Getting out of Jerusalem

I breathe such a sense of peace when I leave Jerusalem. Don't get me wrong, I love living in Jerusalem, but there is something liberating about leaving the city and heading elsewhere. I felt the same way in NYC. It was great but also very much a relief to leave Manhattan occationally.

I liked today's MAKOM program. We traveled to Nahal Halilim, adjacent to Mevasseret Zion.

The e-mail that we received informing us of the day's agenda said:

"Mevasseret, a bedroom suburb approximately 10 kilometers to the West of Jerusalem, offers an excellent microcosm for us to look at environmental issues as they impact of the area of the Jerusalem corridor. In recent years, the area around Mevasseret has been the site of a number of environmental debates surrounding such issues as the construction of the Jerusalem security fence, the spread of Jerusalem towards the West and the need for new housing, and the current plans for a rail line connecting Jerusalem with the coastal plain.

The population growth of Israeli society from 1948 until today is unparalleled. Yoram Kapeliuk points out: "The 2.6 million immigrants who have arrived since 1948 have made Israel the only country whose population has multiplied by nine in the space of 50 years." The tremendous population growth and rapid development of Israel as a modern economy and society places environmental issues at the center of questions regarding sustainability and human development.

What are the sources of Israeli environmental thinking and policy?

Although in our visit to Zikhron Yaahov, Hillel Halkin dismissed the possibility that environmentalism has deep Jewish roots, we will explore ways in which Jewish and other sources can contribute to the growth of an environmental consciousness in Israel."

We did a little listening to Jeremy Benstein and Jonathan Rokem of the Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership, a little hiking, a little wildlife, and a little davenning. All in all, a good balance and a chance to be outdoors during a georgeus day!

I think that another reason that it was so good was it was really the first MAKOM program that we have had where Israel was not made out to be a bad guy. It seemed that the goal of MAKOM had been to tear down the idealistic views of the country (which none of us had- and those that did lost it weeks ago after their first trip to Misrad HaPnim when they tried to get student visas). They had not done a very good job of building Israel back up. Today's session started to. Through hiking the land and sitting in nature to discuss the importance of preserving national forests and appreciating the land and its 2,600 plant species, 700 vertibrates, including 454 bird species, I was able to gain a stronger appreciation for the greater country.

There was also a powerful quote, written by Meir Shalev, which reads:

"I think that Israel was the only country which taught its children about mosquitos in history rather that in zoology classes. From the point of view of the Israeli educational system, the Anopheles mosquito, which transferred the malaria bacteria and infected the pioneers through them, was not an insect but a terrorist. Together with the field mice, larvae, he wanted to destroy the Zionist enterprise but failed, to our good fortune."

Oh I love Israel...most of the time...