Day 10

Day 10 Reflections

By Cindy Yanofsky

It is Friday, February 24, 2017, and I sit outside and hear birds trilling and cawing, the light roar of what could be the sea but I know it is cars, and tiny voices as they reach up from below. As I turn my head to glance out, it is blue forever, the sea blending seamlessly into the sky. If I could describe a piece of heaven, this would be it.

I am free to contemplate all that I have experienced here in Israel. It has only been ten days but it is a lifetime. I am changed. That number ten is significant as I have become part of the minyan of Israel, part of the community in such a visceral way. I can taste it, hear it, smell it, see it. I have started talking to myself in Hebrew because from deep within me, I feel this place is now mine.

How did this happen? Was it the hospitality of so many wonderful people willing to share their time, schools, experiences, and laughter with me, never mind all the food and driving? Was it seeing school children eager to bring us into their world, to show us what they are doing and making, to play a game with us, and then to give us kisses and hugs and greetings until the last moment as we exited the door? Was it the dancing and sharing meals with our newly made Israeli and American friends? Was it the deep and sometimes difficult discussions about relationships with all peoples here in Israel - where danger and loss from past experiences can color attitudes towards others based on general attributes and not specifics?

I don’t know exactly when it happened but I am a different person now. I thought I was empathic and could easily step into others’ shoes. Our experiences here have shown me otherwise. Seeing schools that teach in Hebrew and others in Arabic, some with traditional structure and others more open, I better appreciate the need for distinctions but also respect and fairness. With the actress Helen as she took on various voices of the people here in Israel, I opened my eyes and heart to a deeper understanding of the complexity of issues facing Israel today and facing me as a caring person learning to let go of a bit of me in order to really see someone else. While I did not necessarily agree with some of the perspectives “Helen” shared, I can now more easily open myself up, open my heart, to even be able to support conflicting viewpoints, as this is what Israel faces every day. I am at the beginning now of holding opposing thoughts without having to discount one to accept another. I plan to use this new piece of myself, not just in my understanding of Israel, but in my relationships with my friends, my relatives (particularly those with differing political views, with whom I have had trouble recently even visiting for reticence I having to respect their choices and opinions), my colleagues, and my students.

I also have a new sense of what teaching can be. Coming to Israel with teachers and to meet teachers has been an amazing way to experience this country. Great teachers are always learners and that is what we have been doing since we arrived. From the walls of the Tower of David to the history of the German colony, we see how history lives in Israel and more clearly affects daily life. Back home, I live in today not yesterday, but here, history is alive and is begging us to listen to make a better today and tomorrow. I am a learner now, not so arrogant as before to think I know how to do unto others as I wish them to do unto me. But seeing the successes here in Israel, how many live already together in peace and want to share their story with strangers as they trust these strangers to respect their stories and learn by them, gives me such hope.

So who am I now? I am a learner, sharer, holder of hearts of others, observer, carer - I am a teacher ready to bring Israel with me to my students and family and friends, and to use the lessons and knowledge I have gained here to continue my constant process of improvement. This trip has been exceptional. And here sitting outside, sitting, contemplating, smiling. Isn't this moment in time, right now, right here the most amazing time, oh wait now we have moved to the next moment, isn't this moment the most valuable . . .

We visit Gan Shibolet, with director Rachel Hazzan.  While we are visiting, a fourth grade class also visits to learn about gardening and recycling. Only a few years ago the back yard was simply dirt devoid of life.

Rachel Hazzan has designed a garden of plants that are beautiful but also can be harvested and eaten in the classroom.

We helped replace some planters.

A warm welcome from a religious preschool in Haifa: "With love and joy we receive all who come."

Examples of artwork in a religious preschool.

The banot (girls) recite the blessing over the Shabbat candles together.

Freshly baked challah for each child.

Shabbat together at Kibbutz Sarid.