Final Thoughts

Well here I am, back home in Santa Barbara, relaxing and counting down the days until I leave for college. Things are much simpler here. There are no sirens, no rockets and no war. In fact, most people in Santa Barbara have little to no idea of the events taking place in Israel and Gaza. Its as if the Middle East is another planet with little to no connection to the United States. It seems only my Jewish friends have any opinion on the matter. But despite the general public's ignorance, Israel continues to be extremely important to me. I think about my trip every day, and specifically I think about the people I met. Every time I hear of rocket alerts, I think of the dozens of people I have a personal relationship with scattered all across Israel. I have definitely mentioned this before, but being in Israel during the war has made the whole conflict personal. Whenever I hear about a rocket strike or an Iron Dome interception I think back to my personal experiences and envision a rocket flying over my head, just like that day at the beach in Herziliya last month. Israel has become much more personal. That, I think will be the lasting impact of my trip. Another very impactful experience came last week at Friday evening Shabbat services. I saw my friends Daniel and Itay, whom I had met and hung out with 7500 miles away in Haifa. That, to me, was an amazing experience. The connection between CBB and Leo Baeck had finally come full circle. I had stayed with Itay's family in Haifa and worked at his school and he was now at my synagogue in my hometown. We both had a chance to experience each other's culture and life and are both better because of it.

Last Week

Hello Everyone! It's hard to be believe that my time in Israel is drawing to a close. These past two weeks have been incredible and have changed the way I look at the world. I still have two days left of volunteering, but thus far working with the PDD (Autism spectrum) students have been a fun and fulfilling experience. Most of the students are extremely smart and only struggle with the articulation of their thoughts. Sometimes I pity them for their struggles, but sometimes I envy their unique feats and abilities, such as one student who taught himself German in 6 months by simply reading a book. I have also enjoyed meeting the Leo Baeck staff and community and look forward to sharing some of the projects they are working on with everyone back home. Leo Baeck is an amazing place that does so much for so many different people. Even being there for a few weeks I can see how it has changed the lives of so many in the Haifa community and beyond. In regards to the Gaza situation, things haven't changed much. Everyday it seems there's breaking news that Israel and Hamas are SO CLOSE to a cease-fire. But it always falls through. And that doesn't bother a large portion of the population here. They want to keep fighting. Especially in the South, where they're sick and tired of running into their shelters every hour due to constant rocket fire. They want Hamas destroyed once and for all and every last rocket and tunnel destroyed. Quite frankly, I don't blame them. If I lived in Ashkelon, I wouldn't want a cease-fire; I would want an escalation. The sooner I can stop being tied to my bomb shelter, the better. Yes, the civilian casualties in Gaza have been horrific. But, there are some things, as a nation, that you simply can't put up with. And incessant rocket fire at your civilian population is one of them. No nation, not the United States, not China, and sure as hell not Russia, would tolerate what Israel has been forced to take for so many years. All I can say is, thank G-d for the Iron Dome.

Week 1 of Volunteering

Today I completed my first week of volunteering at the various Leo Baeck institutions in Haifa. On Sunday and Tuesday I worked with young elementary school age kids at Mercaz Ruth, essentially a summer camp. This was a very fun and interesting experience connecting with the kids through sports and play rather than language, as almost none of them knew any English. On Monday I worked at a summer camp for older kids at the Leo Baeck Center with my host, Itay. I enjoyed my time playing basketball with the kids and trying to follow a magic show in Hebrew. And the last two days I have been working with the PDD students (kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders) in a classroom at Leo Baeck. This has been fun as most of the kids are my age and speak pretty good English. A lot of them are very high functioning and only struggle with social interaction. Today, we spent most of the day planning, preparing and cooking a meal. I thought this was both a fun activity and a very practical lesson for the kids as they learn more independence. I enjoyed providing guidance during the activities and having some unorthodox conversations with the students. Although I have had a fantastic time this week volunteering and have learned a lot, I don't think my day to day activities will be the most memorable of this trip. It is impossible for me not to notice that Israel is very much at war right now. The mood of the country has changed dramatically since I arrived days before the ground invasion began, and before Israel suffered any civilian or military casualties. Now, after 32 young men with promising futures have been killed on the battlefield and 3 civilians killed in rocket attacks, Israel has once again been reminded of the tragic cost of war. They are a country that truly values life and it is difficult to stomach the losses the IDF has suffered. However, they fight on. The pain of the casualties has taken its toll but I think the country understands deep down that the Hamas tunnels are a grave national security threat and need to be destroyed before any cease-fire can even be considered. I hope the President can see that too. But I seriously doubt it.

Mercaz Ruth potato sack race

Me with the PDD students

Monday July 21st

Tonight I attended the funeral of IDF Sgt. Sean Carmeli in Haifa. Sean was killed defending Israel last night in Gaza. And unlike most IDF soldiers, Sean was not born in Israel; he was born in Texas. He made Aliyah a few years back and began his IDF service like any other Israeli. Soldiers like Sean are often called "lone soldiers", as they have little to no family in Israel. So, when Sean was tragically killed last night, there was much concern over who would attend his funeral and pay their final respects to a man who had made the ultimate sacrifice for his people and for his adopted homeland. However, the people of Israel did not forget the incredible sacrifice Sean made for them. There was a massive news and social media campaign and the funeral was even pushed back a few hours to allow people more time to travel. Over 12,000 attended. And as someone who was there, and witnessed it first-hand, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. To see the number of Israelis, including fellow IDF soldiers, in attendance was remarkable. The emotion displayed by the people around me was heartbreaking. Every single person there had lost a brother, a son and a friend. A piece of them was now missing and would never be replaced. To watch Sean's father say Kaddish for his boy who was now gone forever was one of the most painful and sympathetic moments of my life, something I will never forget. My experience tonight changed my perspective on a lot of things, and will continue to do so as I think about it further. But mainly, it brought the conflict home. Tonight, war became a real thing. It's no longer some distant story. Its right here. I can finally begin to comprehend what war does to a family, a community, and to a nation. And it is truly devastating. I can say without any doubt in my mind that no nation or no people want peace more than the Israelis. That's what the media, the politicians and the world fails to understand.

First Weekend in Haifa

Shavua Tov! Its good to be here in Haifa and I have already been able to connect with some of the Leo Baeck graduates who have visited Santa Barbara in the past and some that will come in the future. Today I went on a hike with my host Itay and his friend Daniel, both of whom will be coming to Santa Barbara next week to work at Camp Haverim. It was very fun to meet them, especially knowing that in a few weeks time we will be seeing each other on the other side of the world. We hiked down to the beach in Haifa and had some Ice Cream while watching the surf. Haifa is a beautiful city, much like Santa Barbara with the mountains and the ocean just a few miles apart. Then, this afternoon I had coffee with Yoni Khalatnik. He and I talked for a long time, covering just about every geopolitical issue we could think of. He is extremely smart and knowledgable and it was very interesting to gain his perspective on a variety of topics, including the current situation in Gaza. Yoni, who visited CBB in 2012 and 2013, is currently serving in the IDF and hopes to soon enter into an intensive 7 year medical program. Tonight, I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Ben Ben Ami, another past CBB visitor who I had not seen in two years. Ben gave another very interesting and very different perspective on a multitude of topics. He is currently in a Naval program that will end in him becoming the commander of a ship in the Israeli Navy. It was great to reconnect with Ben and meet also meet his girlfriend, who is in an extremely competitive pilot program with the Israeli Air Force. Over the course of my day I really enjoyed hearing very different political views from equally intelligent and driven people. I begin working tomorrow morning and look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you!

Me with Ben Ben Ami

Visit with Yoni

It was great to spend some time today with a great of mine and of the Santa Barbara Jewish community, Yoni Khalatnik

Last days in Shoham

Hello from Haifa! I just arrived at my host family's home and will begin working on Sunday.  They picked me up from the train station and have been very warm and accommodating. I will talk more about Haifa after I have spent more time here. Now for my last few days.. I went to the beach yesterday in Herzliya with a few friends and as we were leaving the lifeguard made an announcement that there were rockets headed our way. The only shelter nearby was the public bathroom so everyone started frantically running toward it. Right before I got inside I heard a loud boom, what I recognized after a few days in Israel as the Iron Dome destroying a Hamas rocket. As I was still looking skyward, I actually saw an interception take place. Two seemingly tiny objects collided and created a short burst of orange flames and then the unmistakable ring of white smoke. After hearing so many of these interceptions it was amazing to actually see one take place. After about 5 minutes in the bathroom, everyone agreed it was safe to leave and we made our way back to the car. My friends jokingly said that they hoped the remnants of the missile didn't destroy his car as it was directly above us. But no damage was done and we went on with our day as if nothing had happened. They didn't seem too concerned with what had just taken place and as a result neither did I. Life just goes on here. I admire the resilience of the Israelis. They don't get rattled when pressured and always maintain a certain level-headedness through even the most troubling circumstances. You have to be that way when you're surrounded by terror and constant threats to your very existence. Just on their borders alone there are two organizations whose sole purpose for existing is to destroy Israel. There is simply no place for overreaction. Unlike the United States, Israel can't afford to make mistakes. One bad decision can have catastrophic consequences. However that doesn't mean they don't defend their people. But when they do, they do so decisively and with a level of professionalism and precision seen no where else in the world. Thats all I have for now. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

If you look closely at the center of the photo you can see the white puffs of smoke from the Iron Dome

Travel/Day 1/2

Hi Everyone! Sorry for not posting earlier! Its been a long but fun couple of days. I arrived in Israel yesterday afternoon after 14 hours in the air. My friend Nevo, who I met last summer on the NFTY in Israel program, picked me up from the airport and we drove to his house in the nearby suburb of Shoham. Shoham is a very modern area with large, American-style houses and nice public parks. Most people here are upper-middle class and gainfully employed and kids attend one of the best public high schools in the country. I think it would be fair to say Shoham is the "San Fernando Valley" of Israel. My experience here so far hasn't been a whole lot different than my day to day life in Santa Barbara. Yesterday, I played pickup basketball with Nevo and his friends, something I do a few times a week back home. Today we spent most of the day at his friend's private pool, simply relaxing and staying cool in the summer heat. We did hear a few "booms" off in the distance that my Israeli friends quickly pointed out as the Iron Dome intercepting a Hamas rocket. I guess it was comforting to know that it was doing its job and protecting us but there was definitely something troubling about the thought of someone firing a rocket toward you and hoping, or even praying that it hits you. But that's the reality here and life goes on. The mood of the people here isn't any different from the previous summers when I came during relative peace. Other than the occasional siren or Iron Dome intercept, you wouldn't even know anything had changed. I did have my first siren/rocket threat experience just about 30 minutes ago. We were sitting on the couch and a loud siren rang. I followed my friends into the basement where we remained for about 10 minutes as is protocol. We didn't see any material land, nor did we hear the Iron Dome. It didn't seem like a big deal to me, more of an annoyance than anything. However, in towns closer to Gaza where the Iron Dome has less time to react, the threat is much more real. But, after the 10 minutes we continued on with our day and are currently hanging out by the pool again with some friends. Like I said earlier, everything feels completely normal and safe and I am very glad I did not postpone my trip. I am having a fantastic time so far.

Thank you to everyone at CBB for making this experience possible and I look forward to beginning my volunteer work. I promise I'll have pictures to post later this week and plenty to share about Leo Baeck. Bye for now!

Also, feel free to use the comments section to ask any questions. I'd be happy to answer!

Pre-Trip Thoughts

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my blog.  I’m Ethan Habecker, an 18 year-old Santa Barbara guy who will be representing Congregation B’nai B’rith in Haifa.  I will be volunteering with the Leo Baeck Education Center. Right now it's Thursday and I am still in Santa Barbara and as of now still on track to leave for Israel on Sunday. Like all of you I am monitoring the situation over there very closely. I am following almost every news outlet that exists, including the direct statements of the IDF. I must admit, from afar, the situation looks very scary. When you turn on the TV and see Wolf Blitzer "Live from Jerusalem" talking about a constant barrage of missiles from Gaza and videos of Israelis running for their lives at the sound of yet another siren, it paints a pretty bleak picture. However, as I learned today, not a very accurate one. This morning my dad and I had the opportunity to Skype with a friend of mine in Israel and his dad to get a better sense of what was actually happening over there. What they described was nothing like what you hear from the media. They reported no rockets, no sirens, and really no change at all. Their lives are continuing on as normal. I got the same story when I met with the two teens from the Leo Baeck Center in Haifa who will be working at Camp Haverim these next few weeks. They reassured me that I would be safe as ever in Israel and that I should not be worried. So after today, I am going to do my best to stop watching the sensationalized media coverage of the situation and instead talk with those who are actually living it. I encourage all of you to do the same. Turn off Wolf Blitzer or Shepard Smith or whoever you watch, and call up that old friend who lives in Israel. Their perspective will give you a much better understanding of what is actually taking place.

Thats all for now. My next update will hopefully be from Israel on Monday!