Week 5

Post by Rebecca Nebenzahl & Arin Miller

Today we all visited the Givat Haviva, a national education center promoting reconciliation between Jews and Arabs. We were split up into two different groups where we were presented with different perspectives of the effect of the green line on the lives of Palestinians and Jews living in the area. We were spoken to by one Israeli Jewish woman as well as an Arab-Israeli man. In our groups we were presented with our speaker’s different opinions, that allowed us to gain a wider perspective on the Israeli and Arab conflict. This later lead to a tour of Barta’a where we walked over the green line and experienced Arab culture first hand. Palestinians with only Jordanian citizenship are not able to cross the line, and as such, facilities in the city such as Mosques, schools and cemeteries needed to be accessed in east Barta’a, whilst Palestinians with Israeli citizenship are able to use the facilities in west Barta’a.

In the evening, we ventured off to Ussefiyah where we learnt about the Druze religion as well as the culture for both religion and secular Druze, by Ali, a secular Druze. One aspect of the monotheistic Druze culture which many of us found very interesting was the concept of how children born into a Druze family are able to decipher which form of the religion resonates with them and they are always fully accepted. The talk was followed by a traditional Druze dinner where there was a variety of delicious dishes served to us. After the meal, we were then fortunate enough to experience a live musical performance consisting of a Bongo and an Ode. We began dancing and singing along with the amazing musical performance. The atmosphere was joyous and upbeat as we celebrated our peer, Zac Greenberg’s, sixteenth birthday.

The whole day was a very interesting and exciting experience thought-provoking discussions and chats.

Sincerely yours, followed by our warmest regards,

Arin Bailey Miller and Rebecca Leone Nebenzahl

Later during the day, we bussed back to Alexander Muss Highschool in Hod Hasharon, AKA our home away from home. After having dinner on the streets, we returned back to campus to partake in the Channukah Party!! Meeting new people from BJE, Bialik and the International Mosenson school, was a great experience. After devouring Sufganyot, feasting on the marshmallows and chocolate fountain and eating lollies, we went back to our dorm and went to sleep.

Post by Sophie Sawicki & Jared Robinson

Today we visited the border of the West Bank, here we learned the backstory behind the on going conflict Palestinians and Israelis that lead to the building of the Israeli West Bank barrier.

Later that day we visited Jerusalem where we listened to Anat Hoffman, the founder and president of Women of the Wall. Here we discussed the issues surrounding inequality between men and women at the western wall regarding space, opportunities , and overall rights for women in terms of religious laws. One topic that was discussed at large was the abundance of Torahs on the men’s side that holds more than 200 Torahs while the women have zero. As a year group with Anat we discussed various ways that they could sneak in Torahs to the women’s side. While brainstorming new ways to smuggle Torahs, we all came to the conclusion that this task is harder than it sounds. This talk was really eye-opening into the issues that surround inequality in the Jewish religion and I think we all majorly benefited from hearing this amazing influential woman speak to us.

Following the talk we had a small bus ride to Machane Yehuda where we had dots and free time to explore and enjoy new food and experiences.

Post by Jono Schach

Today started with a presentation from a young refugee from South Sudan who came to Israel when he was just a little boy. After arriving here, he was able to get educated and has since become an advocate for other refugees coming from Africa to Israel. He displayed the need for Israel to be a safe haven for all refugees by providing insight into his incredible life story. These needs included social and economic benefits. We also heard from a representative of the refugee hotline who shared information about what their organisation stood for and the ways in which they helped out refugees.

Later that morning, we were privileged enough to witness a discussion between 3 very different perspectives into the the political situation of Israel. We heard from someone who was very right wing supporting Bibi Netanyahu thus conservative in political views yet considered himself to be liberal in his personal life. We also heard from someone who was very left wing where he shared his idea of a perfect solution and the compromises that are involved in making that solution come true.

We were also exposed to the opinion of a Palestinian which was very interesting. She gave insight into the challenges and misconceptions of Palestinians resulting in her strong desire for change. She emphasised on what these changes consisted of and very evident reasoning for it. Overall, there were some very engaging points made from all three sides which just further reiterated the challenges and complications with the geographic standpoint and political system of Israel.

That night we attended a soccer game at Petah Tikva stadium. We had a talk from the media manager of Kfar Saba where he gave us insight into the ins and outs of his job. At the end of his talk, he gave us sufganiyah and face zink for his team before heading into the stadium to watch. There was a small crowd turn out but the vibe was still buzzing. The game was rather average with loads of clumsy errors and an upsetting 0 - 3 loss. However, a few of the students were privileged enough to go onto the field at half time to contribute to the half time challenge which was very exciting. Overall, despite the game quality, the night was very enjoyable to spend with friends and an experience we will never forget.