It’s hard to believe that
I am already leaving this beautiful country, to imagine that I have spent 10
weeks in this foreign place. And, that being said, it’s amazing how a place
that is so far away can feel so close to home. So, in this last blog post I’m
not going to talk about a specific thing I learned in class or a tedious bit of
information from some past field trip, instead I’m going to talk about my
experiences in general.
The in class simulation
of an Israel general election that we did this past Thursday fabulously
incorporated the different tidbits of information and Israeli characteristics
that I have gained while being in Israel. To begin, Israelis are incredibly
forthright in their demeanor, never failing to challenge your statement or
question your authority. When I first arrived in Israel, this was intimidating.
I often found myself relinquishing to their strong and confrontational
personalities. However, I have come to love and embrace this. Professor Aronoff
was the person who really opened up my mind to this personality characteristic.
For every trip that we went on, Aronoff would be this first to question the
authority, to ask others to speak to us, to go out of her way to request what
she wanted. This not only greatly improved our trips, but also showed me the
importance of questioning what is around you and never settling for what you
are given. Being invited to the after party for the documentary we went to
watch and speaking with a figurehead for the Parent Circle are two examples of
the importance of going out of the way to ask simple requests and being
forthright and strong in your demeanor. In our simulation, the class did an
excellent job representing this trait. We have all learned over the past weeks
to argue for what we want, question the authority figure (Meretz) and at the
same time negotiate for what we are requesting. Not only did I take away this
Israeli trait, however, but the elections also gave me a very good insight into
how the Israeli government is run. It is a riveting and exciting adventure to
try and form a coalition.
Finally, as Amanda Kruzel
held up her “love” shirt, I was reminded of the importance of finding the good
in everyone. Israel is a country that has been tormented by a history of
conflict and tensions. Yet, at the end of the day these will only end when we
learn to trust all of humanity. When we come together, as did the two Parent
Circle speakers, and unite to try and create equal rights for all Israelis and
end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
And with that, I board
the plane tonight and fly back to quiet and calm Michigan. However, my mind and
heart will forever be engrossed in Israeli politics and society.
Until next time…
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