Since I am no longer as diligent about posting as I used to be, I tend to have a lot of ideas of what I am going to write about by the time I actually get around to sitting down and writing, and this time was no different. I think future topics will include my fear about raising children in the future, the increasing use of technology in the classroom, increased updates on my life etc but this time, I think I need to talk about how I feel about the current situation in Israel.
Let me start by saying that I find my connection to Israel fascinating because unlike my connection to other places, this connection is not derived from a stay there. Being Jewish in the Diaspora generally means we all have an assumed connection to Israel and while I have yet to visit, because of camp, I know a good number of people who call Israel home. I want to visit but at the same time, I think I'm scared not because of the threat of physical danger but because being there is supposed to be lifechanging. What if I go and don't have that lifechanging moment of clarity? How will it alter my view of myself in respect to my religion? It's extremely common for most Jews to struggle with their Jewish identity, some would even say that that is what makes us Jewish but I sometimes think that this struggle has been a little more intense for me because it was a decision I had to make over and over which will impact large decisions in the future.
So the situation at hand is impossible to grapple with from this distance. I am sitting at work, excited that I will not have to get into a pool for the foreseeable future, that I bought gas for less than $4 a gallon today and my friend was in a bomb shelter not too long ago. Hearing from her that she was evacuated to safety in Tel Aviv put the whole situation in clearer perspective. She is one of my closest friends and not an Israeli citizen, she is an American student spending six months abroad in Eretz Yisrael yet the bombs are still coming at her.
I work with Israeli citizens now and have since I was 17 and I can't imagine being in there shoes right now. Some of them are getting called back up to fight, some are being evacuated to shelters and the ones here are constantly trying to communicate with their loved ones back home. During Superstorm Sandy, my family was unable to contact one of my aunties until about a week later (she's fine) because we couldn't get non-local calls to her. That was scary enough and these people are dealing with direct relatives.
It's hard feeling as helpless as I do because there is nothing I can do to make the situation any better for any of these people in my life. I feel like everything I have to say is so trivial about the whole situation because I am so detached from all of it. This is not my reality by any means and trying to reconcile how to be there for my friends without overwhelming them is a hard line to balance.
The American media covers most things Israel in a very interesting light. The bias changes depending on the situation but if you are unaware of Israel's policies, the media can sometimes spin it in a way that makes Israel look like the bad guy to support American policies. Looking back at the release of Gilad Shalit last year, this was an important move, reenforcing to Israelis that they would not be sacrificed or forgotten by their country even if it means negotiating with terrorists. I understand the idea behind not negotiating with terrorists but it would be nice to know that my country stood behind my friends in our military the way Israel stands behind their soldiers. It's hard to get an accurate account of anything going on because the media is starting to treat Hamas like it's something other than a terrorist group.
Okay, I have not been articulate or connected in any way through this but I think I got my point across a little. I should really do productive things at work now.
