Israel has always been a symbol of Jewish culture and a staple for the Jewish people. Jews from all over the world come to Israel to see the holy land and be in the only country in the world that is dedicated to the Jewish people. However there is another side of Israel that people don’t talk about and some people aren’t even aware of and that I wasn’t aware of until today. While Israel is still a beautiful country it dows have its issues which were brought out when we went to meet today with two people who are employees of of the Alma Foundation. They both represent minorities in Israel. We met Henry who is Christian and we met Hila who is Druze.
Henry is 27 years old and from a small village near Nazareth. He grew up going to a catholic school but made friends with both Jews and Muslims. Growing up Henry said he often felt outcast from the people around him because he was Christian, and felt that he was not given as many opportunities as orhers. This was a very strange thing for me to hear because in the US, Christians make up the majority of the population and are not oppressed . Henry also told us that he really wanted to join the Israeli Defense Force even though Christians are not required to join. This was also interesting to me because I didn’t know that Christians did not have to serve and I wondered why he would want to when Israel had discriminated against him. He told us that he joined because even though it wasn’t perfect, Israel was still his home and he loved it just as much as anyone else. This made me really admire Henry because this showed that he was truly a brave and noble person who wanted to serve his country.
We also heard from Hila who is a 27 year old Druze woman. Druze was not a religion I was familiar with and had not even heard of until recently. The Druze believe in one god and 5 principles which is why the Druze flag is 5 colors.Hila says the Druze have always been loyal to the Israeli government and have always tried to support Israel. She said that she felt that Israel has betrayed her and her people and treated them as second class citizens. This was very heartbreaking for me to hear because I couldn’t believe how a country full of minorities could discriminate against another smaller minority. Hila said that her ideal Israel would be one that is not lead by as much religion. This was interesting for me to hear and somewhat conflicted me. On one hand I have always felt a deep connection to Israel as a Jew and think that it’s amazing how so many Jews have a place where they can come together and feel welcomed. However I do see where Hila is coming from and now understand that not everyone feels the same way about Israel that I do.
In the end I hope to see Israel in a place where people from all races and religions are welcomed and celebrated and hope that the day will come when there is finally peace in Israel.
We also heard from Hila who is a 27 year old Druze woman. Druze was not a religion I was familiar with and had not even heard of until recently. The Druze believe in one god and 5 principles which is why the Druze flag is 5 colors.Hila says the Druze have always been loyal to the Israeli government and have always tried to support Israel. She said that she felt that Israel has betrayed her and her people and treated them as second class citizens. This was very heartbreaking for me to hear because I couldn’t believe how a country full of minorities could discriminate against another smaller minority. Hila said that her ideal Israel would be one that is not lead by as much religion. This was interesting for me to hear and somewhat conflicted me. On one hand I have always felt a deep connection to Israel as a Jew and think that it’s amazing how so many Jews have a place where they can come together and feel welcomed. However I do see where Hila is coming from and now understand that not everyone feels the same way about Israel that I do.
In the end I hope to see Israel in a place where people from all races and religions are welcomed and celebrated and hope that the day will come when there is finally peace in Israel.