Israel in the Midwest: For Students, By Students

Finding A Home In Israel

2006-11-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

When I traveled to Israel in the summer of 2005, the thing that struck me the most about the country was its diversity. Far from constituting a homogenous population, Israeli society is made up of people of various ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds. On November 9th, I had the opportunity to learn about a segment of this diverse population that I had not known about previously. I attended a screening of “The Journey of Vaan Nguyen,” a documentary film by the Israeli director Duki Dror, at Northwestern University - an event sponsored by a number of departments in the school, the Northwestern Jewish and Vietnamese student associations, and the Consulate General of Israel. It turned out to be a powerful and eye-opening experience.

“The Journey of Vaan Nguyen” follows the Nguyens, a Vietnamese family living in Israel. The parents of the family came to Israel in the 1970s, when then Prime Minister Menachem Begin welcomed a couple of hundred of refugees from the war in Vietnam into the country. The parents have five daughters, all of whom have grown up in Israel. Early on in the movie, we meet Vaan, the eldest daughter. Through her eyes, we learn of the identity struggle that she and her family face. Although Vaan is Israeli – born and raised – she and her sisters feel that they stand out in Israeli society, and that other Israelis view them as a kind of oddity.

Against this background, the movie follows Vaan’s father’s first trip back to Vietnam, where he travels in order to reclaim family land lost in the war. He is initially unsuccessful in these attempts, and Vaan comes to join and help him. Once in Vietnam, she begins to feel as if she has come home. It is a place where her family lives, where she looks like everyone else, and she describes this comfort as feeling like “being covered by a warm blanket.” When she and her father go to visit the house that once belonged to his family, she looks out over the land that her family once owned and wishes that she had been able to grow up there. Over the course of her time in Vietnam, however, her feelings shift. Other Vietnamese recognize that she is not a native, and make her feel almost as out-of-place as she had felt in Israel. The identity struggle faced by the family is further demonstrated in an emotional scene that takes place back in Israel between Vaan’s mother and two of her sisters – the mother longing to return to her homeland with her family, while her daughters resist the idea of leaving the place that they feel is their home.

The theme of identity crisis – of not feeling that one truly fits in anywhere – is a powerful one. This particular story was a fascinating example of the difficulties that arise today in many societies that are dealing with increasing diversification. The audience at the screening was able to gain further understanding of these issues through the presence of the film’s director, Duki Dror, who was present at the screening to talk about the movie and answer questions. Mr. Dror, who studied film at UCLA and Columbia College in Chicago, has directed sixteen documentaries, many of which deal with the same identity issues that arise in “The Journey of Vaan Nguyen.” He was gave the audience some background on the genesis of the film, and then allowed us to ask questions about it.

The sensitive nature of the film’s subject became apparent during this question-and-answer session. While everybody complemented Mr. Dror on the quality of the movie people differed on how the delicate situation of the Nguyens, and others like the, should be addressed. Some people expressed disbelief at the racism that the family faced – particularly referring to one scene in which the youngest daughter and her friend (who is of Middle Eastern background) are taunted by other children at a playground. Others raised the question of why, if they did not feel comfortable in Israel, the Nguyens chose to stay in the country. At a couple of points the discussion got rather heated, which only served to underline how powerful the issues raised in the movie were.

After seeing the film – which, besides the interesting content, was extremely well-made – I am anxious to see more of Mr. Dror’s work. Clearly, I still have a lot more to learn about the diversity of Israeli society.

Remembering Yitzhak Rabin

2006-11-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

On November 7th, as Americans went to the polls to vote for federal, state, and local politicians, I attended an event honoring one of the great military and political figures of Israel – the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The First Annual Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Lecture – sponsored by The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest and the Petach Tikva Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program – featured Professor Yoav Gelber of Haifa University, who spoke on Rabin’s life as a military and civil leader.

The lecture was introduced by Consul General Barukh Binah. Binah related one of his strongest memories of Rabin – a radio address given right before the Six-Day War, in which then-Chief of Staff Rabin reassured the troops, and the country, of Israel’s strength and resilience. Binah spoke of the importance of learning about Rabin and discussing his legacy, as a means of strengthening both individual and societal awareness.

Professor Gelber – who is one of the top military historians in Israel – presented a lecture entitled “Yitzhak Rabin: Analysis of Israel’s Military and Political Leader.” Gelber began his lecture by saying that Rabin was the last Israeli military leader who served “successfully” as a civil leader as well. He then related Rabin’s early life and rise through the ranks of the Israeli military establishment. Rabin had wanted to study engineering in California. But the circumstances of the pre- and post-independence period led him and his contemporaries into a life dedicated to security and defense. In 1964, Rabin was appointed Chief of Staff by Prime Minister Levi Eshkol. It was from this post that he oversaw the IDF’s triumph in the Six-Day War of 1967. Gelber said that one of the main factors for this triumph was the proper building and preparation of the military force – a factor that Rabin can be mainly credited with. Soon after the war, Rabin retired from his position and became Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. When he returned to Israel in 1973, he became Minister of Labor in Golda Meir’s government. When Meir was resigned in 1974, Rabin became was elected Labor party leader and became prime minister – a role, Gelber said, that he was not prepared for, having no experience in domestic affairs outside of a military context. Despite this, Rabin gained some achievements during his term – including the conclusion of interim agreements with Egypt and Syria to end the Yom Kippur War. He also initiated Israel’s involvement in Lebanon – by strengthening ties with the Phalangists in the midst of Lebanon’s civil war. This, according to Gelber, was a miscalculation that Rabin tried to fix in the late 1980s, as Minister of Defense under Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.

Gelber characterized Rabin’s attitudes and policies towards the Palestinians as “inconsistent.” Early on, Rabin did not have a real concept of the Palestinians as a separate entity. He, like many others, saw the PLO and Fatah as Syrian proxies. It was not until his second turn as Prime Minister – beginning in 1992 – that his views began to change. Even in the very early period of his premiership, he held on to his position of not engaging in diplomacy with the Palestinians. But after studying the peace initiative being pursued at Oslo, he decided to follow a new path. Gelber discussed some of the pitfalls of Oslo – the question of whether the PLO, under Arafat, was the “right partner” to negotiate with; Rabin’s backing down from the main concessions he had demanded from the Palestinians; and the failure of the PLO to comply with their obligations under the accords. However, Oslo was a major event in Israel’s history; and it marked a significant change of approach for Rabin, who continued to pursue the goals of cooperation and peace with the Arab world up until his assassination in November 1995.

The event ended with a short question and answer session, in which Professor Gelber mainly addressed Rabin’s attitude towards the issue of the Palestinian refugees. Gelber offered a comprehensive overview of Rabin’s life - a life which was intimately connected with the life of the state of Israel. I look forward to learning more about the legacy of this pillar of Israeli history at next year’s Memorial Lecture.

Understanding Israel: A Midwest Student Conference

2006-10-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

In this post, I'll be putting up essays by students who attended Understanding Israel , a conference for Midwest students hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison on October 20th-22nd. This will be an evolving post, so keep checking back to read more accounts of the weekend.

Deputy Consul General Andy David speaks to students
at a break-out session entitled "Israel on Three Fronts."

Nissim Reuben, of the American Jewish Committee,
speaks about India-Israel-U.S. relations.

Jenn Harmless, Purdue University

I have been an active supporter of Israel on campus for the past four years. Every year in the fall I look forward to the Midwest Student Conference in Madison as a way to meet fellow activists, learn more about Israel, and hear new ideas for raising awareness. Each year I have found myself very pleased with the conference, and this is saying even more considering that for those of us at Purdue just getting to Madison requires a five hour drive. Unfortunately this year that meant we had to miss the Friday night programs, as our group got off to a late start. However Saturday was packed with interesting events to attend.

During the luncheon Yaakov Katz gave an eye opening retelling of the events in Lebanon. He included in his account many details that major news sources in the US just did not cover; such as how one platoon had to hook all of the soldiers up to IVs in order to prevent dehydration because there was no other supply of water available. He also described how different this war was from all others, the uncertainty that was faced by those in charge, the new styles of fighting employed by Hezbollah, and something that really surprised me (but probably should not have): just how high tech this enemy has become due to support from Syria, Iran, and especially Russia.

Next we attended "The United Nation's Obsession With Israel" presented by the American Jewish Committee. At this lecture we were reminded of the extent to which the UN criticizes Israel in the face of all other human rights violations worldwide. Luckily things appear to be changing a tiny bit, as for the first time in history the UN passed resolutions in favor of Israel during the Israel/Hezbollah war.

The Israeli Consulate presented "Israel on Three Fronts" in which we learned about the efforts Israel is going through in order to help the Palestinian people by keeping the Karni crossing open so that supplies can still pass through but weapons and suicide bombers can not. New technology would help keep the Israeli and Palestinian soldiers safe from potential explosives, while the terrorists would be unable to reach their goal of keeping the supplies from their own people. We also received an update on the Iranian nuclear situation and a clear reminder that countries in the Middle East are also severely petrified of the power Iran will have once they develop an atomic bomb. It was a stark reminder that the nature of the whole world will change if this is allowed to happen. And very sad to think that the US is currently not in a situation to actually do anything about this.

Finally Nissim B. Reuben spoke of his perspectives on being an Indian Jew. It was amazing to hear him describe the amount of respect Hindus and Jews have for each other. Purdue has a very large Indian population, and our group is very encouraged to put together a Curry dinner with the Indian student organization after hearing Nissim's point of view.

I was previously unaware that India had a historic Jewish population, but considering the history of the diaspora it makes sense that there would be communities there. It was refreshing to see that while recently many nations were seriously questioning their involvement with Israel, India has gone forth and maintained a very positive commercial exchange with them.

Finally the Israeli party was a great place to meet with Israel-aware students in a more low key environment. Also it is always nice to hear some great Israeli dance music! In my mind the conference was a wonderful experience, and very much worth the 5+ hour car ride. Thanks to everyone involved with it!

Julie Cooper, University of Chicago

Understanding Israel: An Overview of the 2006 Midwest Student Conference

Over the weekend of October 20-22nd, about 60 college students from campuses around the Midwest gathered at the University of Wisconsin in Madison for Understanding Israel: A Midwest Student Conference. The weekend was marked by talks from well-known Israeli journalists; breakout sessions on topics as varied as combating divestment from Israel movements on campus to an overview of Israel’s three-front threat from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran; and a dance party featuring the skills of Israeli DJ David Yakov. It was a fun and interesting weekend for all.

After Shabbat services and dinner, which was graciously hosted by the UW-Madison Hillel, the conference kicked off with a talk by Yaron Deckel. Mr. Deckel, a well-regarded Israeli journalist, works as the Washington Bureau Chief for the Israel Broadcasting Authority. He began his talk by relating a common situation he has faced in last few weeks – namely, being asked if it is safe to visit Israel now. His answer was, unequivocally, yes. He then proceeded to talk about what Israel did and did not achieve in the recent conflict in Lebanon. Israel managed to severely weaken Hezbollah, and UN Resolution 1701 has led to the deployment of an international force in region, as well as the presence of the Lebanese army in the southern part of the country for the first time in 20 years. However, he said, the Middle East is not safer now than it was before the start of the war. This led to a discussion of the threats posed by Syria and Iran. Mr. Deckel ended his talk with the topic of the Palestinians. He said that neither President Abbas, Prime Minister Olmert, nor President Bush have the public support they would need to seriously engage in peace negotiations right now. He also mentioned that there has been a shift in Israeli public opinion against further disengagement, since the security of the state has not improved since Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

On Saturday, students were again hosted at the UW Hillel for Shabbat morning services and lunch. After lunch, Yaakov Katz, a journalist from the Jerusalem Post, spoke on the topic of Israel’s actions during the Lebanon War. Mr. Katz, who is originally from Chicago and moved to Israel 12 years ago, reported from northern Israel and Lebanon during the war. He gave an account of the first days of the war – how the Israelis were not expecting the kidnapping of the two soldiers by Hezbollah; the pinpointed attacks that the Israeli Air Force initially responded with, bombing ninety-four Hezbollah targets and nearly wiping out their long-range missile capability in the first night of the conflict; and the hesitancy with which the government made their military decisions during the war, an issue now being investigated. He said that Israel did win the war, by forcing a change in the reality of southern Lebanon. He too addressed the threats now facing Israel from Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, and the Palestinians. At the end of his talk, Katz affirmed that the war had led to a greater unity and cohesiveness among the Israeli people. He said the population had been resilient in the face of the Hezbollah attacks, and that the investigations into how the war was waged will lead to better checks and balances in the the government and the IDF.

Saturday afternoon consisted of two sessions of smaller discussions. Students had a choice of three or four different discussion sections to attend in each session, led by representatives from the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, AIPAC, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the UW-Madison Hillel, and the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest. After the second session, the group gathered for a final speaker – Nissim Reuben, from the American Jewish Committee. Mr. Reuben, an Indian Jew, spoke on India-Israel-U.S. relations. He told the group about the history of Jewish communities in India, which date back to the period following the destruction of the Second Temple. He said that the Indian Jewish community is the only one in the world with no history of experiencing anti-Semitism – a testament to the culture of religious tolerance in India. He also spoke about India-Israel relations, which have been positive despite India’s leadership in the non-aligned bloc, which has been traditionally hostile towards Israel. India was one of the first states to recognize Israel, and the countries engage in substantial bilateral trade in both the civilian and defense sectors. Reuben also discussed the relationship between the Indian and Jewish communities in the United States. He said that the communities have a great deal of admiration for each other, particularly because they share many values. He emphasized the importance of fostering a close relationship between the two communities, as the Indian-American community could be an important source of support for Jewish and Israel causes in the U.S.

On Saturday night, the group was treated to a party at The Crave, a Madison club. The event was DJed by David Yakov, who played a variety of Israeli dance music. In addition to its usual fare, the bar served “blue and white” martinis in honor of the occasion. The proceeds from the drinks went towards a fundraising campaign for the Magen David Adom, sponsored by the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at UW-Madison. The music and dancing continued at full force until the club closed at 2 AM.

The weekend was a great opportunity to meet other Jewish college students from the Midwest, learn about Israel and how to promote Israel on campus, and to have a good time in one of the party centers of the Midwest. One can expect that next year’s conference will only improve upon the success of this year’s.

"There is no other place on earth like Israel"

2006-10-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

By Becky Adelberg

Author Becky Adelberg at a rally in Jerusalem in support of the Israeli government. Ms. Adelberg is the KOACH Midwest Fieldworker for United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, where she works with universities in the Midwest and Toronto to provide educational and spiritual programs on campus. She spent five weeks in Israel this summer, and wrote about her experience being in Israel during the war with Lebanon. Ms. Adelberg can be reached at adelberg@uscj.org.

I landed in Israel on July 5th, 2006 with over a hundred high school students from the US, who were about to take part in a five week program through Habonim Dror, the Labor Zionist movement, which I grew up in since 1989. I was asked to chaperone the group to Israel on the plane, make sure they met their counselors and then meet them back at the airport five weeks later, with no cost to me for airfare.

Not a bad gig. Of course I jumped on the offer.

When we landed, there were feelings of excitement, nervousness, and anxiety, but what none of us knew was that we would be living a part of Israel’s history for the next five weeks.

I said goodbye to the group, gathered my bags and drove home with my good friend Keren. I knew she lived twenty minutes outside of Jerusalem but was puzzled when we went through a checkpoint in route to her town of Givat Zeev. I turned to her, Keren, are we in the West Bank? Well, technically, yes, she replied. I learned later we were eight miles from Ramallah.

For the next three weeks, I attended the Conservative yeshiva on a fellowship. In the mornings, I took Hebrew language classes and the afternoons consisted of classes ranging from teachings of the Zohar - the Jewish Kabbalistic text - to Siddur, to Niviim - learning about the prophets. My first week in Israel was amazing, and after recovering from jet lag and getting situated, I felt like I had never left.

I remember the day that the first Ketusha landed, July 11th. Panic - we have been invaded by Lebanon. Nothing like this has happened before. This time it was different, I wasn’t reading about it in the news or watching it on TV from afar, I was in Israel and it was happening. We were all glued to the TV. My Israeli friends were saying, this will end in a day or two. But when it didn’t and they seemed worried, I started to get worried. They gave us a security briefing at the yeshiva and in between classes we would check the Jerusalem Post for updates. Every time we heard an ambulance or police car, we cringed.

I decided to go to Tel Aviv for my second weekend in Israel. I left on Thursday, the day the first Katusha landed. We didn’t think it would go further south. As I was eating dinner with a friend, watching the news, she said, “They won’t hit Haifa.” Two minutes later, we saw the announcement – the rockets had landed in Haifa.

But amidst all of this, life was going on.

There were moments in the first weeks of the war when I considered returning to the US. I called El Al, but flights were booked for weeks on end. Did I feel right leaving? Was it my responsibility to stay?

I knew I had to stay. Was I scared, yes. But this was a moment that I had always heard about. How people volunteered in the Six Day War and in the Yom Kippur War. Now I was here, and I had to stay and support the Jewish state.

So I stayed and I lived fully. Everyday I was in the moment. I lived life to the fullest, despite living in the midst of a war.

I took part in a rally in Jerusalem. Never being too far to the left or right politically previously, I ended up next to people waving orange flags, who were forced to leave their homes in the settlements the previous summer. Across the street stood the group The Woman in Black, who were opposed to the war. I felt glad that I was doing something concrete. Many Israelis drove past us and honked out of solidarity. To my right stood a religious man with a black kippah and peyes, to my left an American student who had just volunteered in the army. We were all united, supporting the government during this crucial time.

I shopped like never before! Every time I bought something I felt good knowing that I was helping the economy. While my original plan was to travel to Greece, I ended up going south to the Dead Sea and then to the great crater, Mitzpe Ramon, with some friends to help support the homeland. I went to a party with some Israeli friends I had made and heard many discuss fears of being sent to the Miluim – the reserves.

Tisha B’av, the fast day for the destruction of the temple, was intense and also beautiful. I have never had a more full fast. I was never hungry. My prayers were for the past but also for that moment, for what was happening in Israel.

My last Shabbat in Israel, I met my friend Shoshanna in Jerusalem at a synagogue on Friday night. She is a producer for Fox news and had been on the Israel/ Lebanon border for three weeks. When she saw me she cried. She hadn’t seen anyone she knew for three weeks and was overly exhausted. She described Katushas falling a few feet away from her and the pain she witnessed on both sides.

Ironically, the day I landed back in the States, CNN was on as we were crossing security. They announced that there had been a suicide attempt that morning in London. I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. I had just left Israel to land in the US, where I am supposed to be safe. But I felt like getting on a plane and going back to Israel.

With all of this happening, why was the rate of aliyah increasing and why did only one youth group send their participants home this summer?
I believe it is because of faith in our army, its people and our homeland. I believe it is because we need to support a land whose flag represents our heritage. I believe it is because if we don’t, no one else will.

Registration for the Taglit-birthright Israel trip opened today. It is a free trip for any Jewish individual between the ages of 18-26 who has never been to Israel on a peer-organized trip. It is their birthright to visit the Jewish state for 10 days free of charge. My phones were off the hook today. I went from one call to the next, people rushing and asking how to sign up, how to get to Israel.

Why? Because there is no other place on earth like Israel.

Each time I go, I come back a new person. I just visited for my fourth time and I cannot wait to go back. The experience changed me. I became stronger. I look at the world differently now. I try to live each day to the fullest, like Israelis do. I try to be positive like Israelis are and use each moment to celebrate. Israelis appreciate life. They are optimistic. They are friendly. They are real.

We have now entered into the month of Elul, a month where we are given the opportunity to reflect on our past year and see if we lived up to our full potential. In what ways were we good people? In what ways can we improve? We reflect on the past, so we can prepare for the future year.

I plan to take the lessons I learned from my summer in Israel to help guide me to who I want to be this year.

I want to conclude with a poem called, “Yahrzeit Candle” by Nessa Rapoport, a writer in New York, in memory of all those who were killed during the thirty-four day war on both sides of the fence:

Unconsumed through the night like the love you offered,
Constant in a darkened house where I, longing for light, remember you,
The walls and ceiling kindled, your soul, undying before me,
Incandescent, dazzling.

Photos from Israel

2006-08-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Directly below are recent pictures of Haifa taken by Sam Heller, an American living in Tel Aviv and working for the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz (see Sam's post about working in the Ha'aretz newsroom below). Most of the pictures were taken in the Haifa neighborhood of Bat Galim.

Below Sam's pictures are pictures taken by Donald Silberman, a Chicago native who was in Israel on vacation with his family prior to and during the recent conflict.

Apartment building that was struck in Haifa

Bat Galim

Holes made by ball bearings loaded into the nose
of the rockets

More holes made by ball bearings

Bat Galim

An apartment building in Bat Galim

...............................

On a more positive note, the pictures below were taken by Donald Silberman, a junior at Ida Crown Jewish Academy, who vacationed in Israel with his family prior to and during the conflict with Lebanon. Donald shares his experience in an essay written for the JUF news, which can be viewed here.

The Silberman family on Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem.
Donald is standing upper left.

View of the Upper Galilee

A field in northern Israel

David Broza sunrise concert on Masada

A sign at a Jerusalem intersection, after Hezbollah
started pelting residents of northern Israel with explosives.
In English: Residents of the North - Our Hearts Are With You!

The Silbermans with friends whose son had
just been called up to the reserves

The Strength of the Israeli Economy

2006-08-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Stanley Fisher, Governor of the Bank of Israel

When reading about the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, it was easy to get the impression that civilian activity in both countries was at a standstill, and that the only thing that people were focused on is the fighting. However, even in the midst and aftermath of war, life goes on, and states still operate. This includes economic operations. On Wednesday, August 16th, I had the privilege of attending a video conference presentation by Stanley Fisher, the Governor of the Bank of Israel. The conference was presented by the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, the American-Israel Education & Economic Institute of Illinois, and the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC). The attendees of the presentation were mainly lawyers and businesspeople from the Chicago area, all of who were very concerned about the topic which titled the presentation – “The War’s Impact on the Israeli Economy.”

Professor Fisher is a distinguished economist who has taught at MIT and the University of Chicago and worked for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. He has been Governor of the Bank of Israel since May 2005. Professor Fisher began his presentation by saying that immediately before the war, the Israeli economy was in the best state that one could hope for an economy to be in at the start of a war. The Israeli economy has been growing at a steady clip – the figures for the first quarter of this year indicated a 6% growth rate. The level of foreign investment in the country has also been high. The most notable recent example is Warren Buffett’s four-billion dollar purchase of an 80% stake in the Israel-based company Iscar Metalworking, which manufactures metal working tools. Professor Fisher said that Israeli firms were quickly integrating into the world economy, and that there was enthusiasm for foreign acquisition of companies in the country. Professor Fisher also noted that Israeli trade is robust, accounting for 40% of the country’s GDP. He did point out, though, that Israel does very little trade with its neighbors. Later in the presentation, he elaborated on this issue and discussed the qualifying industrial zones (QIZ) that had been set up between Israel and its two neighbors with which it has normalized relations – Egypt and Jordan. These zones are industrial parks for joint Israeli-Jordanian and Israeli-Egyptian production, and the goods produced in the zones can be exported to the United States duty-free. Although they are quite small, the zones are an important step in improving relations between Israel and its neighbors.

Professor Fisher then spoke about developments in the economy since the beginning of the war, and prospects for the post-war period. In the first three days of the fighting, the shekel depreciated by 3% and the Israeli stock market declined by 11%. However, the shekel has now completely rebounded, and is actually stronger than it was before the war; and the market is nearly back to its pre-war level. The Israeli government is determined to maintain the stability of the economy, and is planning to make the necessary adjustments in order to lessen the war’s effect on the national budget. The areas in which the effect of the war has been most noticeable are the tourism sector and the production level of firms based in the north of the country. However, Professor Fisher noted that tourism declined much less than expected as a result of the war; and that the large firms operating in the north managed to maintain nearly 100% production throughout the conflict. He expressed great optimism for the quick recovery of the economy, and said that as long as the global economy continues to grow, should expect to see a 4% growth in its economy for this year.

After his presentation, Professor Fisher took a few questions from the audience. An audience member asked about the Israeli government’s plans to help the small and medium-sized businesses in the north, who were most affected by the conflict. He replied that the government had agreed to help companies compensate their workers for days that they were not able to show up for work. In addition, workers had agreed to count some of those days as part of their allotted vacation time. There was also a question as to what the AICC and other chambers of commerce in the United States could do to help in the recovery of the Israeli economy. Professor Fisher first answered that the expressions of support coming from Americans and American organizations was extremely important to Israelis. On a slightly more practical note, he said that there are many chambers of commerce, industrialist organizations, and exporter organizations in Israel, and that it would be very effective if the organizations in the U.S. could connect with those Israeli organizations and work together with them. He also noted that there is a commercial attaché to the Midwest region from the Israeli Ministry of Industry and Trade who would be very helpful in guiding American businesses’ efforts to help Israeli companies.

Even though Professor Fisher used some economic-lingo that was a bit confusing for someone unfamiliar with economic studies (like myself), his presentation was overall clear and informative. His tone was very optimistic, which was heartening to hear. I had known that Israel had very strong technology and agricultural sectors, but I was previously unaware of how fast the economy there is growing and to what extent Israeli corporations have “gone global.” I had also never heard of the AICC, but I now understand its importance and the importance of other organizations like it. Israel is very dependent on foreign investment and trade, and the U.S. plays a big role in those areas. The AICC is responsible for, among other things, organizing trips to Israel for American businesspeople to meet with their Israeli counterparts and facilitating partnerships between American and Israeli businesses. Both Israel and the United States have benefited greatly from their economic cooperation, and based on Professor Fisher’s presentation, there is optimism on both sides that the strength of that cooperation will continue.

"Maybe this is what it's like to be a sabra"

2006-08-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

By Mike Cherney

Author Mike Cherney, with a view of Haifa in the distance

The day began normally enough. As I emerged from my dormitory at the University of Haifa, there was my friend eating his usual breakfast of bread and milk in the courtyard. I sat down with a pita and container of hummus, pulled out a Hebrew workbook from my backpack, and began to prepare for class.

It was Sunday, July 16, at about 8.30 a.m.

A few days earlier, on July 13, Hizbollah had fired a missile that hit the outskirts of Haifa for the first time ever. The mood on campus was a bit tense, especially among the overseas students – many of whom came from middle-class America and had certainly never experienced anything that resembled a war. It was certainly not what we had expected when we signed up for an ulpan at the University of Haifa, situated on top of Mt. Carmel over looking the city. Haifa, Israel's third-largest city with a metro population of around 300,000, had always been a city that had been relatively untouched by violence from Palestinian or Hizbollah militants.

At least, it was quiet until that moment, as I sat in the courtyard happily eating my pita and hummus. That's when we heard booms coming from the city below.

We had almost become accustomed to hearing the distant rumbles coming from the Israeli artillery, situated about 25 miles north of Haifa, that was frequently bombarding Hizbollah positions in southern Lebanon. It was a bit surreal, especially for an American like myself, to hear artillery in the distance. But it had also piqued the curiosity of me and some other American students, and at night we enthusiastically sat on balconies hoping to see some of the artillery shells in the distance.

But the noise we heard that morning was not like that of the artillery shells. It was much sharper and much closer.

And then, over the loudspeaker, in heavy Israeli-accented English: "All overseas students, please stay in your bomb shelters. This is not a drill. This is a real emergency."

Later we would learn that one rocket hit a busy railway depot in Haifa, killing eight people. But at that moment we were frustrated. The "bomb shelters" were hot and muggy, no more than a normal dorm room that was reinforced with steel doors and walls. It seemed futile to sit in a small, uncomfortable and eventually smelly room, especially when we decided that if a rocket did hit our dorm, the building would probably collapse on us anyway. And we also decided that it was still much more likely to hit by a car than get hit by an errant rocket fired by a bunch of fanatics.

And then the phone calls started coming in. It soon became obvious that the whole world thought Haifa was under a constant aerial attack. At least that's what CNN portrayed.

Here's one mildly frantic phone call (when he could get through, the network was totally jammed for a while after each attack) from a friend who was in Washington, D.C.:

"Mike, is everything alright? I saw Haifa on CNN! Are you guys in bomb shelters? Are they shooting at the university?"
"No, everything is fine. We're just smoking hookah and having a few beers in our dormitory."

And while everyone else in the West thought Haifa was getting pulverized to the ground, the Israelis around me were barely fazed by the attack. One cab driver asked me if I was afraid, and when I asked him whether I should be, he said no. One Israeli student at Haifa said he was going to leave – to go be with his parents in Nahariya, a city north of Haifa that has seen dozens and dozens missiles. And when I inquired with an Arab Israeli girl whether she was going to leave the university, she said the situation probably wouldn't be any safer in her Galilee village. For Israelis, I thought, the crisis seemed to be business as usual.

On that Sunday we spent a few hours in our bomb shelters, and then were told we could get out of our bomb shelters but to stay in our dorm buildings. We were annoyed that our Hebrew studies had been cancelled that day, but were hopeful that our studies would continue unabated the next day.

We soon came to realize that perhaps this crisis was not quite business as usual – one of Israel's ministers was threatening to bomb Lebanon back 20 years, while Hizbollah said they would shoot missiles at Tel Aviv. The rockets did continue to fall, and on Monday, the University of Haifa administration decided to close the university. We were told that we had 2 hours to pack all of our things and go to Jerusalem – where we would await word from the administration on whether or not they would cancel the whole program.

Some of us were obviously relieved as we boarded a coach bus to Jerusalem, others, like myself, felt like we were fleeing from Hizbollah, and didn't like it. But in the end the university made the right decision – if by chance a missile did hit the university and an overseas student was hurt or injured, it would have made it much harder for American students to study in Israel. Many U.S. institutions are just now letting their students study in Israel, and I think the administration partly did not want to jeopardize that progress.

We relocated to Hebrew University, which had dorms available for the students, and in the end we only missed four days of class, after which the University of Haifa resumed their ulpan on the Hebrew U campus at Mount Scopus.

The whole experience was mildly disorienting, surreal – and Israeli. Maybe this is what it's like to be a sabra.

From the Newsroom in Tel Aviv

2006-08-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

By Sam Heller

A middle-aged woman, a long-time resident of Haifa, observing daily life in cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, was stunned at the disparity between the vibrant Tel Aviv and deserted Haifa during the war.

Accustomed only to the recent routine of staying inside to avoid the barrage of rockets that slammed into the northern port city, she watched vivacious Israelis socialize at a mall in Tel Aviv.

I told her that only when I am in the newsroom at the Tel Aviv daily Haaretz do I get the sentiment that the country is at war.

On Sunday, July 16th, everyone in the newsroom was stunned watching on television Katyushas hammer a Haifa railroad station, killing eight. It was then when I realized, for the first time, that this was a war. Some people in the newsroom violated an unwritten journalism rule by breaking down in tears when the dead bodies hidden by white blankets were carried out on a stretcher.
In the newsroom breaking news comes in rapidly, but is delayed posting on the website because the IDF often requests that it be withheld for security reasons or, if there are deaths, until all the family members have been contacted.

The Israeli media does a very thorough job covering the current events on the northern front, but there is one major limitation: no Israeli reporters are stationed in Lebanon. Thus there are no stories and footage of what's happening in Beruit and Tyre through the Israeli media outlets; viewers have to watch international news networks such as BBC, CNN, and Sky for coverage in Lebanon.

Support for Israel in Chicago

2006-07-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

Braving a hot and humid day in downtown Chicago, 5000 people joined together at Federal Plaza on Monday to show their support for Israel. The participants of the rally waved Israeli and American flags, and held signs with slogans like: "Stop the Terror", "Peace for the Children," and "We stand with Israel." The rally was organized by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, and the group's chairwoman, Midge Perlman Shafton, emceed the event. After joining in songs supporting peace and the State of Israel, including "Am Yisrael Chai" and "Oseh Shalom Bimromav," the crowd was treated to speeches from a varied and esteemed group of politicians and leaders of the Chicago Jewish community. Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, Barukh Binah, spoke of how important the support of Americans is to Israelis at this pressing time. U.S. Representative Mark Kirk, of Illinois' 10th District, gave a rousing speech that inspired a great deal of cheering and flag-waving. He concluded by asking the crowd to join him in the personal affirmation: "Wherever I stand, I stand with Israel!" Other speakers included Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan; State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka; State Senators Jeff Schoenberg and Ira Silverstein; and the chairman of JUF's Jewish Community Relations Council, Alan Solow. All the speakers referred to the special reationship between Israel and the U.S.A., and praised those at the rally for turning out to show their support, despite the brutal weather. In return, the crowd, which grew over the hour-long rally to almost completely fill the plaza, responded to every speaker with deafening cries of approval and applause. The rally concluded with a group reprisal of the songs sung at the rally's opening.

A small counter-rally took place across the street. Holding signs bearing the slogans “Gaza is Still Occupied,” “Free Palestine,” and the like, and chanting “Zionism is racism,” the group attempted to drown out the rally’s speakers. But the speakers would not be interrupted, and the spirit of the rally’s crowd would not be dampened. As the rally broke up, some of its participants engaged in shouting matches with their counterparts across the street. The Chicago Police Department did an admirable job of keeping the peace, though, and no violent confrontations materialized.

As an individual who rarely attends politically-charged events such as rallies and demonstrations, I was unsure of what to expect at the rally. Especially considering that it was a Monday afternoon, I certainly did not expect the crowd to be so large. But it was the energy of the crowd that amazed me the most. It was a diverse group of people, even in appearance – I can only imagine how politically and religiously varied it was. But, as Representative Kirk pointed out, partisanship takes a backseat at a time like this. On this day, while residents of Haifa and other northern Israeli cities endured rocket attacks and three IDF soldiers remained hostages of Israel’s enemies, 5,000 people from many different backgrounds came together in the sweltering heat and spoke with one voice – a voice that said, “We stand with Israel.” It was a voice that I was proud to contribute to.

A Day of Israeli Cinema in Chicago

2005-11-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

Shmuel had lost his Israeli friend in a German airport. A kind German airport employee makes an announcement over the intercom. But Shmuel’s friend, Siso, only speaks Hebrew. So Shmuel grabs the microphone from the startled employee and starts screaming Hebrew throughout the airport.

It seemed like a microcosmic example of Israeli cultural bravado, I thought as I sat in Highland Park Theater and watched a screening of Metallic Blues at a mini version of the Israeli Film Festival on Sunday, Nov. 20. It was hard to imagine an American doing that!

The festival, an all-day affair, featured screenings of seven Israeli films. Sitting in the theater waiting for the movie start, I think I heard more people talking in Hebrew than in English.

I saw Metallic Blues, a movie about two Israeli auto mechanics who buy a metallic blue, limited edition 1985 Lincoln Town Car limousine for a cheap 5,000 euros from a Palestinian who is in desperate need of cash. Upon learning that a similar car could sell for up to 50,000 in Europe, the two decide to go to Germany to try make their fortune.

Obviously, things go wrong. But it was interesting to watch Shmuel cope with being in Germany, the country responsible for the Shoah. He initially daydreams about moving to Germany with his family, where he could live with all the comforts of a booming Western economy and forget the daily violence back in Israel. Yet his initial optimism is slowly tempered as he begins hallucinating about the Germany his parents fled 60 years ago. By the end of the film, Shmuel appears to realize that Jews only have one homeland: Israel.

Aside from a humorous plot line, the film provided other insights into Israeli culture. While the characters are in Germany, there is a pigua – Hebrew for suicide bombing – in Israel. It was interesting to watch the characters frantically call home to make sure their families were all right, a routine that I knew must have become chillingly familiar for Israelis during the worst months of the Second Intifadah.

All in all, I’d say the movie was more funny than serious. And there were times during the film when the audience started bawling for apparently no reason. There must have been some inside Israeli jokes.

Next time, I’ll have to brush up on my Israeli humor before the show.

Israel Advocacy in Madison

2005-11-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

Shotei Ha Nevuha in concert.

I knew it was going to be a good show as soon as the eight members of Shotei Ha Nevuha, dressed in garb ranging from trendy pink button-down shirts to flowing white robes and kaffiyehs, sauntered on stage at Madison’s Club Majestic.

I was listening to the Middle Eastern reggae-funk of one of Israel’s most popular bands. I was at one of the biggest party schools in the country. And I was surrounded by hundreds of Jewish students from college campuses across the Midwest.

No, I thought, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

The concert was just one attraction of Finding Common Ground: Supporting Israel in a Time of Transition, the Israel advocacy conference that had brought my Jewish comrades and I to Madison.

The weekend affair, which ran from Friday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005, drew participants by combining scintillating speakers and discussion panels about Israeli politics with the mystical allure that Madison has for fun-seeking college students everywhere. It was all for only $25, or $60 if you wanted to stay in a hotel for the two nights.

Learn about Israel by day, party by night. Who could say no?

Yet perhaps the most interesting thing for me, a junior at Northwestern University who has only been tangibly involved in Israel campus advocacy events like this, was meeting up with people I hadn’t seen in years.

It happened as soon as I sat down for dinner Friday night at Madison’s Hillel.

“Were you in BBYO?”

And then again, as we trickled out of Club Majestic.

“My long-lost Schechter friend!”

But Madison provided me with a frustrating quandary. Still under 21, I had to hunt for parties outside the bars. So, the adventure began.

“Do you know if anything is happening tonight?” I asked a group of girls who were milling around Club Majestic.

“Well,” one of them said haltingly, “my friend is having a dance party…”

I took the hint.

“But some random guy who you just met on the street isn’t really invited.”

“I mean, I guess you could come…”

Eventually, I went with some people attending the conference to a birthday party. It was for one of their Jewish friends who went to Madison. At some points, my conference buddies left, and I stuck around.

At some point, somebody asked me: “So Mike, who do you know here?”

“Well, nobody right now…”

But it was okay. We shared a common bond: We were all Jews.

Social life aside, the conference did offer some interesting viewpoints about the most recent developments in Israel. The keynote speaker was Yossi Klein Halevi, a writer for the New Republic and columnist for the Jerusalem Post.

Ten years after Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist as a result of Rabin’s peace overtures, Halevi spoke about the relationship between Disengagement and Rabin’s policies.

The past three decades have witnessed the death of two utopian dreams – on both the Israeli left and right, Halevi said. The failure of Oslo, especially after Camp David and the second intifadah, saw the end of the leftist utopia – a full and equal peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world. But the Disengagement also shows that the Israeli right has recognized that Israel cannot rule over a fast-growing Palestinian population indefinitely if the country wants to maintain its Jewish majority. It is the end of the dream of Greater Israel.

The Israeli public has sobered up, Halevi said, and has moved to the center. Israelis are ready to make painful territorial concessions, but only to a Palestinian Authority free of terrorism. In the meantime, Halevi said, unilateralism has won the day.

Azanu Mekunen, an Ethiopian immigrant to Israel, also spoke about her experiences traveling from Africa to the Holy Land. In addition, there were also mini-presentations about spreading pro-Israel message on campuses, Israel’s relationship with the U.N., Muslim-Jewish dialogue on campus, and more.

Not bad for 25 bucks.