Greetings from the grand ole US of A! At this point in the year, it should be no surprise to hear that the Israeli school system doles out a generous spring vacation during the Passover season. While the holiday itself only lasts 8 days, teachers and students receive 18 days off! The rest of the country is up and running, but the microcosm of the school system is closed for business. Having already indulged in a two month Euro trip over the summer, I decided to ship myself back to the States for this chofesh (חופש- vacation, or literally translated to freedom)!
To compensate for my vacation time, my schedule leading up to my April 14th departure date was a balagan inundated with MASA, family, friends, and bucket list activities. Highlights include a trip to the Sachne at Gan Hashlosha National Park, another escape room in TLV with my friends (this time, Illumanti themed), a bunch of beach days, and an Israel Experience seminar focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This tiyul included a trip to Gush Etzion and the city of Efrat, the holy city of Hebron where the Patriarchs of monotheism are said to be buried, and a trip to the “security fence” or “apartheid wall” depending on which side you ask.
To compensate for my vacation time, my schedule leading up to my April 14th departure date was a balagan inundated with MASA, family, friends, and bucket list activities. Highlights include a trip to the Sachne at Gan Hashlosha National Park, another escape room in TLV with my friends (this time, Illumanti themed), a bunch of beach days, and an Israel Experience seminar focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This tiyul included a trip to Gush Etzion and the city of Efrat, the holy city of Hebron where the Patriarchs of monotheism are said to be buried, and a trip to the “security fence” or “apartheid wall” depending on which side you ask.
To be honest, there aren’t enough seminar days in a year (or regular days in a year for that matter) that could sufficiently tackle the infamous Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather than scratch the surface with blanket statements and preach my opinion or the lens from which I saw the issue, I will leave the matter with a simple acknowledgement that I do not know enough. If anything, living in Israel for the past year has been a greater indicator of the existing conflict than any wall or fence could hope to portray. I will say that I do not believe Israel is an apartheid state, but like all others, I do not see a “perfect solution.”
On a lighter note, my co-teacher Emily and I came up with the idea to do an English lesson for the whole 8th and 9th grades on the story of Passover and the differences between the holiday in Israel and America. We featured highlights from the Prince of Egypt, a movie adaptation of Passover and the time in Egypt perfectly appropriate for the students. Some of the girls had seen the movie before, but the video clips and songs we chose were intended to reinforce the story they already know—but in English. It was also a shock to the girls to find out that outside of Israel, Jews celebrate two Passover Seders instead of one. This is because hundreds of years ago, people who were outside of Israel could not be sure at what exact time the holiday truly started. It also serves as a reminder that we are not in Israel for this holiday commemorating our journey and exodus from Egypt. After giving the same presentation five times that day, I am fairly confident in my ability to articulate the story of this pinnacle Jewish holiday.
On a lighter note, my co-teacher Emily and I came up with the idea to do an English lesson for the whole 8th and 9th grades on the story of Passover and the differences between the holiday in Israel and America. We featured highlights from the Prince of Egypt, a movie adaptation of Passover and the time in Egypt perfectly appropriate for the students. Some of the girls had seen the movie before, but the video clips and songs we chose were intended to reinforce the story they already know—but in English. It was also a shock to the girls to find out that outside of Israel, Jews celebrate two Passover Seders instead of one. This is because hundreds of years ago, people who were outside of Israel could not be sure at what exact time the holiday truly started. It also serves as a reminder that we are not in Israel for this holiday commemorating our journey and exodus from Egypt. After giving the same presentation five times that day, I am fairly confident in my ability to articulate the story of this pinnacle Jewish holiday.
With so much change going on these next few weeks as I transition from Israel to America, TLV to NYC, PTK to DC, etc., my head is already spinning. Rose, thorn, bud style I want to start by saying that I am so excited to be home and it feels like absolutely no time has passed since I left 8 months ago. It’s a consoling feeling to know things are pretty much the same as I left them, but also incredibly scary because my time in Israel feels like a dream, bordering on insignificant if I let it. I think the thorn then becomes the struggle of finding a balance between my experiences so far in Israel and finding a way to fit them into my life here in the states, even if it’s only for the next 2 weeks.
On a completely unrelated note, I am excited to announce that my bud is my acceptance to the MASA Leadership delegation to Poland!!!! From May 13-19 I will be taking a tour of the Holocaust-scarred country (visiting 4 concentration camps and traveling to Krakow and Warsaw) and seeing the legacy of the Jewish community in society there today. So stay tuned for (probably, several) upcoming blog posts!!
On a completely unrelated note, I am excited to announce that my bud is my acceptance to the MASA Leadership delegation to Poland!!!! From May 13-19 I will be taking a tour of the Holocaust-scarred country (visiting 4 concentration camps and traveling to Krakow and Warsaw) and seeing the legacy of the Jewish community in society there today. So stay tuned for (probably, several) upcoming blog posts!!