The program was great for several reasons:
1) The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. While my group leader, a lively Jerusalemite half-American-half-Canadian, stood out as "staff" she also had a strong "friend" vibe and didn't set herself apart in our group discussions.
2) Our speakers included Moshe Kainas (from Avarim), Yehuda Bar-Shalom (who happens to be one my teachers and the head of the David Yellin College of Education in Jerusalem), and Dani Gliksberg, who along with 5 friends helped to found Ayalim Student Village.
3) The other participants came from all over the world, but all are doing programs in Israel. Some are on Otzma, at the University of Haifa, Tel-Aviv University, and Because We Care (along with several other programs.) My sub-group for discussion and ideas has 13 people--and only four were Americans.
On Thursday, we were welcomed, and then heard from Yehuda Bar-Shalom, who gave a speech based on "citizenship principles" based on, what is an active citizen, what is a passive citizen, who is a participatory citizen? Yehuda also talked about the influence of those around children, using himself as an example and his "Youth Aliyah" to a strict Kibbutz, and how a few good and bad teachers turned around his ideas of himself. We also had an session on identity, and were given quotes about identifying ourselves, and our origins, as crucial before we can identity our leadership styles.
The next day we went to Har Herzl (Mount Herzl) where several Israeli leaders are buried at the top of the mountain (Herzl at the top), followed by luminaries like Levi Eshkol, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, and Golda Meir. While walking by their graves we discussed their leadership styles, from Golda's "charming" Kissinger to Rabin's legacy. On the second level of graves on Har Herzl are victims of terror.
Batya, our group leader, asked us to think about why the mountain was set up with leaders on top, victims in the middle, and soldiers on bottom? Are soldiers, perhaps, the basis of Israeli society (and considering their reserve duty until they are in their 40's, Israelis remain soldiers throughout their lives) and that is on the bottom? Or is it because everyone can be a soldier, but only a few can be leaders?
We also visited the Herzl Museum, and learned about his life. It's amazing to realize that Herzl only lived 8.5 years spreading the Zionism as a viable idea, and even bought a charter for 1 million Turkish lira for the State of Israel. At first, he was reviled by the establishment (working with the establishment was another theme throughout the seminar, do you work with it or create a new one?) Today, so many people whose lives are safe, and more secure, due to Zionism consider themselves post-Zionists, or have forgotten the meaning of Zionism. Herzl never lived to see people grow tired of Zionism, because he was never even able to see his ideas fully flushed out. He died not realizing that his dream would be a reality--despite his (mistranslated) quote: "If you will it, it is not a dream."
Motti Kainas, a former Shaliach to San Fransisco and partial founder of Avarim, an organization meant to promote civil society in Israel, and the ideals of Zionism. I particularly enjoyed Motti's aims to make Israel a "nicer" society: like bringing lines and more consideration into Israel. It's a daily challenge for me to handle the disorder here, the randomness, the pushing--it's another bit about Israeli life that stresses me and makes me feel like dust. And it's especially off-putting because you know that it's not intentional, that the Israeli system is not in any way meant to be rude or demeaning, it's just appears to me, as an Anglo, impolite and degrading. And of course, there are so many exceptions, so many Israelis who try to inject a bit of thoughtfulness, and the ability to stand in a line, into society.
Dani Glicksberg's project was maybe the most inspiring. After the death of two of his friends in a terrorist attack, Glicksberg and 5 friends set up Ayalim Student Villages, using their army dispensation money (something Israeli soldiers are given after they finish the army for marriage, education, or buying a house) and loans ("we didn't even think about paying them back, we just did it."-this was another aspect that we argued about, should you believe in your idea so hard that you don't plan on failure? I said no.) They set up student villages in devleopment towns in the Negev and the Galil, students do 500 hours of community work a year, and live in these depressed development towns bringing new life to them and new young people. In return, they get a full-scholarship for school.
After graduation, 85% of the students choose to stay where they are, giving further live and money to these towns. Dani Glicksberg also offered this silver lining: student moved into abandoned, run-down buildings in the Old City of Acco, which was 100% Muslim. They students were both Arab and Jewish. Eventually, some Arab students began getting threats that from the neighbors that they were being "disloyal" because they were living with Jews. Fortunately, time and a lot of work smoothed over this divide, and during the recent riots in Acco, students were told by their Arab neighbors "Don't worry, you're safe." Particularly the story in Acco put coexistence in a new light, coexistence is one thing, but when it's your direct neighbor (as opposed to many self-segregated neighborhoods in Israel) and you live and work directly with them and their children. Glicksberg also mentioned that "we try to inject a little Judaism, not dati, but Jewish lessons into our work." :) Student villages are 50-50 dati (religious) and secular, with friendships flourishing, and said: "Many of the secular students have their kitchens koshered so that their religious friends can visit."
I was also able to see a friend who goes to Hebrew U for the semester, and attend her Halloween party (my costume: a slightly sloppy American.) It was nice to have a little Halloween spirit :)
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I also found out about "The Merkaz" an anglo center in Jerusalem, with games, activities, and programming that people (*Shaina*) in Jerusalem might be interested in. They also have a virtual center in T.A. for anglos!
In other news, the NYTimes had a GREAT article about Tel-Aviv art scene, this makes me even happier that I'm taking an Israeli art course-I can't wait to understand it all!
