Author: Young Judaea

by Eduardo “Lalo” Fainsod, Year Course Participant

The name Shlomo Glenzer stuck with me all throughout our guided hike along Highway 1, the main road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  In 1934, Shlomo made Aliyah from Poland, a decision that likely saved his life from the Nazis, but he fell in battle during the War of Independence in 1948 at just 20 years old.  Ascending our last incline of the day, we stopped just off the road at a kibbutz cemetary dedicated to Israeli soldiers who lost their lives during the War of Independence, many of whom were Survivors who had made Aliyah from Europe after the Holocaust.

It was very moving to see these graves with the names of dozens of young men and women who gave their lives defending the newly established State of Israel. We continued on our path in the beautiful forest of the Judaean Hills – hills that would not have been in Israel were it not for these same soldiers. We joked, sang and played word games during the hike, but I do not think anyone kept their minds off these names that we saw in the cemetary.

Earlier in the day, Rabbi Rob explained that this part of the highway was strategically important for Israel because it was the only way to bring supplies to Jerusalem, which was under siege.  The IDF sent convoys of trucks with supplies to Jerusalem along this route, which winds up a valley towards Jerusalem.  However, the road was impassable as it was routinely strafed by Arab forces in the villages surrounding the road, who opened fire on the Jewish convoys and killed many brave drivers and guards. Once more I thought of Shlomo Genzler.

We visited a battle site along the highway called Castel.  In April of 1948 the Palmach’s Harel Brigade, led by Yitzhak Rabin, attacked Castel hoping to open the road and reduce the danger to Jewish convoys.

It was impressive to walk through the Arab trenches that Yitzhak Rabin and the Harel brigade overtook during the battle.  We had a beautiful 360-degree view of the highway and surrounding trees and hills.  Far off in the East was Jerusalem with its beautiful Chord Bridge plainly visible.  In between was a mix of Arab and Jewish villages, some of which are built over former villages that were destroyed in the war. Now, more than 65 years later, the area looks remarkable; a picturesque location for a family picnic.  It is hard to imagine the Israel that Shlomo Genzler came to, built, fought for, and died for without the light-rail crossing over the bridge, without the Jewish villages, without the construction below expanding Highway 1 from four to six lanes, and without many of the forests planted since.

I have been in Israel many times before, mostly on educational trips.  I have visited most of the tourist sites in the country. I have climbed Masada, floated in the Dead Sea, swam in the Galilee, snorkeled in the Red Sea, and played on the beaches of the Mediterranean.  I have prayed at the Kotel, walked in the Baha’i gardens, and eaten hummus at all of the best places.  However, this was the first siyur that we have done during Year Course that is completely new for me. I enjoyed the educational value of the trip and the beautiful hikes that we did.  A nice view will make anything better.

Still, 20-year-old Shlomo Glenzer, who made aliyah in 1934 from Poland and died in battle in 1948, will not be a name I forget for a long time.

The following Journal entries from Sarah Braginsky and Bess Brown should give you an idea of some of the activities that the Year Course participants have been doing in Rwanda in the past week.

From Sarah Braginsky

Day 3:

Today was our first day of service. In the morning we were split into four small groups to work on the farm, in the kitchen, on our bridge project, and in the storage room. On the farm Bess, Yoni and Natalie helped shuck corn alongside other workers who taught them the proper technique. Stephanie, Michelle and I worked in the kitchen cutting up a ton of vegetables.  We even surprised the workers by how fast we worked. I guess working in the kitchen at Camp Tel Yehuda paid off.  Ben, Adam and Anouska worked on our bridge project. We are making a bridge over the water trench so that cars can pass over.  To do this we need to mix a lot of cement, so far today they carried the sand for the cement we’ll be making.  In the meantime Sydney and James counted supplies in the storage room. In the middle of our shifts the kitchen provided us with a fresh fruit salad and samosas as a snack.  It was a nice break.
In the afternoon we spent time at the ASYV science center. The kids’ ranged from finding the voltage of solar panels, to designing their own websites, and thinking of new ways of making energy.  The science center is an amazing place, one that most people probably wouldn’t imagine when they think of education in Rwanda.
Every week the village has a debate. They start by debating within their families and then continue in the larger groups.  Today we were able to sit in on a debate about the effect of Colonialism in Africa.  My host family’s conclusion surprised me a little. While I assumed that they would place some blame on Colonialism for causing poverty in Africa, they felt that they learned useful things from the Colonialists that can help them advance socio-economically.

Day 4:

Today was an unintentional chance for some serious group bonding. We woke up and did our morning service. In the afternoon, it started to pour. There was thunder and lightning and buckets of rain. We participated in after school activities in the arts center while we waited for the rain to stop, but when the rain stopped, the power went out. It was dark out and difficult to see so we used our phones as flashlights to guide us back to the guest house. Being stuck in our lounge with only improvised phone-flashlights provided us an opportunity to get closer to one another. I think that after this experience we will start to form a more close friendship within our group.

From Bess Brown

Day 5:

 

Today, we went to the Kigali Memorial Museum. The museum talks about how the genocide in Rwanda began, what happened during the genocide and how Rwanda was able to recover from the horrors that their country endured.  This museum is unique because it doesn’t just cover the genocide in Rwanda, but also provides information about the genocides in Cambodia, the Balkans, Armenia, and the Holocaust. It points out all of these awful tragedies that occurred and asks why no one did enough to stop them. The whole museum is a dim lit maze but you exit into multiple gardens all honoring a different group affected in the genocide, like the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

After the museum we went to an authentic Rwandan restaurant. It was basically an all you can eat buffet with one catch: you can pile your plate with as much food as you want but once you sit down, you can’t go back up again. It was a nice change from the routine of rice, potatoes, and beans for lunch and dinner. Once we had eaten all that we could handle, we headed over to the Kigali market.

 

We had all been to the shuks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem but we had never seen a market like this. It’s not just in one straight line, but hundreds of different rows and aisles. Picture a Costco with no walls and aisles 10 times as small. On one side of the market you could find food and on the other side you could find clothes, trinkets and fabrics. Everyone there was pushing their goods aggressively – and of course at double the price for tourists. The Israeli in me came out and I started bargaining with every shop owner just as aggressively as they were selling. The group piled back into the bus and excitedly showed each off what we had bought. People came back with a variety of necklaces and bracelets, woven bowls and place mats, fabrics, fruit, and even a giant spoon.

After returning to the village and taking a short rest we gathered together and had a Kabbalat Shabbat service. We then all went to the amphitheater for village time. There’s really nothing in America like it but it’s something similar to a performance and assembly combined. There were about 10 different performances including singing, cartoons, sketches, and rapping. Its HIV awareness week and so all of the performances had something to do with HIV awareness. It was all done in KinyeRwanda, Rwanda’s official local language.  Luckily the girl next to me helped translate what was going on. The final performance was the Dream Boys, a popular group in Rwanda. Look them up on Youtube they’re awesome!

 

Day 6:

We woke up bright and early at 5 am for the Muchaka Muchaka which is a run (but more like a jog) that the village does every Saturday morning. I was pretty nervous because I was expecting it to be a fast paced run but the jog was slow enough and I was able to fast walk alongside them for part of the run.  We were all pretty tired after the run but right after breakfast we went out of the village to do some community service. I was expecting it to be a short walk but it was about an hour outside of the village by foot.  By the time we got there we were all pretty exhausted but the kids jumped right in and began working. We shoveled away at the hillside in order to make a wider road. After about an hour and a half we were finished but instead of going back we went to what I was told was a meeting with the other group. There was definitely a cultural barrier because the “meeting spot” was in the middle of a village and there was a district meeting taking place. Basically all of the workers of the Rabona area gathered around and discussed what was going on in the village. I had a translator explained what was going on more-or-less. The meeting went on for a while and once it was over we all began the long walk back. We were all tired, burnt and thirsty and it was good to finally get back.

In the afternoon there was a soccer game against a team from outside the village. I don’t understand much soccer but it was really cool to see so many people from the village supporting the ASYV team. Although we lost, the kids were super spirited the whole game.

This evening was the announcing of Miss Rwanda and one of the contestants is a graduate of ASYV! The kids have all been super excited about it; they’re constantly on the computers voting over and over again for her. They’re broadcasting the show in the dining tonight so we will all find out who the winner will be. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

 Women of the Wall is a Jewish organization seeking gender equality at the Western Wall that leads monthly Rosh Hodesh services for the new Jewish month in which women read from the Torah and lead prayers at the Western Wall.  The group is currently nearing a compromise deal with the Israeli government that will ensure an egalitarian space in the plaza at the Kotel.  Because of her involvement in the issue last year, we asked Year Course 2012-2013 alumna Frances Lasday to write some reflections on her experience engaging in the issues of egalitarian Judaism and pluralism.  We encourage you to write your own comments and thoughts in response as Young Judaea is a movement that encourages dialogue, discussion, and even disagreement.  How do you define pluralism?  What is your ideal solution to this issue?

I grew up in Young Judaea surrounded by different political opinions, ideas about Israel, and religious practices.  Through that lens I learned, along with my peers, to struggle with pluralism.  To me this is what it means to be a part of a diverse Jewish community – fostering and discussing difference, not simply tolerating it silently.  Last year while I participated on Young Judaea Year Course, I began to explore this issue through my interest in Women of the Wall and participated in their Rosh Hodesh services.

To me, Jewish religious pluralism means living in a more tolerant society. If we spend time appreciating and accepting, and legitimizing our differences within our own community, we will not only grow stronger as a group, but we will become more empathetic to others outside of our own communities. A part of being human is being afraid of the unknown, but if we learn to accept differences within ourselves, we are far more likely to accept people who are seemingly more different. Pluralism also means attempting to create compromise, and forces us to encounter things that make us uncomfortable.

I think that it is a common misconception that pluralism is the attempt to make everybody happy. This is simply not possible, we are too varied and too many, and as the saying goes –  when there are two Jews, there are three opinions. However, it is through the struggle and the attempt to reach compromise that we grow as people. After all, “Israel” means “to struggle with G-d,” and we, the people of Israel, cannot grow when we are not challenged. I wish mazal tov to the Women of the Wall and the Israeli government for coming close to an agreement, and I hope that over time we will continue to struggle, together, to create a stronger and more empathetic people so we can slowly but surely make the world a better place.