Today marks my last day at Ruder Finn and two weeks until I depart Israel. I'm not sure where the past almost 5 months have gone! On one hand it feels like I have been in Israel forever, and on the other hand, I feel like I just arrived. I'm feeling so conflicted about leaving. I love Israel--it it such a beautiful, unique country--and I have made a home for myself here and made incredible friends from around the world. Yet there are also some things about Israel that I am just so frustrated with and I miss many aspects of home.
Although Israel is a fantastic country, I feel like Israelis themselves leave much to be desired. I have written often about how crazy and rude they can be. Although I realize this is a huge generalization, I find Israelis as a whole to be quite rude and disrespectful. It's true that they can be generous and warm at times and not all Israelis are complete douche bags. Yet for the most part I think they are definitely not the nicest people on the planet. They push, shove, and yell and make no apologies for it. The Israeli men are aggressive to the point of being completely inappropriate. Cashiers never smile at you, say hi, or tell you thank you. I know much of this is just cultural--they have had to toughen up because their lives are much more stressful and difficult than what we're familiar with in the US. And of course there is the sabra mentality--hard on the inside, but soft and sweet on the inside. Still, I think 5 months is enough time for me to be immersed among the sabras! I have met some Israelis who seem so nice and warm, and then I discover that one of their parents made aliyah (immigrated to Israel), so they are really only half Israeli!! Without exception, I have found this to be the case. I think it's actually quite a shame; the entire world hates Israel as is--they don't want tourists to leave thinking Israelis are inconsiderate and offensive!
Random things I miss:
*I miss my car so much. I feel like I've definitely lost some of my independence by having to rely on public transportation. It's so much more of a schlep and takes 3 times as long to go anywhere on a bus than it would with your own car. Buses are often crowded, and that is never pleasant on a hot summer day! Plus, in Israel it's that much more difficult to rely on public transportation, since nothing runs for 24 hours every week (and sometimes more when other holidays fall during the week). When I get home I will without a doubt appreciate being able to go wherever and whenever I want!!
*Walmart (especially Super Walmart!)--There is no huge supercenter here where you can buy anything and everything you could possibly want. You need to go to a million different little places. And, again, without a car--not easy! And of course Walmart's prices can't be beat..especially compared to everything in Israel!
*A gym! The gym here was much too expensive for me to join (would have been 880 shekels!) so I have just been running 5-7 days a week. As gorgeous as the views of the Old City are on my daily run, running without cross-training does get tiresome after a while. I can't wait to go back to EP Fitness!
*TV. I have basically gone almost 5 months without watching TV. I didn't watch a ton of TV at home, but I would watch it everyday, whether watching it as I ran on the treadmill, or watching Jay Leno and Conan O'Brian before bed. So it's just odd to have no access to any TV. I have only seen CNN.com video clips and movies on my laptop here.
*A comforter! I didn't want to buy a comforter for only 5 months, so I have been sleeping with only a sheet and a small throw blanket I brought from home! It's been adequate, but I am looking forward to curling up with proper bedding.
*I really love the food here, so there isn't too much food from home I miss terribly. Of course, I miss certain American brands (some of which they have here, but importing costs are ridiculous) I can't wait to have a million different types of cereal available to me again! Something I do miss that they have none of here are frozen dinners (specifically Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc)
*I also miss speaking the native language of the country. Of course in El Paso, many people don't speak English (!), but English is still the predominant language in America and everything is in English. I can read the newspapers, the packaging on everything, etc. Many times at the supermarket here, I have no idea what something is because there is no English. (Is this chicken or soy??) I am sure I have also been charged wrong many times at the supermarket, but considering the entire receipt is in Hebrew, I have no idea!
And of course it goes without saying that I miss my family and friends!
After I leave here I'm going backpacking in western Europe for 3 weeks with my cousin Amanda and friend Valerie from back home. We're meeting in Amsterdam, and traveling to Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany before ending back in Amsterdam (from which we will fly home). I'm of course excited, but at the same time part of me just wants to go home now. I've essentially been traveling in a foreign country for 5 months and 3 more weeks of public transportation, not understanding the language and spending more money isn't as appealing to me as it would be if I were coming straight from home! But I'm confident it will be worth it in the end.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
O'Bethlehem
This past Thursday Leora and I decided to venture to Bethlehem, the famous city just south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. It was my first time in the West Bank, so we were a little nervous, but knew quite a few people who had been and they told us it would be fine. Israelis are actually forbidden from going to Bethlehem (apparently the Israeli government does not want to have to take responsibility for Israelis in land governed by the Palestinian Authority, which I suppose is understandable) so we thought we might as well take advantage of the fact that we're not Israeli! We wore long skirts, as we were going to a predominately Muslim city and took off any jewelry that would identify us as Jews. From the Old City, Leora and I caught an Arab bus. I see Arab buses all the time (they have their own bus companies, own lines, etc), but this was my first time actually riding on one, and it was fine. Nobody looked at as strange, or questioned us at all. We sat down next to two quite good looking boys who were speaking German. We asked if they were going to Bethlehem (they were) and inquired as to what they wanted to see there (the tourist sites, as did we!) so we decided to venture together. Their English was fantastic, and we figured it would be best to travel with two men. It is only about a 15 minute ride from the Old City to the checkpoint. The security wall is quite large and winds it's way around Bethlehem. There were murals painted on all the walls on the Bethlehem side, depicting everything and anything. Getting past the checkpoint was ridiculously easy. We flashed our passports to the guards though the glass..they merely glanced at them. Once we entered Bethlehem, we found a taxi driver who was willing to drive us to many tourist sites throughout the city, and wait for us at each one for only 200 shekels. That's 50 shekels each, or $12.50, for the whole afternoon! Good deal.
First we went to Shepard's Field, identified as the scene where the Angel of the Lord visited the shepherds and informed them of Jesus' birth. It was basically just an old, beautiful church! We then went to St. Saba's Monastery, a Greek Orthodox Monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley. It is considered to be one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world, and still maintains many of its ancient traditions. One in particular is the restriction on women entering the main compound. The only building that women can enter is the Women's Tower, near the main entrance. The Monastery was actually closed when we were there, though, so neither us nor the men could go in. Yet it is a beautiful, striking building located on the edge of these cliffs seemingly in the middle of nowhere. You can also see the Dead Sea from there. The 11 mile drive from Bethlehem to the monastery was striking as well..beautiful desert canyons everywhere. From the road and the monastery you couldn't see Jerusalem or Bethlehem. The only sign of civilization in that stretch of road was a donkey tied to a post and standing in the middle of the road!!! I'm not sure how much of a sign of civilization that is!! But you could tell he was owned by somebody. From there we went to Herodium, a fortress palace by King Herod the Great. This ancient site in the middle of Bethlehem is actually under Israeli control. It reminded me a lot of Masada, with ancient ruins, bathhouses, columns. There was also a very cool and extensive maze of underground tunnels that were used for protection as well as for attack. From there we went to the Milky Grotto, considered sacred because tradition has it that the Holy Family took refuge here during the Slaughter of the Innocents, before their flight into Egypt. Tradition has it that while Mary was nursing Jesus here, a drop of milk fell to the ground, turning it white. The church is beautiful..beautiful flooring, architecture, and art. A short walk from the Milky Grotto is the Church of the Nativity, which is the famous church that it is said Jesus was born in. It's a large, beautiful church. (I know I'm doing a horrid job of describing all these churches!) The entrance is filled with hanging colorful lamp-type things, a beautiful altar, and more statues and paintings of Jesus. We walked downstairs to the exact place where Jesus was supposedly born. I saw what I thought was a bunch of people kissing the floor, but Leora said she thought they were just looking down a hole at something. So we proceeded to kneel down and look through this hole. Well..there was no hole..just holy water and a star on the floor saying this is where his holiness Jesus was born!! Well, Leora and I started laughing hysterically at the fact that we had just knelt down at Jesus' birthsite. This is a holy place, and obviously laughing is not appropriate! So we moved to the back, and then this whole crowd of people started chanting "O'Bethlehem" in Italian, and we were stuck behind them, literally pitching each other to keep from laughing. We were just two little Jewish girls who had no idea what we were doing! But I think it makes for a pretty great story. Following the church, the four of us went to lunch with our taxi driver. He was a very nice man, and he told us how difficult life has been in Bethlehem since Israel build the security wall in 2002. He used to work in Jerusalem, but has not been able to travel there since the wall was built--like most of his neighbors. Many people in Bethlehem still work in Jerusalem, but he told us it is $1000 for 3 months just for a permit to travel there. He explained that his entire life is to the checkpoint and back home,to the checkpoint and back home. He is only 27, but he says he knows he looks much older because of the stressful life he has led. There are no movie theaters or malls or anything of the sort for entertainment purposes. He said tourism has fallen dramatically since the wall was built as well, because they are too afraid. Considering that so many businesses rely on tourists, they have really been suffering economically there. And it is true that they were very few tourists wherever we went there. It was sweltering hot, so I'm sure that kept some people away, but I was surprised, considering that it is the height of tourist season. It's really sad, and I definitely feel for him. It's just such a problem. Israel built the wall during the 2nd Intifada when Palestinians were coming over and blowing themselves up! So what is to be done? I really appreciated hearing the other side of the story though. Once we left the checkpoint, we wanted to go visit Rachel's tomb (one of the matriarchs from the bible). Her tomb is actually located in Bethlehem, but because it is a religious site for the Jews, Israel carved it out of the PA and controls it. Even though the tomb is located literally a 5 minute walk from the checkpoint, pedestrians are not allowed to enter (not safe I suppose). We tried to hitch a ride just through the guard station area, but couldn't find anybody with enough room in their car. Alas, we were unfortunately not able to go.
That night we went out to a bar with a new German friends. They are both 25 and lawyers! They live about two hours from Amsterdam, so I'm hoping I can meet up with them at the end of my Europe trip!
First we went to Shepard's Field, identified as the scene where the Angel of the Lord visited the shepherds and informed them of Jesus' birth. It was basically just an old, beautiful church! We then went to St. Saba's Monastery, a Greek Orthodox Monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley. It is considered to be one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world, and still maintains many of its ancient traditions. One in particular is the restriction on women entering the main compound. The only building that women can enter is the Women's Tower, near the main entrance. The Monastery was actually closed when we were there, though, so neither us nor the men could go in. Yet it is a beautiful, striking building located on the edge of these cliffs seemingly in the middle of nowhere. You can also see the Dead Sea from there. The 11 mile drive from Bethlehem to the monastery was striking as well..beautiful desert canyons everywhere. From the road and the monastery you couldn't see Jerusalem or Bethlehem. The only sign of civilization in that stretch of road was a donkey tied to a post and standing in the middle of the road!!! I'm not sure how much of a sign of civilization that is!! But you could tell he was owned by somebody. From there we went to Herodium, a fortress palace by King Herod the Great. This ancient site in the middle of Bethlehem is actually under Israeli control. It reminded me a lot of Masada, with ancient ruins, bathhouses, columns. There was also a very cool and extensive maze of underground tunnels that were used for protection as well as for attack. From there we went to the Milky Grotto, considered sacred because tradition has it that the Holy Family took refuge here during the Slaughter of the Innocents, before their flight into Egypt. Tradition has it that while Mary was nursing Jesus here, a drop of milk fell to the ground, turning it white. The church is beautiful..beautiful flooring, architecture, and art. A short walk from the Milky Grotto is the Church of the Nativity, which is the famous church that it is said Jesus was born in. It's a large, beautiful church. (I know I'm doing a horrid job of describing all these churches!) The entrance is filled with hanging colorful lamp-type things, a beautiful altar, and more statues and paintings of Jesus. We walked downstairs to the exact place where Jesus was supposedly born. I saw what I thought was a bunch of people kissing the floor, but Leora said she thought they were just looking down a hole at something. So we proceeded to kneel down and look through this hole. Well..there was no hole..just holy water and a star on the floor saying this is where his holiness Jesus was born!! Well, Leora and I started laughing hysterically at the fact that we had just knelt down at Jesus' birthsite. This is a holy place, and obviously laughing is not appropriate! So we moved to the back, and then this whole crowd of people started chanting "O'Bethlehem" in Italian, and we were stuck behind them, literally pitching each other to keep from laughing. We were just two little Jewish girls who had no idea what we were doing! But I think it makes for a pretty great story. Following the church, the four of us went to lunch with our taxi driver. He was a very nice man, and he told us how difficult life has been in Bethlehem since Israel build the security wall in 2002. He used to work in Jerusalem, but has not been able to travel there since the wall was built--like most of his neighbors. Many people in Bethlehem still work in Jerusalem, but he told us it is $1000 for 3 months just for a permit to travel there. He explained that his entire life is to the checkpoint and back home,to the checkpoint and back home. He is only 27, but he says he knows he looks much older because of the stressful life he has led. There are no movie theaters or malls or anything of the sort for entertainment purposes. He said tourism has fallen dramatically since the wall was built as well, because they are too afraid. Considering that so many businesses rely on tourists, they have really been suffering economically there. And it is true that they were very few tourists wherever we went there. It was sweltering hot, so I'm sure that kept some people away, but I was surprised, considering that it is the height of tourist season. It's really sad, and I definitely feel for him. It's just such a problem. Israel built the wall during the 2nd Intifada when Palestinians were coming over and blowing themselves up! So what is to be done? I really appreciated hearing the other side of the story though. Once we left the checkpoint, we wanted to go visit Rachel's tomb (one of the matriarchs from the bible). Her tomb is actually located in Bethlehem, but because it is a religious site for the Jews, Israel carved it out of the PA and controls it. Even though the tomb is located literally a 5 minute walk from the checkpoint, pedestrians are not allowed to enter (not safe I suppose). We tried to hitch a ride just through the guard station area, but couldn't find anybody with enough room in their car. Alas, we were unfortunately not able to go.
That night we went out to a bar with a new German friends. They are both 25 and lawyers! They live about two hours from Amsterdam, so I'm hoping I can meet up with them at the end of my Europe trip!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Seeing the Gaza Situation First-hand
This past Sunday my program took us all to Sderot, a southern city in Israel that was repeatedly in the news during the recent Operation Cast Lead (the War with Gaza this past December/January). Sderot, along with Askhelon, another Israeli city, received the brunt of the thousands of rockets fired from within the Gaza Strip by Hamas. Sderot is a small city, with a population of about 20,000. The city is really quite nice, with beautiful trees and flowers blooming everywhere. Yet immediately one notices something very different about this city. There are small bomb shelters everywhere--literally everywhere. All the bus stops function as bomb shelters, many homes have their own bomb shelters in their yards, and even playgrounds double as bomb shelters. One of the playgrounds we visited had a large, funky caterpillar-looking structure that children can run through and hide in. Yet this caterpillar also functions as a bomb shelter. This is just the way of life for the residents of Sderot--a generation of children are being born into this. This is their reality--they know no other. The warning system can sound at any moment (the words "Tzeva Adom, Tzeva Adom" (Code Red) are blared throughout the city, and residents have 15 seconds to run to safety. 15 seconds. The rockets are detected through heat sensors that are set up around Gaza. While we are now in the midst of a "cease-fire", there have been about 200 rockets fired into Israel since the cease-fire began 5 months ago. There is always the possibility of a "Tzeva Adom",but thank god we did not have to witness that. Sderot is less than one mile away from Gaza. From a checkpoint we could see the Gaza Strip. One immediately notices buildings that have been destroyed, yet right behind these buildings are huge skyscrapers. While their citizens suffer, members of Hamas' live comfortably in new, modern buildings. This is where most of the international aid money sent to Gaza goes to. In the distance one can witness a large power plant in Ashkelon (remember, it's an Israeli city). This power plant provides 70% of the electricity and power to residents of Gaza. Humanitarian crisis?? At the Sderot police station we saw a few hundred of the 10,000 Qassam rockets Hamas' has launched into Israel in the past few years.
While in Sderot we heard two Israeli peace activists speak to us. They were against the War and Israeli's offensive. I understand what they are saying--it breaks my heart to see so many innocent Palestinians suffer. Yet, what is the Israeli government supposed to do when Hamas' stores and fires rockets from mosques and schools and uses their own people as human shields? It's a massive problem--something I can't foresee a solution to.
We also went to an area in between Ashkelon and Ashdod, where the residents of Gush Katif--the largest Jewish settlement in Gaza--have been living for the past almost 4 years since the Israeli government dismantled the settlement. We talked to a few of the people who lived there. They were all extremely, extremely right-wing (talking about how this is their land, and the Palestinians should all go back to where they came from--"There is plenty of room in Iran or Iraq" They do not believe in a two state solution--just one state for the Jews), so our discussions got quite heated. Yet that is what makes all of this so divisive, controversial, and interesting. Again, I feel so conflicted. I understand some of their points of view. It must be quite traumatic to be uprooted from your home, and watch your home and your neighborhood destroyed. Yet at the same time many of these settlers literally fought tooth-and-nail the IDF soldiers who were merely following orders. The Palestinians need a place to live too--why is living in Israel proper not enough for them?
Yesterday Leora and I went with my ex-boyfriends's brother (!) and joined activists from the Movement to Free Gilad Schalit, the Kibbutz Movement and the Im Tirzu student organization at a protest rally in an attempt to pressure Hamas to allow the Red Cross to visit the captive 22-year-old soldier Gilad Shalit. Shalit an IDF soldier who was kidnapped 3 years ago by Palestinian militants in a cross border raid from the Gaza Strip. The Red Cross has not been allowed to see him since his abduction. Hamas has demanded Israel release 450 prisoners in exchange for Shalit. Protesters tried to block the three crossings into Gaza - Erez, Karni and Kerem Shalom. I was at Kerem Shalom--one of the most southern crossings with Gaza and the place where Shalit was captured from. I was literally right next to the border..the wall was right there. There were about 200 people there. We chanted chants in Hebrew stating that "Gilad still lives" and demanding that Hamas let him go. For the most part though, we just sat in the hot sun in an attempt to stop trucks from passing through to Gaza with humanitarian aid. Since Hamas's violent takeover of Gaza in June 2007, Israel has allowed only humanitarian aid to enter the area. It has also linked passage of non-humanitarian goods into Gaza with the release of Schalit. We were able to keep 100 trucks laden with goods from entering Gaza through Kerem Shalom. A large tractor was set up in front of all the trucks. Signs were everywhere proclaiming support for Shalit and demanding that Hamas allow the Red Cross to see him. Even truck drivers could be seen wearing Gilad Schalit T-shirts and outwardly proclaiming their support for the protest. Shalit's father visited Kerem Shalom during the morning and thanked us for coming out. Of course I didn't understand a word of what was said during this protest, but that was really besides the point. I got the jist. It was quite peaceful, nothing crazy happened. To be honest, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into when I went there! It was an extremely right-wing thing we did, but what an experience. Shalit is 1 month younger than me. I can't imagine the terror of being held captive by myself by Hamas with no contact with the outside world and no end in sight.
On a lighter note, last Thursday I went to the Jerusalem biblical zoo with Leora and Dan. The zoo is on the outskirts of Jerusalem. It is really quite a nice zoo with a beautiful view of the hills of Jerusalem. It was just like any zoo--with monkeys, tigers, lions, bears, penguins (yes..penguins in Israel!). The only thing biblical about it was that they posted bible quotes about the animals. Alas, no bible quote at the penguin exhibit!! A really pleasant day.
I also bought a hookah! I have enjoyed smoking hookah here--it's quite relaxing. I have never actually put one together or set one up myself, so I don't know how much I will actually use it at home (granted I can even figure it out in the first place) but I figured it's a pretty cool souvenir.
While in Sderot we heard two Israeli peace activists speak to us. They were against the War and Israeli's offensive. I understand what they are saying--it breaks my heart to see so many innocent Palestinians suffer. Yet, what is the Israeli government supposed to do when Hamas' stores and fires rockets from mosques and schools and uses their own people as human shields? It's a massive problem--something I can't foresee a solution to.
We also went to an area in between Ashkelon and Ashdod, where the residents of Gush Katif--the largest Jewish settlement in Gaza--have been living for the past almost 4 years since the Israeli government dismantled the settlement. We talked to a few of the people who lived there. They were all extremely, extremely right-wing (talking about how this is their land, and the Palestinians should all go back to where they came from--"There is plenty of room in Iran or Iraq" They do not believe in a two state solution--just one state for the Jews), so our discussions got quite heated. Yet that is what makes all of this so divisive, controversial, and interesting. Again, I feel so conflicted. I understand some of their points of view. It must be quite traumatic to be uprooted from your home, and watch your home and your neighborhood destroyed. Yet at the same time many of these settlers literally fought tooth-and-nail the IDF soldiers who were merely following orders. The Palestinians need a place to live too--why is living in Israel proper not enough for them?
Yesterday Leora and I went with my ex-boyfriends's brother (!) and joined activists from the Movement to Free Gilad Schalit, the Kibbutz Movement and the Im Tirzu student organization at a protest rally in an attempt to pressure Hamas to allow the Red Cross to visit the captive 22-year-old soldier Gilad Shalit. Shalit an IDF soldier who was kidnapped 3 years ago by Palestinian militants in a cross border raid from the Gaza Strip. The Red Cross has not been allowed to see him since his abduction. Hamas has demanded Israel release 450 prisoners in exchange for Shalit. Protesters tried to block the three crossings into Gaza - Erez, Karni and Kerem Shalom. I was at Kerem Shalom--one of the most southern crossings with Gaza and the place where Shalit was captured from. I was literally right next to the border..the wall was right there. There were about 200 people there. We chanted chants in Hebrew stating that "Gilad still lives" and demanding that Hamas let him go. For the most part though, we just sat in the hot sun in an attempt to stop trucks from passing through to Gaza with humanitarian aid. Since Hamas's violent takeover of Gaza in June 2007, Israel has allowed only humanitarian aid to enter the area. It has also linked passage of non-humanitarian goods into Gaza with the release of Schalit. We were able to keep 100 trucks laden with goods from entering Gaza through Kerem Shalom. A large tractor was set up in front of all the trucks. Signs were everywhere proclaiming support for Shalit and demanding that Hamas allow the Red Cross to see him. Even truck drivers could be seen wearing Gilad Schalit T-shirts and outwardly proclaiming their support for the protest. Shalit's father visited Kerem Shalom during the morning and thanked us for coming out. Of course I didn't understand a word of what was said during this protest, but that was really besides the point. I got the jist. It was quite peaceful, nothing crazy happened. To be honest, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into when I went there! It was an extremely right-wing thing we did, but what an experience. Shalit is 1 month younger than me. I can't imagine the terror of being held captive by myself by Hamas with no contact with the outside world and no end in sight.
On a lighter note, last Thursday I went to the Jerusalem biblical zoo with Leora and Dan. The zoo is on the outskirts of Jerusalem. It is really quite a nice zoo with a beautiful view of the hills of Jerusalem. It was just like any zoo--with monkeys, tigers, lions, bears, penguins (yes..penguins in Israel!). The only thing biblical about it was that they posted bible quotes about the animals. Alas, no bible quote at the penguin exhibit!! A really pleasant day.
I also bought a hookah! I have enjoyed smoking hookah here--it's quite relaxing. I have never actually put one together or set one up myself, so I don't know how much I will actually use it at home (granted I can even figure it out in the first place) but I figured it's a pretty cool souvenir.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Tel Aviv, IOSCO Conference, and Tiyul to North
Last weekend I went to Tel Aviv for Laura and Rose's birthdays. Thursday night we we all went to a nice bar/club on the Tel Aviv Port, which is a really nice area right along the water with numerous restaurants and bars. We had a fantastic time there, and my friends and I were actually the very last ones to leave the club at about 3:30 am! Then one guy had the brilliant idea to go to the Mediterranean, so Dan, Leora, Laura, and I all stopped to eat pizza, and then headed to the beach. Tel Aviv really is the city that never sleeps. We were definitely not the only ones eating pizza at 4 in the morning! Then we went skinny dipping! Probably not the smartest idea to go swimming in the dark, but we didn't go over our waists, and now I can always say that I went skinny dipping in the Mediterranean in the middle of the night. How many people can say that?? The rest of the weekend was very relaxed..hung out at the beach, and watched movies. Tel Aviv is much hotter than Jerusalem, and humid, while Jerusalem is dry. But the water temperature was absolutely perfect and the waves were high. Buses don't start running until 8:30 Saturday evenings after Shabbat, and Leora and I didn't want to get home so late so we took a taxi at about 4:30pm to the bus station with another guy from our program who also lives in Jerusalem. From the bus station we took a sheirut, which is basically a ten person van that runs on Shabbats and holidays. It is a little more expensive than the bus, but sometimes it is worth it just for the convenience. The sheirut dropped us off in Jerusalem somewhat near the Old City and near Mea Shearim--the ultra, ultra, orthodox Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem (basically it is the most religious Jewish neighborhood in the world). Michael, Leora, and I figured that we would walk the half hour home and safe money rather than taking a taxi. We are walking along and see a couple hundred Haredi men and boys all gathered on the street. They all are wearing the strimmels (beaver fur hats), funny bathrobe-looking jackets they wear on Shabbat and festivals, payes..the whole shebang. Then we see a secular man on his cell phone screaming at them in Hebrew. The Haredi men all start screaming "SHABBOS! SHABBOS! SHABBOS!" (Sabbath). The women and children on the balconies were also screaming it. Then they all start crowding around this man, one Haredi boy throws a rock, and the secular man also picks up a rock. We are standing a few feet away watching all this in shock--we had no idea what the hell was going on. We honestly thought there was going to be some huge physical fight. Then two older Haredi men pulled the man aside and talked to him and he then walked off. It was a really crazy thing to witness. We then found out the next day that there had been a huge protest at city hall (nearby) over a parking lot! Apparently the city decided to open up a parking lot nearby on Shabbat in order to control illegal parking in the Old City. The Haredis are against this because you are not supposed to drive on Shabbat, and they feel this disrupts their neighborhood and the sanctity of Shabbat. The protest apparently turned violent, with a few Haredi and police officers wounded. So I think we saw some spillover from that. It's so sad. Forget the Palestinian-Israeli crisis--first I feel we need Jews of different sects to stop fighting about religion! It is a problem that I have with the ultra-Orthodox--I feel it is completely unacceptable and detrimental to Judaism to shun Jews who they feel aren't religious enough.
Tuesday morning I took a taxi with a coworker to Tel Aviv for the IOSCO (International Organization of Securities Commission) Conference. Ruder Finn was in charge of all the PR for the event, and my coworkers were generous enough to bring me along. It was a really fantastic opportunity and experience for me. The conference was at the Hilton Tel Aviv (a gorgeous hotel right on the water) and Ruder Finn put me up at a nearby hotel. This conference was basically the first time the world's leading financial regulators all came together since the economic crisis. There were huge names there--CEO of Goldman Sachs,and heads of state banks from across the globe. The US SEC Chairman was supposed to be there, but last minute was requested to attend a meeting with Obama so she spoke to the meeting live via satellite! The whole event was quite fancy. I got a laptop bag (yay for free goodies!) and ate lunch there the 3 days I attended the conference. It literally was the best food I have ever had in my entire life. The desserts were to die for--little chocolate boats, filled with cream and sliced fruit, and drizzled with strawberry sauce (just for one example!). I attended some of the panels and twittered about what was happening (the whole social media craze), and hung out in the press room for most of the rest of the time. The discussions were very technical, and it was all completely over my head, but I guess that didn't matter so much. I was able to see live Reuters and Bloomberg TV interviews, which was definitely cool. The first day (when it wasn't so crazy) I wrote a press release and an hour later it was emailed to 1200 journalists! Pretty neat stuff. Public sessions were held the last two days of the conference and my coworkers were churning out press releases and releasing them within two hours of each panel finishing. So I was able to see firsthand how stressful PR can be at times!! I spent the evenings with two of my female coworkers, and got to know them on a more personal basis which I actually really enjoyed. I had to miss the first two days of my program trip up north, but it was worth it. It was a great experience, and this conference will look amazing on my resume.
Rose and I then met at the Tel Aviv train station Thursday evening to take a train to Naharyia (a city north of Haifa) to meet up with our group. I was carrying my hiking backpack, a laptop bag, and then a fanny pack containing all my important stuff (wallet,cell phone, ipod). I put all my stuff down on the scanning machine and proceeded to walk through the metal detector. As I went to pick up my stuff, my backpack and laptop bag were there, but my fanny pack was nowhere! I asked the guard watching the monitor if he had seen a blue fanny pack, and he nonchalantly replied "No, maybe you should check lost and found." Well, of course I knew it wasn't going to be in lost and found--I had set it down literally 15 seconds before!! I started panicking and hyperventilating. I had no idea what the hell I was going to do--everything was in there! I thought the guy ahead of my had stolen it, and I started frantically yelling at the soldiers standing there. They looked at me like I was crazy, just stood there, and offered absolutely no help. Perhaps they didn't understand English, but they saw me freaking out--you would think they would offer some assistance!! Then the same man who told me to look in lost and found held it up and said "Here it is...it fell" and threw it at me. Oh.My.God. It took me 20 minutes to be able to breathe properly again!! Once that nightmare passed, the train ride was actually quite pleasant--much nicer than the bus. We went along the Mediterranean just as the sun was setting (the sun sets over the Mediterranean), so that was beautiful. It was actually my first time on a train--ever!! Not sure how I went almost 23 years without ever having been on a train. We then took a taxi from the bus station and met up with our group at a field school nearby. Friday morning we went to the most northern kibbutz in Israel. We were basically surrounded by Lebanon from this beautiful vantage point. The border was just a fence that was literally 5 feet away from us. All the buildings spread out before us belong to Hezbollah and everyone who works in the area works for the Hezbollah. There were actually Hezbollah flags flying--not Lebanese, just Hezbollah. The buildings actually looked decent, but we noticed there were no glass windows in any of the buildings and we were told this is because they have tons of ammunition in these buildings and they want to be able to fire through the windows without the shattering of glass. Terrific. All has been quiet there since the last Lebanese War almost 3 years ago, but apparently they are all just waiting for the word from their boss. But the view was spectacular. We then went rafting on the Jordan river which was great fun. We spent a quiet shabbat at another beautiful field school in the northeastern part of the country. We hiked down to a running stream/creek where there was an upturned Syrian tank that has been there since the War of 67. Interesting.
I can't believe I have been in Israel for 4 months. I leave 4 weeks from tomorrow. It's a very bittersweet feeling. It will definitely be hard for me to say goodbye to Israel, but simultaneously, I miss the states immensely.
Tuesday morning I took a taxi with a coworker to Tel Aviv for the IOSCO (International Organization of Securities Commission) Conference. Ruder Finn was in charge of all the PR for the event, and my coworkers were generous enough to bring me along. It was a really fantastic opportunity and experience for me. The conference was at the Hilton Tel Aviv (a gorgeous hotel right on the water) and Ruder Finn put me up at a nearby hotel. This conference was basically the first time the world's leading financial regulators all came together since the economic crisis. There were huge names there--CEO of Goldman Sachs,and heads of state banks from across the globe. The US SEC Chairman was supposed to be there, but last minute was requested to attend a meeting with Obama so she spoke to the meeting live via satellite! The whole event was quite fancy. I got a laptop bag (yay for free goodies!) and ate lunch there the 3 days I attended the conference. It literally was the best food I have ever had in my entire life. The desserts were to die for--little chocolate boats, filled with cream and sliced fruit, and drizzled with strawberry sauce (just for one example!). I attended some of the panels and twittered about what was happening (the whole social media craze), and hung out in the press room for most of the rest of the time. The discussions were very technical, and it was all completely over my head, but I guess that didn't matter so much. I was able to see live Reuters and Bloomberg TV interviews, which was definitely cool. The first day (when it wasn't so crazy) I wrote a press release and an hour later it was emailed to 1200 journalists! Pretty neat stuff. Public sessions were held the last two days of the conference and my coworkers were churning out press releases and releasing them within two hours of each panel finishing. So I was able to see firsthand how stressful PR can be at times!! I spent the evenings with two of my female coworkers, and got to know them on a more personal basis which I actually really enjoyed. I had to miss the first two days of my program trip up north, but it was worth it. It was a great experience, and this conference will look amazing on my resume.
Rose and I then met at the Tel Aviv train station Thursday evening to take a train to Naharyia (a city north of Haifa) to meet up with our group. I was carrying my hiking backpack, a laptop bag, and then a fanny pack containing all my important stuff (wallet,cell phone, ipod). I put all my stuff down on the scanning machine and proceeded to walk through the metal detector. As I went to pick up my stuff, my backpack and laptop bag were there, but my fanny pack was nowhere! I asked the guard watching the monitor if he had seen a blue fanny pack, and he nonchalantly replied "No, maybe you should check lost and found." Well, of course I knew it wasn't going to be in lost and found--I had set it down literally 15 seconds before!! I started panicking and hyperventilating. I had no idea what the hell I was going to do--everything was in there! I thought the guy ahead of my had stolen it, and I started frantically yelling at the soldiers standing there. They looked at me like I was crazy, just stood there, and offered absolutely no help. Perhaps they didn't understand English, but they saw me freaking out--you would think they would offer some assistance!! Then the same man who told me to look in lost and found held it up and said "Here it is...it fell" and threw it at me. Oh.My.God. It took me 20 minutes to be able to breathe properly again!! Once that nightmare passed, the train ride was actually quite pleasant--much nicer than the bus. We went along the Mediterranean just as the sun was setting (the sun sets over the Mediterranean), so that was beautiful. It was actually my first time on a train--ever!! Not sure how I went almost 23 years without ever having been on a train. We then took a taxi from the bus station and met up with our group at a field school nearby. Friday morning we went to the most northern kibbutz in Israel. We were basically surrounded by Lebanon from this beautiful vantage point. The border was just a fence that was literally 5 feet away from us. All the buildings spread out before us belong to Hezbollah and everyone who works in the area works for the Hezbollah. There were actually Hezbollah flags flying--not Lebanese, just Hezbollah. The buildings actually looked decent, but we noticed there were no glass windows in any of the buildings and we were told this is because they have tons of ammunition in these buildings and they want to be able to fire through the windows without the shattering of glass. Terrific. All has been quiet there since the last Lebanese War almost 3 years ago, but apparently they are all just waiting for the word from their boss. But the view was spectacular. We then went rafting on the Jordan river which was great fun. We spent a quiet shabbat at another beautiful field school in the northeastern part of the country. We hiked down to a running stream/creek where there was an upturned Syrian tank that has been there since the War of 67. Interesting.
I can't believe I have been in Israel for 4 months. I leave 4 weeks from tomorrow. It's a very bittersweet feeling. It will definitely be hard for me to say goodbye to Israel, but simultaneously, I miss the states immensely.
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