Norming

It is strikingly clear how atypical my Israel experience has been so far. There is the obvious...I am living with Arabs, Israelis, secular, religious, teenagers, and middle-aged students. It is quite a combination. We're still in the norming phase, so we're one big happy family, but I'm sure that tensions will arise soon enough. I bring up this crazy mixture of people that I will be spending the next four months with, because last night for Shabbat, the differences and juxtapositions all seemed to be highlighted.

Let's start with the fact that I'm in Israel and we we were teaching people about Shabbat, from the meaning to the rituals to the traditions to how it is celebrated on the Kibbutz. One of the unique things about going to Israel is that as a Jew you are not a minority...everyone knows what Shabbat is. Not everyone keeps Shabbat, of course, but you don't have to explain yourself.

I also happen to be rooming with the only female on the program who is shomer shabbat. On the one hand, I am surrounded by people who have very little exposure to Shabbat, and on the other, I am experiencing it in a very traditional way. I also think it's funny that after living in an intentional Jewish community last year, this is the first time I am actually living with someone who is shomer shabbat.

We have non-Jews who have had very little exposure to the religion, and we have secular Jews (mostly Israeli, but some Americans as well) who are culturally Jewish (because they grew up in a Jewish state) or who have minimal Jewish educations. And then there are some practicing Jews from the US. And we're on a Kibbutz that was founded by some Americans that were involved in Young Judea. So there is a space for those that do practice. Of course, it is never so clear cut. I have already noticed some of the typical tension between some of the Reform and traditional Jews. I shouldn't make this generalization as there are some very open and accepting people on both sides of the aisle here, but there have also been a couple of uncomfortable moments. I wonder if this will be a place that American Jews start to hash out their differences as there often seems to be a wide gap between the traditional and liberal forms of Judaism. I want to stress that for the most part people have been very respectful of different traditions and are excited to learn from each other.

There is also a really wide age range - someone just graduated from high school and some people have established careers. I think it's a great opportunity and fairly uncommon to such a variety of perspectives and experiences to bring to the table. Some students will have to go home to work on weekends to keep their jobs. It really makes me think of the commitment and sacrifice that people are making to be here. It seems that for a lot of the Americans who are here for their semester abroad, that it's a chance to travel, get some college credit, and do some environmental work and maybe a little bit of peace building. It is not only the age that brings the different perspectives, but the privilege (or lack thereof) that we come with.

Something else I have realized since coming here is that a lot of the people here came primarily for environmental studies. I have been told multiple times now that two types of people come to the Machon - those who want to study the environment and see coexistence as a way to ultimately help the environment, and those who want to focus on coexistence and see the environment as a tool to help with peacebuilding. Can you guess where I fall? it also seems that, for the most part, the Israelis and Arabs fall into the former category, and it is about half-and-half for the Americans. I don't really know what this reality will mean practically, or how useful such a program really is, and I imagine that it is something I will struggle with a lot throughout the semester.

In addition to the strange and amazing mix of people, some of the other oddities include living on a Kibbutz in the desert. A very small percentage of Israel's population actually lives on Kibbutz (there are about 150 members on Ketura) and most people live in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, or another city north of Be'er Sheva - not on a kibbutz or in the desert. And most people on Ketura are native English speakers, so we're not exposed to Hebrew as much as I would like. All students who received a MASA scholarship are required to take Hebrew, though. And they have decided to put it on Friday, a.k.a. the weekend. The brilliant planning makes it nearly impossible to leave the kibbutz for Shabbat. Genius. So when are we supposed to practice our Hebrew? But we're taking matters into our own hands. That story is for another time, however.

Shavua tov everyone.

-M