I will tell you now that I am indebted to all of the Israelis not just the selected few here for sharing their lives with me with excitement. These people shaped my perspective of Israel and now I see Israel as a complex, multilayered society of individuals, not as the “ Holy Land ” that American Jews see. In no way can American Jews and Israelis be considered as “one” people in which the concept that my seminar, “American Jew and Israeli Jew,” with Dr. Schmidt explored. Each new Israeli I met everywhere surprised me with their own opinions, personalities, backgrounds, and self-confidence of their identity as Israelis.
From mid-March to mid-April, I lived in a black-hat world down in Kiryat Wolfson in a rental apartment with my step-grandfather, Zev, and my grandma for a month. Zev currently describes himself as “just Jewish” but was very observant Orthodox when he lived in Jerusalem back in 1980s. In Israel , he transformed into that Orthodox that his friends in Jerusalem knew and that my grandma and I had never known. He went to the synagogue on Shabbat mornings. He wore a kippah 24/7. He insisted that Grandma and I observed kosher and customs strictly inside the apartment and in his presence. We socialized with his old Orthodox friends who made aliyah over the years. I gasped in amazement when I saw their walls littered with family photographs and listened to the wives’ matchmaking stories. One Shabbat, a friend told my Grandma at Mister Zol’s why his cart was filled with soda that his “wife was setting places for 25 people!” I had become so accustomed that when my dad came to visit and flipped on the TV on Shabbat, I got upset and left the room! Having a taste of their lives as a Reform Jew, I became more respectful and accepting of the Orthodox and it served me well for my Jerusalem ulpan roommates and close family friends of my other grandfather in Jerusalem.
In June, I spent 4 days in Haifa with a real Israeli family. The immigrant parents hardly spoke English and they had four children-3 daughters and one son around my age. Everyone except for the son was very secular and only kept kosher out of tradition, not because of the Torah. On Shabbat we drove out to Caesarea while the son stayed home. There, I heard a mix of Arabic, Hebrew, and English chattering and laughing among 30 or so family members of the Iraqi clan. Skewers of tasty chicken and beef piled high, more delicious homemade falafels than I could count, and the tables strained under tons of rice among other food. The warm atmosphere was so unlike I had seen in America- it was not feeling of a family reunion but a family tightly connected by regular gatherings and over-involvement. In addition, the mother became my new definition of “Jewish mother.” She would cook endlessly, put huge portions on my plate (“because I need to be big and strong!”), doted on me, and watch every movement that I made around the apartment. Nevertheless my Hebrew improved thanks to her.
Between the two extremes, I found my happy medium with my host Israeli-American family who lived on a kibbutz in Herzliya. I saw them every few weeks or so and stayed for Shabbat and Shavuot. The mother, Linda, an American olah, and I used to take walks around the kibbutz and picked avocados, lemons, and other fruits from the orchards while talking about issues and my questions about Israel that I could trust her to give me an unbiased view. She and her Israeli husband, Shlomi, looked after me as one of their own children. I hung out with the children just like any other friends of mine. The kibbutz’s atmosphere gave me chances to reflect upon my experiences in Israel and how I changed every time I visit these people over seven months.
When Linda, Shlomi, and I parted at the airport, they looked at me with such pride and tears in their eyes. Remembering the first time I met them on my first night in Israel , they said I came a very long way and were extremely proud that I managed to survive the rumbles and tumbles of this country. As excited I was to go back to America , I had an emotional breakdown during the take off. I had fallen in love with the world that I created for myself in Israel through difference experiences that I encountered.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Who's a Jew?!
There was an article in NYT about two weeks ago revealing the whole thing about Israeli Orthodox rabbis and Jews trying to get married in Israel. It was mostly about non-Israelis who got Israeli citizenship because someone in their family was Jewish but then they find out that they can't get married unless their maternal grandmother was Jewish.
I mean, who still has all those documents? It would be totally awesome to learn more about my grandmothers' families in Russia but how the heck am I supposed to find some kind of proof if it was all the way back to 1800s? I've learned while in Israel in my class with Dr. Schmidt and from Nate that everyone really has their own definition of being a Jew- who's good and who's bad. There's just no wrong answer in Judaism. But I'm not sure if I can accept the Russian Jews' biazzare definition of who's a Jew- they say that anyone's a Jew if they feel "Jewish." Even those who converted are most definitely considered Jew. If you marry a goy, and they feel Jewish, then they're Jewish.
I'm disappointed in the article though- they didn't include more Israeli perspective, especially the sabras. It would be such a huge offense against the Israelis to be told that they're not Jewish than for the American Jews because for god's sake, they live in the HOLY LAND. For them Israeli = Jewish = Israeli. It would be like telling an Italian that they're not Catholic.
Some people asked me if it was really true and usual in Israel... of course it is. You can't go by a week without hearing something relating to that question of "Who is a Jew?" The debate is just as hot as it is here, especially in Jerusalem.
It's what makes living in Israel such an amazing place. You're always in the face of controversy (though it does get tiring at times). You have Jews from all over the world who somehow managed to get their Israeli citizenship through one way or another. You can observe how Jews live their lives differently from others. It's a picture of the Diaspora today.
I've decided NOT to go back to Israel for graduate school. I've been advised against it for several reasons with one of them being the loss of funding at Hebrew University in areas that I want to study in. Sure, I'm there for two years but what's going to happen to the faculty? Things can happen fast. Also I realize that I don't study very well when there's a lot of distractions, especially warm weather. I'm from the cold so hanging out on the beach is like absolute paradise for me. So it is much easier for me to just to go back to Israel when I've finished my PhD and can work. How I managed to do well in my classes is still beyond me even though I did have to repeat that Aleph course (And course, by then, July got to be pretty hot!!). But I can't see myself struggling like that for two years. Cold weather really keeps me inside.
But I will be going back this summer to spend a little time with people and take ulpan again. I will either be in Haifa or Hebrew U. I think I want to try Haifa for a change and it works in my schedule better. I'll miss my friends at Hebrew U but I'll be in Jerusalem a week before so I'll get to see them. Also by going to Haifa, I can spend my afternoons at the beach! Also I can sort of juts get away from the haredim who totally clog up the bus routes.
I mean, who still has all those documents? It would be totally awesome to learn more about my grandmothers' families in Russia but how the heck am I supposed to find some kind of proof if it was all the way back to 1800s? I've learned while in Israel in my class with Dr. Schmidt and from Nate that everyone really has their own definition of being a Jew- who's good and who's bad. There's just no wrong answer in Judaism. But I'm not sure if I can accept the Russian Jews' biazzare definition of who's a Jew- they say that anyone's a Jew if they feel "Jewish." Even those who converted are most definitely considered Jew. If you marry a goy, and they feel Jewish, then they're Jewish.
I'm disappointed in the article though- they didn't include more Israeli perspective, especially the sabras. It would be such a huge offense against the Israelis to be told that they're not Jewish than for the American Jews because for god's sake, they live in the HOLY LAND. For them Israeli = Jewish = Israeli. It would be like telling an Italian that they're not Catholic.
Some people asked me if it was really true and usual in Israel... of course it is. You can't go by a week without hearing something relating to that question of "Who is a Jew?" The debate is just as hot as it is here, especially in Jerusalem.
It's what makes living in Israel such an amazing place. You're always in the face of controversy (though it does get tiring at times). You have Jews from all over the world who somehow managed to get their Israeli citizenship through one way or another. You can observe how Jews live their lives differently from others. It's a picture of the Diaspora today.
I've decided NOT to go back to Israel for graduate school. I've been advised against it for several reasons with one of them being the loss of funding at Hebrew University in areas that I want to study in. Sure, I'm there for two years but what's going to happen to the faculty? Things can happen fast. Also I realize that I don't study very well when there's a lot of distractions, especially warm weather. I'm from the cold so hanging out on the beach is like absolute paradise for me. So it is much easier for me to just to go back to Israel when I've finished my PhD and can work. How I managed to do well in my classes is still beyond me even though I did have to repeat that Aleph course (And course, by then, July got to be pretty hot!!). But I can't see myself struggling like that for two years. Cold weather really keeps me inside.
But I will be going back this summer to spend a little time with people and take ulpan again. I will either be in Haifa or Hebrew U. I think I want to try Haifa for a change and it works in my schedule better. I'll miss my friends at Hebrew U but I'll be in Jerusalem a week before so I'll get to see them. Also by going to Haifa, I can spend my afternoons at the beach! Also I can sort of juts get away from the haredim who totally clog up the bus routes.
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