From Alex:
The Bus Station that Represents Israel
This morning we met in southern Tel Aviv with Elliot Glassenberg. Elliot is an educator and activist that lives in Tel Aviv. He readily protests and volunteers all around Israel. Like most of us, he grew up in the Midwest, Chicago to be exact. He said that he always taught Tikun Olam, yet never fully experienced it for himself. So, he went to Israel for a year in order to volunteer and help all sorts of in-need populations. However, his year turned into the most impactful year of his life.
Southern Tel Aviv differs from the rest of Tel Aviv as it is a challenged and "economically diverse" area. Not only is it a cheaper neighborhood, it is close to a large job center --Tel Aviv. And it has a large bus station, the second largest in the world in fact, that helps the workers get to their jobs. Therefore, it is a perfect place for immigrants to go when they first come to Israel. Frequently, the immigrants come to Israel, have opportunity to make money, and leave Israel when they have accomplished their goal. This means the population of the south Tel Aviv changes nearly every 10 to 15 years.
The Bus Station that Represents Israel
This morning we met in southern Tel Aviv with Elliot Glassenberg. Elliot is an educator and activist that lives in Tel Aviv. He readily protests and volunteers all around Israel. Like most of us, he grew up in the Midwest, Chicago to be exact. He said that he always taught Tikun Olam, yet never fully experienced it for himself. So, he went to Israel for a year in order to volunteer and help all sorts of in-need populations. However, his year turned into the most impactful year of his life.
Southern Tel Aviv differs from the rest of Tel Aviv as it is a challenged and "economically diverse" area. Not only is it a cheaper neighborhood, it is close to a large job center --Tel Aviv. And it has a large bus station, the second largest in the world in fact, that helps the workers get to their jobs. Therefore, it is a perfect place for immigrants to go when they first come to Israel. Frequently, the immigrants come to Israel, have opportunity to make money, and leave Israel when they have accomplished their goal. This means the population of the south Tel Aviv changes nearly every 10 to 15 years.
When we first arrived at the bus station, we noted a few things. These are the exact words that I wrote when we arrived: It smells like cigarettes, lots of trash, street art, and drug addicts in the side of the road. There are lots of cars and buses with lots of honking. The bus station has lots of wear and tear. It's a sore thumb. The bus station itself looks abandoned, but there is a fair amount of people inside. Clothes are being sold and other shops that are full of items and surrounded by empty storefronts. It's full of garbage, smells like smoke and urine, and everything is falling apart. Yet, the city it is in is called oasis of serenity, or Neve sha'anan.
As today was my first day, this was part of my first impression of Israel, and not a good one. Later in the day, which I will not cover in this blog, made me a little fonder of Israel.
Elliot's organization, Bina, is working on the problems in this neighborhood. It is a secular yishiva, full of green space and happy faces, yet it only sits a few miles from the rancid station. The students don't live on campus, but around so they can understand the area. In the yeshiva they learn about all sorts of things, yet Elliot focused on their volunteer work. They are required to volunteer, but as it is a secular yishiva, they can volunteer wherever they want. They help all sorts of people - from Jews, Arabs, Palestinians, Immigrants, Africans, the students experience it all. The thought is if we can understand people in their individual situations, maybe more problems can can be solved. As Elliot told us, the bus station was planned to be demolished in 2020, then 2025, and now indefinitely. There is still a plan, and this neighborhood needs the plan to be executed.