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By Erin Kopelow
You are in Israel for six months to one year, and you will run into hardships, frustrations, and obstacles. You may run into mean people, dirty apartments, incompetence, and inconsistency. You may be cheated out of money, something of yours might get stolen, you may volunteer or work in an environment that isn’t organized, you may be in an ulpan class which is either way too hard or way to easy, and you might be yelled at for some inexplicit reason in the middle of the street.
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If you want, these are the moments you can focus on and take back with you. Some find the frustrations of these encounters too much and throw their hands up along with a cultural wall, which forever inhibits their ability to melt comfortably into Israeli society. |
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Or, you can take a deep breath and choose to focus on those other moments, those that fill your heart with warmth and the backs of your eyes with tears. You can focus on the absolute deliciousness of the fresh laffa in the shouk, the immediate depth of friendship and love formed between you and your host family, the level of impact you are making with a child you volunteer with once a week, the realization that the spot you are looking at is where Samson battled Goliath. You will come to realize that the laughter between you and your friends sitting around the Shabbat table is different than any laughter you have previously experienced. You will soon internalize the significance of living in a country where hearing “Shabbat shalom” on Friday is a common occurrence. And you will one day understand that behind the yelling and straightforwardness of Israeli culture is a people with an unrelenting capacity for love and friendship.
This space is dedicated to all those moments that annoy, amuse and shock us, make us laugh or cry, make us feel like strangers or make us feel right at home. The purpose of this space is to enable the open discussion of such experiences, in order that our differences are acknowledged in a positive and lighthearted atmosphere. Although not always embraced, cultural differences are elements to be appreciated rather than rejected. With such an approach, the wall dividing us never has the opportunity to be formed.
This space is meant to include all experiences, from the funny to frustrating. So please send me your contributions via email at masamap@masaisrael.org with the subject of Israel Moment. Those who are published will be notified.
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For information on MAP and MAP events, please contact Avi Steinberg or Erin Kopelow at masamap@masaisrael.org
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