Introduction: Reflections on Israel

PHOTO BY MADY BURKE, MASADA 

Over the course of my short time in Israel, I’ve already gotten the chance to be immersed in cultural, political, and historical narratives that have changed the way I will view global issues for the rest of my life. Although the remainder of my journey in Israel will continue to change me, one way my outlook has changed so far is through my understanding of empathy. I’ve always valued empathy in considering any kind of conflict, but living in Israel has allowed me to apply this value in a way I would never have been able to otherwise. Here, I’ve learned to consider completely foreign concepts to me as valid in situations where it's not my first instinct, and where I don’t necessarily even want to; everyday, I’m learning more and expanding my definition of a value that means so much in my life, and I think this new attitude towards empathy has greatly shaped my attitude towards global conflicts, issues, and discussions.

One way my global perspectives have broadened and my definition of empathy has complexified is through experiencing gun and army culture in Israel. Being from a culture where it's normal to fear school shootings everyday, at first, it was extremely disturbing to see teenagers walking around with long shot guns everywhere. There is truly no place one can go in Israel without running into an IDF commander, all of whom are required to have their long shot guns draped over their bodies at all times. Guns are normally upsetting to me because of what they’re associated with, and upon first arriving here, I became anxious whenever I saw a commander walk by with their gun. It wasn’t until I talked to my counselors, one of whom was a sharpshooter in the army, that I started to be able to understand where the normalcy of guns comes from in this country. Because service is required, the army is a very normalized program. It's still bizarre for me to see kids close to my age carrying objects that represent murder so nonchalantly; however, since being here, I’ve been challenged to learn about the responsibility and pride many IDF soldiers have for the state of Israel, and how their attitudes are completely different from the kind of patriotism we know in the United States. From their perspectives, living in Israel means a fight on its own; it's small a country, hated by all of its borders, that has a population facing constant scrutiny. I’ve learned that the gun culture here is really influenced by the complexity of the Israeli identity - living in Israel means to some extent, that one has to care about their country. Regardless of whether or not I agree with this perception of a national identity, it has come to make sense to me based on the circumstances. I’ve learned to accept that the law makes all commanders keep their guns with them and to understand why people are so comfortable with it.

My global perspectives on empathy have been further challenged by learning to appreciate and accept the things I disagree with here in Israel. Gender equity is something I deeply value and am used to at home, but there exists a very different attitude towards gender in Jerusalem due to more traditional Jewish practices. We recently took a tiyul (field trip) to a town called Mea Shearim, a small community of Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jews. I was excited to learn about a new culture, but noticed a considerable disconnect between our large, egalitarian group and the locals we saw walking around. Despite the fact that the girls in our program wore long skirts and turtlenecks to respect the culture of Mea Shearim, men walking by shielded their eyes from us. In addition, when our group goes to shabbat services, more times than not, girls have to sit in a separate upstairs section or in the back of the building. Furthermore, at the Western Wall, the women's section is significantly smaller than the mens section. These experiences definitely haven’t been comfortable for me, but a large part of travel and global learning is appreciating the things you don't understand or agree with; living here is definitely helping me apply this and understand the complexity of cultural norms like this one.

The more uncomfortable experiences have demanded that I reconsider my view of Israel, viewing it for the positives and the negatives as a multidimensional force. Being here has taught me not only to constantly look for more layers to global issues, but also to have empathy while doing so, which I think is something everyone in the field of global studies should consider. If I got the opportunity to be a Global Scholar at Poly, I would learn so much about countries, cultures, and global issues I haven’t experienced yet, which would be incredibly valuable to me. I also think I could be able to apply what I have learned to the program, and can contribute to an overall culture of growth on both giving and receiving ends. Global studies are extremely important to me, because I firmly believe it's important for people to understand cultures that aren't theirs and to learn about things they haven't experienced first hand. I think being a Global Scholar would give me an opportunity to learn about current events and important global happenings which I might not otherwise know about in a community that values a similar fundamental truth. I think my perspectives would significantly grow from being able to talk to other globally minded students and learn from their experiences, and I hope I get the chance to contribute to that incredible dynamic as well.