A Quick Introduction, To Me and Israel
My name is Elijah and I am one of
two MISTI-Israel reporters this summer. Even though I have only finished my first year at MIT, I am already delving in to an experience abroad. Israel is new for me (and I'm not Jewish either), so this should be – and has, so far, already been – an enlightening experience. Currently, I am working on a project at the Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology, where I am collaborating with researcher Robert ("Roby") Carmel to look at something that is a major problem in Israel – pedestrian safety.
I'll talk about that later, but first, a look at what has happened already:
Two and a half weeks have passed since I first arrived in the country, but I only just started my internship this past week. During the early days, I was participating in a delegation on behalf of
Hibur, a program that links students from MIT and the Technion. (Students, by the way, are always welcome to join – hint, hint.) Throughout that time, the Technion "Hiburniks" had planned a packed schedule consisting of tours of different departments (known as "faculties") and labs, as well as companies. Even though the six members on the MIT side of Hibur come from different fields – I, personally, am majoring in civil engineering – the coordinators of the delegation schedule ensured there was enough for everyone. By the end of the week, I believe we visited every delegation member's department.
In addition, we had the chance to visit a few companies at the
Matam Technology Park, at the southwestern corner of Haifa. And by companies, I mean GE and Intel; for a small country, Israel is a real nugget of technology achievements. The Intel branch in Haifa, which spans multiple buildings, was responsible for the development of the Core 2 Duo chip.
We had plenty of time to explore the Technion's beautiful (albeit, very hilly) campus as well as see Haifa. Not far from the campus is a crossroads where one could get a bite to eat (as I did several times) or get a haircut (as I did once, on June 5). The Technion students arranged a tour of the Bahá'í gardens, by far Haifa's claim to fame. The gardens, and the buildings which they surround, form the Bahá'í World Center, the headquarters for the approximately seven million followers of the Bahá'í Faith worldwide. Visitors must traverse the mountain going down instead of up (perhaps thankfully so, given the large number of steps, and the constant heat).
On Tuesday, June 3, we also went to see Tel Aviv, a city that makes Haifa look like a sleepy hamlet. Some even call it the "city never sleeps" (okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves; it's no New York). The Hiburniks all went to the top of the tallest tower in the Azrieli Center to see a view of the city and the Mediterranean beyond. Afterwards, we took to the city streets, walking along King George Street for food and shopping, through old neighborhoods, and onto one of Israel's beaches abutting the serenely blue Mediterranean (no beach near Boston could match).
I've also had some time to explore on my own. I don't know any Hebrew, but it's very easy to get around without it; nearly everyone speaks English to some degree, and many speak it fluently. Perhaps the most notable experience for me came the evening of Sunday, June 1, when I (and some of the other Hibur students) were invited to a yeshiva for a celebration commemorating Jerusalem Day, the day when the city was unified during the 1967 Six-Day War. I was the only one who ended up accepting the invitation – and I'm glad I did. Although I originally felt out-of-place in the midst of a sea of Orthodox Jews, nearly all of whom were dressed in white, I ultimately felt welcomed by arbitrary locals who came up to me to say ‘shalom' and engage in conversation. At one point, a large group of men began dancing in a circle as music was playing and as others were waving Israeli flags. I was just taking pictures, when someone else entered the room, grabbed my hand, and beckoned me to join in. It was a bit surreal.
That, though, sums up my encounters with Israelis so far. Even though I was forewarned that the average Israeli might seem impolite compared to Americans, I have seen precisely the opposite. I am not sure if it's the fact that I'm a visitor (a "tourist" at times), but everywhere I go, Israelis seem to be open to talking to me, asking where I am from (some presuming I'm American even before asking) and wondering how I have enjoyed Israel. Almost invariably, my conversations with locals proceed toward discussions about politics – about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or about the U.S. presidential elections (luckily, two of my favorite topics). I am very excited to see Israel from this perspective, rather than the perspective I see from home (which is always about its political climate, in one way or another). There's clearly so much more to Israel.
Last on my major experiences these past few weeks was my trip to Jerusalem (I went a few other places, but Jerusalem was the most pertinent and interesting). Tel Aviv may be where all the action is, but the Old City of Jerusalem has already taken its place as my favorite place in Israel. The entire country has a mix of religions and cultures (although, of course, with a distinct Jewish majority); both Hebrew and Arabic are official languages of Israel and one will frequently hear people speaking both (or English or Russian or something else entirely). However, the Old City captures all these backgrounds and crams them into one square kilometer. Most mesmerizing was seeing a sea of Hasidic Jews streaming through the Muslim Quarter from their neighborhoods north of the Old City to the Western Wall, just before the start of Shavuot (which lasted June 8-9, sundown to sundown). Then, there was the iconic view of the Dome of the Rock on the left, the Western Wall in the middle, and the al-Aqsa Mosque on the right. Further still were the various markets selling local crafts, the restaurants offering native cuisine, and the other historical and religious sites that make the Old City of Jerusalem one-of-a-kind.
Last weekend's trip will certainly not be my last to Jerusalem. Just a two-hour drive from Haifa to Jerusalem and six hours to the southern tip of the country, nothing in Israel is far. I will have to work during the week, but I expect to take advantage of the weekends to explore the country and spend more time amongst Israelis (political conversations and all).
But, now it's on to my internship; I'll tell you how it goes...