Education Days

The education days have been really interesting and explore many aspects of Israeli society. From exploring the Negev, to the old city, and many of the environmental and political considerations throughout all of Israel, these days have given us a taste of many hot topics within Israel.

             My favorite day was in Jerusalem, where we met with different political leaders to discuss a variety of issues facing Israel today. We spoke with the editor of the Jerusalem Post about the effect of the media on Israel’s foreign and domestic policies, as well as how other countries perceive and act towards Israel. He also discussed major issues on the political agenda, such as the escalating conflict of Iran and how the media plays a large role is assessing and forming public opinion. We also met with a former Knesset member, looking to unite the orthodox and secular Jews to form one cohesive identity. His ideas were somewhat unattainable at the moment, but interesting food for thought and a way to look towards a progressive future. His ideas would certainly make the domestic politics of Israel significantly easier by lessening the conflict between the religious and the non-religious, but getting there seems like a daunting task. We also met with someone from IRAC, who spoke about rights of non-orthodox Jews, specifically women and people who sought religious rights from the conservative and reform movements. The whole day dealt with the domestic politics of Israel-- especially focusing on the hot ticket issues today such as conversion, civil marriages, rights of non-orthodox Jews and the different political parties, as well as what they each stand for. The day was filled with lots of information, some of which was new and some of which I already knew, but it was really interesting to hear everyone’s point of view and great to get further information to keep track of these issues further down the road.

            Another fun education day was on the environment, which happened to be on my Yom huledet (birthday)! On this day went to several different places in the Tel Aviv area to focus on what precautions Israel is taking to improve the environment. The coolest part of the day was our trip to Better Place in Rehovot to drive electric cars. Better Place has created cars that run completely on electricity and is going to be selling them within Israel next year. We drove some of the models they had at the factory to experience what true electric cars feel like on the road. They are super smooth to drive, and make no noise at all, so your music is all you hear. They have them set up where you will be able to charge your battery and charging locations in all major parking destinations, and you pay a monthly bill based upon how much you use the car, much like a cell phone plan. Their idea was really cool, and what was cooler, was that it was already being put into action. They have already made thousands of cars and are working to install all the charging stations before next year when they will be on sale. These cars will not only help the environment of Israel, but will also help their security by releasing some of their dependence on the surrounding countries of which they have had continuous conflicts. It also will presumably help the economic situation in Israel, as gas is really expensive here, even more so than in the US. In addition to Better Place we went to an eco-friendly cafe that was delicious for lunch, and a garbage dump right outside Tel Aviv that they are turning into a huge park to escape the city. With Tel Aviv and Israel in general expanding their economic capacity, it’s good to know that the environment is still being taken into consideration. Like many things, Israel is always at the top of innovation, the environment is no exception.

            All of our education days were interesting and offered a different perspective and new look at many issues. In Tel Aviv we looked at the refugee issue and spoke with many people who were trying to help the legality of foreign workers and solve the problem of refugees from all over the world. In Beer Sheva we went to a prison to see the inner workings of their penal system. I was surprised to see how nice they treat their inmates-- a TV in every room, weekly trips to mini-store for snacks, cigarettes, etc, free education or paid work daily, sports and other recreational activities, and many more benefits that made the prison a place where criminals could theoretically rebuild their lives, instead of just sit locked up. I was really surprised that we could just walk into their rooms, say hey and have a conversation. We met with two prisoners, one who we planned to sit down and talk with and one who was just chatty and knew English well. It was not dangerous within the prison, and it was perfectly acceptable for us to just walk through and observe--very different from what I am used to thinking of as a prison. Overall the days were very long and jam packed with lots of things, but each offered something different and new.