Blogs from Israel, Middle East - page 194

On our last day in Tel Aviv, we examined the issues of immigration and foreign workers in Israel. When I was here in '95, there were almost no Asians here. Now, there are a lot, partly as a response to the loss of the Palestinian labor pool. One of the key issues that Israel is dealing with is what it means for these workers to be in Israel without being citizens. Jews are guaranteed citizenship if they move here, and Arab families who chose to remain in 1948 are citizens, but non-Jews who come to Israel need an exception from the Interior Ministry to become citizens. We first viewed a video from the Tekumah TV documentary (broadcast for the 50th anniversary of the state), dealing with the issue of mass immigration and how Israel has dealt ... read more

Today was a very emotional day. We started off with a discussion of the matsav with Dr. Debbie Weissman and Israel Meidad, both modern orthodox but on the left and right, respectively, politically. The group then split up, with most going to see Dr. Michel Strachansky, the director of research at the Bank of Israel (the equivalent of the Federal Reserve). A few of us (Addie, Elana, and myself) went to Hadassah Hospital on Mt. Scopus to hear about how the matsav has affected their work. After a brief overview and tour, we met with several victims of piguim who are recovering from their injuries (Mt. Scopus specializes in rehabilitation, in contrast to the Ein Kerem hospital that specializes in trauma care). Needless to say, our meetings with the victims were the most emotional part of ... read more

Most of the group went to see family or friends for Shabbat, so I didn't see anyone else from the group until after Shabbat. I slept in on Friday before going out to run a few errands. I davenned at the minyan at the hotel that evening (a Sephardic minyan) before dinner in the dining room. I also davenned there Shabbat morning, and spent most of the rest of Shabbat napping and reading. It was very restful. After Shabbat, Sean and I went to the Azrielli mall for a bite of dinner and then to see Matrix Reloaded. The effects are great, although it was a little weak in terms of plot.... read more

Today was Yom Yerushalaim, which marks the retaking of the Old City during the 1967 war. Most of us started by having breakfast with Alvin Mars, who has been active in camping for many years. We then had project group meetings. The youth project group met with a staff member and a teen leader from the Israeli Scouts to discuss the structure and activities of the Scouts. We then went down the hill behind Ramat Rachel to observe part of a most interesting ceremony. Ethiopian Jews mark Yom Yerushalaim as a memorial day for those who died on the trek through the desert during their journey to Israel. The ceremony included chanting by the leaders of the community, but it was interesting to observe the variety of traditional Ethiopian clothing, in bright colors, as compared to ... read more

We spent today exploring the Golan Heights with Elliot Chodoff, an American oleh who works as a guide as well as a lecturer and political & military analyst. There are many areas there that are marked as minefields, left over from when the Syrians controlled the area. We also went to a mountain that overlooks Mt. Hermon and Syria, which provided an excellent vantage point to discuss the strategic benefit to controlling the area. We also had a chance to go through an Israeli bunker there, which is unused because the primary military base is on a different peak. After lunch in the village of Katzrin, we took a hike to Devorah Falls. This is deep in a gorge, and the hike was spectacular. There was lots of foliage and flowers, and the falls themselves are ... read more