The Tayelet

Last weekend we had Jewish History class in the Tayelet looking out onto the city of Jerusalem. It was an amazing experience to learn about the history of a city while starring at it right in front of you. We learned about the first kings of Israel and their profits. I hope we can return here for classes in the future. 

BDS movement article

This week for my article I read about the BDS campaign, or Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions. The objective of the movement is to boycott Israeli products in hopes of ending Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. There has been a lot of talk about BDS and what their doing in the media. Personally, I do not think what their doing is rational or effective. Trying to harm the Israeli economy is simply immature and not promoting positive change whatsoever. If the BDS really wants Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories then they should be trying to promote a two-state solution. I believe a two-state solution would benefit both Israelis and Palestinians. Palestinians would regain some of the territory that was previously theirs and the backlash against Israel would most likely decrease. I hope the BDS movement realizes that their current stance is ineffective and will try to promote a two-state solution in the future.

Ben Yehuda Street

On Thursday after classes we visited Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. The majority of the people there were young Israelis and groups from America. It was very cool to see a place so alive with Israeli culture. There were many people singing, playing instruments, and even having break dancing competitions. I really enjoyed experiencing some of the lifestyle of Israelis and hope we visit this street again.

Kotel

Over the weekend we visited the Kotel. I find this to be such an interesting and amazing place, not for religious regions but simply the people there. It seems like the severe gap betweens the different sects of Judaism clouds the fact that were all from the same religion. The Kotel provides a place for a diverse range of Jews. A person who's never been to temple, or an ultra orthodox can both find spirituality in the same place.

I fall more into the former side of the forementioned spectrum. I grew up in an area with a moderately sized Jewish community, attended a Reform synagogue (although primarily only on the High Holidays), and had a Bat-Mitzvah. For me to been praying along side some of the most God-fearing people on the planet was a completely new experience for me. At first, I was in shock. I didn't know what to do, nor how to conduct myself to avoid accidentally offending someone. I am grateful for my friends and madrichim who came with us, for they advised us on behavior for when we entered the Kotel grounds. 

Our time at the Kotel seemed far too short, especially when I realize that there are people who spend hours there. I hope to the return to this holy site soon.

Adjustments

It's been less than a week in Israel although it feels like way more. Despite the great time I've been having there have definitely been some hard adjustments. Being surrounded by completely new people was scary and an adventure at the same time. I didn't know a single person on the first day and now I feel like I've known some of the people here my whole life. Having to live with three other people is definitely difficult to get used to. Along with that, the significant decrease in freedom is a hard transition. School from 7:15 A.M.-8:15 P.M is surprisingly not as bad as I thought it was going to be but it is very different than school at home. All in all the transitions have been hard but definitely not impossible to adjust to.