Back in SA

I’m back in sunny South Africa after three terrific weeks in the Holy land. It only took a short while at JHB international to remind me that I was back. Not even all the stringent security checks at Ben Gurion airport could compare to the madness of JHB intl where we waited in a queue for over an hour because there was just one person there to check the customs forms from all the flights that had just landed!

As I said, I spent my first week as a participant on an Israel Hasbara seminar organised by the World Zionist Organisation. The seminar included people from the US, Australia, Sweden, UK and SA. Before I left I wondered if any of the participants were bloggers and it turns out that there was one who runs a very successful blog in Sweden.

There is way too much to write about the seminar. Every now and then I may post a summary of some of the lectures (I have tons of notes) but for now I will just post some photos. The seminar was action packed and would have been exhausting but for the energy generated from the excitement of the places we went to and from the experts we heard speak.

Following the seminar I spent the next two weeks on a South African Ohr Someyach tour. Ohr Someyach is a yeshiva in Israel – we spent the mornings learning, toured in the afternoons, and had free time during the evenings. Mike was also on the Ohr Someyach tour which made for many memorable political analyses :) Mike officially revoked my right wing status (which I still claim to hold)…maybe I’ll get it back one day. I didn’t know Mike before he started writing on this blog so it was great to get to know him in the place that we both spend so much time trying to figure out.

Jerusalem is definitely my favourite spot in Israel. Walking the streets of Jerusalem, so many thoughts filtered through my mind. What does it mean to be a Jew in Israel? What is the Zionism of today? Is it about the settlements or is it about consolidating what we have? Does establishing new synagogues and schools in the disputed territories take preference over building new synagogues and schools in Tel Aviv? Is Israel supposed to be a state in all of the Jewish land or a Jewish state in some of the land? Is it normal for people to discuss where in a restaurant is the safest place to sit incase there is an explosion?

Of course, I don’t have answers to these questions, but I do think I have become more pragmatic than ideological. Someone on my Ohr Someyach tour commented that it’s a lot easier to be an ideologue living in disputed land than a politician that is faced with the complex realities of keeping that land (unless of course those residents are forced to leave their homes). I am not capitulating – I think it’s essential that we retain all of the major settlement blocs as well as our small corridor in Hebron with the Holy sites there – all I mean to say is that people tend to readily criticise our leaders for the decisions they make without really considering the nauseas parameters from within which they must operate.

But it wasn't all political wonderings. Israel is really a fun and exciting place to visit. The nightlife is never boring - there is always something to do or see. I loved the small random conversations I had with taxi drivers, Israeli Arabs, Palestinians, Ethiopians, foreign workers etc etc. I loved speaking (ok, trying to speak) Hebrew! I loved seeing a vibrant and happening society that is really working and building, making outstanding contributions to the world in the arts, agriculture, science, etc. I was proud to see how young ordinary youths are transformed into astute soldiers who carry the responsibility of a nation on their young soldiers...giving up 3 years of the best part of their life so that we can live in this tiny country of ours. And why do they do it I asked? "Because," replied one soldier, "If I don't, who will?"

And it warmed my heart to see how many Israelis adorn their windows with Israeli flags as if to shout "This land is ours and we are here to stay forever. We shall not be moved."

Comments

[Anti-UN]

Sounds like you had a great trip. Welcome back. Looking forward to the photos.

[gersh]

superb to have you back!!! very interesting what u have already posted.