags, ecstatic over the recent decision. Unfortunately, these college students do not know the whole story, and I feel like that should be the first step when picking sides. Israel has become a safe-haven of sorts for jews internationally for those who are discriminated against in society. Without a state for the Jews, another Holocaust, or worse, could occur. Anti semitism is again rising in Europe, and violent actions have already taken place against the jews. All we can do is educate those who do not understand the importance of Israel, and what could happen if it disappeared. 

You can read about it here: http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/74495/lessons-learned-fighting-bds-at-uc-davis/

Terrorism or Heroism?

     Today in class it was discussed whether the jews involved in Etzel and Lehi should be considered terrorists. Although they did commit acts of terror, many suppose that the fact that these groups fought for the creation of a Jewish State made their form of terror defendable. However, even those who believe this have to acknowledge that these organization killed innocent people. By definition, the fact that they committed acts of terror makes them terrorists. But, without them, perhaps there would be no Israel today.  

     However, some may also argue, just as Isis and Hezbollah murder people in order to prove a point, Etzel and Lehi did as well. If Etzel and Lehi are similar to terrorist groups today, then Arabs at the time of Israel’s founding must have thought that Jews were our of their minds, fighting for an inconceivable cause that only harms people. Terrible events such as the King David Hotel bombing and the massacre in Deir Yassin are examples of how such an optimistic goal can become strikingly negative once people unnecessarily are put at risk or die. I acknowledge that without these organizations, perhaps Israel would not be as it is today, or perhaps would not have even existed. However, that does help buffer the fact that this country was created from death. 

"Todd"- The Story Within a Story

     Recently, I read a short story called "Todd" written by Etgar Keret. I was pleasantly surprised by its lack of strange circumstances, which usually comprise a short story by this author. The story describes a conversation between Keret and his single friend Todd, who wants Keret to write a story that will make women want to sleep with him. The majority of the plot characterizes how Keret tries many times, but fails to create such a story. However, a strange yet pleasant twist occurs at the end when the reader realizes that the story "Todd" the story that Keret's character tried to write.
     This short story gave me an insight to Israeli humor. Although it is subtle, a little goes a long way. The use of clever word tricks and dark ironic statements brings to life the Israeli humor. Honestly, I was surprised that the story did not contain more dark humor, which is evident in many of Keret's stories. "Todd" did however take place in Israel, which was a nice touch to a cute story.

Not Just a Land for the Jews

       This weekend I truly felt that I saw all of Israel, both in it's great and terrible areas. Usually when I think of Israel I think of the tourist-filled streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, of the crowded areas of the Shook. However, this weekend my mother and I drove through areas of South Tel Aviv on our way to Shoham, and I saw what had been in hiding from the tourist books. The area was very run down, with lots of immigrants from different places. I saw shocked that this area was only a few minutes drive from  downtown Tel Aviv. For those who stayed at Tzuba this weekend there was an option to walk around in this area, and after seeing it for myself I would, without a doubt, want to go there and learn the history of how so many Somalian, Sudanian, Ethiopian, and other immigrants ended up in Israel.

Yom Ha-Shoah

       During this trip I had the honor of experiencing Yom Ha'Shoah in Israel. After visiting Poland, hearing the Siren and watching everyone, even those driving on the highway, completely stop and pay their respects for two minutes for the 6,000,000 who perished gave me chills. Not only that, but I found it pleasantly ironic that right after the Siren my Jewish History class had a "Zionist Congress" and discussed the start of the State of Israel. Of course hearing the Siren could not be emotionally compared to the weeklong trip to Poland, it did bring back many of the horrific memories of walking in, and out, of Auschwitz-Birkenau, seeing, but not quite believing, the huge pile of human ash at Majdanek, and hearing the confession of a person buried alive with her dead companions at Tikochin. However, it also reminded me how there were those in the Shoah who stood up against this racist and sadistic tyranny, such as Janush Korchuk, those who helped smuggle food into the ghettos, and  the participants in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The strength and bravery of the Jewish People, even in times where there seems to be no hope, will never cease to amaze me. Yom Ha'Shoah is not simply a day to remember those who were murdered without cause in the Shoah, but also to reflect on how now there is a Jewish State which will protect us from any other source of anti-semitism in the future.

This Year in Jerusalem

     For Passover in the United States, many people say "next year in Jerusalem". This year, I was in Jerusalem. Being in Israel during a major holiday is so much different compared to the United States. Because Israel is a jewish state, most restaurants and stores are not allowed to sell Hametz. Because the US is enveloped in Christian culture, passover, as well as most holidays, excluding Hanukkah, are overlooked. Being in a country where the jewish culture surrounds everyone is not only different, but also invigorating and interesting. To make up for the lack of bread, a large amount of stores also sell "kosher for passover" bread and other foods. Many secular Israelis also ignore the food restrictions for passover and eat what they like. Israeli culture is unlike anything any american can experience in the US.
     I went to a seder at my grandmother's house with a few friends, as well as twenty family members who I was not aware I had. The seder itself was very fast. We started the seder late so everyone speed read at a pace that was almost impossible to follow. People simply wanted to eat. There were also several differences between the seder here and in the US, such as how everyone talked over each other and sang different versions of songs over each other. The Israeli spirit was strong and fun. During class today, someone pointed out how they used lettuce as a bitter herb which was strange for them, however I have always done that in my family and thought that using anything but lettuce would be strange. I was glad that I got this opportunity to spend time in Israel with my family.

The Pursuit of Happiness

     Voltaire once stated, “God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.” Experiencing Poland and learning about the Jewish people in a land where we were slaughtered was life changing. In my opinion, every Jew should make the Masa to Poland because it reveals the unfathomable truth that everyone knows but does not seem to comprehend. The Shoah seems very distant and hazy in retrospect to everyday life, almost like a bad dream that vanishes after waking up. However, when l learned about the Shoah in Poland, I could not wake myself up from the reality of it. The six million people who were murdered appeared as shadows to me before the trip rather than the people and all of their attributes. 6 million was a number without meaning. This trip brought the six million people’s memory back to life, and they will forever remain honored and respected in the eyes of jews worldwide.

     Judaism is a religion based on life. Contrary to other beliefs, jews are told to not focus on what occurs before and after life. Rather, they are to simply focus on life itself. Tikochin was the place where jewish life spoke to me the strongest. The strong sense of jewish community was still prevalent seventy years after it had perished in the Shoah. The town square gave the village-like city a very comfortable and friendly feeling, as if jews were meant to return to it. Even the Beit Knesset in Tikochin was full of life by having prayers painted on the walls in case the prayer books were burned. The words on the walls will forever live on even though the people have disappeared. Praying and dancing in the Beit Knesset not only brought back jewish life and culture into the synagogue, but also exemplified how the jews who lived here felt joy, and genuine happiness. After dancing in the synagogue was when I realized that these were real people who died, who had feelings, friends, and families. They were no longer shadows without faces. Then, we went to the burial site for those who were murdered which was in the forest. The trees that surrounded us felt as if they too were alive, and had witnessed the horrors that occurred. The fact that at the burial site there were hundreds of jewish stars, israeli flags, and memorial candles, proves that even after such a tragedy, judaism has persevered and lives on today.

      Just as Tikochin represents life, Auschwitz-Birkenau without a doubt represents death. Even walking through the gate of the death camp made me feel sickened and disturbed, knowing everything that occurred here had to do with death. Here, jews were dehumanized in order to make it easier to kill them. Hair was shaved, possessions were taken, and less than 200 calories of food were handed out per day. Disease prevailed and affected many of the people who were skin and bones, and did not have the energy to fight off death. 15 people slept in a place meant for 5 without a blanket or a mattress. A Nazi would take away a life if he was in a bad mood, or simply felt like it.  To some, death was a gift because nothing was worse than being alive in Aushwitz. This was the place where 1.3 million jews were murdered. 3,000 jews a day were killed and incinerated. When visiting, we saw the ashes of our ancestors in small pools which pieces of bone were still visible. In Auchwitz-1, “medical research” was preformed on jews. They were put through, in some cases years, of twisted torture there preformed by “doctors”. The very idea of Auchwitz makes me feel sick even now because of the horrors that I witnessed there. Auchwitz is without a doubt hell on earth.

     Even though jews were forced to live through such terrible conditions, both in the ghettos and in concentration camps, somehow they managed to grab on to the last strands of hope. Yanush Korchuk was a man who, in the face of death, ran towards life. Korchuk was a jew who lived in the Warsaw ghetto, where jews were given less than 200 calories of food a day and was inhabited by both jews and diseases. Korchuk organized the orphans in the ghetto, and even through the more than harsh conditions he somehow taught the orphans to read, write, sing, and even created a court. He taught them order in a life of chaos. One day, the Nazis called both Korchuk and the orphans to the square where they would be sent to concentration camps. Korchuk knew this, and even so he did not let the children find out. Instead, he lead them to the square in song. They literally approached death with a smile. This story speaks to me it embodies how much hope they had, and resisted by enjoying there life as jews are suppose to do instead of acknowledging death. All of the children were shot, as well as Kochuk, but their memory will be honored and will be treated as heros. 

     Mordechai Anielewicz was another man who resisted by defying death. He was the man who lead the Warsaw ghetto revolt, and stood up against the Nazis while knowing he was going to die. He did not fight against the Nazis to save his life, but rather as a form of defiance. He gave a shred of hope to those who needed it and stood up for his people. He was a leader in all definitions of the word. Even though the Warsaw ghetto  harvested death, these revolutionaries fought against it and proved that they were people who were not going to accept a punishment that they did not deserve. They proved to the Nazis that they were people, as much as the Nazis would hate to admit it, and fought for what they believed in. These stories of the heroes of the Shoah are important to learn because they tell the stories of leaders who we should strive to be like in oder to fully live life as legendarily as they did.

     After such a tragedy, jews have a responsibility to show the world that we are strong and persevere through anything. The best thing that we can do to honor those who perished is to live and enjoy the life they were not able to. After this trip, I have without a doubt become more proud of my judaism. I hope that after I leave Israel that this trip will stay with me. At home, I will start going to more services and start assimilating into Israeli culture rather than American. I hope that I will learn hebrew fluently, as well as have a general knowledge of jewish history. I think that as jews we now have a responsibility to stand up for judaism when it is threatened in order to make sure that nothing like the Shoah will ever happen again.

Judaism is a culture and religion based on life. We focus on life rather than death, and live our lives in the present rather than the future. Therefore, rather than focusing on all of the death in the Shoah, I dedicate this paper to the lives of the 6 million people who were not able to fully live.