What does it mean to be a part of Am Yisrael? That's a pretty tough question

For me to write about what it means to me to be a part of Am Yisrael is extremely difficult. Judaism is a very  important part of my life. From my Jewish home, my involvement at my Temple, fourteen summers at Jewish summer camp, NFTY, EIE, and all my other experiences, it's clear that my Jewish identity and participation is a pretty big part of my life. Community is especially important to me, and that's a large part of the reason I love camp and NFTY so much. The connections I've made with other people through those experiences have shaped my life and who I've become. And it's all because of my Judaism.

In terms of being part of the greater Jewish People, I feel an incredible amount of pride. I understand that there are times when being a Jew isn't easy (is it ever?), but overall, I am very proud to be a Jew and to associate myself with Am Yisrael. Jews have made so many positive and important impacts on society (technological inventions, singers and actors, etc.), and it's much better being a Jew today than almost any other time in history. Specifically in America, Jews have a mostly positive reputation, and are known to contribute a considerable amount to society, in several fields.

All in all, I am incredibly proud of my Judaism. Jews have created a good name for themselves in America, and with all of the experiences I've had that have shaped my life and my identity, I can say that being a part of Am Yisrael is something that I hold near and dear to my heart.

Hearing the Other Side: Meeting a Palestinian Man

Last night, we met with a Palestinian man (whose name I unfortunately do not know), and it was very interesting. I had never met a Palestinian before, and it was really cool to hear the other perspective. There were a few things in particular that he said that stood out to me.

The first thing that he said that made an impression on me was that he is against a two-state solution, and believes that the best solution for the conflict is to establish one, bi-national state. It seems to me that most Jews believe that a two-state solution would be in the best interests of both Israel and Palestine. I did not, however, have any idea what Palestinians want. Now I know that he does not represent all Palestinians, but even hearing just one perspective was really interesting. He believes that having one state would work because all both sides want is peace, and if we had one state, there wouldn't be violence. If only.

His other point was about Palestinians’ views of Israel and Jews. I asked him if he sees a difference between being anti-Israel and anti-Semitic in the Palestinian community, because I’ve noticed that especially in America, the two get blurred together quite often. He answered with a resounding no. He said that Palestinians do not understand that being against Israel and being anti-Semitic are not the same thing, and that the hatred for Israel and Jews is often one in the same.

Overall, hearing the man speak was very interesting to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to meet a Palestinian again, so I’m grateful for this experience, and I definitely learned a lot!

Lessons we can learn from a former anti-Semite-turned Orthodox Jew

Csanad Szegedi was a far-right Hungarian nationalist politician who preached anti-Semitism. That is, until he found out that he is Jewish. In "What happened when an anti-Semite found he was Jewish?" on BBC, we learn the story of Szegedi, and his incredible reaction to his discovery of his Jewish roots. He has become an Orthodox Jew, he has visited Israel and Auschwitz (where his grandmother survived), performed surgery on himself, and burned copies of his biography. He could have pretended he didn't know about his Judaism, or made some excuse to continue his current lifestyle. But he didn't, and instead acted beautifully and admirably.

I can't even imagine what it would be like to learn such a huge piece of information about myself that I didn't previously know, especially as a grown man, or to learn something that so drastically goes against my lifestyle. The way Szegedi reacted, in my opinion, is amazing. He completely reshaped his life. He connected to his roots, started practicing Judaism, and did so completely out of desire and love. He's now able to openly criticize anti-Semitism and Hungarian nationalism, two things he used to so passionately support. 

This story has a truly beautiful message. Szegedi teaches us to embrace and be proud of who we are, connect to our roots, and be able to admit wrongdoing. Instead of trying to ignore the truth, Szegedi took it head-on, and changed his life voluntarily. He became a real Jew, because that's what he was meant to be. And it really reflects honor and virtue. He embraced his true identity, no matter how difficult or unforeseen it was. And he really shows us that being Jewish is a blessing. 

NFTY Bringing Me the Feels

This weekend is NFTY Northeast Senior Kallah. It's a weekend event for upperclassmen only, and it includes Senior Havdalah, pass-downs and board installations, and in general, the seniors' last event. Throughout EIE so far, for the most part, the only times I've truly been homesick or thought about wanting to be home was when there was a NFTY event going on. This weekend in particular will evoke such feelings.

NFTY is my life. I've been fully active in both my temple youth group and NFTY Northeast since the beginning of my freshman year, I've been on my TYG board every year, I've missed only a few events in three years, and next year I will serve on Northeast's Executive Board. You could say I'm pretty involved. So this weekend, where many of my friends will say goodbye to NFTY for the final time, where I will be installed on Board, and where all of my best friends will be together at my favorite place, Eisner, I will be missing home. NFTY is incredibly important to me, and I wish with all my heart that I could be there this weekend. This does not mean even for a second that I want EIE to end or that I'm ready to go home. But it's times like these that make me feel the distance and the fact that I've been gone for three months. My heart is here, but I'll certainly be thinking of home this weekend.

The Excitement of Hosting A Regional Event

This November, my temple youth group, SHAFTY, will be hosting NFTY Northeast's Fall Conclavette, and I'm very excited. Conclavettes consist of three-days (Friday night to Sunday morning) of programming, fun activities, services and havdalah, a dance, and staying at people's homes. It's a lot of work to host a conclavette for both the youth group and the entire temple but it's also very exciting, and a big honor. In addition to the planning of the event, we will be working with our temple's executive board and staff, the clergy, congregants, and many other people in our community. It takes a village to host a conclavette. And I can't wait. 

My youth group is on the rise. Around five years ago, our run of awesomeness ended, and SHAFTY started to shrink, our regional presence declined, and we struggled with membership and leadership. Starting last year, we've turned things around. We have a full 8-person board of sophomores and juniors, we have great turn-out at events, we have one regional board member this year and two next year, and now the cherry on top: we're hosting a conclavette. It really shows our strength as a youth group, and it shows how far we've come. So in November when around 400 NFTYites stay at our temple and our homes, enjoy our programming and services, and hopefully leave with lasting memories, it'll truly show that SHAFTY is back and is here to stay. 

Bringing Camp Traditions to Israel

As I wrote about last week, I miss camp. After 14 summers at Eisner Camp, I was not at camp last summer, and I'm very excited to go back. Two things we did recently have added immensely to that excitement. 

Last Friday, we had song session. In addition to being very fun and rewarding (watching people have fun because of something you created is a wonderful feeling), it reminded me of Eisner. At camp, we have song session every Friday night, and it has always been one of my favorite parts of camp. Something about the atmosphere of 1,000 people all jumping, singing, and having fun together is magical. I love song session, and being able to have a camp-style song session here brought me back to Eisner, and made me even more excited for this upcoming summer. 

The second thing we did was our mini Maccabbiah on Yom HaAtzmaut. We have Maccabbiah every summer at Eisner, and those four days are some of the best at camp. Being able to get in teams by color, play sports, cheer for our team, and do different ridiculous relay races reminded me a lot of Eisner Maccabbiah, and again made me excited to go back. Being able to experience different Eisner-esque things while here has greatly enhanced EIE. It's allowed me to reminisce and participate in some of my favorite camp activities while in Israel and with different people. It's been truly awesome, and as I've mentioned once or twice, it's made me quite ready to return this summer!

Etgar Keret stories provide a fun way to learn about Israeli culture

Even though we are living in Israel, the EIE program does not include too much about Israeli culture. We've obviously learned a lot about music, food, and other cultural aspects from our counselors and just from being here, but we could be learning more. This is not a complaint or criticism, just a reality of the program. Because we're isolated from Israeli society, the little things our staff do for us to introduce us to different aspects of Israeli culture are great, and one of these things has been reading Etgar Keret books in Jewish History class. In addition to being fun and interesting to read, I have learned a lot about Israel from the stories.

For one thing, the sense of humor in this country is very interesting, and is definitely an acquired taste. The stories include death, sex, masturbation, drugs and alcohol-definitely not light topics. However, the stories are written in a certain tone that does lighten the dark humor. One of the things that has struck me the most is how such taboo subjects are so common and nonchalant. You wouldn't find too many humorous stories in America about murder and other twisted topics like the ones in the Etgar Keret stories. Not only has reading the stories been an enjoyable preview of Israeli culture, but it has shown us a lot about Israelis too. In a country with a hard history full of violence and sadness, it's very interesting that death is a "funny" topic. Humor is a way to cope, and it's been very cool to experience this part of Israeli society.