Asher in Asia

Jerusalem March 23, 2011 I first heard in one of those crammed, dusty, sell-a-little-bit-of-everything Old City shops. The kind where you wonder how they amassed all these items, especially that large ancient discolored menorah hanging from the ceiling. Would not a little less clutter and maybe a little polish help move some of this inventory? The shopkeepers were speaking in Hebrew. It was something about a pee-tsuts (an explosion) on a bus in Jerusalem, but the tone was speculative. I’d intended for us to get lost in the Old City, but away from the Wall. The narrow cobblestone streets deceptively channel you down towards the Temple Mount anyway. The three of us slowly walked arm-in-arm, Karen in the middle, indecisive at every intersection, stopping to take pictures of each other in front of pretty arches and ... read more

October 1, Toronto Whenever I told someone I’d led Birthright, I sometimes got this look of shock in return, especially from pro-Palestinian activists. To them, Birthright is a slick brainwashing machine. It accomplishes the double crime of turning young Jews into Israeli radicals and offensively offering free “Return” to Jews but not Palestinians. Yes, Birthright offers a one-sided view of the Israeli narrative. But, my trip leader was far more open-minded than I’d expected. I was happy that our group learned that there is at least another side to the story. In my view, it is good to get Jews interested in and supportive of Israel, so long as that support is not uncritical. And as I saw on this trip, it's also about getting Jews interested in Judaism, and in each other (…romantically). July 2, ... read more

June 30, The Old City, Jerusalem (Birthright) I am an inexperienced counselor. I never did summer camp, I was never in a youth movement. My parents took my sister and I on summer trips instead, to the UK, to the Caribbean, to the Maritimes, to the Rockies, to Israel. Besides, I was a shy kid, introverted, interested in Star Trek, science and science fiction. While I’ve grown up since then, volunteered and backpacked abroad, led organizations on campus and off, that quiet Asher is always a part of me. The first few days of Birthright were tough; I learned that my ‘job’ as a madrich (counselor) involved the stuff I’d never done at the camp that I never went to - ice-breakers, learning games, and programs. I was eager to learn but a growing tension between ... read more

In coming back to this blog to publish for my next trip to Israel, I found the last unpublished entry from my last one: *** Laos is actually pronounced Lao. The government and many individually owned stores I passed spelled it "Lao". My dad blames the French, the former colonial patron, "who are always adding extra letters to things." Travelers I meet along the way are equally confused. Israelis in particular seem intent on pronouncing the "s" in Laos in such a way that it rhymes with mouse. Here I'm using the international spelling but when I read it in my head, I drop the 's'. In retrospect, I'm happy that I chose to end my trip in Laos. I needed a change of scene, a different environment, after a darker experience in Cambodia. Vientiane Vientiane, ... read more

Good Morning. I've just enjoyed coffee and bread with chocolate on top for breakfast. Mmmmm. Despite the information listed above, I'm actually in Laos and it's September 11. Yesterday, I realized something. I'm going home in seven days and there is still SO MUCH I need to see. Problematic because I'm heading to northern Laos now, and I have to make it back to Bangkok by September 16 (today is the 11th). Especially distressing because in my one day here, I've fell in love with Vientiane, Laos's capital. LP describes it like this: "Were Laos, Thailand and Vietnam tuk-tuk drivers, the Thai driver would take you to your destination via a silk shop, the Vietnamese driver would almost run you over for your custom, while you'd probably have to go find the Laos driver, wake him ... read more