Pardes In the Press
My Time in Israel
By Marissa Feinman, Jewish Community News
As my year in Israel comes to a close I find myself reflecting on the opportunities I have been fortunate enough to experience. I have observed the land and the people, studied Torah and built a community. This past week I experienced two very different perspectives of the nation’s reality.
On Tuesday, Pardes toured the national military cemetery, Mount Herzl, for Yom HaZikaron or Israeli Memorial Day. Every grave was heaped with flowers and there were mourners at each of the thousands of head stones. As the 2 minute siren began commemorating the lives of fallen soldiers, everyone froze. The siren is utilized as a reminder: almost 25,000 soldiers have died in the defense of the Jewish State. By no coincidence, Yom HaZikaron is back to back with Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence day. The holidays serve as an expression of the deep nationalism the country’s Jewish citizens feel.
Yom Ha’atzmaut is a serious celebration. Not a single Israeli takes his state for granted. That feeling may come from mandatory national service or the fact that there are still citizens who have lived here longer than the 61 years the Jewish state has existed. In honor of the holiday, I met up with some Israeli friends to do as the locals do. We camped out at a huge concert and barbequed until dawn with thousands of other young people.
After recuperating from the familiar Israeli national holidays, I did something completely different. I attended a program called Encounter. The trip offers Jewish leaders a look at the lives of Palestinians living in Bethlehem, just 5 minutes from Jerusalem. I stayed with a Christian family and listened to their stories of how difficult life has become as a consequence of Israeli policies since the beginning of the second Intifada. They spoke to me about their deep connection to this land which sounded like a parallel to Zionist theory I have learned. In addition to my interactions with the family, I heard presentations from several co-existence activists who are working to educate West Bank Palestinians on nonviolent tactics. Despite the narrow slice of Palestinians I interacted with, I was grateful to learn about another perspective in this very complicated state.
I am still processing many of the opportunities I have had this year and I have mixed feelings about returning home next month. On the one hand I can’t wait to return to a comfortable place where I feel totally at ease. On the other hand, I’m worried that this year will fade into the past too quickly. Living abroad has imbued me with the sentiment that it is extremely valuable to encounter new places, ideas and people, and I hope to keep that feeling with me wherever my life journey may take me.
Marissa Feinman is studying at the Pardes Institute in Israel. She received a scholarship from your Jewish Federation for this program. She will be one of two guest Israel correspondents, reporting from Israel, both her experiences and what she sees going on there, until her return in Summer 2009.
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