Ruach HaHadasha
Today we had breakfast with staff members from Ruach HaHadasha a community action group that is encouraging young professionals to make their homes in Jerusalem. Most students after they have completed their studies at any of Jerusalem’s many universities will often move to another location thus causing a “brain drain” on the city. Ruach HaHadasha is working to help these new graduates establish “communities” similar to a kibbutz but less socialist in nature. By pooling resources the individual has more power to live affordable in Jerusalem. In addition to helping build a financial alliance the “communities” also create a feeling of family as most are/will be equipped with some common areas that can be used as a gathering place for its members.
Paul Liptz, social historian
Paul Liptz, a social historian, gave us a brief overview of the economic and ethnic complexities facing modern Israel. We learned about the economic inequalities and that over 60% of Israel’s population is considered middle class. We also learned the ultra-rich individuals belong to only fifteen major families. He also raised some interesting points about the bottom 3% of the population or the “unseen”. These groups such as Haredim/ultra-orthodox and new emigrants could cause an even larger impact on Israeli society then they already do, if their social issues are not addressed rapidly.
Susan’s House
Susan’s house was founded by some family and friends to honor the life of Susan Kaplansky. One of her dreams was to reach out to youth at risk. Through funding from JDC-Israel, private donations as well as profits from jewelry, glass and other art created by the youth, this program enables students to have a safe environment to come to as well as teaching them the life skills that most of them lack. There are two shifts per day, a morning shift and an afternoon shift. The idea being students can attend either school in the morning or in the afternoon when not working. Students are paid an hourly wage and are taught by local artist such skills as creating “lamp work” beads for jewelry or silk screening on glass to produce beautiful designs. We all enjoyed shopping from their beautiful selection of handmade gifts.
Mt. Herzl
At Mt. Herzl we were treated to a Zionist history lecture by our wonderful guide Amir. We saw the burial sight of Herzl himself as well as the graves of the solders that lost their lives in numerous Israeli conflicts. Standing next to the graves of those who gave so much, we were all touched by Amir’s translations of the poem “The Silver Platter”. The poem was inspired by a statement made soon after the UN decision to partition Palestine by Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president; “the state will be given to the Jewish people on a silver platter”. The poem makes the moving point that while it may seem as if the state where merely being handed over, the truth is, it was in fact paid for in blood by the fallen soldiers.
Yad Vashem
Israel’s national Holocaust memorial. After receiving some historical background from Amir, each one of us traveled through the memorial at our own pace. Roaming through the exhibits, it is very difficult to put into words the emotions one feels, from disbelief, to horror, to sadness and grief and maybe even a little hope that never again will we let this happen, you feel it all. The idea that an entire people was nearly wiped out completely can be overwhelming and deeply moving. Seeing the room where all of the names will remain forever, keeping the memory of those that have no one left in the world to mourn them is an emotional journey that all peoples should experience. As you exit the memorial you walk through a grove of olive trees planted to commemorate the “Righteous Gentile”. These are non-Jews who helped the Jews in some way during the Holocaust. As we returned to our bus and proceeded back to the city, Amir told us the story of survivor who had longed for revenge, that is until he realized that true revenge on someone who wants you annihilated from the face of the earth is to live and prosper, for by doing that you are in fact achieving the sweetest revenge of all LIFE!
Mevasseret Zion absorption center
Words cannot even start to express the emotional impact of Yad Vashem, We ended our day at the Mevasseret Zion absorption center where we learned how the Ethiopian Jewry are being helped to assimilate into Israeli society. We were greeted warmly with a specially made coffee and the Ethiopian version of challah. We learned that everything from turning on the lights to going grocery shopping can be very difficult for immigrants from impoverished nations. We enjoyed spending time with the children in the after school program and learning about some of the tools used to help with the assimilation process.
