Pope Francis in the Middle East

The Pope's first official visit in the region is something I cannot forget to mention. During the last few days, this topic was present in the news all around the world. Not surprisingly at all: Pope Francis is a significant religous and poltical leader, enjoying great popularity thanks to his open-minded, humble and joyful attitude. His recent speeches and meetings in the Middle East seem to prove that he does deserve this opinion.

Refering to the main values that Christianity stands for, he put a greatest emphasis on the issue of peace. His visit itself served as a great opportunity to unite people. The Catholic communities from Israel got a permission to attend the pope's speech in PA, entering which is usually impossible for them. The division, marked clearly by the infamous wall, was somewhat diminished by the common prayer of Arabs and Jews.

What also impressed me was the clarity and skillfullness of the Pope's diplomatic approach. As a person from the outside of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he clearly wanted to avoid being associated with one of its sides. He didn't come there as another actor with certain ecnomic or political interests. The aim of his visit was to remind people how essential is it to bring peace to the Holy Land. With respect and empathy, he acknowledged the national tragedies and problems of each of the two countries. He firmly stated that each of them has a right to exist in peace and sovereignity and condemned all the unacceptable actions that slow down the negotiation process.What's more, he invited both the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmud Abbas and the president of Israel Simon Peretz to join him in the common prayer for peace in the Vatican. This may be an occasion for the two to meet on a "no-man's-land", in a less tense political atmposphere. 

Of course, I would be far from saying that this is a ground-breaking step that will be able bring these two countries to a completely different path. Many things stay the same: you still get the violence and 'price-tag ' attacks, the far-right and the terrorists don't care, both sides keep breaking the agreements. But I greatly hope the Pope's invitation might be this tiny little gesture that will contribute to altering their policies a bit. And that is something bigger than you may think.

*I really recommend you to read the transcript of his speech:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-pope-franciss-speech-on-arrival-in-israel/

Omer Adam ft. Arisa – Tel Aviv

Listen to this song.

Yes, I am aware, this is Hebrew pop. Indeed, this might not be the genre you listen to every day. I do agree, the cover photo is horribly kitschy. On the other hand… WHO CARES?

Listen once more. Ignore your inner critic, inner snob, inner melomaniac or whoever inside of your head wants to make a fuss about a pinch of electro-oriental disco. Embrace the simple beat, enjoy the energy bursting out from every line, let the quivering Mizrahi melody flow...

Religion and high tech at the JCC

I finished my Days of Israel experience this Friday by attending two magnificent lectures held at the JCC as a part of the ‘A Kaleidoscope of Israeli Cultures’ international expert panel. To start with: shame on you all who were too lazy to come! Sitting there, I kept wondering what’s the mysterious reason for all these free chairs around. Fascinating topics, renowned scholars and a great place – an opportunity not  to miss.  Now, as you guys are sobbing with regret, let me comfort you with an entertaining summary of the lectures.

The first one "Religions and Religiousness in Israel: A Coat of Many Colors" was delivered by dr Annamaria Orla-Bukowska from the UJ Institute of Sociology. She was describing the vibrant Israeli multireligousness in such a joyful, calm way that I couldn’t help smiling. What I loved in particular was her absolutely open-minded, respectful attitude towards every single denomination she would talk about. Perhaps it was this approach of a wise social anthropologist: no judging, just constant, curious observation. At the end, she said one brilliant sentence that seems to perfectly characterize the extreme intensity of Israel: “Our human nature tends to fit everything into these little boxes. Whereas in Israel, nothing fits into any box! Everything overflows”.

Dr Orla-Bukowska’s speech was followed by a presentation by Rabbi Avi Baumol “The Start-up Nation: How Talmud Shapes Modern Day Israeli Capitalism”. This one had what I enjoy most in lectures and books - completely new information and a fresh point of view. I am not very much into technology and economy so I wouldn’t rather get another opportunity to learn all these things. But to tell you the truth, it turned out to be far more interesting that I’d ever guess. Israel is known as a high tech world leader. But have you known how many genius devices come from this country? From flash drives through drop irrigation system up to endoscopic pills, our world is filled with tiny yet brilliant Israeli inventions. The authors of the cited book ‘The startup nation‘ believe that that this phenomena must be linked not only to the government policy or foreign grants but also to certain psychological aspects. The optimistic Israeli ambition and self-confidence close to arrogance (see:http://israelidreamin.blogspot.com/2014/05/israeli-movies-rule.html) make perfect businessmen, leaders and innovators. But these traits cannot come out of nowhere. 
The authors derive them mainly from the compulsory military service and constant immigration. The latter one is rather obvious. People abandoning their past homeland are always the risk-takers. They tend to treat the aliyah as a chance to fulfill their dreams and hopes – that applies to launching a business as well. Moreover, as Israelis are raised in a multicultural society, they naturally develop an open-minded, creative attitude. The latter one- military service - came as a bit of a shock to me. As a pacifist, I’ve always considered the army as something that kills all the personal qualities, transforming young people into thoughtless fighting machines. However, the Israeli Defence Forces appear to work quite differently. They actually encourage the soldiers to think and work independently, acquire leadership skills and question the authorities.
According to Rabbi Baumol, the last skill is not anything new for the Jews. Conversely, it is deeply rooted in the Jewish mentality thanks to… the Talmud. This was the shock number two. I’ve always associated Orthodox Judaism with a strict obedience to the 613 commandments. And here comes an orthodox rabbi, proving that the foundation of his religion is challenging the authority of God! The Old Testament and Talmud are plenty of stories in which the least significant ones argue with the Almighty himself. Mind-blowing. What’s more, the old Jewish tradition has its unique approach to intellectual development. The Talmud knowledge is all deep-rooted in logic, critical thinking and reality, it forms a culture of discussion, arguments and doubts.

If you ever wondered ‘Why are Jews so smart?”, that seems to be a fair answer.

Nakba, May 15

May 15 is not a day for fierce political debates nor exchanging arguments about which side of the whole Israeli-Palestinian issue is right. It is the day of recognition. Acknowledging the darkside of the short Israeli history: all the personal human suffering caused by its establishment in 1948. Denying this fact won't bring Israel any peace nor glory.

 Let me just quote what Saeb Erekat wrote in today's Haaretz:

"Today is the anniversary of what we Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, our catastrophe – although a single word cannot begin to explain it, and a single day cannot begin to commemorate it.(...) Israel can't erase Nakba from it's history"

Aleph, aleph, alphabet

Ladies and gentlemen, I've started to learn Hebrew.
Yes, I'm aware I won't be able to become fluent in the language in three months. Sure, there's actually no need to do that as all the Israelis I'll have to do with speak English really good. But... It's just that I can't stand the mere thought of going to a country where I can't read nor understand a single word. 'Come on' I said to myself 'Hebrew can't be that hard'. And got to work.
The first thing to do is to learn the alphabet. Here comes my luck: I've recently, just about 2 minutes away from my home, run into a poster advertising a 'free pilot course of Hebrew caligraphy' (those who live in Krakow still got a chance to enroll: http://www.biblijnespotkania.pl/kurs-kaligrafii-hebrajskiej/). Isn't that a coincidence? So far, I've taken part in one lesson only but it turned out to be easier and more fun than I'd guess.
The teacher would go through the alphabet letter by letter, calmly explaining us how to write it. We used special pens, not natural quills and ink, what made the whole task much easier. Each letter is written with two kinds of lines: the thin one and the wide one (exactly three times thicker). Depending on how you hold and press the pen, you get one of the two. What’s more, most of the letters have a very proportional, square shape and they consist mostly of straight lines- a dream for beginners.
What I loved about the teacher was that he didn’t just focus on the technical side. Leaning over our sheets, he would talk a lot about the biblical symbolism of each letter, its various meanings and usage and the number it’s associated with. There’s a whole magical world standing behind these 22 signs, it appears.
But if some of you thought that it’s enough to learn them in order to read and write in Hebrew, I must set you straight. It is nothing but the printed font, allowing you to read (be careful though, on Facebook the biblical letters are so simplified that they may be difficult for you to recognize) but hardly ever used for hand-writing. And this is why I needed another course. Again, the Krakow Days of Israel (here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/DniIzraelawKrakowie) came to rescue me, offering a free Hebrew class in the Jewish Community Centre. Despite how tired or busy I was, I simply couldn’t say no to such an opportunity. I’m glad I didn’t, as this hour turned out to be very helpful. Apart from learning a couple of useful phrases, we practiced all the written alphabet. Just what I needed. The teacher was very enthusiastic and she clearly knew what she was doing - if you are interested in taking up a course, regular classes at the JCC start in October.
At the top of the post there are my notes from both workshops: maybe nothing of extraordinary beauty but at least a proof that absolutely everyone can start learning. Hope that encourages some of you!
PS. The campaign slowly starts to roll: I have already received first two donations! Big big thanks for the sweet contributors!!! That makes me $35 closer to the Arava Valley for Peace Camp, $1165 still ahead. Wish me luck :)

Israeli movie time

I began the Krakow Days of Israel with a Hebrew movie night in a cosy shisha café (https://www.facebook.com/przyladekkrakow) in Kazimierz, the Krakow’s famous Jewish District. Lying Orient-style on a pile of comfy cushions with a warm pot of rooibos was a perfect way to switch to the Middle Eastern chillout vibe.  

The first film was Turn Left at the End of the World (סוף העולם שמאלה) – certainly worth recommending. No matter if you are searching for a vivid image of what aliyah is about or just two hours of laughter and emotion, I’m sure you’ll be satisfied. It tells a story of two Jewish families – one from Morocco and the other one from India – who choose to start a new life in the dream Eretz Israel. That is to say, in the middle of nowhere. The people who once considered themselves high-class, sophisticated and elegant now need to deal with a complete change of lifestyle: settling in the inhospitable desert, hard, low-paid job in a factory and… getting along with the neighbors. At first they treat each other with a certain dose of distance and superiority. But day after day, the wall of prejudices is crumbled  by common experiences. They are united by personal tragedies and successes, family problems and sport challenges, bonds of friendship and affection. The way it was shown in the movie took my heart completely: without exaggeration nor dramatic kitsch- just ordinary human life, with all its difficulties and wonders. Lovely, funny, moving.

The second movie, Café Tales, gave me somewhat mixed feelings. Café Braun, which splendor is long bygone, is under threat of being closed. A group of old friends  declares war on all the world’s injustices standing between them and their favorite local coffee shop. The plot itself seems to make quite a good movie material but to me it just wasn’t really convincing. All the characters were somewhat too obvious, crazy and lost: colorful but simply exaggerated. The same could be said about editing: sharp, chaotic transitions from one scene to another would just make the whole story unreal. However, there was one great thing about the Café Tales that caught my attention: the way it presented one peculiar feature of the Israeli personality. Although each of the characters was totally different, there was one thing that united them: each of them was firmly convinced about his righteousness. All these macho men and strong women who have gone through a lot shared one rule: fight for what you want. This motivating, but often troublesome motto seems to apply to quite a lot of Israelis. As my Hebrew girl friend  once shouted: “You gotta step out of this <what’s wrong, what’s right>! If you want somethin’, just get it!”

Campaign

Dear Everyone,

I am very very excited to announce that the crowdfunding campaign has just been launched :D

It took me a couple of days to get everything prepared but finally me and the FundAnything website managed to find a common ground. Here is the link:

https://fundanything.com/en/campaigns/julia-goes-hebrew

If you like it and think this is an initiative you want to support - don't hesitate to comment, contribute and share ;)Thank you guys, you've no idea how happy and motivated I feel by your interest in this blog. I have recently got so much of positive feedback and support from friends and family that I really feel this is something worth doing. Thanks a lot!

Apart from that, there is a lot of interesting things to come: the Week of Israel in Kraków is about to begin tomorrow. I'm planning to take part in loads of great events, from language workshops to cinema... and obviously I will write you about it in detail. Stay tuned!