Rockets and Bombs and Life Goes On
Daily life in Israel is most of all vibrant, and passionate. Occasionally, it is punctuated by violence. Our delegation has been aware of the recent rocket attacks on Beersheba (Yardena was recounting for me this morning’s attack over breakfast) and late this afternoon there was a bombing in Jerusalem. I believe it was the first in at least a couple of years.I have been learning about this state of being for years through books, news and my work as a Jewish educator. I have met many many Israelis and I have Israeli friends, including children I work with at the JCC. I have heard lectures and, on this trip, I have lived in an Israeli home. I have seen the safe rooms/bomb shelters. I have seen the houses here, clearly constructed with security in mind. So many times I have been told, “eh… it’s just part of life and we carry on.” But understanding the situation intellectually did not prepare me for the actual experience. I am talking about the carrying on with life–the interweaving of ones daily business with the ever-present possibility of serious danger to one’s self and family. This is what I caught a glimpse of today and I’ll try to juxtapose today’s violence against a backdrop of remarkable schools, passionate and dedicated educators and truly unique educational experiences…
Holon, Dialogue in the Dark: Imagine walking through the world in total darkness. Well… we spent an hour and a half there. We were led through seven rooms including on and off a boat, through a park with trees, grass, plants and the sounds of nature, a market and a bar. There was a guide who we were introduced to in the dark. He spoke to us all by name the whole time and guided us with his voice. We were convinced he was wearing night vision goggles as he said from across the room “o.k. Dan move a bit to the right now.” We had no choice but to use our other senses. It turned out our guide was blind since birth. He was amazing and inspiring. Everyone should have this experience–one of the most truly educational experiences I have ever had!
Dorot: a charming elementary school. We discussed the coming technological changes in Israeli schools and the implications for all stakeholders–children, teachers, principals, parents and the state.
Nativ Zevulun: An Orthodox school with many less-observant students–pretty unusual I’m told. We were treated to a choral performance by 4th – 6th graders. It was incredible and the students sang so beautifully. There were other great performances for us at the school as well.We were all thoroughly moved–by the music and by how clearly excited all the students and faculty were to share with us. I felt truly honored.
Ironi Aleph High School: We were allowed to sit in on two classes: a dance class of 11th grade girls (as athletics go, football players have nothing over these young women–plus they’re soulful and artistic) and an English class where discussion of current events was used to practice conversational skills. The rocket attacks came up of course. Most of that part of conversation focused on how the man who was hurt had made a mistake by standing near a window, which every Israeli school child apparently knows not to do. I couldn’t help but imagine what our conversation in Rochester might have looked like if rockets were landing in Pittsburgh.
Democratic school: An absolutely fascinating school in which the children work with a teacher/mentor to develop individual educational goals. There are no grades. There is no curriculum or set requirements other than the individual’s plan. Discipline issues are handled by a “court” composed of two children and one adult and the court has jurisdiction over teachers too, even the principal! We heard from students about their feelings about this radical departure from the usual approach to school environment. Many of the teachers in our group had concerns about this school’s pedagogical approach/philosophy and its efficacy. It’s very difficult to compare this school with others–class sizes and teacher/student ratios were much smaller. Still, I felt a kinship with the ideals in practice and I always feel that the best thing we can do for children is to empower them within safe boundaries.
Current affairs expert, Neil Lazarus: A timely discussion (with an internationally reknowned “pundit”) of the historic transformation to “who knows what” across the middle east. We discussed the rockets. Mr. Lazarus said that his presentations are often out of date before he gives them… this was before the bomb in Jerusalem.
Neot Kedumim: 600 acres of ancient ruins and a natural environment used to teach about the natural world during biblical times and man’s interaction with it. As a student of anthropology I was blown away by the totally unique educational approach. We were situated within a few miles from a military base. While learning about ancient cisterns, we heard live fire military drills in the distance. This was surreal enough and an example of the juxtaposition I mentioned. At the end of our visit, Jan told us about the bombing in Jerusalem which had happened some 20 min earlier. We all called our families (as did all our Israeli hosts).
A couple of blocks from Yardena’s house: Yardena took me to a couple of hill tops where the sun was setting. We looked to the east across the valley and saw the Palestinian town and the fence separating it from Maccabim. It was apparent to me at this moment, and in the context of the day’s events, just how real this all was. I felt it in my gut. I thought about my new friend Yardena, her family, her home, her life. Now I am part of it. these are my friends. This is what life is. Tomorrow morning we’ll get up and go to school and get on with the day.
In Conclusion: It’s true that violence is an ever-present consideration and the existential questions and contentious issues persist. But please, please understand that Israelis do not allow it to dominate their lives because they believe in their country’s raison d’etre–plus, of course, at a certain point you just can’t put life on hold any longer. We in the States, fortunately for us, have not yet reached this point. I hope we never do and I hope that violence in the middle east becomes a distant memory. Meanwhile, I think everyone could learn a thing or two from our Israeli brothers and sisters about coping with crisis: be as prepared as you can, keep your friends and family near and love life.
P.S. A shout out to Liat’s kids who performed a Purim play today. They showed us great warmth and the play was hillarious!
Israel: So Much to See, So Little Time
It has been an incredible weekend–made even more special by the fact that it was Purim! We have been so busy, in fact, that it has been difficult to find the time to sit at the computer and write. But I am here not just for myself but rather for my whole community. I wish you could all be with me here and so I feel a responsibility to share with you as much as I can of the overwhelming beauty, diversity and complexity to be found here. I know of nowhere else in the world where at most 6 hours of driving can lead you to different climates, ecosystems, peoples, religions, foods etc…
The point is I need to structure this blog differently. I’ll first share a list of key itinerary points and then fill in with greater detail and reflection as time allows later. It actually takes a good deal of time to upload and tag all the photos. I’ll do what I can whenever I get the chance If any of you out there in the web universe have pointers or suggestions for me to streamline the process, I’d surely appreciate it!
FRIDAY3-18-11
– Started the day at Yardena’s wonderful school; kids all came in costume for Purim–great fun! I met lots of great kids. Everyone was fun and friendly and the atmosphere felt a lot like camp because of the holiday and the festive atmosphere. I met Yardena’s 6th grade class (whom I’ll spend some time with on Thursday) and made some new friends.
– Next stop: Leading the Purim parade in Modi’in with our delegation. We wore hats in the colors of the US flag and carried Lilacs and US flags (I carried a big one).
– Our final stop as a delegation on Friday was at the Ahava & Adam ecological teaching farm on the outskirts of Modi’in. This place is astonishingly cool and inspirational. I really have to give it to Israel for getting behind such a righteous and inspirational project. I visited the farm 5 yrs ago and it has grown and changed quite a bit in that time. They have added two kinds of brick and mud ovens for cooking and several buildings showcasing sustainable building practices. Camp Sisol get ready! I meant it when I said it was inspirational. We’ll be taking on some related projects this summer!
– Family time: Shabbat dinner at Ari’s brother’s beautiful house along with Ari and Yardena’s children, who I met for the first time. I have been so spoiled on this trip. We had an absolutely delicious homemade meal, discussed history, politics, technology. I felt so welcomed. They also have the most beautiful bull mastiff I have ever seen.
– Party time: We went to a Purim party in Tel Aviv. Most of the people there have been Ari and Yardena’s friends for 20 or 30 years. Incredible and interesting people. I won’t disclose any of the details, but truth or dare was played, to the great entertainment of all present.
SATURDAY 3-19-11
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Culinary Adventures in Israel
Street food can be amazing. When a person spends years perfecting one particular food, the results can top anything found in even the best restaurants. This Druze woman in Daliyat Carmel in northern Israel is a perfect example:
More to come…
Old Israel and New Israel
The clash between old and new in Israel is is not news to anyone–but it sure is interesting. Of course when one speaks about “old” in Israel, one should really have an archaeologist on hand. But that’s not the old vs. new paradox I am speaking of. More on that later…
First, a run down of today’s busy itinerary:
As I left the house today I saw a purple egg-shaped thing on the stairs. I said to Yardena: “what is this?” She said a passion fruit of course. That’s right, passion fruit growing right outside the house!
Our first stop was Modi’in’s Gvetanim school. Gvetanim means “spectrum of colors” and the school is for children with special needs substantial enough that they cannot be “mainstreamed” at regular schools. It is a beautiful school–new, modern, well equipped and with a very professional staff of teachers, therapists (including art, drama, and music therapists), paramedical staff and psychologists. This school is on the cutting edge of education for kids with special needs. The two qualities that shone through most in my eyes were love and creativity.
There was a group of older students working on a garden (above). There was artwork everywhere that was made by the students. There was a class where all the art was made with recycled materials.
Our next stop was the ancient (think 7000 years old) city of Jaffa, known in Hebrew as Yafo. This place defines the word picturesque. It is not only beautiful but strategically located because it’s at the ocean and 400 ft above sea level–making it easy to defend–plus it has water from underground aquifers. This is why it has been controlled (and built upon) at one time or another by every power there has ever been in the region.
After Yaffo, the next stop was Tel Aviv. We visited Independence Hall first. Can you guess what happened there? That’s right. That’s the original Mayor’s residence (of Tel Aviv). He donated it to the city as an art museum and it served as the impromptu location of the Israeli declaration of independence by David Ben Gurion on 14 May 1948.
We then ate shwarma in the park in the middle of Rothschild St. where we also happened to see, in addition to many stylish and hip Israelis (Tel Aviv is famous for this), a dog wearing wings for Purim–the holiday where Jews dress up in costume. It was a pug, which immediately made me think of my beautiful wife who does the best pug imitation I have ever seen. Ask her to show you! Honey–that photo is for you.
We visited the Yitzak Rabin museum which followed Rabin’s life in parallel with the history of Israel. It was a fascinating and quite new museum with amazingly modern and sophisticated presentation using technology and multi-media. This is a must see! Set aside a solid afternoon for this if you get the chance. It can be a bit overwhelming, as can all the best museums, but it is completely worthwhile.
Back to Yafo we went… to see Nave Zedek. A traditional neighborhood of artists and intellectuals. It was the first Jewish suburb of Yafo and it’s early residents (around the turn of the 20th century), famous and otherwise, were critical in the development of the modern state of Israel.
And finally, we had dinner at Dr. Shakshukar. A restaurant in Jaffa. The building must have been hundreds of years old!
Please check out the slideshow for visuals of the places I described and stay tuned: tomorrow we will be special featured guests in Modi’in’s Purim parade! Julia and Noli–you would love this. Maybe next year.
And the Adventure Begins!
Took off from Rochester with an amazing view–the Finger Lakes out one window and Lake Ontario on the other! Made our connection at JFK, boarded El Al for the 12-hour journey. Boarding El Al was really the 1st sense of going someplace very different.
I’m fairly certain that every stripe of Jewish existence was represented on that flight. Sitting behind me was a very crotchety older couple in their 70’s or 80’s. The woman at some point during the flight found that the floor was wet in front of her seat. She proceeded to literally yell at one of the stewardesses for 1/2 an hr. Their were young families, women in wigs, men with peyos–the curly sideburns, beards and black hats. There was a lot of davening–praying and swaying and laying of tfillin (too hard to explain, here’s a link if you are curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tefillin). Hebrew was the primary language for everything, including most of the tv played on the fight.
Though some might find it strange being around so many observant people, the peculiar thing for me was to hear a language used mainly for religious practice in the States being spoken as an everyday language. It starts to hit home that Jewish is the majority here! Pretty cool and also quite a strange feeling!
We were greeted warmly by our counterparts and fellow educators at a nice reception at one of the schools here in Modi’in. Following the lovely welcome we set off with our hosts. My host, Yardena, took my the long way around to her home so we could see some of the mazing development that has sprung up in Modi’in. They have a new man-made pond and a huge mall. And the community is really taking shape. So much development in fact that Modi’in has absorbed or joined with two other towns, Reut and Maccabim.
I was quite tired and hungry from the flight. Yardena and her husband Ari fed me some amazing food. Do you think you know what a cucumber tastes like? You don’t, unless you’ve been to Israel. My favorite dish by far was something totally new to me called Kubeh. Yardena’s mother apparently made it from an old Iraqi family recipe. Imagine deliciously seasoned ground meat in the center of a perfectly cooked dumpling about the size of a golf ball served in a tomato based soup. Exquisite! After a long day of travel, nothing could have made me feel better that some delicious home cooked food!
Now I am so relaxed and comfortable that I think I’ll have a great night’s sleep and be ready to hit Tel Aviv for a busy itinerary tomorrow.
On my way to Israel tomorrow!
So I’m off to Israel tomorrow–Tuesday 3-15-2011. Stay tuned for news of my travels including photos and more!
danielnirving 