Lessons from Israeli exposure week

The Gaza convoy marked the end of our so-called Israeli exposure week. What did we do? Who did we see? Did we get any wiser?

We had a discussion with Israeli students from a cross-section of Israeli society, followed by drinks in West Jerusalem. We went to the impressive Yad Vashem - the Holocaust memorial and museum. We met Bob Lang, a talkative settler with underdeveloped listening skills. We saw a light and sound show in Kfar Etzion settlement (imagine WWII propaganda film aimed at settlers) where a man unfortunately died from a cardiac arrest. We visited a kibbutz. We slept in a monastery in Haifa. We went to Jesus' hometown Nazareth. We went shopping in the enormous Grand Canyon shopping mall. We joined six Palestinian-Israelis in a march for Gaza along a busy street in Haifa (slogan: "No good morning, no good night, until the end, we will fight!"). We smoked narguile and spent all of our allowance.

In the end, what I did realize is how diverse and fragmented the Israeli society is.

Yad Vashem - Holocaust Museum

With Katariinalainen in the kibbutz

With Tzegha and Elisabeth in Nazareth

Katariinalainen with her trusty narguile