A Tale of Two Cities
By Martin Bernstein
To begin the day we visited Independence Hall in Tel Aviv, where David Ben-Gurion declared independence for the state of Israel on May 14, 1948. While sitting in the room where the announcement was made, we were able to listen to the original audio of the Declaration of Independence, an extremely impactful moment in history. From there, we visited Rabin Square where the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin took place immediately following a peace rally. This is a topic that is still very controversial today, which we were able to learn more about after speaking to Israeli citizens who were in the area. Some people said he deserved to be killed, while others felt that he was a great leader and what happened was tragic. Personally, I feel that any leader who strives for peace and compromise has the right mindset. There have been enough lives cut short during this ongoing conflict.
From Rabin Square we traveled south to the Negev Desert, where we would be spending the night. Here we went on a short camel ride, and then a gentleman named Lior taught us how the people of the desert use sustainable and renewable energy to survive. By harvesting sunlight they are able to heat up water, and use steam to conduct and store electricity. Further, using a combination of manure and water they are able to create a methane gas to serve as a stove. It was fascinating to learn and to see sustainable energy in this area, especially during a time where climate change is a topic of debate. I hope one day we are able to see widespread use of solar panels, and different forms of renewable energy. The environment is extremely important to our survival, and I feel that we need to do a better job of protecting it. Renewable energy is a great source to help keep our planet functioning at an efficient level.
After learning about the renewable energy, we moved on to have dinner served by the Bedouin people. This was a wonderful experience where we were served homemade food from the people who live in the desert. It was really interesting to sit down on cushions and eat with our hands in a way that we were able to share the food with our friends in a communal fashion. Even though we made a mess, it was a lot of fun and delicious.
That night we were able to go out and see the stars in a way that I have never been able to experience before. This was the first time I was able to see the Milky Way clearly, because my area in the U.S. has a lot of light pollution. What an incredible experience. Seeing space in the desert was breathtaking. It was extraordinary to gaze at the stars and think about how small we are in comparison to the universe. I was really able to connect with nature. Well worth getting just two hours of sleep prior to hiking Masada.
