STUDENTS TRAVEL LINQUISTIC & CULTURAL ROAD MAP IN
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Three months in to the 5-month MASA-Givat Haviva Intensive Arabic Semester, students from
With a focus on learning Arabic, the students – four from Britain, one Columbian and four from the United States, are also studying Hebrew, Jewish and Arab history, general Middle East studies, Israel studies and much more, truly living up to the name of the program – the Intensive Arabic Semester!
Students, who range in age from 18-30, undertake community work in neighboring Arab villages and at the end of the program, with 500 class hours of Arabic tuition, 70 hours of Hebrew lessons, students are able to attain a good level of spoken Arabic, get by in Hebrew and understand the do's and do not do's of the very diverse societies they are moving between during the semester.
William Robbins, a University of Mississippi graduate hails from Birmingham,
"When I graduated I had this idea that I could better understand myself by understanding more of the world. I called it an exercise in perspective," explains the lanky Alabaman who is one of the two students enrolled in the program who never visited
"Seeing that I had little money to travel the world to really experience its people, I had to choose wisely the destination that could offer me the most challenging exercise. For me that place was
Searching websites for ideas to spend time in
"Now, I am not Jewish and the fine people of Mississippi and my home in Alabama do not just throw around the word kibbutz often in daily life, so when I read about kibbutz, I had to read more and my research ultimately led me to the MASA and the Givat Haviva Intensive Arabic Semester. Learning Arabic and Hebrew language from an organization dedicated to reconciling Arab and Israeli relations seemed perfect for my exercise in perspective – I could challenge myself intellectually, socially and culturally amongst students from all over the world and so here I am – and I am certainly not disappointed, " he said, and cracked a joke about how his Southern accent must sound in Arabic and Hebrew!
Kerrie Sharon had studied basic Hebrew in
"I decided to leave my job and life at home in order to pursue an interest in peace education and learning more about the ways that education was being used as a pathway to build confidence and co-existence between Arabs and Jews in
"I have a firm belief in the power of education to build bridges in conflict situations from my work at home as a citizenship teacher. A personal interest in the conflict in
Based at Barkai, a kibbutz founded in 1947 by members of the Hashomer Hatzair movement together with Holocaust survivors from
The region consists of cooperative kibbutzim; private farmsteads known as moshavim; secular and religious Jewish communities of a non-agricultural character; Israeli Muslim Arab villages from a few hundred residents to 60,000 and includes two cities, Umm al-Fahm and Baka al-Gharbiya, the latter maintaining their own elected municipalities but who these days work closely with the neighboring Menashe and Megiddo Municipalities in a series of joint ventures.
"In the past I didn't know how to align my enjoyment of being in Israel and the deep attachment that coming here stirred in me, whilst at the same time feeling discomfort at some of Israel's actions, and the situation of Arabs in Israel and Palestine," further explains Kerrie.
"This program has allowed me to learn beyond the rhetoric, through classes and through meeting people from both communities – to learn to understand more deeply the motivations for Israel's actions, to find new ways of understanding the issues and dilemmas underlying the painful and enduring conflict."
Twenty-eight year-old Seth Norman comes from a liberal Jewish family in San Francisco, was never a member of a synagogue or Jewish youth movement and his first visit to Israel was in relatively recent times – during a break of serving in the United States Army stationed in Germany, Kuwait and Iraq.
"Last July when I returned to base in
After just a few days in Tel Aviv the American soldier on leave met up with Israelis who 'adopted' him.
"I had a great time and signing up for the Intensive Arabic Semester answered my search to find a reason to spend time in Israel and learn more about my heritage. In
Following a month of studies at Givat Haviva, Seth met a group of San Franciscans on a Zionist Federation mission visiting the center and taking a short tour of the region.
"I was amazed to see people from back home, particularly considering I grew up in a tiny town called Hillsborough about 20 minutes south of
Some members of the group were parents of former classmates from
"I was raised with the full understanding that I was Jewish, but with none of the religious and cultural foundations – this is all now being strengthened during my study period here in Israel," said Seth who intends taking another degree in business studies at university in the U.S later this year.
History graduate Matthew Keston is a Londoner who came to
"These experiences made me want to find out more about Israel and its history as I feel a big part of understanding Israel is not only to learn about the Jewish history but to also learn Islamic history and position of Arabs in Israel, past and present, in and out of what is today Israel.
"This program was the only one that offered both sides of the Israeli coin and I hope to use the knowledge I gain from this course not only to better my understanding of the conflict but also hope that I can use the skills I learn to bridge cultural differences between those of different ethnic and religious backgrounds back home in England," said Matthew, who made a film on behalf of Birthright-Taglit during his tour here last year.
Eriana Rivera-Rozo, who holds a Masters in Conflict Management, is a Colombian living in the
"I was actually searching for "kibbutz" and "six months" in an attempt to find a commune-like community where I could get away from corporate
Twenty-five years beforehand her mother had participated in a medical program in
"During her stay she found she had Jewish blood after doing some genealogical searching in the Diaspora Museum and returned to Columbia with a passion for this nation and its people," explains Eriana who had wanted to learn Arabic for some time but felt that the only way to do so was to live in an immersed environment.
"Offering a holistic experience, not only focusing on Arabic but also being involved with Arab and Jewish communities, really piqued my interest."
Asked by many why she chose to study Arabic in Israel and not in Jordan, Lebanon or Egypt, Eriana explains that on a practical note – as a Colombian citizen – Israel was the only country she did not need a visa and secondly, felt more comfortable studying Arabic in a non-Muslim country because as a woman she had her reservations.
"I felt that
With two months left until the end of the semester Eriana says she "wouldn't trade the experience – the people in the program, although very different, are very interesting and happy to have met and had the opportunity to study with them."
The youngest of the nine students 18 year-old Dodie Shoshan comes from
"I wanted to study Arabic because it is such a beautiful language with a huge vocabulary and wealth of literature," explains Dodie who worked in the Hazorea dining-room before becoming a student living at Kibbutz Barkai.
"I find the
The reasons for tackling the program vary indeed but the students share the pressure of intensive studying, community work in Wadi Ara Arab villages, battling homework assignments and just making it through to the end of the week – somewhat exhausted but with a great deal more knowledge and experience of the complexities found in the region – and some more leisurely days shared when out on field trips to the Golan and Galilee, visiting the Druze on the Carmel, Jerusalem and more.
"I have no idea yet where and what I will do at the end of the program," comments Will Robbins.
"Sometimes I see myself staying here continuing the adventure in true romantic style, but if the adventure ends, I will have no shame in returning home with my newfound knowledge.
"I believe