Shalom Anashim-
Somehow this week started out long and has ended so quickly. In terms of IGF - we had a very interesting seminar yesterday. It was a panel of three people:
1. Rabbi Gideon Sylvester
2. Mr. Nir Boms
3. Mr. Muhammad Darawshe
The topic of discussion was 'the declaration of israel's independence'. The format of the lecture was that each speaker took their turn presenting their views/analysis of israel's declaration of independence. The idea was that each speaker brought a slightly different perspective (one being a rabbi, the other secular, and the third being an Israeli-Arab). I'm not sure if this was the intention or not, but basically what happened was that (primarily) Mr. Nir and Mr. Muhammad focused on the segment of the declaration which speaks of Israel providing equal rights to everbody (Jewish or not) and how Israel was not living up to it's stated promises and aspirations as a model state of morality. While there were many things which were said (and I'm honestly not sure of what I can/cannot write out in this blog) - the point they were making is that while Israel has done much in terms of batteling discrimination, it still has a long way to go. Everybody kept harping on how Israel does not meet its standards, ect - but when I asked why Israel is the only party being held to such standards - I didn't get an answer. They just agreed that 'yes the other side has a responsibility as well - but that does not preclude IL from its responsibilities'. hmmmm....
It was interesting and frustrating. sometimes i just want to scream "WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!?!?! WHY CAN'T IL JUST BE MET HALF WAY FOR ONCE?!?!" It's hard. I have no doubt that discrimination, racism, and distrust is present withing Israeli society. As much as I wish that was not the case - we are all human after all. As a Jew, it's a very hard debate to have with oneself. On the one hand - our Jewish values are what set us apart and make us the nation that we are. We insists on dropping leaflets, sending mass text messages and calling people's cell phones before a military operation. Yet, it is also our value system which insists on extreme self-criticism. No doubt the line between reasonable and excessive self-demands is not easy to draw. There is ALWAYS room to be better, but when do you say "enough - we ARE doing the best we can!". Clearly this puts IL between a rock and a hard place. Like i said - interesting stuff.
Aside from all of the political stuff - I'm having a pretty relaxed and mellow weekend (for once). Thursday night I met up with a friend and went to my first Israeli bar/dance club called 'tsatsua' (which means toy in hebrew). great spot to just go, dance your ass off like an idiot, and have a good time. for sure going back there!
Yesterday, consisted of going for a run, studying some Hebrew, and celebrating shabbat and Simkhat Torah. Went over to Avi's for dinner (the guy that took me to the natural spring) and met a bunch of people. Actually, one of the people that was there was this guy who is apparently 'one of the most eligible bachelors of IL'. hahah. There was an article written about him with his picture, and when I saw it and asked about it, Avi and Fievel told me that he is actually coming over for dinner since he is a good friend of theirs! haha - i just find it so funny that things kinds of things are so normal here. i guess at the end of the day - it really is such a small community!
As for my marathon training, i am actually running! In fact, I will actually be running in a 10k race on October 24 called 'The Human Race'. It is sponsored by Nike and the idea is that people from all around the world will start this race at exactly the same momment (though not the same time). http://nikerunning.co.il/humanrace/index.asp. In Israel, the race is taking place in Tel Aviv and is also being called the "night run". Noah wrote out a training schedule for me, so here it is:
Oct 8: 1.5 miles
Oct 9: 2 mile
Oct 10: 1 mile
Oct 11: Core work out/Cross training (situps, pushups, ect)
Oct 12: 2.5 mile
Oct 13: REST
Oct 14: 1.5 mile
Oct 15: 1 mile with core work out
Oct 16: 2.5 mile
Oct 17: 1 mile
Oct 18: 4 mile
Oct 19: Rest
Oct 20: core work out with stair work
Oct 21: 2 mile
Oct 22: 1 mile
Oct 23: REST + lots of water
Oct 24: RACE DAY!!!!
So far I am on schedule and am not letting myself slack (otherwise all of my motivation will collapse and that will be the end of this endeavor for me). To be honest, I still can't believe I signed myself up for this. I'm not really mentally in this decision at all. I just go and run because that's what my schedule is telling me I have to do. I am kind of excited for the 10k because it sounds pretty cool (though I have NO IDEA what to expect) plus - i get a free tshirt! haha. For now I've got Forest Gump syndrom - 'i'm just runnin'. :o)
The only other thing I wanted to mention is that Monday morning we are all meeting with our work mentors for greetings, introduction and one-on-one conversations! And Tuesday --- I START WORKING AT THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! this is all happening so quickly, I can't even believe it. that will definitely be a blog post of its own! :D
Alrighty, I'm going to go study some Hebrew. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their weekend!
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Run Forest, run!
ReplyDeleteJust a quick comment about your frustration regarding Israel and the criticisms its faces regarding domestic/international responsibility, etc.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think that this is a situation that all nation-states face, regardless of their position in the multipolar world system, development stages, etc.
If you think about it, there is international pressure on every state to meet certain standards on humanitarian rights, warfare, and the constant battle against racism, discrimination, etc.
But there is also domestic pressure, because citizens require the same of their current administration.
I argue that it is socially irresponsible for any state to say, "hey, look at party X-- they're even worse! Come to us when they better themselves." That is not a valid reason to end the strive towards equality, law, and morality. In addition, such thinking causes a never-ending cycle that ignores a state's intrinsic responsibility.
Because of its sovereignty, a state also carries the weight of being solely responsible for its actions. Regardless of what other state and non-state actors are doing, there is no room for finger-pointing.
For example, in 2005 U.S. secret prisons were discovered. In the following years, up until today, torture cases were unearthed one by one. There was much international backlash and US officials that said, "well, other states do it too-- go yell at them!", well, they were laughed out of the metaphorical political room.
Another example-- South African Apartheid. The same arguments-- why should *we* (the S.A. state) suddenly change our social structure when plenty of other states on our continent have a similar system, just in smaller communities. Again, not a valid argument.
Yes, these are drastic examples, but they all point to the same truths-- a state is a sovereign entity that is solely responsible for its actions. It has the social obligation to uphold itself to the highest standards, pressure other states to do the same, and then strive to meet those standards.
If this is indeed the discussion that was being had during your talks, then bravo Mr. Nir Boms & Mr. Muhammad Darawshe-- it's hard, it's unfair, but its the responsibility of a state.