Security Fence, the West Bank, and a Divided Jerusalem

Shalom Lekulam,

This past Thursday, we had a seminar day on the topics of the security fence (also known as the Security wall, the Security barrier, and the Apartheid Wall), the West Bank, and Jerusalem (also refered to as East Jerusalem, occupied territory).

The day started off with a preface on what happened during the War of Independence (1948 War) and the concept of the 'Green Line.' For those who don't know - the GL is called that because when the Jordanian and Israeli officials were drawing the armistice line, one of them took out a green pen and used that to draw the lines. It is NOT a border and when it was drawn, the map was on a 1x20,000 scale map. What this means is that everything from the ridiculous map scale, the width of the pen, to the hurried negotiations, all caused problems on the ground.

To get a feel for this, we took a short walking tour into the neighborhood of Abu Tor. Abu Tor was a spot in which both Jews and Arabs lived in peace. During the 1948 war, the GL ended up going directly through the neighorhood. Josh (our guide) explained how outrageous the situation was. Jordan and IL both agreed that their respective territories on the GL could not be changed/added to. Therefore, if anyone wanted to build something or change something on their property, the other side would file a complaint with the UN and go up in arms over it. Now, the neighborhood continues to be a mixed area with both Jews and Arabs and it is actually quite a beautiful spot.

After this, we hopped on a (bullet-proof) bus and took a drive over to a restaurant called 'Mount Everest', which is close to Bethlehem. As Bethlehem is 'Area A' (which means it is COMPLETELY under the jurisdiction of the PA and nobody with Israeli citizenship is allowed inside), we had to be at a safe place within Israeli jurisdiction. Here, we met with a man by the name of Sami Awad. Sami is a Palestinian Christian who started an organization called 'Holy Land Trust.' (http://www.holylandtrust.org) HLT who'se aim is to create a new Palestinian strategy - that of non-violence. The org. does this in 2 ways: by incouraging Palestinian civil disobedience and training Palestinians on the concepts of non-violence through leadership programs, seminars, etc.

It's actually a really great thing which he is doing, and much needed (in my opinion). Interestingly, Sami had 20 Hamas officials go through his non-violence course (though they still returned to Hamas afterwards). While he very clearly used the words 'occupation' and 'wall', he openly stated that he does not think that the Palestinians have strong leadership and he is not sure of the PA's motives behind the recent shift towards non-violence. I asked Sami if him being a Christian (rather than a Muslim) makes a difference in his success. He said that since the Palestinian Christian population is slightly over 1%, this kind of movement clearly has to come from the Muslims. However, something is better than nothing and it's going to be a long and painful process. In any case, it was an interesting meeting though not overwhelmingly hopefuly (unfortunately).

Following this, we went to a lookout point (called the 'Tayellet') where you can see all of Jerusalem. Here we did a little activity: We split up into 4 groups, and each group was given a different proposal for splitting Jerusalem: the Benny Elon plan, 2000 Camp David proposal, Abu Mazen + Beilin plan, and the Geneva proposal. After reading the different proposals, each group was given a laminated map of Jerusalem and had to draw the suggested borders according to the respective plan (ironically- we were given green pens). It's simple enough - just draw a line between the (predominantly) Jewish neighborhoods and the (predominantly) Arab neighborhoods. Each will have his own space and that way, everyone will stop squabilling over what belongs to who. Right?....... WRONG! What do you do about the Old City? Some of the plans call for a partition of the Old City, with the Armenian + Jewish quarter belonging to Israel and Arab + Christian quarter belonging to the Arabs. But if you've been to the old city, and walked through the labrynth of alleyways - it's completely ludicrious! And the temple mount? Does the Western Wall fall under Arab jurisdiction? Would Jews be able to pray there without having stones thrown on them from atop? What about the Mount of Olives? That would technically be under Arab control due to its location, but when the Arabs previously had control over the mount, they defaced the graves and used the stones to pave the streets!
What I'm trying to get at here, is that it's very easy to sit in a room with a map, and start draw borders. But when you live in this city, and feel the small distances, the spilling of one neighborhood into another, and add to the mix the landmarks and holy sites - the clear and obvious answer is that partition is out of the question. Firstly, security would be absolutely untenable. There's just no way that anyone would be safe. But even if you put that aside, you can't talk partition until you, yourself, walk from the Moshava Germanit to Abu Tor. Or from the City of David to the Western Wall. I am absolutely convinced that it would NEVER work. Don't believe me? Then come live here and see for yourself.

The last part of the day was a meeting with (one of the heads - I can't remember his title right now) of the Civil Administration (CA) of the West Bank. This was incredibly interesting because we finally got to hear a lot of information which you never find in the press, and unfortunately (and for no good reason), the CA hasn't yet developed an effective system of putting out vital information to the public in regards to its activities. In fact, most people don't even know that the CA exists or what they do. Basically, they work as a mediator/leason between the Palestinians/PA and the IL government. I'm not going to go into detail about what the CA does. Instead, I'm just going to give you some interesting facts that I learned after that meeting. I took notes during the presentation, so these things/figures are directly from the horses mouth.

Did you know that...

*Israel's biggest trade partner is the West Bank.

*Palestinian exports have more than quadrupled.

*Palestinians get more than $2 BILLION in aid every year from the US. Notice I didn't say 'earmarked' - but literally receive. The money doesn't pass through Israel - it goes directly to the P.A.
This is the most amount per capita of aid provided to a group out of anyone else in the world.

*The WB GDP growth rate is 7% per year! Inflation is down by 15% Just to put that in perspective, IL's growth rate in 2009 was about 0.5%. The US was -2.4% in 2009.

*Israel has removed more than 50% of the checkpoints in the West Bank. Only 14 checkpoints remain in the WB. These checkpoints do not stop every car. A car is only stopped if the IL army has specific and relevant information which can affect security.

*More water is available in the WB than in the capitals of Jordan and Syria combined. 90% of WB Palestinians are connected to the H20 grid.

*The World Bank recently completed a huge $10 million dollar solid waste management center in the WB. This center will be good for 20 years. The World Bank has announced that of all of its environmental projects around the world, the WB has been the most successful.

*Lastly, there has been a bit of an uproar about the recent 'deportation law' which IL has amended. People have been freaking out thinking that IL is now going to deport any and every Palestinian they can get their hands on, as a way of depopulating the WB. I a couple of articles about this and couldn't understand for the life of me what the hell was going on. I knew that there was no way IL was actually going to be carrying out mass deportations or anything close to that, as the papers were saying. Here is the truth guys - from the head of the CA:
IL has had a law which allowed it to deport people who entered the WB illegally (such as from Jordan). This process used to be completely under the jurisdiction of the army and under their discretion. The new amendment to the law now states that anyone who faces possible deportation is granted the full israel judicial process - with a judge and a hearing. This actually makes it harder to deport someone, rather than easier, as they can plead their case and the army can no longer make the decision on its own. Now here's the kicker ---- guess how many people the IL army deported in the past year, before the amendment to the law ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ONE!!!!!! ONE PERSON!!!!!!!!!! 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty incredible right!??! The problem with all of this - is that the CA (and the IL government in general) - aern't putting this information out there. Not for the press or the public - which is INCREDIBLY stupid of them. They should have a bi-weekly, or even monthly, update on all of the stuff that's going on over there. The projects, the dismantling of checkpoints/roadblocks, the strengthening of PA security forces, the economic statistics - etc!! It's unbelievable that this isn't already in place. But, as much as i hate to say it, that's the IL government for you - one step behind the game (especially when it comes to disseminating info and PR).


Now, judging from the tiny amount of info I gave you, sounds like things are on the up and up in the WB. And the truth is - they are. But don't think that I'm some naive Zionist, under the illusion that the WB is the next Dubai or something. Obviously, there are still problems, the PA isn't perfect, and neither is the CA or IL government. But it's not an apartheid situation, it's not a rotting hell-hole, and I can promise you - that the IL soldiers and civilians working for the CA have no interest in inentionally making the Palestinian's lives as miserable as possible. But like everything else in this country, things are just INCREDIBLY complicated..... incredibly.

Yom Hashoah

So last night marked the beginning of Yom HaShoah = Holocaust rememberance day. As IGF'ers, we were lucky enough to get tickets to the national ceremony which takes places every year at Yad Vashem (the national holocaust museum). First the president gave a speech, then the prime minister. Both speeches were good and both talked about the Iranian threat and Ahmadinejad's incitement to genocide. Then some songs were performed and a poem/letter was read. The most touching part of the ceremony was the lighting of the 6 torches in memory of the 6 million Jews who were murdered. Each torch was lit by a survivor and before they lit the torch, a 2 minute video was played, telling their individual stories. it was incredibly moving and touching.



Today they had the siren. This happens every year, where a sirens go off across the entire country at the same time. EVERYBODY and EVERYTHING comes to a complete stop. Cars, people, offices, buses - EVERYTHING. People stop what they are doing and stand in silence. I was at work during the siren and went out on the balcony with my camera just so that I could see what it really looked like. The only word that I can think of to describe this experience - is haunting. it's absolutely haunting. it's like someone just pressed the pause button. all you can hear is this loud and painful siren - ringing in your head, your heart, and all around you. it feels like its never going to end and while you're standing there, you just feel this pit in your stomach. i'm thinking - 6 million people. the gas chambers. the shootings. the mass graves. how lucky i am to be alive. how amazing it is that there is a Jewish state to protect Jews from such a thing ever happening again.


And all of a sudden, the siren stops, people get back in their cars, pedestrians continue on their way, and everybody sits back at their desks to continue with their work. It's TOTALLY surreal!! I stood there for a bit and to be honest - i was kind of pissed. that's it? 6 million people, 1.5 million children were slaughtered - and that's all you're going to give them? just 1 lousy minute of standing still? how can you just continue with the day so non-challantly? and you need a siren to remind you? don't those 6 million deserve better?!?!


(here is a link to a youtube video just to give you a feel for what it looks like. if you can - watch most of the video. it's really astonishing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_7RRBH1jgs)

I told my dad this and he said that that's only one way to look at it - and he's absolutely right. I have to remind myself that we HAVE to continue with our lives, otherwise those people died for nothing. Yes, it was a HUGE price to pay, but now there IS a Jewish state which will never allow anything like that to happen again. Many died, but enough lived, rebuilt their families and continue telling their stories. it's all so hard to understand really. in some ways, that simple siren was more effective then any speech or picture. In any case - both days were a really incredible experience and I'm really glad I got to be part of it in Israel.

*whew*

On a lighter note - mom left last night. (I guess that isn't really good news either, but at least it's a change of subject hehe). We had a really great time together. Went to the Dead Sea (twice!), visited family, spent a bit of time in Tel Aviv, and got to enjoy each others company. (Mom's probably going to think i'm just trying to be nice in the blog, but really - it was a treat and I know i'm incredibly lucky to have had that opportunity). Not to mention the fact that I got TOTALLY spoiled with groceries!!! yummm. I don't really have too many pictures but i'll see if mom can maybe send me a couple. we have some great ones from the dead sea where we're both all covered in mud. heehee. it was really cute teaching her how to 'swim' there. ;-)

Anymoo - that's i'll i've got for now. Thursday should be an interested day: east jerusalem and the security fence! I'm sure i'll have plenty to write about and pictures to post.

Till next time <3




*~* Never Forget *~* Never Again *~*

My First Wedding (EVER) and the Jerusalem 10k

Shalom Lekulam!

Look at me getting back into the bloggosphere! ;-) I promise this isn't going to be a novel of a post like the last one was. Just wanted to mention to fun little events that happened last week.

The first (if you haven't already gathered from the title of this entry), is that I went to a wedding....for the first time in my life! My Hebrew teacher invited me to her wedding (which was incredibly nice of her, considering that i've only known her for 2 months at most). My friends Shaul and Shaike (who introduced me to Meirav) took me to the wedding. I got to dress up, and I even managed to find sleeves which matched perfectly with my dress! (Sleeves because I needed to be kosher).

It was sooo beautiful and a lot of fun. A traditional Jewish wedding is so different from the american weddings you see in the movies. No bridesmaids/groomsmen, no walking down the isle. There were a couple hundred people there...which is SMALL by Israeli standards! The newlyweds don't eat at a table overlooking the entire hall of guests. Instead, they come out for the dancing and then go from table to table, greeting all the guests, getting blessings, and thanking everybody! (It's actually a lot of work!) Meirav looked absolutely stunning in the dress and all in all it was a great time!





Two days later - I ran the Jerusalem 10k! (There was also a half-marathon, but I am nowhere near being able to run that much. Maybe in my next life.) Though it drizzled a bit in the mornining, it turned out to be a beautiful day. I knew 3 other people running the half-marathon, and I got to see everyone, cheer them on, and get amped up for my own run. This run was a bit different from Tel Aviv for a number of reasons. Firstly - it's all hills here! SWhile there are plenty of flat roads in T.A. - Jerusalem has maybe...1...at best! ahha. Secondly, the route itself wasn't as exciting (maybe because I know the neighborhood?) But also, the paths we were running on were very narrow at times which is kind of scary - people are shoving, swerving around runners, and slowing down a lot.



In the end, it was still fun. I finished in 1 hour 2 min and 46 seconds! Tamar and Paul (Director and sub-director of IGF) were at the finish line and gave me a chocolate medal! (The best kind there is!! ;-) So it was good.

The only bad news is that I found out that I'm semi-flatfooted. This explains why my knees and hips hurt so much when I run! The only thing that can really be done about this, is to go to a pediatrist to get special insoles made. Great - now I have to be self-conscious about my feet?!?! just kidding. It's not a big deal, but I haven't been running since. Not because I'm lazy (though i am), but simply because it hurts! So we'll see what happens with that. Maybe I'll just keep doing 10k's - afterall, you get a free shirts and people think you're fit!!! haha.

In other news, mom is coming to visit me in 6 days!!!! weeeeeee!! so stay tuned - i'm sure I'll have plenty of stories :)

*~* Shabbat Shalom *~*
בלה

Tiyul to the Negev and Sderot

Remeber how I said that I finally have some interesting stuff to write about now? Well, that's because we took a trip to the Negev and the city of Sderot. The general theme of the trip was learning about the periphery of Israel and the different issues which accompany this region of the country. For those who are not familiar, the Negev is the name of the desert region in the south(in hebrew it means 'dry'), which comprises more than half of the land in Israel. It's incredibly beautiful, hot as hell, in desperate need of water, and lacking in development (for the reasons just mentioned).

We started off with a visit to Ben Gurion University and met with the President of the university. That was nice. Then we visited a unique industrial park which was founded by Stef Wertheimer. (You can read about him and his industrial park model here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stef_Wertheimer#Industrial_parks).
Afterwards, we went to the Abu Basma Regional Council. This is basically an organization/body which is trying to deal with the issue of the Beduins in the South. Before this trip, I really didn't know anything at all about the Beduins of Israel (except that they have camels and very delicious tea). Historically, the beduins were a nomadic people of the region. They are not 'Palestinian', nor are they exactly Muslim (that is, they have their own unique traditions which are not necessarily based on the sharia). There are actually 2 sectors of Beduins in Israel -the ones in the North and the ones in the South. The northern beduins are much more assimilated, less severe in their traditions, and more integrated with modern society. The beduins of the south, however, are much more traditionalist and have not really accepted modernity. Many beduins are invovled in crime, such as theft (EXTREMELY prevalent), drug trafficking, human trafficking, and violence. They accept money from the state but do not really recognize Israel. There is much you can write about this whole situation, so to make a long story short - the Beduins of the south are a serious problem which nobody wants to touch with a 10 foot pole! (seriously). Anymoo - so we visited this organization which is trying to somehow deal with this whole situation.
Continuing with our Beduin theme, we visited a beduin town called Likia. Here, we met with a Beduin woman who is spearheading an organization which is trying to bring about some form of rights (nevermind equality) to beduin women. [As I mentioned, the southern beduins are very traditional. This means that their society is extremely male-dominated. For example, women cannot go anywhere without their husband (or a male family member), they do not work, typically end their schooling after the 8th grade, and have restrictions on who they can marry. A man, on the other hand, can have up to 4 wives.]

So this woman (who'se name I don't remember, sorry), has started several projects. She put together a library, works with the local female community in terms of education, and has provided employment opportunities for women through the craft of embroidery. Traditional embroidery has been a part of the beduin culture, and now these women sell their crafts while getting their message out. She told us a story of how she wanted to take a group of women to the sea - without any male accompaniment. She got a phonecall threatening to burn her house down if she went through with the trip. She decided to go afterall, and her house was indeed burnt down. This just goes to show what this organization is up against. Clearly, bringing about change is no easy task. That's it for day one. (This is me with a cup of Beduin tea -- yummmm!)
The next morning we wake up at 5:30am (that's right - BEFORE dawn) and go for a hike in the Negev. It was absolutely beautiful! And the most amazing part - was that it was GREEN!!! There were dunes covered in yellow and purple flowers, and we got to spend some time sitting on our own little sand hill and enjoy the silence of the desert. Well worth the lack of sleep!




After a nap and lunch, we went over to Ben Gurion's tomb and house. Ben Gurion had a great love and intimate connection with the Negev. He had a lot of things to say about it (which I won't go into - but its very interesting and there is much written about the topic). BG's tomb (and his wife's) are incredibly modest and are on a point which overlooks the Negev. In his will, Ben Gurion requested that his house be preserved as is and become a museum. Walking through the rooms tells much of his personality and passions. He knew 9 languages, would stand on his head every day as part of his health regiment(no joke), was fascinated with Buddhism (spent 3 days in a Buddhist monestary living with the monks), slept no more than 3-4 hours per night (he thought sleeping was a waste of time, and perhaps most importantly - deeply deeply loved Israel! Really a fascinating character.


This was followed by a visit to a 'student village'. Basically, a couple of guys -after finishing the army - decided to initiate this housing project where students can live in wonderful apartments, pay very low rent, and get help with tuition - but in return, must volunteer 10 hours per week in the community and help work the land which this student village is situated on. After studying, the government offers to help subsidize mortgages for people who buy homes in the Negev. The idea is to slowly populate the Negev. By having people contribute to the community as well as invest a part of themselves in the land, they (hopefully) develop a connection to the Negev. So far it has been very successful and is very well organized. I mention this in the blog because it's truly remarkable how much spirit, passion, and dedication these people really have. It's like Zionism of the 21st century! I personally couldn't live there, but it was incredibly inspiring to see something built out of nothing. Not just physical houses but a legitimate and significant movement in its budding stages.
The last day was the most emotional. We got to Sderot and met this guy named Jacob Shrybman, who works for the Sderot Media Center (http://sderotmedia.org.il/). This organization is basically trying to let the world and israel know what people have actually been dealing with for the past 9 years in Sderot. Over 12,000 rockets have fallen on the city! Government has only recently been subsidizing the building of bomb shelters for residents. People can't leave because the value of property in Sderot has dropped by over 50% (I mean think about it... who the hell would want to buy a house that is most likely going to get hit by a rocket anyways?!). So most people are stuck. A generation of children has been growing up in this horrendous environment. There is a bomb shelter every 15 seconds, because that's how much time you have before the rocket hits. Now think about the implications of this.... How do you hear the alarm if you are in the shower? how do you go to the bathroom? how can you go grocery shopping? what if you sleep through the alarm at night? (that's redundant because nobody there has really slept in 9 years). How do you let your kids go play or go to school? The most fundamental aspects of life are completely mutilated because at any momment, a rocket could be launched and all you have is 15 seconds to pray that it doesn't hit you! I really can't imagine a situation any more fucked up than this. It's ABSOLUTELY disgusting and unbelievable.

**some of the many Kassam rockets**

**bus stop**

**That long catapillar is actually a bomb shelter for children to run into**


We also went onto a lookout point from which you can see northern Gaza. Unfortunately it was a bit foggier than usual (normally you can see the cars driving and everything). Never the less, it is RIDICULOUS how close Gaza is to Sderot. 2 miles!!! Can you imagine living 2 miles away from a place which is shooting rockets at you?!?! It was totally sureal to see it. Jacob pointed out the high-rise buildings which Arafat constructed from international aid money. You could see the power-plant in Ashkelon (which provides 70% of the electricity to Gaza) that was also rocketed. It's extremely difficult to understand the proximity of all these things until you see it with your own eyes. It's just unbelievable. Scary.



Our last stop on the trip was a meeting with a woman by the name of Rachel Saperstein. She and her family were evacuated (or as she says, expelled) out of their home in Gush Katif (Gaza) during the 2005 disengagement. Her husband lost his right arm in the Yom Kipur war. Her oldest daughter was on a bus which was blown up by a suicide bomber (luckily she survived). And then her husband lost several fingers on his left hand and was shot in the leg after a palestinian shot up his car in Gush Katif. Then the government pulled her out of her house and stuck her and her husband in a hotel room for 9 months. Now she is living in a special settlement specially designated for ex-Gush Katif residents. One of the guys in our group asked her if she feels like a refugee and she said yes. She's pissed, has lost much faith and trust in the government, and is not too optimistic about reconciling with the Palestinians. I asked her if she would have felt differently about the situation if peace would have resulted from the pull-out. She said: "It didn't. there is no peace. and that's the only thing that counts. don't be naieve - they want to kill us." Just like everything else we experienced on this trip, there is much to say about the situation and not enough room (or energy) to do so. The point is though, that regardless of how you may feel about the government's decision to evacuate Gaza, it is undeniable that this ruined family and severly damaged the spirit of these people.

So that was my trip in a nut-shell! I'm hoping to do a lot more traveling, now that the weather is turning up.
Hope I didn't exhaust you all with this long entry.
Will be writing you soon about my first experience at a wedding and running the Jerusalem 10k race! weeeeee :-D

All the best to everyone!!!
<3

Back from the Blogging Hiatus

Hello Hello to everyone!
Long time no blog! Hope you are all doing well. I haven’t written in some time, not because I completely forgot about the blog (on the contrary - I kept telling myself that *this* Shabbat I’ll write an entry) – but somehow I just never felt like I had anything significant to write. It’s not that my life is boring here, it’s just that I’ve finally settled down a bit. It took about 5 months or so, but I’ve got a little routine going. I work full time, have started running again (am running a 10k race in 6 days), am taking Hebrew lessons twice a week, going to our weekly seminars, and trying to have fun here and there when I can. It isn’t that exciting, but it’s funny how you really do acclimate to your surroundings after some time. I can get around town, am understanding just a *tad* bit more Hebrew, know a couple good spots to eat, and have even cooked Shabbat lunch.
I deal with problems when they come, know where to get cheap groceries, and officially can’t eat a meal without hummus.

It doesn’t seem like much, but I distinctly remember saying out loud how I can’t imagine ever feeling settled in any way. And here I am, 6 months later, sustaining an independent life in Israel. Pretty wild! Given the extremely minimal hardships which I’ve encountered while being here, I can’t help but think how unbelievably difficult it must have been for my parents to immigrate. It’s terrifying to come to a completely foreign place and have to build your life from scratch (never mind having children to feed and a family to somehow maintain and support). If my experience bears even the slightest resemblance to what they went through, I simply don’t have any words sufficient enough to describe my amazement and gratitude for everything that they went through. Makes me think twice when I want to complain about lack of friends or American comforts.

However, there is a price to pay for finally reaching a state of equilibrium and comfort in this environment. Because I have a daily routine and am keeping busy with day–to-day activities, I feel like I’m a bit out of synch with Israel. I used to be acutely aware of the fact that I was in Jerusalem – the holiest city there in the world. I felt the magic in the air and smiled when I would see someone praying on the bus – because that’s normal here. Jaffa oranges were that much better because they are grown in Eretz Israel. And going to a club and seeing guys in kippas dance was somewhat of a small miracle to me! These days, it’s not that I’m less aware of these things, or don’t think they are special – I just have to remind myself – and that’s really upsetting to me. I don’t ever want to take this country for granted, and I’m scared that that might be a natural side-effect of spending so much time here.
But don’t worry dear reader(s) - I do have new and legitimate adventures to write about, with pictures and everything. But I guess I just wanted to provide a little background as to what my life has been like in general. So no complaints. Hakol Beseder 

Lots of Love from Jerusalem
בלה

שלום

Shalom lekulam!

Hope everyone is doing well. Almost the end of January 2010! Unbelievable how quickly time passes no? I haven't written for a while because not a whole lot has been going on. Still working at MEMRI and am really enjoying it. Most of my time is split between two things: doing transcripts/clips in English with MEMRI-TV and researching Jihad in the Caucasus (for the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor).

For those of you who are not so familiar with the Caucus region (I sure as hell wasn't before MEMRI) - it is comprised of a various republics which are technically part of Russia and are not independent (i.e. Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Ossetia, and so on). Sounds crazy? that's because it is! Most people have never really heard of these places, much less considered that there are Muslims there, or even radical Islam and terrorism! It's a total mess over in that part of the world, there is not a whole lot of scholarly writting about it --- and it's MY job to figure out what the hell is going on! Along with researching the historical context of the situation, I am also reading daily the Caucus-Jihadi websites (in Russian) and trying to figure out if there is any relevent/interesting information that MEMRI might be helpful to MEMRI. I never thought my my Russian skills would be put to such use ahha! But it's great, I am learning a lot, and it is pretty interesting (as long as you're a safe distance away) ;-)

I have also decided to move out of my apartment and move in with my friend Karen and her two flatmates. Despite giving up a wonderful apartment, having to share a room, living in a smaller space, and moving (which is always a pain in the ass) - I really think it's going to make me happier and (hopefully) bring my experience full circle. I love my flat, but the honest truth is that it's not my home , it's just a place where I sleep. I still feel pretty isolated and lonely at the end of the day. It's just not worth it for me to be paying so much and not feeling fulfilled. So, instead I'll be living with 3 really great girls, who will be speaking Hebrew, and are sweet and caring. if worst comes to worst - it's only for 4 months. I'll survive :)

In other news - I've kind of started running again. It's time for my fat lazy ass to make an attempt at getting into (some kind of) shape. Probably not the best time to be doing so, seeing as how its FREEZING here right now! There were serious thunder/lightning storms for a couple of days too. But I'm trying to make it out as long as there isn't any rain. brrrr

Oh, and one other thing - I'm starting private Hebrew lessons!!! YAY! I know it sounds really lame and ridiculous that I haven't really learned any hebrew - but jerusalem really isn't the 'all immersion' environment you would expect. everyone speaks english, many speak russian, and meeting israeli's isn't as easy as one would think. (that is - getting hit on/picked up on isn't a problem - it's actually making israeli friends that's a bit more challenging) haha oi! so hopefully these lessons will help me develop my Hebrew. better late than never right?! ;-)

that's really the most of it folks. nothing too exciting. don't have any adventures to really write about - it's simply been too cold to do anything extremely interesting! hopefully that will change soon

Lots of Love!
<3

Who Knew Anti-Semitism Could be so Fun!?!

Hello All!

Just wanted to give you a quick update on what I am doing, that I am at working at MEMRI. I get into the office about 8:30am and leave around 5 or 5:30pm. The people here are so sweet, constantly bringing in food and pasteries (I am going to gain so much weight), and there is plenty of work for me to do! Also, every day, Yigal gives me some kind of article or political analysis to read. How cool right?

Okay, so as far as my what I actually spend my time doing (aside from stuffing my face with bureka's and croissants). I am compiling a huge list of contact information of all the influental newspapers, media outlets, professors, private orgs, and military personal - IN RUSSIA! Yes, it's a massive job, but the good thing about is, is that I am doing a lot of reading in Russian. This is in the office which handles the Arab press.

In addition, I am splitting my time with the office (across the street) which handles Arab television (http://www.memritv.org/). Though I am not doing direct translations (since I don't speak Arabic or Farsi), I am writing all of the transcripts which accompany each video. Also, some videos are all in English. In these cases, I transcribe the clips AND insert all of the subtitles using this special software.

May I just point out, that when you watch one of these 2 minute clips, you can't help but be stunned by the speakers and horrifyed by the messages. But what you *don't* think about, is how much time and work it takes to actually translate, transcribe, and insert subtitles for these little clips. It is SOOOO MUCH WORK!!! Seriously!!! A 10 minute clip can easily take about 3 hours to complete!!!! It's really incredible. I can't tell you how much my appreciate for this organization has grown, that I understand the work people are doing here. wow!

Many people ask, including myself, how you can watch these videos - day in and day out, over and over again. People talking about the slaughter of Jews, the glory of martyrdom, the evilness of America and the West. It's astounding and incredibly disturbing. I'll admit that the first time I transcribed one of these clips, I couldn't believe that my own fingers were typing these terrible things. It's a legitimate feeling. But the truth is - you get over it, treat the words and words, and even laugh off some of the more ridiculous statements crazy people make. There are people here who have been dealing with this for years, and have just learned to dissasociate themselves. Pretty nuts though.

Anymmoo - that's about it for now. I actually have to run. I am going to be working with Proffessor Menahem (who gave us the lecture on our first visit to MEMRI) - and then we (IGF) have a lecture with Prof. Irwin Cotler (who is AMAZING!).

Hope everyone's week is going well!
:) בלה