There is a common theme
that keeps reappearing in the different lectures and trips that we have done.
It surfaced at Yad Vashem, in the midst of desolate stories and powerful
history. It was brought up with Kobi Marom at the memorial for the 73 soldiers
that died in the helicopter crash. Anytime, when discussing the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, this issue becomes prevalent. This common theme
is detachment.
It seems, throughout our
time in Israel, that many people in this state struggle with this notion. Yet,
the struggle with detachment does not seem to be a new phenomenon in Israel’s,
or rather the Jewish people’s, history. In the Yad Vashem museum, the
discussion of detachment first began. Regarding the Holocaust, however, it can
be discussed in terms of both groups of people involved. On the side of the
Jews, this detachment took shape when many people faced a battle to maintain
their Jewish identity. On the side of the Germans, and other perpetrators,
there appeared to be a detachment from the sane concept of human life. In one
of the videos in the museum, a young man is seen shoveling dead bodies into a
large pit. The man seems indifferent by the situation, having become detached
from a relationship with these human beings. So, I began to wonder. How easy is
it to distance yourself from your fellow man?
Yesterday, at the
memorial for the 73 soldiers, this theme appeared once again. Standing among
the hanging rocks and floating lanterns, Kobi Marom shared his experience of
dealing with death in the military. Kobi, following the deaths, decided it was
best to continue working and preparing, taking no time to morn the loss of
their comrades. In a military situation, this is a respectable decision. With
the ambulances, which I had an opportunity to volunteer on five weeks before
this program, a similar tactic is taken. Yet, I want to question whether we are
once again separating ourselves too much from the importance of human life and
emotions? Even in times of battle, will we become too detached from the
situation and from death if we don’t take time to think of our loved ones? Will
this conflict, and wars in general, become too methodological for us to
acknowledge and appreciate human life? Is it possible that something like the
Holocaust will happen again because we fail to recognize when and when not to
become detached? Could you claim that it already has?
I want to finally bring
up this point in relation to the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It seems
that within this conflict the countries have reached the point of a desperate
search for peace, or rather some way to end this chronic conflict. That being
said, the tension seems to never end. In the lecture given by Professor Avraham
Sela, he discussed the issue that many Israelis seem to turn a blind eye to
what is happening. The conflict has surfaced for so long that people are
determined to just get back to their own lives. Will this eventually cause
Israelis, however, to become too detached from the conflict? Could you argue
that the government is detaching itself too much as well, no longer focusing on
what is best for the nation, but what will keep them in office? And furthermore,
I often wonder if foreign critics and onlookers are also too detached. In Amos
Oz’s article, he explains the struggle that outside public-opinion-makers face
when approaching the conflict. He states, “Public-opinion-makers across Europe
are in the miserable habit of wagging their index finger, like an old-fashioned
Victorian headmistress, at this side, or that side.” Outside observers are
quick to take sides, without completely understanding the conflict. Oz, in a
sense, seems to be urging us to not be detached from the situation. We must
stop “wagging fingers” and instead learn about both sides of the conflict,
ridding naivety and bringing ourselves closer to the issue at hand.
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