Written by Kayla Kesslen '15
Over the past few days, we explored Israel’s Northern borders and have become familiar with their conflicts with both Lebanon and Syria. After hearing varying perspectives and viewing these areas up close, Mayanot decided it was time to reflect on our experiences. Last night, we divided up into small groups, facilitated by our trip leaders, for a tie-in session about the past few days.
After spending the afternoon at Misgav Am Kibbutz, the Lebanon border was on all of our minds, as the Kibbutz sits directly along the Israel-Lebanon border. While our group coined this border “dormant” in comparison to Israel’s other borders, we still found it hard to understand how people would feel comfortable settling their families in such a threatened area. We discussed how living in America, we rarely feel threatened by world conflicts. September 11th was the only time America’s security has been directly endangered by a foreign power in my lifetime. Although, we have fought wars since then, the conflict has not been close to home. Resultantly, I, along with the majority of Americans, do not feel affected by these security issues on a daily basis.
As we know, Israelis are not as fortunate; their conflicts are all take place in their own backyard. While we might not understand what it’s like to live in areas of conflict, it is a constant reality for Israelis. The Golan Heights is not recognized as part of Israel, yet it does not even remotely feel like occupied territory. We cannot fathom the idea of living in such an unstable area, yet Israelis have become somewhat desensitized to such threats, as they are inescapable parts of their daily lives.
This prompted discussion about compulsory service, and why it is so successful in Israel, but would not be widely received in America. After talking with the eight soldiers who joined our group today, we began to better understand the Israeli perspective on this issue. While many of these soldiers are excited for their service period to end, they feel strongly that they have an obligation to help protect their country. Their sense of national pride is overwhelming, in comparison to my own. While I do love America, my status as an American citizen is often something I take for granted. Israelis, however, do not have that same luxury, as their citizenship is something they defend everyday. I am thankful to be so fortunate, and believe it is important to recognize and understand the difference between my life and that of my Israeli peers. I am looking forward to getting to know these soldiers even better over next few days and learning more about their lives.