Sprinkling of Israeli Magic Can Change Lives For Ever
Lydia Aisenberg
I HAVE just spent a week working with over 200 Jewish youths from five different countries spending 10 days or more on tour in Israel. And boy, I'm jealous. Not because of their youth, by the way - been there, done that - but because of the opportunity they have been given to see, taste and experience Israel within an educational framework developed to meet the needs of Jewish youth and young adults in modern times. Nowadays being an extremely small cog in the all-important project of developing and strengthening ties between Diaspora youth and the Jewish state makes me realise how my first visit to Israel four decades ago was so lacking in educational content. As much as it was fun hitchhiking from Metulla to Eilat and sleeping out under the stars on the Netanya or Red Sea resort beaches, few discussed with me topics such as Israeli society, history, politics, Jewish religion, identity, culture or the Middle East conflict for that matter. These days many of those who participate in the short educational tours aimed at the 18-twentysomething age group might be getting a free ticket to ride the emotional rollercoaster that Israel definitely is. But, on the other hand, most it becomes more than a season ticket of commitment to either Israel and their own Jewish communities at the end of the short bumpy summer ride. When the Birthright programme - 10-day tour of Israel free, gratis and for nothing - was launched (originally in North America) a few years back, I was one of those who didn't put too much faith in giving so much to so many on a silver platter especially without their putting a few pennies from their own pockets in the Israel Experience collection box. However, Birthright has proved itself over and over having brought to Israel around 80,000 young Jewish students from North America, South America, Europe and many other faraway places, the vast majority of them unaffiliated to any Jewish organisation either on campus or in their own hometowns before they got enticed into the Birthright net. During one of the most difficult periods in the history of the state, the input both numerically and economically by the Birthright alumni was more than a welcome shot in the arm for so many guides, educators, drivers, hotel workers and tour operators, whose rather brimming well of pre-September 2000 customers dried up in a few short and terrifying months after Palestinian terrorists began their murderous attacks inside Israel. Last week, another organisation - MASA - was launched to bring thousands more Jewish youth to participate in long-term youth programmes in Israel. The main difference between MASA and the other organisations on the Israel trail where funding stems mostly from philanthropists and Jewish organisations abroad is that the MASA initiative is the baby of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and a huge amount of government money is invested in the project which Mr Sharon sees as much an investment in the future of his state as he does in the future of Diaspora Jewry. MASA (which means journey or voyage) aims to bring students for a term to full academic year of studies in Israel - and while on the learning curve also have them become involved and get acquainted with Israeli society at large. Prime Minister Sharon, high-profile Israeli public figures and, of course, politicians attended the official launch of MASA which kicked off with a multimedia show at Beit Guvrin last week. Chosen to represent overseas youth on long-term programmes now in Israel (and who will now also come under the umbrella of MASA) were two British teens participating in the UJIA-Jewish Agency supported Israel Experience gap-year programme. The youngsters, Londoner Ben Russell and Claire Samuel, of Oxfordshire, were not only sharing the stage with Israel's prime minister on that rather special night but were two of the five out of hundreds of young Jews on leadership programmes now in Israel chosen to be featured in the multimedia presentation - a tool that will be used by Jewish Agency and other officials all over the world to promote MASA. Sharon told those gathered in Beit Guvrin: "Today we are taking a giant step towards the time when living in Israel for a period of time will be an inseparable part of the life of every Jewish youngster around the world." One of the groups I had the pleasure of working with this week was that of Birthright UK. The group of around 35 students and university graduates who came from all over Britain showed a keen interest in one of the most difficult and complicated of subjects, Jewish-Arab relations in Israel and participation in a tour of the pre-67 border between Israel and the northern part of the West Bank now straddled by the security fence. One of the students commented afterwards: "I never thought I could learn so much in such a short time." And another said: "Up until now I stayed clear of anti-Israel activities on campus because I was ignorant of the real situation, but now that is no longer the case and I will not be turning my cheek next year." Those students took a short flight to Israel but are in the process of beginning a lifetime voyage, an individual and collective journey into their Jewish identity, having joined the ranks of "Klal Israel" during a short tour of deep roots planted by their people thousands of years ago. Whatever choices they eventually make, we will all have gained from their Israel experience. The Jewish Telegraph of Britain June 2005
