In last night’s Shabbat dinner, the unofficial theme was stereotypes. The topic began when a friend from Oklahoma and a friend from Georgia (US) listed off stereotypes of Californians: hippy-dippy, overly concerned with appearance and health, superficial, focus on short term dating rather than marriage, and liberal. In turn, I listed stereotypes of the Midwest: obese, corn fields, cows, conservative, religiously zealous, and Christian. Funny enough, both sides confirmed the stereotypes to a certain extent. For instance, I am from California and am concerned with what one might call “hippy” views, such as the quality of the food I eat, the energy I exude, and getting regular exercise. I was also raised in a primarily liberal environment. However, there are also obese people in California, and cows and corn fields, as well as Christian religious zealots. Not only that but there are some extremely conservative areas of California. Similarly, in the Midwest, there are liberal communities and other religions practiced besides Christianity. In addition, whereas the land might be more rural, there are also cities in which you’d have to drive out of your way to see cornfields or cows. My point is stereotypes may exist because they are true to an extent, but they are not all encompassing and certainly not representative of an entire group of people. Stereotypes can become dangerous when they breed fears of the “other” (i.e., not being socially accepted or being killed when around this other group) and prevents interaction. An example that has been blatant in the US since 9/11 is Arabs. First of all, the biggest stereotype is that being Arab automatically means that you are Muslim. Let's break it down: WHO IS AN ARAB? According to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination League, you are an Arab if Arabic is your native tongue. Another definition is those whose ancestry stems from the Arabian Desert. DOES BEING AN ARAB MAKE YOU MUSLIM? Among the 148,400,000 people who live in the Middle East, such as Lebanon, Syria, Israel, West Bank, Gaza, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, about 14,155,000, or 10%, are non-Muslim (mostly Christian). Furthermore, the majority of the world's Muslim population lives in Asia, not the Middle East. As you can see from the beautiful graphic above, the countries with the largest Muslim population are actually in Asia, not the Middle East. According to Pew Research, over 88% of Indonesia's population is Muslim. This was surprising to me because I grew up under the assumption that most Muslims lived in the Middle East, perhaps because Osama bin Ladan, who many believe was behind 9/11, is from Saudi Arabia and most of the hijackers were also from Saudi Arabia. HOW MANY MUSLIMS ARE THERE AND HOW MANY WANT TO KILL WESTERNERS? Based on the graph below, you can see that Muslims still make up a minority of the population, and are projected to continue to do so. Now please bear with me as I list off some statistics, courtesy of Thereligionofpeace.com:
Pew Research (2013): 19% of Muslim Americans believe suicide bombings in defense of Islam are at least partially justified (global average is 28% in countries surveyed). People-Press: 31% of Turks support suicide attacks against Westerners in Iraq. Pew Research (2010): 15% of Indonesians believe suicide bombings are often or sometimes justified. Doha Institute (ACRPS) 2014: On average, 72% of the Arab world has a negative view of ISIS. WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS MEAN? It is terrifying to think that millions of people say they want to kill Westerners just for being born non-Muslim. It is easy to want to enclose myself in my safe, familiar bubble with family and friends. While this might be the comfortable path, stepping outside of that bubble is how we grow personally and as a civilization; in my opinion, it is also much more fun. I came to Israel in part to challenge my pre-conceived notions, or stereotypes, of Middle Easterners that I grew up hearing from people who - to be honest - do not know what they are talking about. Most of the knowledge in the US about the Middle East, Arab culture, and Islam is from a Western point of view and dispersed through an "us versus them" viewpoint. When I turn on the news, I see a plethora of horrifying videos of ISIS members beheading people and, at this point, too many terrorist attacks to count. Humans have the tendency to oversimplify matters that are too complex to easily understand (Kahn 2016). Therefore, it is convenient to categorize people by religion (i.e., "all Muslims want to kill me") or by nationality (i.e., "all people who live in Turkey want to kill me"). This, of course, deters us from traveling to certain places or meeting certain people who might actually dispel these stereotypes. Another way of eliminating stereotypes is to try to see things from the other person's point of view. Tom Pyszczynski of University of Colorado did one of the first experiments using both Arab (specifically, Iranian) and American subjects. He demonstrated that, among both Iranian and American students, reminders of death led to more extreme aggression towards the "other." In the Iranian students' case, the "other" was the US and in the American students' case, the "other" was Middle Easterners in general. After being asked to describe in detail what it would be like to die, the Iranians became more in favor of suicide bombings in the US and Americans became more supportive of aggressive military attacks in the Middle East that might result in thousands of civilian deaths. Firstly, this study demonstrates the polarizing effect of social identity and, secondly, how similar we really are. I relate this to forgiveness. Often, we are held back from forgiving or making amends because we believe the other does not want to make up with us. For me personally, I find it very challenging to admit that someone who hurt me might want to make amends, but does not because they believe the same thing about me. What I am getting at here is that the majority of Westerners and Arabs might have more similarities than differences. Both groups of people want to go about their lives, enjoying time with their loved ones, and practicing their cultural worldviews undisturbed. However, currently both think that their cultural worldview is under attack by the other. This is due to, one, US occupation, violent military raids, and failed attempts to democratize Arab countries and, two, extremist Islam groups who have interpreted Sharia to justify violent means. It is more crucial now than ever to remember that a minority of the world's Muslims support violent attacks against the US, and that, whereas these do pose a threat to our wellbeing and way of life, that perhaps they feel the same way about us. Although I am very happy where I grew up and the life I currently lead, who am I to try to impose that way of life on others? My hope is to encourage you to get out of your bubbles and meet people who you hold negative stereotypes about, whether that's liberals, conservatives, Israelis, Palestinians, Westerners, or Arabs. REFERENCES (In order of appearance) American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. (2009, November 29). Facts about Arabs and the Arab World. Retrieved November 25, 2017, from http://www.adc.org/2009/11/facts-about-arabs-and-the-arab-world/ Tristam, P. (2017, May 22). Christians of the Middle East. Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://www.thoughtco.com/christians-of-the-middle-east-2353327 The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, & Pew Research Center. (2009, October). Www.pewforum.org (Rep.). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from Pew Forum website: http://www.pewforum.org/files/2009/10/Muslimpopulation.pdf TheReligionofPeace.com. Muslim Option Polls: a Tiny Minority of Extremists?Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/articles/opinion-polls.aspx#isis Kahn, D. T., Liberman, V., Halperin, E., & Ross, L. (2014). Intergroup Sentiments, Political Identity, and Their Influence on Responses to Potentially Ameliorative Proposals in the Context of an Intractable Conflict. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 60(1), 61-88. doi:10.1177/0022002714535250 Pyszczynski, T., Abdollahi, A., Solomon, S., Greenberg, J., Cohen, F., & Weise, D. (2006). Mortality Salience, Martyrdom, and Military Might: The Great Satan Versus the Axis of Evil. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(4), 525-537. doi:10.1177/0146167205282157 Shuks are marketplaces where locals sell everything from vegetables to dried fruits to souvenirs. Whereas they are hot tourist destinations, Israelis also go there to find some of the cheapest prices on produce. Shuks are also the best places to perfect your haggling skills, especially if you’re looking to buy a rug or clothes. There are two main Shuks in Israel: Mahane Yehuda Shuk or “The Shuk” (שוק מהנה יהודה) in Jerusalem and HaCarmel Shuk (שוק הכרמל) in Tel Aviv. Although I do love Mahane Yehuda Shuk (pictured above), this blog will be dedicated to HaCarmel. (Photo courtesy of Israel Editorial Stock) As you can see from the photo above, there is so much to look at here. However, as part of my Master’s program, we had a cultural food tour led by Ilyll of Cultural Encounters Tours, who is a graduate of our program. Ilyll is one of those impressive people who speaks five languages and is exudes warmth. She introduced us to the multiculturalism found in HaCarmel and its surrounding areas. We started at David Square, the entrance to HaCarmel. Funny enough, today it is no longer a square, but a Star of David where six streets intersect. Here are pictures of then and now: (Photo courtesy of Colorizing History, circa 1934) (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) As we made our way into the shuk, we first stopped at my favorite food place on the trip, a family-owned, homemade Turkish Boureka stand. (Photo courtesy of hungryhoss.com) These treats are made of fillo dough and they’re stuffed with potato, cheese, or egg. So yummy! Discussing the multiculturalism of the shuk, someone asked whether the Turkish family who runs the boureka stand is Muslim. Our guide responded by saying it’s never that simple. Culturally, the generation from Turkey may identify as Muslim and Turkish, and now Israeli. However, for the generation born in Israel, it can be more complicated. They maybe identify as Jewish-Israeli culturally, but practice connecting to God through Muslim traditions. This is something I can relate to. I grew up very aware that I am Jewish on my mom’s side and Christian on my dad’s side. Although we celebrated Jewish holidays, I identify more culturally with the hegemonic religion in the US, Christianity. Ilyll used an amazing metaphor for understanding this. Different cultures are like waves coming together. They can crash into each other, consuming one another; they can get close to touching, but then come apart; or one can overtake the other. In many ways, the latter demonstrates Western culture and Christianity when it collides with other cultures. However, in Israel, obviously the dominant religion and culture is Jewish. It’s been an amazing experience reconnecting with the culture and traditions. This brings me to the finale of the tour, and, perhaps the most culturally shocking of them all. We enjoyed coffee at Cohen Coffee, another family-owned business. It is run by the grandson of the man who started it. However, he was a high school teacher by trade and, after retirement and before taking over the family business, he moved to New York to study opera singing. Another amazing Shabbat in Tel Aviv. On Friday, a couple friends and I rode the 25 bus to Neve Tzedek, an artsy town near Jaffa. After checking out some of the shops (since winter is approaching my friend was looking for a blanket), we stopped at an outdoor cafe for Espresso. It felt very European. Our plan was to walk back to Broshim dorms along the coast (about 7 kilometers). As the sun began to set, we made our way to the beach. We stumbled upon a group of drummers that apparently has gotten together to play in the same spot every Friday for over 5 years. They play until sundown to usher in Shabbat. A group was dancing on the "dance floor" in front of the drummers. Shortly after I took this video, I joined in as well. We sat on the rocks watching the sun set, a truly magical experience. As we made our way up the coast, I saw people playing volleyball and even a football (European version)/volleyball hybrid where it's set up as volleyball, but you cannot use your hands to get the ball over the net. There were also a ton of beach restaurants open, but we ultimately decided to make our own dinner. We returned to campus around 19:30 and went to the only grocery store that is open on Shabbat, AM:PM. We bought a glass of Israeli red wine (Israelis really know how to make wine), cheese, crackers, and almonds. We sat on the lawn in Broshim, enjoying good food and conversation. Such a memorable night. The tradition of Shabbat is one of my favorite parts about living in Israel. There are so many ways to celebrate it. Many people have potluck dinners at their house, others have parties, while others take in the natural beauty of Mother Earth, as I did. I've learned in Israel there are no shortages of new experiences or friendly hosts welcoming you into their homes on Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom from Tel Aviv. I’ve just completed my third week of classes in the Conflict Resolution Masters program at Tel Aviv University. Though there is so much more to learn, I want to cumulate everything I’ve learned so far, inside and outside of the classroom, to attempt to find the answer to the classic beauty pageant question, “How would you bring about world peace?” I will do a couple of these “checking in” points throughout my year in Israel, especially at the end, to see how my hypothesis has evolved. INNATE ISSUES There are many terms for what I’m studying: “conflict resolution,” “conflict management,” “peacekeeping,” “peacemaking,” etc. All of these connote procedures to mitigate harm after a dispute, suggesting that perhaps conflict is inevitable. Sure enough, there are exercises and studies that support this theory. In my negotiation class, the teacher split us into groups of four and told us we were going to play a game in which the goal was to attain the most points. All we were given were an x and a y card for each person on the team. The game was set up so that if all four of us played the same letter, we would all get the same amount of points, but if one person played the x card and everyone else played the y card, then the person who played the x card would get many more points than the other three. This came into play especially on the special rounds, 5, 7, and 10 (out of 10 rounds). Normally we were not allowed to speak to each other, but before each of the special rounds we could talk to each other about strategy. The most mutually beneficial strategy was for us all to play y. We talked about it and agreed we would all play y. But sure enough, in two of the three special rounds, one person in my group played the x, screwing the rest of us over. I felt angry because to me they broke a social contract. You said this, but then did that. You broke your word and now I can’t trust you. It was interesting to find that the ten other groups in the class had the same experience. (On the left, all of the team’s results (my group was VIII). On the right, the rules of the game.) There were a couple people who were proud of how they manipulated (their words, not mine) the others in their group to get the most points and win the game. I became more upset thinking, “because I feel very strongly about standing by my word, does this mean I will always get screwed over by more aggressive people?” And then the teacher revealed the real lesson of the game. If everyone had played y cards for the entire game, everyone would have gotten 25 points. Because some people played the x card, those people got 35 or more points while others, like me, got -10 points. Of course, this is just a game, but it is easily translatable to the real world. If people didn’t look at life as a zero-sum game, maybe we would all have more equal shares. Another value to the game was how it highlighted the consequences of negotiating with a zero-sum mindset. You can lose people’s trust, making them not want to work with you anymore. In political negotiations, perhaps you even gain an enemy, which can lead to war. From this game, we can see that the ideal is that everyone sees the value in negotiating fairly and getting equal shares. For instance, one could say that a solution to undocumented immigration into the US from Mexico, Central America, and South America is to ensure the citizens of these countries get basic human rights (e.g. livable wages, freedom from violence and corruption, etc.). By this logic, the more we help you out now, the better off we will all be in the future. However, the reality is that many people, and many people in positions of power, see politics as a zero-sum game, meaning if we give you something, then there will be less for us. This is the viewpoint of many political and international relations professionals. In "One World, Many Theories," Harvard International Affairs professor, Stephen Walt, defines realism as an emphasis on the self-interest and security of the state, which acts under the assumption that all states, given the opportunity, will seek to gain more power (also known as Power Politics). Because of this, all states should put more power and funding into their militaries. Walt believes that realism is the most indicative of politics today, especially in the US. The view that the natural inclination of groups is conflict can also be argued in terms of psychology. In the 1970's, social psychologist Henri Tajfel performed an experiment, now known as the Minimal Group Paradigm, that shows intergroup competition and discrimination can occur simply by placing people into defined groups, even if there is not a scarcity of resources. Furthermore, according to social psychologists Masi Noor and Dr. Nurit Shnabel's research on competitive victimhood, a rival mindset prevents feelings of empathy and generosity for other groups. In this globalized world, avoiding differences is practically impossible. Just by going on the internet, you can find myriad cultures, religions, ethnicities, and nationalities, each with their own viewpoint of how the world should operate. One fascinating group I've discovered through my History of the Middle East class is the Modernist Apologists. A product of the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th Century, they believe that the only way to return the Arab world to a dominant political, scientific, and technological power is to mesh Islam with politics. In other words, Muslims should be able to enjoy all the modern advances and freedom of speech that the Western world enjoys, but only if and when it aligns with the strictest laws of the Quran. This contrasts with many democratic states that have found that the best method of running a state is to separate politics from religion. When there are two such divergent ideas, it is easy to see why it can be difficult to cohabitate. What I've covered so far paints a depressing picture of our world. Therefore, the second portion of this essay is dedicated to some possible solutions. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Gordon Allport is credited with developing Contact Hypothesis, which has inspired countless grassroots efforts in conflict resolution. The premise is that, in order to bridge two groups, members of each group must spend an extended amount of time together. The interaction has stipulations: members must have equal status (e.g. similar ages or positions in society), work towards a common goal, institutional support (e.g. societal approval), and willingness to cooperate. A couple weeks ago I went to a panel offered by a non-profit called Debate for Peace that exemplifies Conflict Hypothesis well. Debate for Peace brings Israeli-Jew and Palestinian high school students together through Model UN. They students come from schools all over Israeli and have multiple conferences a year (recently one in Belgium), in which they debate issues together. One key facet of this program is that they don't necessarily debate their side of the argument. For instance, one of the Palestinian students was telling me that once he was challenged to take the stance of a right-wing Zionist Jew on the land dispute. This is so essential for building peace because it encourages young adults to empathize with someone who has very different beliefs. (Two good friends on the Debate for Peace team, one Palestinian and one Israeli-Jewish.)
In addition to Debate for Peace, there is a plethora of other non-profits in Israel that are modeled after the Contact Hypothesis, including ones that use dance, football, and technology to bridge the gap between groups. I met Reverend Gary Mason the other day when he gave a lecture to our class. For those who do not know of him, he was a trendsetter for peacekeeping in Ireland during the Ireland/North Ireland conflict, both on the grassroots and the legislative levels. I asked him about Contact Hypothesis programs and he used the term, social peace process. To my understanding, "social peace process" contrasts with "political peace process" and refers to grassroots and religious peacebuilding efforts. Rev. Gary Mason suggested that in political peace processes, political leaders sign treaties and expect that to be the end of the conflict. I find the dichotomy between social peace process and political peace process fascinating. In political peace processes, international law is everything. For instance, there is a dispute between two states, the states sign a treaty agreeing that they will not kill each other, and there is supposedly peace. However, as one wise 18-year-old Palestinian woman in Debate for Peace told me, "peace is a process." The reality is that after the treaty is signed, trauma, scarce resources, segregation, discrimination, and revenge remains. Thus, the question becomes, how do we begin the social peace process? Contact Hypothesis is a big one. In addition, the closest meshing between political and social peace processes are found with the United Nations. According to Malcolm Shaw's book, International Law, recently the Security-General (of the UN) has recognized fact-finding missions to areas of tension in support of group-effort crisis-prevention action to be more beneficial than civilian police and related rule of law elements in peace operations. Additionally, the UN's General Assembly organ is responsible for many humanitarian aid organizations. A further social peace process resource is religious peacebuilding. Most religions have a peacemaking leader. If we use the Israel-Palestine conflict as a case study, we can look at Judaism and Islam. Both consider their religious leader - in Judaism, a rabbi and in Islam, an imam - as a peacemaker who acts alone in making peace, as well as a respected lay leader who acts as one member in a delegation of peacemakers. One key difference between religious mediation and secular mediation is the religious peacemaker has power and authority, whereas the secular peacemaker is usually an unbiased third party. On the one hand, the conflicting parties might trust and listen to the religious leader more than a stranger. On the other hand, though most religious leaders are deeply aware of themselves, it is a challenge for any human to be completely unbiased. Despite certain challenges, religious peacebuilding warrants further discussions. There are enough similarities between Jewish and Muslim religious leaders when it comes to mediation that that might be a strong bridge. What it really comes down to is, what works? We've all seen attempts to democratize Arab states fail. We've all seen peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians come to a heated stop. When I hear of these situations, I am reminded of a quote that Rev. Gary Mason recited: "It's easier to kill people when you have God to justify it." It seems like most of the world's conflicts are over religious differences. If religion is the problem, then maybe it's also the solution. During the Debate for Peace panel, one of the Palestinian students told a story about a flight he was on from Israel to Europe. He happened to be seated between two Rabbis. They were deep in conversation with each other when the student revealed that he is Palestinian. The Rabbi seated next to the window promptly asked to get up and never came back. The other Rabbi turned to the Palestinian student, said that didn't matter to him, and continued their conversation for the rest of the flight. This is a great example of how religion is not necessarily the problem in and of itself, but it's the people who have certain interpretations of religions that are the problem. I would argue that any person - deeply religious or not - who has a legacy of trauma, persecution, and displacement, which applies to both Israelis and Palestinians, is liable to have extremist views. Maybe conflict is inevitable; maybe it's preventable. However, it is undeniable that conflict is a huge part of our world right now, both between individuals and between groups. What I have learned so far in Israel is that the best path to world peace is to listen openly and speak honestly to those that differ from us. That is something that is so easy that each and every one of us can take part in. REFERENCES Maoz, I. "Does contact work in protracted asymmetrical conflict? Appraising 20 years of reconciliation-aimed encounters between Israeli Jews and Palestinians." Journal of Peace Research, Vol 48, Issue 1, First Published February 15, 2011, pp. 115 - 125. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343310389506. Noor, M., Shnabel N., et al. "When Suffering Begets Suffering: The Psychology of Competitive Victimhood Between Adversarial Groups in Violent Conflicts." Personality and Social Psychology Review, Vol 16, Issue 4, First Published March 29, 2012, pp. 351 - 374. Sage Journals, https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868312440048. Shavit, U. Scientific and Political Freedom in Islam. 1st ed., Routledge, 2017. Shaw, M. International Law. 6th ed., Cambridge University Press, 2008. Tajfel, H. "Social categorization and intergroup behavior." European journal of social psychology 1.2, 1971, pp. 149-177. Walt, Stephen M. “International Relations: One World, Many Theories.” Foreign Policy, no. 110, 1998, pp. 29–46. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1149275. …specifically Ramat Aviv, a suburb of Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv University spans 170 acres of the small suburban town with its shopping malls and family homes. Despite being away from the city, it is very easy to get into town center. You take the 24 or 25 bus for about 30 minutes and you’re there. As a student, we get discounts using a Rav Kav (similar to Clipper Card in the Bay Area) in which you can load and reload money. The system was a bit confusing at first, especially since the website is only in Hebrew. I finally deduced that there are a couple of different options for students. One, you pay a monthly flat rate to use the card an unlimited amount of times (only worth it if you ride the bus 8 times or more a week). Option two, you pay upfront and get a third of the cost off. For instance, 75 NIS for 50 NIS. Within walking distance, there are buses and trains that will take you pretty much anywhere in Tel Aviv. Last weekend I took a train to the central bus station in Tel Aviv where a bus awaited that goes to Jerusalem (and you pay for it all using Rav Kav)! Though I have explored Israel a bit, I’ve spent the majority of my time since classes started in my room reading. I live in the Broshim dorms, which is housing reserved for graduate students and their families. It is one of my favorite places I’ve ever lived. Broshim dormitory is more like a complex of studio apartments than dorm rooms, fully furnished, full size refrigerator, stove top, and bathroom all to myself. (I'll have to post some photos in the future of how I personalized this room.) There’s a gorgeous lawn and pond in the center of the complex. Some other residents of Broshim and I had Shabbat dinner there, enjoying one of the last of the warm summer nights. I cannot stress enough what a gift it is to be surrounded with such a diverse group of people. In addition to my fellow Conflict Resolution Master's program students, I also get to interact with the students from the International MBA, Archeology, Security and Diplomacy, Trauma and Crisis Management, Middle Eastern History, etc. programs who also live in Broshim. I've met people from all over, including China, Austria, Lithuania, Switzerland, Ghana, and New Zealand. Hearing about their experiences adds even more to this eye-opening adventure. For instance, I was talking to a man from China. Growing up under communism, he glorifies the US. He believes that cultures are always evolving and the natural spread of Western culture through globalization is a good thing, even peace-promoting. Maybe he’s right, but what price are Americans paying by being part of a hegemonic culture? The common language between all of the international students is English which, as a native English speaker has its pros and cons. A pro is I can go almost anywhere in the world and be able to verbally communicate with almost anyone. The con is it makes it really challenging to immerse myself in a new culture and learn a new language. Though I know basic reading, writing, and speaking in Hebrew (and am taking a class as well), I find my go-to when I'm out in public is "?אתה מדבר אנגלית" (Do you speak English?). Perhaps it would be easier to pick up the language and culture if I was surrounded only by Israelis who don't speak English. I have gained a huge respect for people who do not speak English and move to the US or another English-speaking country because chances are they won't easily find someone who speaks their native language and are forced to learn English in order to communicate. Yes, it is stressful at the time, but they gain a really useful skill. I know people here who speak four or five language fluently because they moved around the world! So as an English-speaker, I am being humbled and challenged in completely new ways. When I am accustomed to being of the dominant language and culture, how do I intentionally immerse myself into Israeli life? The closest I've come was a yoga class I went to last night. It was taught only in Hebrew and I felt completely out of place...so it's a good start. תנשפי ,תשאפי (breathe in, breathe out). I am so happy I chose Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University. Everything about it has been an amazing experience so far. Our program director and coordinator are the most organized people I’ve met and have given us endless resources to aid in the move to Israel. Orientation was last week and, if it wasn’t for their Google Calendar, I would have probably succumbed to my jetlag and slept through it. On days Thursday and Friday, my cohort and I went on a trip around Israel. It was dual-narrative themed, so we had one Israeli-Jewish tour guide and one Palestinian tour guide. Here they are speaking about the conflict at the border with Lebanon. Syrian border at Mt. Bental. Nazareth And a city-turned National Park called Bar’am or Biram (depending on the Hebrew or Arabic pronunciation) that was once populated by Palestinian Christians before they were forced out by the IDF in 1948. I learned a lot about the political mess that has gone on in this part of the world for centuries. I also got to know the other 30+ members of my cohort who have come to learn with me. The exciting part is I felt challenged for the first time in awhile. We went wine tasting in the Golan Heights and on one side of me were classmates from England, Switzerland, and Belgium speaking French and on the other side of me were classmates from North Carolina and Canada learning Arabic from our bus driver. It is the most inspirational group I’ve been around in awhile. People from all over the world who, like me, are willing to leave their loved ones behind to experience new cultures. I feel very grateful to be here. Despite a myriad of poor reviews, I decided to take the chance and fly WOW Air from SFO to TLV. I purchased the "Plus" package, which included 1 personal item of up to 22 lbs, 1 carry-on of up to 26 lbs, and 1 checked bag of up to 44 lbs. All this for $350 one way. Not bad! I flew from San Francisco to Reykjavik and then Reykjavik to Tel Aviv with a total travel time of about 20 hours. The reviews I read told horror stories of last minute canceled flights, but both of the legs left on time and arrived early. I even got the chance to visit Keflavik, a small town outside of Reykjavik International Airport, during my layover. I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at 4am, feeling exhausted (I don’t sleep well on airplanes). The public transportation in Tel Aviv is amazing! From the airport, I hopped on the Nahariyya train to Tel Aviv Universitiy station. The station is right across the street from Broshim dorms, where I’m staying, but there are 88 uphill steps from the train to campus. Everyone I talked to recommended that I take a bus, but I stubbornly refused. About halfway up the stairs, lugging my 2 bags and large suitcase, a kind Israeli offered to help me with my suitcase. He effortlessly heaved it on his shoulders and carried it the rest of the way. He asked, “What are you studying?” I said, “Conflict resolution.” He replied without hesitation: “You will learn very quickly that there is no solution but to fight them [Palestinians]. They want us all dead.” Welcome to Israel, I thought. 4/10/2017 To Open an Israeli Bank Account or to Not Open an Israeli Bank Account. That is the question.Read NowBefore coming to Israel, I considered opening a bank account here. After reading blogs and message boards, I decided against it. Everyone said it is a pain to open an account and they charge so many fees. When I started the program, a classmate confirmed it. He had tried to open an account on multiple occasions and kept being turned away for one reason or another. It seemed that no one wanted his money. Instead of opening a bank account in Israel, I opened a checking account with Charles Schwab. Their policy of reimbursing all foreign ATM fees enticed me. It has worked out quite nicely. However, last month I was awarded a scholarship through Tel Aviv University (yay!) and they require that I have an Israeli bank account. So I braced myself and went to the closest bank to campus where I knew they worked with students, Leumi, located on Brodetski. (Photo courtesy of https://whoprofits.org/company/leumi-bank) I went in on a Sunday around 2pm with all the appropriate documents: passport, another picture ID, and a proof of enrollment to the university letter. When I walked in, I asked the first employee I saw where I was supposed to go. He pointed me to a desk and said I didn't have to take a number, but just go to the woman behind the desk when she was finished with the client she was speaking to. I thanked the man for his time and grabbed a number just in case. I noticed that most people's numbers had an "H" on it before the number, but mine had an "M." After waiting for about an hour, I noticed that only H's were being called. I went up to a woman behind another desk and asked her where I should go. She said I had to come back the next day when the manager was there. I came back the next day at 9:15am and went up to the manager. She directed me to take a number and wait for the bank associate I had been directed to the day before. She was a tall woman in her late 20's with long dark and stylish clothing. After about 45 minutes, she was available to see me. The procedure went fairly smoothly. However, she was obviously frustrated that I was taking the time to read the contracts, at least the ones in English. She kept telling me, "Just sign it. All you need to do is sign it." Another strange part was when the bank associate asked me how much money I would be putting in each month. I asked her what the minimum amount is. She became defensive and said there is no minimum amount. Then I asked her if there were fees for going below a certain amount in the account. She either didn't want to tell me or didn't understand the question. The only information on this that I got from her was that it costs about 1 shekel if you go under. How often and what the minimum amount is, should would not tell me. Additionally, she refused to translate contracts that were in Hebrew for me and just expected me to sign. In terms of withdrawing money from the account, usage of a debit card is 8 shekels a month. Furthermore, to withdraw cash from a Leumi ATM costs 1.5 shekels. If I chose not to have a debit card, withdrawing cash from a bank teller would cost 5.5 shekels. Coming from the US where banks throw money at you to open new accounts, this set up seems ridiculous. An alternative bank that I did not find out about until after I opened an account with Leumi, is Discount Bank. (Photo courtesy of http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-norwegian-central-bank-buys-israel-discount-bank-stake-1001155621)
A friend told me that the reason Leumi charges so many fees is because they do not allow international students to open a student account, which normally waves petty charges. However, Discount Bank does. They charge no fees for use of a debit card or withdrawing money. There is a branch also on Brodetski, close to Tel Aviv University, but you must go to their main branch in order to open an account. I have heard nothing but good things about Discount Bank. After I made the decision to attend Tel Aviv University, my next step was to apply for a student visa. The description on the Israeli Consular department's website reads, "This visa is granted to those who want to study in Israel in elementary and high schools, academic institutions, yeshivot and youth institutions of the Jewish Agency. The visa is valid for up to one year and for multiple entrances and exits. Recipients of this visa are not permitted to work in Israel."
The Israeli Embassy is located in D.C. and there are Consulates located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. Since I travelled around this summer, I looked into a couple of different Consulate department's procedures for getting a visa and they vary. For instance, some Consulates require that you show proof of housing arrangements in Israel, while others do not. Furthermore, the D.C. embassy requires that you come in to apply for a visa in person. I ended up going to SF where they allow you to either apply in person or mail in your paperwork. I opted to go in person because who doesn't love a trip to SF? My mom, a family friend, and I walked in a beautiful building in the Financial district of SF where we were greeted by a security guard. We arrived ten minutes before they opened and the security guard had us wait outside until they were ready. At exactly 10am, the guard let us in and asked for my passport. After several questions, he said I could go up, but my mom and family friend had to wait behind. It was a very easy process with little waiting. After going through security, I sat down with a woman who looked over my documents. There was a happy surprise when the woman told me, since I'm a Masa student (an Israeli government and privately-funded organization that offers students all over the world grants to study in Israel), I don't have to pay the visa fee. And then she sent me away (keeping my passport!) with the option to pick up my passport and visa in person or pay $15 to have them FedEx it to my house. Since I will never give up an opportunity to go into the beautiful city, I opted to pick it up in person. The SF Consulate website said it could take up to three weeks to get my visa, but I got the call that it was ready in only two days. I am now a week and a half away from embarking on my next adventure and I’ve been reflecting on my decision to go to Tel Aviv University for graduate school. Although I've wanted to go back to school for awhile, it wasn’t an easy decision.
When I first looked into graduate programs, I knew I had a proclivity towards social psychology, languages, and different cultures, but I had no idea how to culminate those interests into a degree. When I returned from my first trip to Israel at the end of 2016, I leafed through an Israeli graduate school brochure I had picked up at the Jewish Federation in LA. There were a couple of programs that sounded interesting, but I kept coming back to this Conflict Resolution and Mediation program. “You can major in that?” I thought to myself. I loved that it combined psychology with political science, sociology, diplomacy, and so many other areas of the social sciences. Not only that, but the classes, professors, and chance to live in a new culture thrilled me. The application process was fairly easy: application, letters of recommendation, official transcripts (no GRE, thank goodness). I was accepted in April and, although I was thrilled, the financial cost held me from making my final decision until July. I worked for three years at dead end jobs to save up the money I’m now using for my higher education, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to part with that money. In addition, when you study in Israel under a student visa, you cannot work in the country, so there would be no way to support myself besides using my savings. A lot of doubt filled my mind. What if I can get a free education elsewhere? Should I defer a year in order to save up more? I kept waiting for a sign to appear that would make me 100% sure I was making the right decision, but it never came. I realized that, as long as I was paying for it out of my savings, it would never feel completely right because it is a lot of money and I know how hard I worked to earn it. At the same time, I couldn’t bear the thought of waiting one more year to go back to school. Would my savings better serve me sitting in my bank account or allowing me to have life changing experiences? So I accepted attendance to Tel Aviv University’s MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation program class of 2018. This was an essential learning experience for me. Sometimes you need to make tough decisions in which there is no perfect solution. Sometimes you have to make the best choice with the information you have. There is privilege and freedom in being able to make huge choices that effect your life. Yes, that much responsibility can also be scary, but own your choices. It feels empowering to own them. It is a decision all your own and, whether the result leads to success or failure, at least it was your lesson to learn. You will have gained something for learning it. |
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