Our first day of home hospitality opened with four great volunteering opportunities. Each fellow went to one place and completed the assigned task. The places we went were an immigration center, a foodbank/goodwill, a school supplies center, and a farm. Every person had a unique and valuable experience whether it be playing with a foreign child or picking tomatoes. As the blog writer for the day, I think I can speak for everyone when I say how lucky we are to live in such a wealthy and thriving environment where we have people to talk to and food to eat every day.
Later on we returned to the RayMan Youth Center for lunch and discussion
After lunch, the day took a more serious turn. The fellows welcomed Sigailt, who came to give us an unbiased history of the Israel-Arab conflict. After some history and questions, Iman, an Arab woman who lives in Madgdal Krum, an Arab village near Karmiel, came to speak to us. Both the American and Israeli fellows were bursting with questions, and everyone was disappointed when she had to leave. To most of the fellows, this was an incredibly unique experience, unlike anything they had ever done before. Everyone had grown up around different opinions of Arabs, which made the program even more intriguing. Some fellows were completely at ease, while some Israelis were uncomfortable at first. The Americans had a lot of questions for the Israeli fellows regarding how they view Arabs and how society views them. After Iman's session, we tried to have a group discussion of the topic, but it proved difficult because of the large number or people (and opinions!) and because some Americans were not completely educated on the issue. Because of this, Steve talked to us and gave us a lot of information about the history of Israel's borders and conflicts with them. Speaking to some of the American fellows, this was very helpful and gave them a more educated opinion on the issue. After this, the fellows had a short break with a snack and a quick game of Wah to ease the mood. Then, we divided into four groups to discuss everything we had heard and our opinions regarding the issue. Each group was given a discussion question: Do you think Arabs do have equal rights as Jews in Israel, and do you think they should? Although the groups did discuss this, everyone veered from this topic to discuss their opinions on a huge variety of issues connecting to the Arab conflict in Israel. Some opinions clashed, which led to heated conversations, but everyone learned a lot. We ended the day with an evening ma'agal, where we wrote letters to ourselves that we will open on our final event. Lastly, we returned to our host families for another fun-filled night! I think it is safe to say that everyone, especially the Americans, learned a lot today and were exposed to a variety of opinions and issues. We can't wait for tomorrow!
By: Hannah Busis and Felicia Tissenbaum
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