Israel Advocacy Seminar - 4-11 December 2005, Jerusalem
I had been in Israel less than a day and my senses were already in overdrive. Exhausted but exhilarated, I delighted as my ears popped during our ascent into the splendid disorder of Jerusalem. Walking around the Old City it felt as if this place, so full of history and lost worlds, transcended all conflict beyond its walls. The first person I saw walking through the Arab market on this December morning was an Orthodox Jew stepping in tune to the haunting wail of the Mezzuin's call to prayer. What a unique place!
I was sent by the State Zionist Council of Victoria in a delegation of four from Melbourne, as a part of its ongoing commitment to Israel Advocacy to attend a weeklong seminar in Israel with participants from England, South Africa, Sweden and the United States. We were treated to an array of speakers from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IDF, the Foreign Press, the Aliyah Department and met several authors, journalists, political advisors and many other people of interest from all walks of life including a Palestinian journalist and a former CNN Correspondent.
We had been told that the programme could be changed because of the "irregularity of the situation" and this became painfully apparent on day one when, halfway through our second speaker, the news came that a suicide bomber had killed five shoppers at the entrance to the mall in Netanya. The speaker stopped only briefly and continued his presentation. In Israel that's how it's done. You pause to feel the pain and then continue on with life.
For some reason, the western media rarely deals with stories of the survivors of suicide attacks and of the hardship they encounter after the carnage is cleaned away. Meeting some of these brave and courageous people was another reminder that terror can really strike at any time; that it is random, indiscriminate and inhuman. The experience was extremely humbling and will stick with me for a long time.
Raanan Gissin, senior advisor to Ariel Sharon, described how his Prime Minister commanded centre stage always making things less predictable with his strategy and tactics and how he recently changed the rules of the game by starting the "Kadima" party. Today, as Sharon lies in a coma fighting for his life, it seems yet another example of how quickly things can change in Israel.
We visited Nitzan, home for one thousand former resident families of Gush Katif, and heard some very sad personal stories of the difficulties of dislocation. These are a resilient people who will build new lives and leave their despair behind them. However, as our bus pulled away, I glimpsed a sign reading "we will remember and we will return".
A visit to the new Yad Vashem Museum, despite its aesthetic beauty, moved me deeply only at the very end where you can see the magnificent vista of Jerusalem sitting serenely in the winter's sunshine. The contrast of what lay behind and that which stood before me was monumental.
How better to put behind such a dark period of Jewish history than a visit to the new Herzl Centre on Mount Herzl? A short video comparing Herzl's dream to what is Israel today left me with an incredible sense of pride for what has been achieved in a short but tumultous history. Again, the theme of Jewish resilience was ever present.
A personal highlight was a visit to an army base monitoring Israel's Security Fence. The concept of this structure is controversial but its role in keeping potential terrorists at bay and the knowledge of its potential role in achieving peace is comforting.
This thought lingered with me into our final night which was spent in a gorgeous little bar in the centre of the city. Perhaps we might see peace by next year in Jerusalem.
By Emily Chrapot
No comments:
Post a Comment