There are programs promoting change for all sort of social injustices. Some people may agree with some of them and other may not. But the ones who are invested in the idea, take action. The country promotes young people coming here and getting involved in causes that they believe in.
With a long cultural history of violence and disagreement with surrounding areas, it seems normal to have various views within this small country. Especially because some of the causes are to connect young people from Israel and the surrounding areas, such as organizations like Seeds of Peace and OneVoice, it is a controversial topic.
Point: How can anyone disagree with causes like those?
Counterpoint: How can anyone support causes like those?
There are people who have both of these views. And it is extremely Israeli to argue a point to death. However, I want to just let it sit there.
There was an intern from Holland who was recently at SACH that I was able to spend some time showing around Tel Aviv yesterday. She made a comment that resonated with me and gave me a weird feeling at the same time. She said, "I thought Dutch people were nice, until I came here." This struck several chords with me. She is Dutch. She is from Holland. Has spent her whole life there… And Israel changed her perspective on HER people. She said that she thought maybe it did have something to do with the Jewish religion and how it is cultural for Jewish people to be good to others. I think it's important to note that she is not Jewish.
The weird feeling that came from this comment was pride. I'm not really sure why this feeling happened. I don’t feel that I have the right to be proud of the people or culture of Israel. I'm a "tourist" just like her. But I felt it. It was definitely there. And here I am months later, still trying to sort out how I feel about it. My first thought is that I am happy to live somewhere where people and their kindness are acknowledged.
I'm sure the Israeli cultural value of Tikkun Olam has something to do with that, and I'm extremely proud to be a part of an organization that has a hands on approach to fulfilling that religious value.
Tikkun Olam-whatever it is, whatever causes it, and whatever movements it causes…I like it, and I like to be around it. So…. I'm staying in Israel. There. I said it. I'm staying here.
For those of you who didn’t already know, I have accepted a job with the amazing organization that I interned with, Save a Child's Heart (SACH). If you are just catching on to this blog of mine, scroll down to read a little bit about SACH. I'm honored to work for such an incredible and powerful non-profit and have the opportunity to build relationships with the beautiful souls of children from all over the world.
In short, if you were to have asked me a year ago if I could pick the perfect job, I probably would have dreamed up something like this, without even knowing about SACH. So...Here’s to new beginnings.