Settling into the longest time I will have ever spent abroad has been unnerving, to say the least. While I had previously spent part of my freshman year at Northeastern University studying in London, my time in Israel will be my longest continuous experience away from home.
I decided to participate in the Onward Israel program for two main reasons: improve my resumé and truly experience Israel as a local. My second goal developed as a result of my decision to study International Affairs at Hebrew University in Jerusalem for the Fall 2017 semester. I leapt at the opportunity to spend a full six months in Israel. So, while I do have experience living abroad in an Anglophone country, I was not prepared for the myriad of cultural differences between Israel and the United States.
The first thing that I noticed was that nobody jaywalks. Coming from the States, and Boston in particular, jaywalking is a way of life. It is the American pastime like no other. In Boston, if you do not jaywalk, you do not get to your destination on time. In Israel, when I jaywalk, I get side-eyed like you wouldnât believe. It is such a dichotomy from the âexpectedâ pushy, direct Israeli life to see locals standing, patiently, at a crosswalk with not a car in sight.
Israelis waiting patiently without a car in sight (Haifa)
I have also noticed that, at least in Haifa, Muslims and Jews seem to coexist peacefully. Haifa appears to be a haven and an example for peaceful cohabitation in Israel. I recently went grocery shopping at an Arab supermarket, and while trying to buy chicken breast I found myself unable to communicate with the butcher. At a complete loss, and with English failing and my rudimentary Hebrew doing even worse (Google Translate is not my friend), I found assistance from a very nice hijab-wearing Muslim woman. She spoke perfect English and was able to relay my grocery list to the butcher! We spoke in English, she spoke to the butcher in Arabic, and we both went on our way. That, to me, was an incredible experience.
In that moment, her and I lost our differing characteristics. I was not an American and she was not an Arab-Israeli. I was not a Jew and she was not a Muslim. We were simply two people trying to buy dinner. It helped me realize that no matter our apparent differences, we are all the same. We all laugh and we love. We cry and we rage. However, at the end of the day, we just want to go home and eat a nice home cooked meal!
I had a very similar experience when I spent the night at the Port Inn hostel in Haifa. I wanted to spend the night at a hostel in order to get a sense of the types of organizations that Israeli Hostels partners with. While I have stayed at hostels before, I had never looked at the establishments through the eyes of a tourist agency. The entire time I was staying there, I was thinking of how this particular hostel appealed to me as an independent traveler, and the different ways that it could improve. So, while I was prepared to learn about the hostel business, I was not prepared for the cultural shock of meeting my roommate.
The backyard garden of the Port Inn (Haifa)
Rasheed Dabsh is 28 years old, with a wife and three young children. He lives in the Old City in Jerusalem and has gone to school continuously his entire adult life. He has degrees in Graphic Design, Carpentry, Computer Science and is currently studying to become a Driving Instructor. Rasheed and his family, as well as his ancestors, have lived in the same house in Jerusalem for over 700 years!
He told me a story about how the Ottomans came to his great-great-great-grandfather several hundred years ago and told him to take his family and leave. The grandfather told the authorities, âwhere will I go? I will not leave. This is my house, this is my familyâs house.â The Ottomans let him stay. The British tried to evict them again, a few hundred years later. âNo, I will not leave, this is my houseâ Rasheedâs great-grandfather said. Settlers in the 1930s tried again, to no avail. Rasheed, his mother, his wife and three children still live in the home of their ancestors. To encounter such history and such pride in his family was humbling. Rasheed and I exchanged numbers and he promised to show me around the Old City when I move to Jerusalem in the fall! I am looking forward to meeting his mother and eating a delicious meal at his historic family home.
Rasheed (on the right) & I in the wonderful Port Inn (Haifa)
It has been such an awe-inspiring week in Haifa. I learned that just because society tells us that we are in conflict, that does not meet that common ground cannot be found. I was so happy to have made a local friend, and him an American friend, that the so-called âArab-Israeli Conflictâ did not even come up in conversation. Rasheed was ecstatic to practice his English and I was happy to learn more Hebrew and even a few Arabic words! I believe that this week is only a taste of the incredible things that await me over the next six months in Israel, such as – for example – exploring the modern city of Haifa, and especially it’s long beach:
Hof HaCarmel Beach
Zachary Gershman
