Are you really proud to be Jewish?
Yakov posed this question to me on a bus in Jerusalem when I explained my trip the West Bank. I hadn't mentioned any support for Palestinians. I hadn't mentioned a political perspective. I mentioned I had travelled, but that was enough. If I was considering any support for Palestinians, or any question of Israel's need to "protect itself" at all costs, I needed to ask myself if I was really proud to be Jewish.
Yakov (or Jacob) was from Boston, studying at UMass Worcester. I should note, was on his first trip to Israel, just finishing his Birthright Trip and traveling on his own. But he certainly had his mind made up. And still, I can understand where he was coming from, for an attack in Israel really does feel like an attack on Judaism at times, and questioning it has been a painful process, not just for me, but for me family. My attempts to truly discuss this with Yakov utterly failed, and ended when he posed this question to me.
Going on the birthright unplugged trip was somewhat tumultuous in my relation with my parents. I originally brought up the idea with them, but didn’t check in again before making the final decision. This, compounded with the nature of the trip, created a little tention between us. This culminated with an emotional conversation with my folks just days before I left. My folks are pretty dedicated to Israel but are also very pro-peace and support a two-state solution. I thought I felt the same way, but my parent sensed that there was some distance between our positions and outlooks. At the time, I disagreed. At the time, I felt it very important to find a “balanced” view. I promised them, practically swore, that I would come back “anti-Israel” or anti-Zionist. I even planned my trip so I would spend about half of my time in Palestine and half in Israel to provide some “balance”. Only time will tell if it worked.
I don’t want to upset people. I don’t want to make people cry, or offend them, or suggest that I am somehow better because of what I have seen or what I think. I'm not, and if I've learned anything, it is that I know very little.
I am nervous about how to talk the West Bank. Some of it we have heard about in the media, but it is quite different to see it. Other stuff I would never have imagined. But I don’t want to sound crazy. I don’t want to be condescending; I don’t want to sound like I have everything figured out. I don’t want to scare people away or sound mad or raving. But I can’t hide the truth. I have seen oppression. I have seen occupation. I have seen a people living in hear, and I bore the symbol of their oppressor around my neck. How can I share this… is it even possible? To capture the need for justice and a love for country at the same time. In the US it seems simple. With Israel, it is much much more complicated.
But I’ve gotta try, right?
Yakov (or Jacob) was from Boston, studying at UMass Worcester. I should note, was on his first trip to Israel, just finishing his Birthright Trip and traveling on his own. But he certainly had his mind made up. And still, I can understand where he was coming from, for an attack in Israel really does feel like an attack on Judaism at times, and questioning it has been a painful process, not just for me, but for me family. My attempts to truly discuss this with Yakov utterly failed, and ended when he posed this question to me.
Going on the birthright unplugged trip was somewhat tumultuous in my relation with my parents. I originally brought up the idea with them, but didn’t check in again before making the final decision. This, compounded with the nature of the trip, created a little tention between us. This culminated with an emotional conversation with my folks just days before I left. My folks are pretty dedicated to Israel but are also very pro-peace and support a two-state solution. I thought I felt the same way, but my parent sensed that there was some distance between our positions and outlooks. At the time, I disagreed. At the time, I felt it very important to find a “balanced” view. I promised them, practically swore, that I would come back “anti-Israel” or anti-Zionist. I even planned my trip so I would spend about half of my time in Palestine and half in Israel to provide some “balance”. Only time will tell if it worked.
I don’t want to upset people. I don’t want to make people cry, or offend them, or suggest that I am somehow better because of what I have seen or what I think. I'm not, and if I've learned anything, it is that I know very little.
I am nervous about how to talk the West Bank. Some of it we have heard about in the media, but it is quite different to see it. Other stuff I would never have imagined. But I don’t want to sound crazy. I don’t want to be condescending; I don’t want to sound like I have everything figured out. I don’t want to scare people away or sound mad or raving. But I can’t hide the truth. I have seen oppression. I have seen occupation. I have seen a people living in hear, and I bore the symbol of their oppressor around my neck. How can I share this… is it even possible? To capture the need for justice and a love for country at the same time. In the US it seems simple. With Israel, it is much much more complicated.
But I’ve gotta try, right?