Zionism, Zionism, Zionism, A Birthday...and the Holocaust
I can confidently say that this year may have been the best birthday I've had in 17 years. That's right, yesterday yours truly turned 17 (shiva-esrei in Hebrew). I know everyone wants to hear about the parties and all, but first a quick review of the past week's events:
Sunday, on the way back from Tel Aviv, we went on tiyul to the North of Israel, near the Sea of Galilee. Our first spot was in Zikhron Yaakov, where we saw one of the first successful kibbutzim established during the late 1800's, early 1900's, and learned all about the British occupation of what was then called Palestine. After a few hours, we arrived at the Arbel Cliff, a massive...well...cliff---overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the entire Northern land. The story behind the cliff is that when the first Zionists came to Israel, they established kibbutzim and moshavs all around this area, and when fighting began with Arabs or the British, they would come to the caves (just like the Maccabees did some 2000 years ago) and hide out. According to our calculation of throwing a rock off of the top of the cliff, since it took four seconds to reach the bottom, then the cliff is...really damn high up. Then, my favorite part of any tiyul came: we went into Tiberias, were given shkalim and given free time. I.E. SHWARMA time!!! Can we talk about how much I love shwarma? Because I do love it. A lot. Mmmm...
Alright, so after the shwarma incident, we went to a Jewish cemetery and got followed by the ugliest dog I've ever seen. This cemetery lies right on the shore of the Kinneret, looking out on the hills that are the Golan Heights. The view at sunset was so spectacular, it's no doubt that famous poetry was written about the area by a woman named simply: Rachel (the poetess). From here, we talked about how a new form of Zionism emerged, one called Labor Zionism. This is where anyone who came to live and form a Jewish state (under the British Mandate) had to work. All this labor led to the cultivating and renewing of the desert landscape of Israel, and gave us this beautiful forested country we have today.
Monday, I had my Jewish history midterm, which covered roughly 4000 years of history of the Jewish people. There were around 100 questions, ranging from timelines to Moses to Rambam (Maimonedes), all the way to the first Aliyah to Israel in 1881. Needless to say, regardless of how much I learned, that test was a pain in the tuchus. My head hurt after finishing, especially after the essay question which asked me to trace the origins and institutions of Jewish Law from Oral Law and the commandments on Mt. Sinai up until the present-day law of Chalaha. Okay, it wasn't all that bad, since this gave me a chance to see how much I really have learned.
Then, on Wednesday, we went into Jerusalem to visit the Russian Compound and learn about resistance to the British Mandate and the White Papers passed that took away the dream of a Jewish state. The Russian Compound was a prison where the British kept political prisoners, and was where the underground resistance movements began. First, there was the Haganah, which was a fighting force that was only meant to defend against Arab attack. Then came the Irgun, a more radical faction that wanted to actually target British soldiers as well as Arabs. Even more extremist were the LEHI, who were by and large outright terrorists. These organizations all had one goal: to show force and resistance to the British and to fight for the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state in Palestine. Eventually, the British were forced out, and the state was won...but that story comes in about two weeks.
The only other really exciting things that have happened since...Well, the 11th anniversary of the death of Yitzchak Rabin, Israel's beloved leader, was today. All over Israel, memorial services are held to commemorate him, and the Israeli culture still mourns for his loss. On a happier note, yesterday was indeed my birthday. A few things: I have the best Grammy in the world, because she baked cookies (chocolate chip, my favorite) and wrapped them up really well, then sent them all the way to me in Israel. And by G-d were they good. Also, I've got some biking magazines to keep me company, although I walked over to the bike trails on the kibbutz the other day and decided to talk the director of the program to let me ride them. I can dream, can't I?
Last night, after a visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum of Israel, we watched Fiddler on the Roof, all in preparation for the next week. Oh! I should describe my next two weeks for everyone. Thanks for reminding me. No problem.
Alright, so tonight at 2am we leave Tzuba for the airport to get on a plane and go to Poland. We'll be there for 5 days walking around Warsaw, Krakow, Lublin, and two camps--Maidonek and Auschwitz. In Poland, we'll be studying European Jewry and what was lost forever when that culture was wiped out by the Holocaust. This trip will probably be one of the most trying and emotionally draining of my life, but there is a saying:
"The sun will NOT rise tomorrow, and all things will NOT pass. You must MAKE the sun rise, for it is in your hands."
So off to Poland I go to see the history of my people and to find out what the Holocaust was all about. The best part is that we get to come back to Israel afterward, and no sooner have we gotten back than we enter into Gadna, a week-long basic training course for the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). The whole next two weeks should be amazing, and I'm pumped and ready. The only downside is that I won't be able to update the blog again until we get back from Poland, and the same with Gadna, but I'll be sure to keep a handwritten journal in order to have a massive post ready when I get back from both.
It's time for me to go back---it's been snowing in Poland for the past week, and sure as anything we'll be freezing our butts off. I wish everyone a happy Shabbat, and best wishes. Remember, mail is still very appreciated.
Much love and good cookies,
Aron
aronaltmark@aol.com
Aron Altmark
NFTY-EIE High School
Kibbutz Tzuba
90870 D.N. Harei Yehuda
ISRAEL
**Please be sure to mark all letters with, “AIRMAIL.”
Sunday, on the way back from Tel Aviv, we went on tiyul to the North of Israel, near the Sea of Galilee. Our first spot was in Zikhron Yaakov, where we saw one of the first successful kibbutzim established during the late 1800's, early 1900's, and learned all about the British occupation of what was then called Palestine. After a few hours, we arrived at the Arbel Cliff, a massive...well...cliff---overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the entire Northern land. The story behind the cliff is that when the first Zionists came to Israel, they established kibbutzim and moshavs all around this area, and when fighting began with Arabs or the British, they would come to the caves (just like the Maccabees did some 2000 years ago) and hide out. According to our calculation of throwing a rock off of the top of the cliff, since it took four seconds to reach the bottom, then the cliff is...really damn high up. Then, my favorite part of any tiyul came: we went into Tiberias, were given shkalim and given free time. I.E. SHWARMA time!!! Can we talk about how much I love shwarma? Because I do love it. A lot. Mmmm...
Alright, so after the shwarma incident, we went to a Jewish cemetery and got followed by the ugliest dog I've ever seen. This cemetery lies right on the shore of the Kinneret, looking out on the hills that are the Golan Heights. The view at sunset was so spectacular, it's no doubt that famous poetry was written about the area by a woman named simply: Rachel (the poetess). From here, we talked about how a new form of Zionism emerged, one called Labor Zionism. This is where anyone who came to live and form a Jewish state (under the British Mandate) had to work. All this labor led to the cultivating and renewing of the desert landscape of Israel, and gave us this beautiful forested country we have today.
Monday, I had my Jewish history midterm, which covered roughly 4000 years of history of the Jewish people. There were around 100 questions, ranging from timelines to Moses to Rambam (Maimonedes), all the way to the first Aliyah to Israel in 1881. Needless to say, regardless of how much I learned, that test was a pain in the tuchus. My head hurt after finishing, especially after the essay question which asked me to trace the origins and institutions of Jewish Law from Oral Law and the commandments on Mt. Sinai up until the present-day law of Chalaha. Okay, it wasn't all that bad, since this gave me a chance to see how much I really have learned.
Then, on Wednesday, we went into Jerusalem to visit the Russian Compound and learn about resistance to the British Mandate and the White Papers passed that took away the dream of a Jewish state. The Russian Compound was a prison where the British kept political prisoners, and was where the underground resistance movements began. First, there was the Haganah, which was a fighting force that was only meant to defend against Arab attack. Then came the Irgun, a more radical faction that wanted to actually target British soldiers as well as Arabs. Even more extremist were the LEHI, who were by and large outright terrorists. These organizations all had one goal: to show force and resistance to the British and to fight for the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state in Palestine. Eventually, the British were forced out, and the state was won...but that story comes in about two weeks.
The only other really exciting things that have happened since...Well, the 11th anniversary of the death of Yitzchak Rabin, Israel's beloved leader, was today. All over Israel, memorial services are held to commemorate him, and the Israeli culture still mourns for his loss. On a happier note, yesterday was indeed my birthday. A few things: I have the best Grammy in the world, because she baked cookies (chocolate chip, my favorite) and wrapped them up really well, then sent them all the way to me in Israel. And by G-d were they good. Also, I've got some biking magazines to keep me company, although I walked over to the bike trails on the kibbutz the other day and decided to talk the director of the program to let me ride them. I can dream, can't I?
Last night, after a visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum of Israel, we watched Fiddler on the Roof, all in preparation for the next week. Oh! I should describe my next two weeks for everyone. Thanks for reminding me. No problem.
Alright, so tonight at 2am we leave Tzuba for the airport to get on a plane and go to Poland. We'll be there for 5 days walking around Warsaw, Krakow, Lublin, and two camps--Maidonek and Auschwitz. In Poland, we'll be studying European Jewry and what was lost forever when that culture was wiped out by the Holocaust. This trip will probably be one of the most trying and emotionally draining of my life, but there is a saying:
"The sun will NOT rise tomorrow, and all things will NOT pass. You must MAKE the sun rise, for it is in your hands."
So off to Poland I go to see the history of my people and to find out what the Holocaust was all about. The best part is that we get to come back to Israel afterward, and no sooner have we gotten back than we enter into Gadna, a week-long basic training course for the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). The whole next two weeks should be amazing, and I'm pumped and ready. The only downside is that I won't be able to update the blog again until we get back from Poland, and the same with Gadna, but I'll be sure to keep a handwritten journal in order to have a massive post ready when I get back from both.
It's time for me to go back---it's been snowing in Poland for the past week, and sure as anything we'll be freezing our butts off. I wish everyone a happy Shabbat, and best wishes. Remember, mail is still very appreciated.
Much love and good cookies,
Aron
aronaltmark@aol.com
Aron Altmark
NFTY-EIE High School
Kibbutz Tzuba
90870 D.N. Harei Yehuda
ISRAEL
**Please be sure to mark all letters with, “AIRMAIL.”
posted by aron at 12:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home