Hello friends,
Sorry
for the long silence. It has been about a week since I made aliyah and I am
still reeling from all that has happened in such a short period of time. I was
planning to live in Bethlehem and work four days a week in Jerusalem for my
first month as an Israeli citizen. Yes I know this was probably a bad idea, but
I thought I would still have my student visa until the end of August and so
would easily be able to get through check points with out a problem. Sadly,
when I got to the airport the woman there crossed out my student visa since I
now had an Aliyah visa (so mean!) I still thought I could get away with a daily
commute between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, by saying my passport was stolen.
(please feel free to tell me how dumb I am now) This worked for a few days and
probably would work most days, but yesterday I was taken off the bus and when I
showed the soldier my driver’s license as proof of my Americaness, he took it
and went to do something in a little office. I spent 15 terrifying moments
waiting for him to come back, and tell me the jig was up and I was going to
jail or being deported. Magically he returned and told me I was fine and sent
me on the next bus that came. I cannot begin to express the relief I felt at
this point, but I was still shaken, a half-hour late for work and not sure what
I should do. I really didn’t want to sleep on friend’s couches for the next
month.
Luckily later that day I had a
someone is watching over me moment and a family I know offered to let me house
sit for August while they are away. So now I am planning to move back to
Jerusalem on Monday and stay there until its time for a two month hiking trip
from the north to the south, and then I will be moving to Haifa for Ulpan
(intensive Hebrew study) for 5 months and (inshalla/bezrat hashem) coming back
to Jerusalem to start a masters degree in Education at Hebrew U. I am not
planning to stop going to the west bank. I have two very important weddings in
Bethlehem this summer, and I wouldn’t miss them for the world. I am going to be a bridesmaid in the
Church of the Nativity (how cool is that!) I will visit often. Visiting once a
week is much less risky than living there and commuting every day. So that’s my
life so far. This experience has definitely been educational. I have learned I
have some really amazing friends who will take me in with just a phone call.
Also that despite what I tell my mother some times everything will not be fine,
and I have to readjust and figure it out. So now that you know what I have done
and what I am doing below are some reflections on the why. As always
constructive feedback is appreciated.
Once
upon a time there was a girl who thought she could make the world a better
place. When she was young she thought she might do this through politics and
dreamed of one day being the President of the United States. As she grew she decided politics and
celebrity were not for her, but she still thought she could make the world a
better place. When she was a little bit older she went on a high school
semester program to Jerusalem. There she fell in love, and despite several
attempts, has been unable to fall out ever since, except now it’s a complicated
if slightly emotionally abusive relationship rather than the unquestioning love
she had as a teenager. It is from this relationship that she found her purpose
(she hopes) and the very tiny miniscule way that she might be able to make the
world a better place.
On July 12th I
officially made Aliyah, which means I am now an Israeli citizen. This sentence
alone fills me with all sorts of emotions both good and bad, and I am still
processing this decision that is 12 years in the making. To those of you that
might be worried that I have some how done a complete 180 and become a crazy
right wing settler let me assure you this is not the case. I don’t think my
views with regards to Israel and Palestine have changed all that much in the
last couple years, so please don’t freak out.
I decided for sure to make Aliyah
last year after thinking about how I could best impact the conflict, and where I
wanted to be. I decided that I could do more as an Israeli than I could as an
American Jew. I don’t feel like an Israeli yet and I’m not sure I ever will,
but I do know that this is where I want to be, and its much easier to get
people to listen to you when you’ve thrown your lot in with them, when you are
seen as an insider and not an outsider.
If you know me you know I love
working with children, and that my passion is the Palestinian Israeli conflict,
so as of now my plan is to work on my Hebrew, start a masters degree in
Education next fall, and then convince someone to pay me to do educational
programming for Israeli youth on the Palestinian Narrative and how it fits (and
doesn’t fit) with the Jewish Israeli one.
Ideally I would like to expand to working with Palestinians as well, but
there is a power imbalance that is often not addressed in dialogue programs. It
must be addressed before there can be any movement forward.
At this moment some of you may be
thinking “Sara, how could you be so naïve, stupid, idealistic etc…” I often
think the same thing so do not worry you are not alone. My relationship with
Israel and more recently with Palestine has always been something I have
struggled with and has caused me much pain, and at times much joy. The plan I
have outlined above is the only thing I can imagine doing at least right now
that fits with my beliefs and what I am good at. If you have a better
suggestion please let me know.
