Shalom! Welcome to Israel

I'm here!

Israel is absolutely amazing. At the moment it is 9:15pm, and I'm at the Neve Shalom Wahat al-Salam Guest House, somewhere between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I can hardly believe it's only been one day so far!

El Al Israel Airlines, I will first say, is everything they say they are. Security is very tight; it's true. The flight was great, and as soon as we landed at Ben Gurion International, I immediately felt that the weather was similar to that of the San Fernando Valley. But the similarities end there.

It is very true that Hebrew is the national language, and I have to say that I wish I could read and speak it. Everyone here speaks Hebrew, and it remains to be seen whether English is as widely spoken as I was led to believe it was. In any case, today was really fantastic. We had a great lunch with some of the best hummus I've ever tasted, right here at the hotel complex--and I was told that most hummus here is even better than that! After that, we were given a brief tour and explanation of the Neve Shalom Wahat al-Salam village and its purpose: it is perhaps the only place in Israel where Jews and Israeli Palestinians choose to live together peacefully in the interest of equality. The issue is of course complex, but so far the experience has been enlightening. Afterward, we went to some terraced paths on the way to Jerusalem that had been built sometime around the 1300s and are still used to grow food like dates, grapes, and figs. Then, we went on to Jerusalem, where we discussed the history of the city while taking copious photos. After that, it was falafel near the city. That is, of course, the extremely short version.

Now, I must say this: Israel is beautiful. Also, the country feels overwhelmingly peaceful from what I can see. There is so much mistrust and skepticism in what I had heard, but it is true that Israel has so far appeared to me to be a rich and beautiful place. For that matter, there is nothing AT ALL about Birthright that is a scam or gimmick. Can you believe it is actually what it claims to be? It is.

It's only the beginning, but I am starting to see why people are drawn to this place. In my "American Experience," I have yearned for something more than a vague idea of "identity," and that has a lot to do with it. No matter what you think, my advice already to anyone who could possibly partake of Birthright--DO IT. You have nothing to lose, and much more than you could ever imagine to gain. Birthright has an impeccable safety record.

I can't wait to learn more about this country and explore some more. If only the people reading this blog post could see the absolute fascination and true discourse that being here inspires.