Blog #5 Mock Elections and Last Weekend

This past week we were in charge of doing a project on a Israeli political party of our choice with a partner and presenting it in front of the class on Thursday.  Michelle and I chose to do the party Yesh Atid headed by Yair Lapid.  We had a lot of fun researching Yesh Atid and learning about a party neither of us knew anything about before.  And it turns out not too many know much about them either since they were just formed last year before elections.
It is hard to believe that a party formed by a journalist with no political background was able to form a party in one year and gain 19 seats in the Knesset.  Even more hard to believe is the fact that all 19 members of his party that got a seat have never served in the Knesset before.  We had a somewhat of a difficult time doing research for this party because of the fact that they are so young.  We could not find any academic journals or books on them, only newspaper articles online.  However, we did find books and journals on the party, Shinui.  Shinui is the precursor to Yesh Atid and was headed by Yair Lapid's father, Tommy Lapid.  Both parties generally have the same ideologies and it was interesting to see the evolution from party to party.
We created a Powerpoint based on the points of our party's platform and our educated guesses of what their platform could change to in the future.  Our presentation to the class went well, as we had a lot of fun and tied for the second-most votes with 3.  Then we got to go through the process of forming a coalition with the winners Meretz, and the other parties that would join.  We were happy with getting Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, as we felt that in those areas Yesh Atid would make a huge impact because their platform outlines and calls for an education reform and deals with the question of the Haredim.
Overall it was a great experience to role play and experience a simulation of how the Knesset operates.  We also enjoyed being the youngest students in our program getting to represent the youngest party in the Knesset.
It is very hard to believe that tomorrow night I leave to go back home to little old Michigan.  I have had the time of my life during this month and a half in Israel and have memories I will cherish for the rest of my life.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to study abroad in Israel and to be a part of a culture so old and dear to my own culture.  I have learned much more than about the Israeli political system while here.  Simply by walking around the Old City, or down the street, I have learned what everyday life really is like in Israel and how to act in an Israeli manner.  Hopefully I don't bring the bad manners back with me!