Israel at 60

May 15, 2008

New generation has a new take on Israel

By Julie G Fax

Tweet

Share

(Page 2 - Previous Page)

Previous generations' proximity to the Holocaust or to Israel's early history fostered an untouchable pride in the country for Baby Boomers and to a lesser extent for Gen-Xers, even those not Jewishly involved. Today's young Jews, by contrast, grew up on the news of the first and second intifadas, religious intolerance and political scandal, in an era when Israelis themselves have been deeply divided over the very nature of the country -- politically, religiously, culturally.

That vision of Israel has caused discomfort for many maturing Gen-Yers who were taught by institutions and people still holding fast to the fairy tale Zionism of Israel's early years, a vision that doesn't always fit their understanding from the news reports.

"The image of an Israel that can do no wrong, this Disneyland for Jews, has certainly been called into question since I left eighth grade," said Aaron Aftergood, a 27-year-old real estate attorney who attended day school in Los Angeles and now sits on the board of Camp Ramah of California and is active at Sinai Temple.

He's been to Israel multiple times, but still hasn't found the right venue for expressing the complexity of his connection.

"But," he adds, "whatever lukewarm feelings I have toward the place don't factor into my innate desire to be there and to help in any way I can," Aftergood said.

Some of his peers are asking for more subtlety in how Israel is marketed.

David Cygielman, 26, is the director of the Santa Barbara-based Forest Foundation and a founder of Moishe House, a network of 23 Jewish co-ops where housemates host events for young Jews in the region. He's been to Israel five times since he was 15 -- four of them on organized trips -- and considers Israel central to his identity.

But he doesn't think Israel's existence has to be tied to Judaism's success.

"A lot of people put this pressure on, that if Israel didn't exist Judaism wouldn't exist," he said. "They tie those two together, and I don't have the same feeling. I'm appreciative of Israel, and I want it to exist and to flourish and to continue because it's a great place and beautiful things happen there, not because if it doesn't exist it will be the end of Judaism."

Cygielman and Aftergood are both participants in the Professional Leadership Project (PLP), a program that seeks to nurture and integrate young people into professional and lay leadership in the Jewish community. Los Angeles-based founding director Rhoda Weisman has learned to open safe spaces for Gen-Yers to express their views on Israel -- down to questioning the feasibility of a Jewish homeland -- rather than give in to the heartache their views instinctively cause her.

At a conference last year, PLP held an open and often painful discussion about Israel. Now, Israel discussions are integrated into the regular meetings that the members have in regional settings.

"Once people were able to verbalize some of the difficult feelings and thoughts they had regarding Israel and to have a real conversation, there was an openness that emerged, and they seemed interested in having a relationship with Israel. They were able to see Israel from a variety of perspectives," said Weisman, who was an early leader in the Birthright movement.

Many young people shy away from discussing Israel with Jewish or non-Jewish peers because they don't have all the information they need, and still others believe that their questioning is not welcomed by the Jewish mainstream, she said.

"Some people want room to be unsure, and there is a lot of sureness in Jewish communal perspectives about Israel," said Jaime Rapaport, regional director of Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA), a social justice organization that keeps Israel high on the agenda. "People want to be able to ask question about some of Israel's choices and not feel like they are a bad Jew or anti-Israel because they are asking those questions."

PJA attracts an enviable number of young people with its emphasis on social justice, and it has several programs for Gen-Yers, including the Jeremiah Fellowship, a one-year leadership training program that includes elements on Israel, and NewGround, a Muslim-Jewish dialogue for young professionals. Other mainstream organizations have created alternatives, and many organizations have emerged to exclusively focus on younger people.

The Center for Leadership Initiatives, founded in 2006, offers leadership fellowships, with an annual conference for the participants in Israel, including 40 North Americans, 40 Israelis, and 40 Jews from around the world. Its Charlie Award recognizes the achievements and visions of Birthright alumni, and other programs support grantees in Israel.

Birthright, to date, has funded all-expenses-paid trips to Israel for more than 160,000 young Jews; its leaders hope to help participants sustain their connection to Israel as it launches Birthright Next, a program to follow up with Birthright alumni.

Many Birthright alumni were among the 70 Gen-Yers who spent a Sunday in a Valley Village backyard two weeks ago, at "Hukkahs and Hummus: An Alternative Israel Expo." The pilot program was sponsored by the Progressive Leadership Project, and the event was very Gen-Y in a few telling ways:

During the first hour, participants and presenters sat on the grass or on a couch, schmoozing over mimosas, hookah pipes and Israeli food, according to event co-chair, Marc Sigal, a 26-year-old Internet business developer, who got turned on to Israel on a Birthright trip.

The next couple hours offered a potpourri of conversations -- not top-down sessions -- lead by Israel-oriented activists. The usual suspects, such as StandWithUs, AIPAC and Americans For Peace Now, led political and educational discussions, and an Israeli soldier shared his story. A discussion on technology attracted a huge crowd, as did a text study. Progressive, humanitarian and Gen-Y-oriented groups showed another side of involvement, while fine arts, Israel in film and sports/social action organizations rounded out the conversations, which were followed by more food and schmoozing.

It is an inclusive model that might work well for a broader spectrum of the community.

On a single page

1 | 2 | 3     Next Page

---

Post your comment below!

Click here to return to the homepage.

COMMENTS

We welcome your feedback. Comments may not exceed 700 characters.

Privacy Policy

Your information will not be shared or sold without your consent. Get all the details.

Terms of Service

JewishJournal.com has rules for its commenting community.Get all the details.

Post a Comment

Name:
Email:

Type the word you see below:

Comment:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Forum discussion from other readers

Ah Chaim,if only the draft dodgers and people that encourage them in Israel would only listen to you.  They might get some inspiration and come to their senses.

Posted by sam corwin on 6/12/08 at 2:22 am

---

Ah Chaim,if only the draft dodgers and people that encourage them in Israel would only listen to you.  They might get some inspiration and come to their senses.

I assume you are referring to the rapidly growing non-religious draft dodging sector

I also brought up that the real problem lies in the secular draft dodgers. Here is a report called Israel wages war on army of refuseniks showing that 27% of eligible draftees are not serving, and the trend is upward. Excluding those that ARE cowards or criminals or blind pacifists or out of the country, “7% are being excused because of either medical conditions or “psychological incompatibility” and that figure is increasing. “... people who turn up at recruitment centres with a letter from their psychiatrist saying they’re mentally unfit, and the next minute they’re running a hi-tech company.” Even those that serve are refusing to go on reserve duty; “Courage to Refuse” is not a haredi organization. And the stated reasons? They want to learn the Talmud. Hahaha, just kidding. “The reasons for the lack of commitment are clear. The recent Intifada and last year’s bloody war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, are fuelling the reluctance to sign up. IDF officials also insist the yuppification of Israel is a contributing factor, with the MTV and internet generation much more interested in making money than serving at an army checkpoint on the West Bank.”

Posted by Ben Plonie on 6/12/08 at 11:02 am

---

I love all these bold statesments. “...also brought up that the real problem lies in the secular draft dodgers. Here is a report called Israel wages war on army of refuseniks showing that 27% of eligible draftees are not serving, and the trend is upward. Excluding those that ARE cowards or criminals or blind pacifists or out of the country, “7% are being excused because of either medical conditions or “psychological incompatibility” and that figure is increasing. “… people who turn up at recruitment centres with a letter from their psychiatrist saying they’re mentally unfit, and the next minute they’re running a hi-tech company.” “...The reasons for the lack of commitment are clear. The recent Intifada and last year’s bloody war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, are fuelling the reluctance to sign up. IDF officials also insist the yuppification of Israel is a contributing factor, with the MTV and internet generation much more interested in making money than serving at an army checkpoint on the West Bank.” Yeah, thats cute. It couldn’t possibly be that they just dont want to risk life and limb for seditionists, racists, and hooligans, who spend most of their time attempting to deligitamize and disenfranchise the very people who are being asked to guard these “students of the talmud”, who if given half the chance would turn the country into Boro Park, with all the attendant victimhood, halachically sanctioned corruption, misogyny, and sexual deviancy. Yeah, I tried your link. No joy there. Here are some links that do work. “...11% received exemptions this year on grounds of being ultra-Orthodox, an increase of 1% over last year. As it is Jerusalem Post, we can assume that they mean that last year there were 10% ultra-Orthodox exemptions, and this year there were 11%. That is an increase of about 10%, not 1%. ” “...For our mathematicians: assume that the number of ultraorthodox increases at the rate of 10% of current ultra-orthodox draft dodgers each year. In what year will all draftees be exempt because they are all ultra-orthodox, unfit or abroad? Now assume that there is a non-induction induction effect. By that I mean that for each ten ultra-orthodox draft dodgers, there will be 3 or 4 non-ultra-orthodox who decide they aren’t going to be suckers: if the ultra-orthodox don’t go to the army, why should they serve? Can you imagine the absurdity of the fact that Druze youth volunteer to serve in the army of the Jewish state, while ultra-orthodox Jews do not? Can someone explain how and why this is justified? Can you explain why a kibbutznik who belongs to peace now should be guarding settlements, while an ultra-orthodox Shas or United Torah Judaism voter who insists that Israel must never give up a millimeter of the occupation is busy making believe he is studying the Talmud?” “...For the rest of us, an easy question: If it costs NIS 40,000 (currently - soon to be increased) to pay university tuition for one future Israeli engineer, how much does it cost to pay tuition for 100 ultraorthodox draft dodgers? Answer NIS 0. Yeshiva tuition is paid for. Yaakov Katz, THE JERUSALEM POST Jul. 30, 2007 “...The Israeli government can hardly complain, since they promulgated the Tal law. It is impossible that the majority of Israelis support this unfair, suicidal law, and yet periodically it is renewed, the monstrous offspring of incestuous coalitions. ” Ahead of the August draft, the IDF reported damning statistics showing a sharp rise in the number of teenagers dodging military service. The total reaches 25 percent of youth born in 1989 and scheduled to enlist in the IDF this summer. Of the 25%, some 11% received exemptions this year on grounds of being ultra-Orthodox, an increase of 1% over last year. Seven percent did not enlist for medical reasons, including physical and mental conditions. Four percent did not enlist because of criminal records, and 3% live abroad.” http://www.zionism-israel.com/israel_news/2007/07/barak-versus-ultra-orthodox-draft.html. Though I do not agree with the concept that the actions of secular prospective inductees is conditional upon the actions of ultra-orthodox prospective inductees, It would appear, at least according to these numbers, that at worst( going on the assumption that everyone of the 7% claiming some medical or mental disability is full of it), responsabilty for this situation wouldbe evenly distributed between the secular and religous communities. That however, is likely not the case. “...RAMAT GAN, Israel, Nov. 21 (UPI)—An Israel Defense Force general spoke out Wednesday against a growing number of Israeli youth who dodge the draft. Maj. Gen. Elazar Stern, speaking during a conference at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, called leftist non-religious youth and ultra-orthodox youth who receive government exemption from military service draft dodgers, the Jerusalem Post reported. “When a leftist refuses to enlist we drag him to court,” Stern said in a statement. “But when someone on the other side (right-wing religious) does not enlist, nothing is done.” Stern cited figures that say about 26 percent of Israeli youth do not enlist in the IDF, with a majority of that number from ultra-orthodox groups. Some critics argue that one factor to draft dodging may be a result of what is seen as a military failure during the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Still, Stern argued that military service exemptions from the government did not mean that the youth involved were not draft-dodgers. “There is no such thing as an entire neighborhood, an entire family or an entire community being suited to sitting and learning Torah,” Stern said referencing the Torah studies that are used as a justification by the ultra-orthodox for military exemption.” http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2007/11/21/Israel_general_speaks_out_on_draft_dodgers/UPI-36771195676117/

Posted by Shoded Yam on 6/12/08 at 12:51 pm

---

What do YOU think? Let us know in our forums.