Weekly Recap/Update March 9, 2014

Between things like watching Game of Thrones and Avatar the Last Airbender, to exploring Israeli night-life in a music festival, there is a lot that I have been waiting to talk about for a long time.

First off, if you did not know already, GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 STARTED THIS PAST WEEK!!! It's great to see all my good friends like Arya and Tyrion back at it in the land of Westeros and Essos. I can't wait to see what comes up in the next few episodes (I know what is going to happen from the books, but it is always cool to see how they adapt it to the television show).

Another great show that I'm watching/re-watching is Avatar the Last Airbender. Yes, it's a show for kids, but a great one at that. There is a theory that some of the plot line regarding Avatar has a lot to do with World War II and the Holocaust. For example, the Earth nation is constantly persecuted throughout the show and in an early episode we see Aang -- the last Airbender -- save a group Earthbenders from a concentration-camp-esque facility where they have been trapped and forced to work. Another example is the idea that Sozen's Comet, the big comet that will fall from the sky and end the war, is very similar to the concept of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the case of World War II, the bombs also ended the war just like Sozen's Comet would. If you have not seen Avatar the Last Airbender, I totally recommend it because it is great for all ages -- even if it was made for kids (and of course you already know how I feel about Game of Thrones).

Now let's get to some more Israel-related topics. In the upcoming week, I will be traveling to Kibbutz Urim near Be'er Sheva to visit my family for Passover. I'm really excited to see if there are any major differences in the way a seder is performed in Israel versus America. In addition to that, I will be doing my Yam-Le-Yam (sea-to-sea) hike! It's a four day hike/bike from the Northeast all the way to the Northwest of Israel. I can't wait to experience what is said to be one of the best parts of EIE in the following days!

Early in the week I got to hear some very interesting speakers talk about their different sects of Judaism. It was very captivating to hear the Modern- and Ultra-Orthodox speakers talk about their opinions on certain aspects of the religion and how it plays into society. For example, I asked the Ultra-Orthodox speaker about how he believes that the Messiah will come when religion is being so heavily diluted by the recent advancements in science and technology. His response was simply incredible. He started off by explaining how science may seem to initially disprove religion, but in the end actually ends up just emphasizing how religion is the truth. He then explained the concept in a story:

__________

Once, there were a group of men who wanted to climb a mountain,

It was a very physically and mentally challenging climb,

When they got to the top, they found a few young children running around and playing,

The men asked how they got to the top of the mountain,

The children responded, "We were born here."

__________

The men who hiked are all the scientists while the children at the top are the Jewish people. We are born with the answers, and even though the answer may be right in front of someone's face, they still do not realize it. But sooner or later, they will come back to find that same answer waiting for them.

Later that day, I experienced something that was really amazing to watch and be a part of. My group and I got to go to a music festival in the Old City. At first, I was a little hesitant and did not know what to expect because it was such short notice. But man, I did not imagine it to be as awesome as it was. The thing that I found most important from that night was that I saw all different people singing and dancing together. Coming from a discussion with people who could argue for hours and hours about whose opinion is right and wrong, it was amazing to see that at the end of the day, they were still one people -- Am Yisrael.

Finally, I got to help out my camp directors by talking to the new Mishlachat who will be part of camp this summer. It was really great to be able to try and explain to someone what camp means to me. Plus, I met some cool Israelis, so that was a win as well!

Overall, this week kicked some major boo-tay! I'm exciting to be able to spend a whole other two months in Eretz Yirael! Stay tuned for more twists and turns in the wacky adventures of Aaron Perelman Bosgang!

My Poland Experience

I've already spoken a good deal about my experience in Poland, but there is still so much to add. The trip to Poland captured many different emotions all at once. When learning about something like the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, I couldn't help but feel sorry for all the horrible things that happened to the Jews in the ghettos, but at the same time I felt a sense of pride because of the strength that these people had to push through and never lose faith. Before coming to Poland, my opinion on the Holocaust was that there are positives that are more important to focus on than all the negatives. Now I have come to terms with the fact that it is impossible to ignore the atrocities that were committed by the Nazis. Yes, it is great to look on the bright side, but in order to fully understand the Holocaust we have to focus on each side equally.

To me, one of the hardest things to fathom was the number of Jews slaughtered. I have so much trouble trying to think of hundreds of thousands of people being lined up, and waiting for their turn to die. It is even more difficult to think about how the Nazis got rid of not just a hundred thousand, but six million bodies after all the killing was done. If I was going to get close to imagining the numbers, I had to start on a smaller scale first. The Warsaw Jewish Cemetery was the first stop my group and I made in Poland. The most interesting part of the cemetery was the memorial for children who died during the Holocaust. It was a poem by Jack Eisner which was part of the memorial that had a major influence on my trip as a whole :

Grandma Masha had twenty grandchildren,

Grandma Hana had eleven,

Only I survived.

In order to truly understand the vast number of deaths during the Holocaust, we must start first with the smaller numbers and work up from there.

It is terrifying to imagine what it would be like to watch millions of your people die, yet there are still positives from the Holocaust that deserve attention as well. Over the course of the trip, I wrote a lot in my journal. What I discovered while writing was that the Holocaust was a failure. Something we always ignore is the fact that the Nazis lost. Their mission was to not only wipe out all of the Jews, but first tear them apart from each other -- making them weak and hopeless. It is funny to think about that plan now that they have been defeated, and the Jewish people are thriving once again. On top of that, we came together as a people once again. The Nazis were never even close to separating us from our faith or our family. If anything, the Jews grew stronger and became closer with one another after the Holocaust -- we had to work together in order to survive. We did not go our separate ways, instead we worked together to rebuild what Hitler thought he could destroy (even though it was practically impossible). In my opinion, this is the most important thing from my trip that I learned.

There may have been death and destruction, but there was still faith. The Jews did band together as a people, yet there are still many Jews who will never have the chance to rebuild the Jewish community. For every positive, there is a negative. No point is more important than another. The harsh reality is that Jews died. But we cannot forget that the Jews also thrived. My trip to Poland was filled with sadness, pain, confusion, happiness, laughter, and pride. Something I will never forget is the strange feeling one gets when he/she experiences all of these emotions at once. It leaves him/her in silence -- in awe. As people living seventy years after the Holocaust, we will never completely understand what happened. Yet if we want to understand the most we possibly can, then we must look at both the good and bad.

The 614th Mitzvah

The Holocaust is a terrifying subject. When looking over seventy years in the past, it becomes hard to imagine the pain and suffering so many Jewish people went through. Only so many people survived the horrific times of World War II, and now they are much older and beginning to pass away. There is a common fear among all of Am Yisrael that the significance of the Holocaust can be lost once we lose all of our ancestors. Rabbi Emil Fackenheim responds to the worries of the Jewish people by saying, "Jews are forbidden to hand Hitler posthumous victories, they are commanded to survive as Jews, lest the Jewish People perish." As a people, we cannot forget after the death of our loved ones, or else Hitler wins. It is frightening to think of a world where the Nazis had won. So how does Am Yisrael follow this 614th mitzvah? It's quite simple, actually -- we must pass on the stories of the Holocaust down from generation to generation. Rabbi Fackenheim's 614th mitzvah is an incredibly important concept to keep in mind especially in this period of time when the significance of the Holocaust is fading away.

When researching the Holocaust, there is no way to avoid hearing about the Righteous Among the Nations. These people not only risked their lives, but the lives of their family as well to help the Jews survive. It is impossible to comprehend, let alone feel, the amount of courage it took for the men and women who helped keep Am Yisrael alive to actually take action against such an intimidating force like the Nazis. It can be argued that the Righteous Among the Nations are the ones who are the reason why there is still a Jewish people (or at least why it is as large and strong as it is now). For this reason, we can never forget what they have done for us. The Righteous Among the Nations are not even Jewish, but they hold a bigger part of our history than most people do. Fortunately, we have ways to remember the amazing acts of these righteous people through things such as the movie "Schindler's List." Through this we always have a way to recognize what it is that has kept so many of the Jewish people alive. No one asked people like Schindler to "step out of his comfort zone" and take a huge risk like saving over one thousand enemies of the state. But it is the fact that he attempted the impossible and succeeded that makes him and so many others so important when remembering the Holocaust. These are the people who will help us follow the 614th mitzvah.

Even though we must thank the Righteous Among the Nations for all they did, we can never forget the Jews who lived before this horrible time. Poland has lost almost its entire Jewish population because of the Holocaust. Yes, Jews were slaughtered and it was horrible, but we cannot just brush over the fact that before these terrible times there were amazing ones. Poland had become a major center of Jewish culture. This is emphasized by examples like the Jews of Tykochin. Before World War II, there was a small thriving town known as Tykochin. Their passion and spirit for Judaism was rich. Now, there are no more Jews in Tykochin. If we forget people like the Jews of Tykochin then we forget what our Judaism is based on today.

The times during the Holocaust were incredibly scary, yet there are also examples of strength in the Jewish people. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is something that we must never forget. At a time where the Jews knew that they were going to die, they still fought. This cannot be forgotten because it shows a brighter side of the Holocaust that we must hold onto and pass down along with the negatives. If we focus only on the negative perspective then the Holocaust will lose its significance. The significance of the Holocaust is not that millions died, its that it was a failure because amongst all the death and turmoil the Jews joined together as one people -- that is what we must not forget.

Rabbi Fackenheim's 614th mitzvah is especially important to this specific generation. This generation is the very last one that will ever be able to actually speak to a Holocaust survivor. For that reason the significance of the Holocaust and the 614th mitzvah is not only enhanced, but it is this generation's duty to pass on the stories along side the importance of the Holocaust as a whole. The 614th mitzvah is necessary in order for future generations to not forget all of the atrocities or pleasantries that come with the Holocaust.

Are Palestinians a People?

As we get closer and closer to working out a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, there are many questions that people want to ask themselves. Of course, one of the most legitimate solutions is the "Two-State" one. However, if we are going to give Arabs and Palestinians a major chunk of Israel, they have to be a people that deserve their own state, right? So the question of whether or not Palestinians are a large enough group to actually make their own state arises.

To me, I think action needs to be taken in order for there to be some sort of peace agreement. But it needs to also be recognized that Israel is not in a position where they can give up a lot of land (especially a big portion of habitable area like the West Bank). The Palestinians in my opinion are an established people, but they are not stable regarding peace with Israel. Even if we give them their own state, what is stopping them from trying to start a war with us and the rest of the Middle East? Israel is the center of a lot of political issues in the Middle East which makes them a high priority target, and a Palestinian state would be one to lead the initiative against Eretz Yisrael.

The point I'm trying to get across is that if we want to recognize the Palestinians as a people they have to act like a people who deserve to have their own state. I think they are because they have developed their own way of how they would want to run a state, but at the same time they do not seem to be able handle themselves as a people who can deal with other states. This makes them seem as a group that would not really be mature enough (for lack of a better word) to control their OWN state. The Palestinians are very close to getting their own state, but they have to start acting as if they already have it to officially obtain it.

Palestinians can try to work for their state as much as they want but if they never really recognize the fact that there will still be other states around them then there is no potential for solution. As of now, the Palestinians remain Israelis in the Jewish state that the Jewish people truly worked for.

Israel as a "Start Up" Nation

Recently my Jewish History teacher Aaron Gertz (yeah we have the same first name, it essentially gives us telepathic powers) talked to us about this really interesting book called "Start Up Nation." It tries to explain why Israel has the largest percentage of start ups per capita in the whole world. Even though my teacher brought it up I did not think much about it, but then my cousin, Gilya, was telling me about how she is reading it and likes it. So now that I have it on my mind much more, I am really excited to read it once I finish the next three thousand pages of George R.R Martin's popular series.

From what I already understand, "Start Up Nation" talks a lot about what makes Am Yisrael so eager to start a business. In Israel, there is a major lack of hierarchy. The mind set in Israel is that if you don't want to be bossed around by someone else, then you should be your own boss. Because of this a lot of people start their own businesses so that they can be in charge. A lot of it also has to do with the IDF. After serving in the army, there is a new sense of independence that a lot of soldiers feel. So in addition to not wanting to be bossed around they feel like they can be successful on their own with their own idea. Of course there is a lot more "Start Up Nation" has to say about how Am Yisrael keeps on making new popular businesses, but this is the most basic of what I know about the concepts written about in the book.

I'm really excited to see what the book has to say about Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael once I get to read it. I think I'll find it really interesting especially because I am seriously considering making Aliyah and possibly doing the IDF, but my thoughts on that will be for another time.

Elephants and Sukkah Walls?!

So for this week I was assigned an article about the traditions in the Talmud regarding Sukkot. To be honest, most of it was kinda boring. I'm not very strict when it comes to keeping Jewish holidays so it was not all that interesting to me. However, there was one part where it discussed the traditions of how some Rabbis believe that an elephant could act as a replacement to the walls of a Sukkah. This really intrigued me because it got me thinking about whether it is okay to replace other traditions to make it more convenient for yourself (in this case, if you were missing a wall of your Sukkah and just happened to have your pet elephant standing next to you, then you would be able to bend the rules).

Questioning different beliefs / traditions is one of the most important parts of being a Reform Jew in my opinion. To me, the fact that things like the Tannakh and Talmud were written so long ago means that it needs to be adapted. And for that reason we have to adjust and question so that we can still follow the main concepts in our everyday lives. So for that reason, I say yes to the idea of an elephant being the wall of a Sukkah. Not just in the literal sense, but also with the idea that you should be able to react and adjust to difficult situations and make them easier for you to deal with when practicing something from Talmud or Torah.

Religion in Music

The amount of music that I have been exposed to on this trip is unreal. I love listening to music and the new genres I have discovered are a nice refresh from what I have listened to in the past. Music plays a really important role in my life and it is my main source for self reflection and "me time" in general. However, with all the new music I've gotten to listen to, I picked up on a lot of reoccurring themes with religion. If music is supposed to appeal to multiple people, then why would it exclude so many people by talking about things like religion? Talking about religion in the first place divides music into the two demographics of atheist/agnostic versus religious. Then depending on what God/gods you are talking about then you split it again into mono- and poly-theistic. For me, I think that adding a religious perspective creates an extra layer that allows the listener to dive deeper into the artist's opinion.

The idea that music is for you and your personal reflection is a little hard to sell. In the end, it's art. And the fact that it is art means that the artist is expressing him/herself and trying to reach out to other people with similar thoughts and beliefs. Many musical artists are misunderstood because of this, and is probably what scares many great singers/songwriters from sharing their talents. Religion is an incredibly controversial topic that once an artist brings it up their is a major discussion about that artist's opinions.

Let's take an artist like Kanye West. He is known for his obvious obsession with himself and how he has a strange superiority complex. This concept is practically confirmed by his song, "I Am a God." But also the song talks about how he struggles with the concept of a God by saying:

Even though I'm a man of God,

My whole life in the hands of God,

So y'all better quit playing with God

To me (and keep in mind that my opinion is probably not the same as what  Yeezus' was when he wrote the song), this says something about Kanye West and his position in a class-based society. The song is all about the crazy privileges he has as a celebrity, and how it makes him seem superior to others around him. I mean, think about it: he is treated as if he has some kind of special powers. Why else would you give him massages and croissants by his command? But at the same time West has difficulties with how people are "playing with God." Is he not playing with the idea of God in the same exact song?! It shows how conflicted the idea of a God really is to him.

Religion in music is incredibly intriguing and so cool to research / develop your own opinions about. Kanye West is so popular and he has an insane amount of influence on culture and media to the point where he could practically lead a nation (as if he were a God). While that is Kanye, the idea of religion in music in general is interesting to see how people can express themselves. For Kanye, he is conflicted with his perception of a God and how he is similar to what he believes is a God. For others, they explain how important faith is to them. All of this is a form of expression that is fun to explore on a deeper level.