Last night, we were seperated into groups and given topics to discuss, all about different Jewish and/or Israeli conflicts. We were given about an hour to discuss 5 topics. We started off skeptical about discussing our lives and our Jewish heritage, but within 30 seconds, we couldn't stop the conversation, so much so that we only got through 3 and could have continued talking all night.
The topics we spoke about involved war and terrorism, Isreal portrayed in international media, and the different lifestyles between North Americans and Israelis. Natan and I found it very inspiring to learn how the other side lives and deal with Jewish conflict. The whole experience was very eye opening, and allowed us to gain new insight into Jewish life. It made us realize how the other side is affected by all of the Israel conflict.
With the media, the North Americans discussed how negatively everything is portrayed, and then the Israelis explained how things really are from their personal experiences. The difference was shocking, from stories we hear as Canadians and Americans in the news, and how scary it all seems, compared to how the truth is known in Israel, and how the media portrays a whole different world than it really is.
It became an emotional experience for us, as we realized the segregation and harships we personally have experienced, even in a modern age. In the end, we all gained a very strong sense of pride for Israel.
The whole experience gave is new insight into the Israeli culture and feeling of what it's like to like in a country with so much history, and constant conflict within a group of people that are so in love with their homeland.
As Shlomi put it, the Israelis are physically protecting our country, it is our responsibility as Jews living diaspora (countries outside of Israel) to protect the reputation of Israel.
-Bus Bloggers Melanie R (Proud American, I mean North American, I mean Canadian) and Natan B (Israeli via Australian Penal Colony)
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