Turmoil in the Middle East

(The Dome of the Rock and a overview of the Western Wall -A picture I took during a trip to Israel)

In the news lately, we have been hearing a lot about the Israeli - Palestinian conflict going on right now in the Middle East. But it seems that we have been seeing only snippets of the stories emerging from Israel and Gaza. It is obviously sad to see the pictures and videos of the many wounded and killed, but the stories that come along with it or some times hard to believe. I am a proud supporter of Israel, and when these reports come out saying that Israel is the only one at fault, and they are the only bad guys, it really makes me blood boil. I am not one to accuse the Palestinians of being killers and missile launchers , but sometimes the stories are exaggerated to a whole different level. While few stories are very biased, most of them are true, but they are interrupted differently by everyone. Some news stations are to blame, like CNN, because they only show one side of the story, but other stations are pretty accurate.

Recently, a ceasefire was agreed upon from both sides of the border, but even more recently, it despite the ceasefire, Palestinians fired a rocket from northern Gaza at the western Negev (south) last week. The projectile landed in an open area in the western Negev's Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported. The Color Red alert (the alarm to let residents know that a rocket is coming) sounded throughout the area ahead of the landing. Click here to read more.

This on going conflict has truly effected me and my Jewish community. Everyday, I think about my friends who are living in Israel right for the year, and worry constantly about their safety and well being. Israel is a second home for me and I have visited there many times. I also plan on living in Israel for a year between senior year and freshmen year of college. I hope and pray everyday that Israel will still be around for many many many more years, and when I plan on living there, it will also be safe. This summer, I am spending 8 weeks traveling to every part of Israel, and still, through all of the bombs and terror threats, my desire to be there right now, and to spend my summer there, has not weakened. I want to get the message out there to everyone that through this turmoil, Israel is still a wonderful place. In a heart beat, of someone where to ask if they should go, I would say yes. It may seem like a scary place, but in fact, when you are actually there, it is peaceful, and holy and serene. I don't want to sound like Miss American right now, but I really do hope for peace in the world, and that can only happen if we all try to achieve it right here and now.


( A picture of me in front of the Western Wall during a trip in the winter of 2006)



(This is a video I took while climbing up Masada- a historical and biblical mountain in southern Israel, that overlooks the Dead Sea and is very high up. This is a video I took while in Israel in 8th grade with my class from Schechter. It is 4AM when we started climbing the mountain, and it was very cold, and it is not an easy climb up. The whole climb takes close to 2 hours, and you wake up early enough to climb the mountain so you can see the sunrise from the top.)