Saturday, February 14, 2009

It's in the NYT! Why would it be in Ha'aretz??

Funny conversation with my dad:

Dad: Did you hear about the plane crash near Buffalo?
Me: Umm.. oh yeah, I read about it in the Israeli papers... I didn't catch it on NYT.com.
Dad: It wasi in the New York Times... why would it be in the Israeli papers??
Me: Well, because two Israelis were aboard... Two Israelis died in that crash. Something like that... I just glossed over it.
Dad: In the Israeli papers?

I was really amused. Sometimes it seems like I'm way too Israeli.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Coffee Talk

I wound up doing most of the talking with a new friend today. He asked what it was like studying in Israel. And he let me talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. At the end, he said that he'd really like to try living there before actually making aliyah.

Always a good idea.

Especially for this kind of society that's so drastically different from the United States. I told him that when I am there, my life flips around. There are no prepared foods. Even if there are prepared foods, it's generally all the same: Middle Eastern salads, chicken, and lamb. Clothes are difficult to find- if you can't find a shirt in your size in that store, chances are, you're out of luck finding another shirt like that in Tel Aviv. I just switch into Israeli mode when I land and take things in stride without even thinking about how an American would react. I've forgotten what it's like to be frustrated not to receive a smile and a thanks of gratitude from the cashier. It's auto-pilot for me. I told him to try doing a program there to help him settle and get involved but he's going have to try and acculturate to see if Israel is for him. If you don't like what you've turned into and your life remains difficult, then don't move. If you don't want to have the feeling of living on the edge and know that you could be killed by a terrorist any day, then don't move (although Israel is still safer than the major cities in the US).

I talked with one of my professors about how teaching Israel worked given the politics. I told her that so far I've learned that you're supposed to keep your politics off the table. But how could a professor run a course on such a sensitive topic? She explained that it's much easier with graduate students to talk politics but with undergrads, you want to give them a grounded perspective. And there's no way to avoid that bias when you speak. It made me think.

I certainly will be qualified to teach Israel, given my deep experience and connections. But I think that I will want to take the time to explore the materials out there and figure out how to put together a good course that reveals Israel's fighting spirit and complex, multilayered, and conflicted society. In the meantime, I will keep talking to people to practice my rheotric. Also, that ridiculous Arab-Israeli conflict class that I took at Colgate inspires me to reform that syllabus. I don't want American kids to get their facts backwards.

Monday, February 2, 2009

The Mindset

Talking about Israel has been personal since I returned in 2007. I try to take example from the Israelis to be an advocate and set the facts straight, but don't go crazy. You have to let people make the judgment for themselves on what they think about Israel. My involvement in CJU also taught me to think this way as well because of the apathetic nature at Colgate.

My family and close friends know that I talk very little about Israel voluntarily because they didn't have the kind of experience that I had. When I do mention Israel, it's often a story or a memory, like "Oh yeah, they do this, no they don't do this!" and "Did you know..." Usually related to the society and culture... just like anyone else who studied abroad. But when it comes to talking politics, I can only do it with Zev. My parents don't know very much although you'd think they should having a daughter like me. They do know that I read the Israeli papers instead of New York Times and CNN for the news, including what's happening in the Jewish world. They do know if they come across or hear something questionable, they ask me a quick question. And like any other Israel advocate, I give them the straight facts while minding the history of the Palestinian people.

In the academia, I am learning very quickly that the issue is under the carpet. They care but don't bring the politics to the table. Especially when there's a fair amount of liberals advocating for two-state solution. If my seminar has a topic relating to Israel, we keep our heads to our readings and use the authors' perspectives to argue the larger issue at hand. If we disagree, we point it out and use history or another author's argument to refute it. After class, at the end of the day, I'll scream and write in my personal journal. I wouldn't say it's censorship but more of political correctness.

I think I made the mistake of standing on a soapbox with a professor several weeks ago. I spoke like a classical Zionist although I cannot remember at the moment what I had said. But I do remember saying to her that I can't see myself teaching a course on Israel but if I had to, I would sway away from the typical Arab-Israeli history found in many "Israeli" history courses. I would focus on Israel as a country, as a society filled with many different interest groups.

Sometimes I do have uncomfortable encounters where people express that they wholly support Israel, often birthright or Mission trip alumni. I mean even after a few exchanges, they keep on talking just because they're talking to someone who's been to Israel. It makes me all more uncomfortable because I get lost on how to keep a dialogue going when I have a different perspective than they do. Sometimes then they ask what did I read to think and see this way, I say, "well I just read the Israeli papers..." But is that enough? Probably not. Then I realize that they meant books. I hardly picked up a book on Israel. I cringe when they say that they support Israel through investments. Why not aliyah? I am then reminded of American Jews' historical relationship with Israel and movies protraying American Jews' views. That's just American Jewish thinking. And it can't be changed unless American Jews have the opportunity to live in Israel and become acculturated. The world is full of choices as well.

I spoke with Zev last night on how to deal with this. He said, "There are so many books out there, just give them some titles to start with and that'll do. They'll read all they can but they can't repulicate your experiences in Israel. You're just gonna have to patient." I nodded as I held the phone.

It's scary and lonely to be here, as someone who became acculturated to the Israeli society and now sees the world from Israeli eyes. Like I should be in Israel just because I don't see Israel like many people here. Even with my half-Israeli cousins, it just doesn't work.

With that said, better for me to join the bandwagon in the academia of keeping things under the rug and just suggest books. Even if I've never read them.