I volunteer in 4 different places. Twice a week i work in a community center, twice a week i work with a program called ATIDIM and i am going to teach debate to high school students to help them with there english. Two mornings a week i go to another city called Mgdal Hemit and I volunteer in a high school with Jessica. We work in the english center and we also are teaching different lessons to students. Then once a week i go with jessica to Nazrait Illit and we work in a elementary school. I find it pretty rewarding and i like it better then when i was in be'er sheva but sometimes i still think i should be doing more.
Right now all otzma particpants are in the cities they should be in , accept asqkelon just moved to their city yesterday. I found out they were worken up this morning at 7 am by a siren and had to run for cover. If i heard right the rocket hit so close they could feel the imact from when it hit the ground. Kind of scary and i'm wondering what will happen with them. I think they are taking a chance by being there because its hard to tell what is going to happen and exspecially after the israeli elections on tuesday if anything is going to happen.
Speaking of elections...I was in jerusalem this past weekend i saw the most ridiculous thing. Since the elections are on Tuesday there are posters all over the place with the canadiates pictures on them. Right now Tzipi livni is running for kadima so she has her picture all over the place, and even though its just a drawing somebody took paint and drew all over her face so you couldn't see it.
Yesterday I got back from a 5 day seminar called "Conflict and Hope." We spent the entire five days discussing the conflict in Israel, the occupation of the West Bank and the war in Gaza. I'm not entirely sure how to describe the last 5 days but they were very signficant to my OtZMA experience. I began to realize how much I don't know, and i dont know if i'd say it changed my perspective but i left feeling a little bit more pestimistic then i was before. So where the hope comes in , i'm not sure. But i learned a lot that made me lose a lot of faith in the world. I left feeling saddened that people could hate eachother so much. And I wish i knew what it is that i could to do to create change. I used to think all change was possible but I think this is a time that i dont feel confident saying that.
Since I do not know how describe it to you.. i'm going to leave you with quotes i wrote down from people and thoughts i wrote down throughout the weekend. In hopes you can get a small perspective to what was going on and how it was signficant.. I spent time in jerusalem but i spent shabbos in a small settlement in the west bank called Tackoa and then i spent sunday in Sderot.
Jan 29th Thursday
Topic: The Israeli Arab Conflict - Intro and Backround
on the subject of land for peace..
"Two withdrawls Gaza and from a security area in Lebanaon, has led to attacks back on israelis..."
Topic: The zionist attitude Towards Arabs Prior to 1948 in Israel
Topic: When fighers turn pacifist and their vision of Peace
Speaker: Combantants for peace
* Two speakers, one a past member of fatah who was caught trying to plan a car bomb and a past israeli soilder who was kicked out of his unit when he refused to serve in the west bank
Jan 30th Land vs Peace
Topic Land vs Peace? A perspective from the Left
Speaker: Peace Now
Peace now beleives that without negotiations on Jerusalem there will not be peace and is for a 2 state solution
Topic: Land vs. Peace: a perspective from the Right in the West Bank
Speaker: Eve harrow
"When it comes to religion all rationality goes out the door
"They Say : we hate israel because they took our land.."
Israel gives back land for peace and then nothing comes out of it
"Should people still be considered refuggees generations later? Why should refugee status be passed down. That means all jews kicked out of their country are refugees too"
Topic: Foreign Press Coverage of the conflict and life on the other side of the green line
"Foreign medias predisposed to the favor of the palistinians"
"When your sitting abroad watching foreign news your not seeing the human side"
Feb 1st- Sderot
* Why do we have to wait for kindergarden to be hit by a missile full of childeren, to get international support.."
"what does it mean to have 15 seconds to run for your life?"
Thoughts from Jan 30 - Feb 2nd
Given the backround of the conflict and the perspectives of different peace group and individuals...
The situation is more complex then I imagined. yesterday we saw that a palestinatn and israeli could be friends even though they differed on certain perspectives.
Why don't people realize that hate is bred on both sides, whether ones more extreme then the other is, its still hate. And with hate the situation doesn't cease to exhist.
Jan 30 -31st Day in the West bank/ shabbot in Tackoa
"Today I traveled in a bullut proof bus into the west bank..."
The only thing that made me realize I was somewhere out of the ordinary was that people were caring guns around with them. When i thought settlement, Tackoa was not what i had pictured in mind. Its a beautiful place, with nice homes and friendly people.
I don't think I know enough to give an objective opinon the conflict. I can't decide who is right or who is wrong. These people here don't seem violent or crazy, they just seem like normal people who want to live their life on land that israel captured during war. Isn't that how war works? But then i think about the occupation.. and as another speaker said "With land comes people.." So what about the other side, why should they be forced to live their life under occupation? maybe some want to live i peace too..
I find myself becoming more pestimistic and losing my faith in the world, the more exposed I am to the hate and to the stories of violent acts driven by hatred.
Today we heard a speaker who told his personal story about the death of his son. In 2001, 2 14 year old boys were stoned to death in a cave near Tackoa by palestinians. So brutal they were not recognizable. What kind of person can justify this?
Where is there an end? Will there be an end? How can they even meet in the middle? When hate is present can there be peace? What comes first, comprimise or learning to like eachother and get along?
...and you begin to lose hope when the side that is supposed to work together can't even agree with eachother...
Feb 1 - Sderot
...Its crazy to think that right now i am looking over from sderot to Gaza. Think i'm looking over to a place full of suffering but a place where people are planning attacks on the very land i'm standing on right now. All i can see are buildings ut I know these buildings represent greif, teror, suffering, hatred, conflict, saddness..."
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"The moent you go back and you realize as jews wea re family and not just friends then you'll realize יהיה בסדר (it will be ok)."
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