Conflicting thoughts of “The Conflict”

Growing up in the United States has often shielded me from the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I have learned about the conflict in numerous university courses, as well as through my experiences with Jewish and Israeli advocacy groups on campus. However, I have realized that I generally have only viewed one side of the conflict. Prior to my stay at the Port Inn Hostel in Haifa last week, I had never met a Palestinian before. My education has either been a sterile, classroom experience, or from the Israeli perspective.

I have discovered that in Israel, luckily such a trend has not persisted. I recently had the pleasure of attending a seminar in the Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion, run by the Shorashim organization. This group seeks to promote Palestinian rights while supporting the State of Israel’s right to exist in safety and security.

As part of my Onward program, we attended the talk, which was led by an Israeli settler and a Palestinian. The settler, who was also a Rabbi, started the conversation by introducing himself as an Israeli, a Rabbi and a Settler. He then proceeded to define those terms as believing in the divine right of Jews to Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), as well as believing in the right of Palestinians to the same land. He did not believe that these beliefs contradicted each other.

His perspective was that, while he thought that the manner in which Israel established settlements in the West Bank was wrong, he did not believe that he should leave. The Rabbi stated that, by leaving, he would be denying what he believed to be true; Jews have a right to Judea and Samaria. However, by staying and not working towards peace, he would be denying a Palestinian truth; their right to their land. As a result, he decided to continue living in Gush Etzion and work towards promoting and improving Palestinian human rights.

Shorashim Seminar

We later heard from a Palestinian man who has lived his entire life in the West Bank. He told us how, during his childhood, he had experienced tragedy at the hands of Israelis. He recounted how, during his teen years, he saw a group of IDF soldiers preparing to demolish a home with a suspected terrorist inside. Not wanting to see a building destroyed, which could have resulted in civilian casualties, the man decided to start throwing rocks at the IDF soldiers. In response, one of the soldiers fired back with live ammunition, killing the Palestinian man’s friend. Horrified, and now radicalized, the man decided to plan an attack on the IDF. However, due to police intervention he was arrested…

A few years later, while training to be a tour guide in the West Bank, he traveled to Israel. Walking around, meeting everyday Israelis, he was able to separate his anger at the IDF from his perception of Israelis. He realized that “the tears of an Israeli woman mourning her son are the same as that of a Palestinian mother mourning”. This quote really spoke to me, as it showed that the man was able to grow and adapt his views. As a result of this change, the man decided to become involved with Shorashim.

To this day, he works to promote dialogue and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. Hearing these two inspirational men speak about the evolution of their beliefs and how they are continuing to evolve and work towards peace and cooperation in the region was incredible.

Working together

The Shorashim organization has shown me that not only is it possible for someone to be both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian, but that it is the only way for both sides to come together and foster dialogue. I loved hearing both sides of the conflict and experiencing a perspective that I had not seen before.

We finished off our trip with a beautiful hike through the Judean desert before visiting a Bedouin woman and learning about her experiences as a small business owner within Bedouin and Israeli culture.

Bedouin Small Business – Desert Daughter

We also had the pleasure of visiting a model Ethiopian village and learning about the history of the Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Overall, it was an eye-opening trip that showed me that Israel is not a clean-cut nation.

Touring the village

There are Israelis from every conceivable background, and there is no single definition of what it means to be Jewish and what it means to be Israeli. This is a stark difference from the perception in the U.S., which typically holds that Israel is composed of Ashkenazi Jews. It is clear to me, as a result of my trip to the Southern District and the West Bank, that this is the furthest thing from the truth. Israel, like the United States, is a melting pot of different ethnicities, religions and people.

I am looking forward to future trips that disrupt my perceptions of this country!


Zachary Gershman is a university student from Stowe, Vermont, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with a minor in Jewish Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. Throughout his college career, Zach has become extensively involved in extracurricular Jewish activities, including serving in multiple leadership positions in the Northeastern chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the global Jewish fraternity. Zach has also hosted programming events for Hillel and is involved with Chabad and Huskies for Israel, a local Israeli advocacy group. He first traveled to Israel in 2008 for his Bar Mitzvah, before returning in 2011 and 2014 for his sister’s Bat Mitzvah and Birthright, respectively. He is ecstatic to be spending the next six months in Israel. In his free time, Zach enjoys skiing, scuba diving, reading, and traveling. Zach is an ILH- Israel Hostels media intern for the summer of 2017.