The view from Israel is, well, obviously different from the view from Sacramento. Specifically the view I have just now is different because I’m looking down from a hilltop. I am in my room in the dormitory at the University of Haifa. The university is built on a “mountain top” and the dormitories look down onto an industrial track surrounded by fields. That may sound ugly, but at night it’s a sparkling gem of color.
One of my agendas for the coming year is to work with the ARZA (American Reform Zionist Association) committee. While working on the planning for the year we talked about the American image of Israel. Israel is seen as small, dangerous, and possibly oppressive (there, I said it!) Well, one out of three isn’t bad I suppose – it is small.
Israel is this amazingly diverse place where history and the modern world coexist in all their glory. Two thousand year old archeological digs are common, and the spectrum of politics is huge with everyone screaming at everyone else.
There is a growing hi-tech community (Google, IBM, and Intel, to note a few, have research installations here in town,) quality healthcare and sanitation, world quality universities, and an extremely diverse group of immigrants. Aside from the three obvious religions here in Haifa is the center of the B’hai faith, and there are several smaller religions in the nation.
People do live with the risk of terrorism and war, but also live healthy, quality lives which would seem normal in most European countries. For what little its worth I’ve been asked several times, and quite sincerely, how I can live safely in the U.S. where everyone’s shooting at everyone all the time. (Amazing how these impressions spread.)
I hope to explore these aspects of modern Israel when I get back to California.
