Aliyahland Research Paper

I have been surrounded by Jews my entire life, but when I went to Israel I felt a different kind of surrounded feeling. I realized that being an American Jew was how I identified myself within my communities, but in Israel, because my community is majority Jewish, the bonds, that connect me to my neighbors and friends, are much stronger. This is a feeling I have never felt anywhere else, which makes living abroad even more special than it already

An Israeli’” (145). Israel’s existence gives the Jewish people a place to be free of antisemitism and hiding and a place that is their own with great importance to their history and religion. After years and years of feeling out of place and unsafe in Europe until finally the horrors of the Holocaust occurred, Israel is indeed a great victory for Jews and stands as a beacon of hope and progress.

L’shana haba b’yerushalayim. Next year in Jerusalem. This is a hymn sung by many Jewish people every year during Passover, as well as other holy days. But, why is this sung? Jerusalem is the holiest place for the Jewish people. It is mentioned over 850 times in the Torah, the Jewish bible and the old testament. (in text citation). Jerusalem is also the third holiest place in Islam and is one of the holiest places in Christianity. Jerusalem is also the capital of Israel, yet is not considered the capital to so many people everywhere. During prayer all over the world, Jewish people turn and pray towards Jerusalem to honor the holiness of the city. During the Jewish wedding ceremony there are the Sheva Brachot, Seven Blessings, that refer to the

We spoke with an Ethiopian Jew that informed us about the benefits of having an absorption center; we toured his home, the classrooms, the computer lab, and the mock grocery store. Since the source of food in Gonder comes from farming, the Ethiopian Jews are not familiar with the value of money and the products that are sold in stores. At the center, the Ethiopian Jews lean what products to use to cook, clean as well as the ideology behind money. The center also provides a day care that can take care of the children while the parents are at work or school. In addition, the center maintains Ethiopian spices in their grocery stores so that the Ethiopians have the resources to cook their traditional foods. This great opportunity allows the Ethiopian Olim to adapt to the new culture in an easier way. In Identity and Change: The Example of the Falashas, Between Assimilation in Ethiopia and Integration in Israel, Friedmann
 and Santamaria
 explain the concerns of integrating the Ethiopian Jews into Israeli society due to the significant difference in traditions and even Jewish practices. The absorption centers that serve the Ethiopian Jews accustom the environment to help relive those concerns through educating the Ethiopian Jews and by providing a community that allows the Ethiopians to feel

Israel is a representation of our people's hope through the thousands of years of suffering, ostracism, and hatred the Jewish people have endured. Israel, being the Jewish people's homeland, is the greatest advocate for having the Jewish people's voices heard on an international level. It acts as a tool of legitimacy to the Jewish people's ideals and beliefs.

According to Isaac Newton, an object will stay at rest unless acted upon by an opposing force when it will begin to move. When the object rejects this force, for a brief moment in time, it is called the moment of inertia, where the object, despite the acting push or pull, remains motionless. Many times, this moment of inertia can be translated into a person’s life as they deal with change, and for some, the moment lasts a life time. Within the collection of short stories entitled Dubliners by James Joyce, the evolution from immaturity to maturity of the main characters begins to show the ultimate timelessness of a paralyzed mentality towards change.

Since biblical times Jewish communities lived in Arab lands, in Persia, India, East and North Africa and indeed in Palestine. However more modern times have seen them as a nomadic people, living in various countries but never truly finding a land to call there own. In the late 19th and early 20th century an idea began to gain solidarity and momentum, that of Zionism. The idea of Zionism, to create a Jewish state, is arguably one of modern society’s most polarizing and influential movements. Zionism has influenced political, religious, and social groups in a variety of ways that culminated in the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.(Cohen, week 10)

Now that we have spent a lot of time discussing the U.S.’s role in the Middle East, it is time to write about what we’ve learned and about our personal opinions on this issue.

Israel is one of the smallest countries in our world. Its role in the world’s affairs, however has been large since its independence from British rule in May 1948. They say if you ask 100 people what culture is to them you will get 100 different answers. I believe E. B. Tylor said it best: "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society"(E. B. Tylor).

The local culture that is most prominent in my life is Judaism because I share similar location and practices with other Jews in the area. Despite being a part of the Jewish local culture, I’m not very spiritual, instead I identify as being culturally Jewish. This means that I’m not connected to judaism through my faith but instead through customs or consistently followed practices as well as material culture or the artifacts created by my culture. As a result of this one of my favorite aspects of judaism is Shabbat dinner.

The State of Israel was founded in 1948 as a Jewish state. At the time of Israel’s founding, Jews made up only 32% of Palestine (Yiftachel, 58). In order to accomplish the goal of creating a Jewish state, it was imperative

Israel has such a unique history when it comes to its inception and the identity that has evolved around this history has left a lasting impression on all citizens of this nation. Israel was founded in 1948, for a long time people, Jews in particular, advocated for its establishment. The story begins

“Israel was not created in order to disappear-Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom.” These are John F. Kennedy’s thoughts and opinions upon the creation of Israel. In the time leading up to the creation of Israel, the Jews had endured much suffering through the terrible acts of the Holocaust. Jews have proven to rise from the despair and the suffering that they had to endure and they ultimately created something stupendous: their own country. There have been many obstacles in the way for the Jews to do this, the biggest being the Arab Palestinians. The Arab Palestinians objected to the Arab Jews forming a nation and if it were not for the help of the United States, Israel would have never been able to overrule the power of the Arab Palestinians and take over the land for themselves. With tremendous support from the United States, the creation of Israel exemplifies the joyous and magnificent accomplishment that not only Arab Jews accomplished, but all Jews.

Israel is both a Jewish and Democratic state. The skeleton of the state is that of a binary philosophy: a dual identity which on the one hand is a democracy and also a Jewish state. A democracy is a state which respects the inalienable rights, such as freedom of expression and suffrage, and intrinsic dignity of every human being. A Jewish state is a state with a core Jewish cultural and national identity, which respects equality of religion for all and is not theocratic. The foundational documents, the Declaration of Independence and Israel’s Basic Laws, are unambiguous and unrelenting on the centrality of these two traits, and without them, Israel would be stripped of its core identity.

Utopias are terrible things. They are only beneficial to the people that create them. “The perfect place” is not always the perfect place for the other people who live there. It usually ends up in destruction. It could also lead to the government being overthrown.