Vox Veterana : Israel: The First Post

I recently went on my first trip to Israel and have (drum roll...) strong opinions about what is going on there. However, in this the first post, I want to introduce what I did on the trip so everyone can understand where I`m coming from in the next few posts.

First off I traveled to Israel courtesy of a generous benefactor (my grandma) late last October and stayed for two weeks. The first few days I stayed on Kibbutz Nahal Oz with some friends. Nahal Oz is right along the Gaza Strip and was probably only a half a mile away from downtown Gaza City. Unfortunately no rockets were fired when I was there as I haven`t been under fire for some time now. However, I`m guessing the Israelis didn`t mind a bit of a reprieve. I hung out with my friends in Sderot, Ashquelon, and Be`er-Sheva. (This would be where I insert the comment that Israel contains the most ridiculously high ratio of beautiful women in the world, but since I`m keeping it strictly serious I`m gonna leave that part out.)

I left Nahal Oz on a bus for Jerusalem where I stayed about a half mile away from the Old City for 10 days. There I joined a tour group that was traveling as a part of a Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center Ultimate Mission. Shurat HaDin is a law center in Israel that fights terrorism through civil lawsuits and other legal actions. Check out there website for all the pertinent information but suffice it to say that they are doing real good, not only for Israel but also for America. While you are there be sure to donate to the cause.

As a part of the 20 or so person group I traveled all around the country and got to visit many important military and political sites. Our group spoke with some top politicians i.e. Yoram Ettinger, Moshe Ya`alon, and military heroes i.e. Yair Nafshi, Avigdor Kahalani just to name a few. We also visited several current military sites along the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Lebanese and Syrian borders.

The trip focused on the current security situation for Israel so we were shutteled to as many pertinent places as could be fit into a week. During that time I befriended people in my group from all over the world and managed to stare at/sit across from an Israeli girl that looked like Alicia Keyes` twin sister (by the way if you are reading this security girl from the West Bank, you know who you are, go ahead and email me).

Overall the trip was a great time and it didn`t hurt that it was perfect weather the whole time I was there. I`m looking forward to going back as soon as I can. Now that I`ve had the experience and spoken with people who are intimately involved in the security arena in Israel I want to share my thoughts from the trip. I have several posts planned and would love to hear what people think. What is going on in Israel is closely linked to what we are dealing with so I think it is upmost importance to have an accurate grasp of what exactly is going on there. Israel has faced our common enemy far more than we have and throughout has managed to fight as humanely as possible, those who say they haven`t just don`t understand what has and is going on there. I invite anyone who thinks they have facts other than mine to wage in on the conversation.

4 Comments:

Lou said...

It sounds like you were on more than just the “where Jesus walked” tour. Walking in someone’s steps is certainly the best way to see how they live and understand their problems, and you were able to that in the Israel.

After the Columbine shootings years ago, I remember watching Rosie O’Donnell (she was very popular then) when she said something like “no one under any circumstances should ever carry a gun.” I had lots of thoughts like “this lady is crazy,” but I also thought, “This lady does not know where I live.” I don’t live where there are lots of bad people; just bad critters. I turned her off that day and never watched her show again. Anyway, the moral of the story is that it is important to know where and how someone lives before you pass judgement. I hope you post more on your trip to Israel.

5:20 AM

Annie said...

Good to see you writing again. This could be interesting. Can`t wait for more.

10:01 AM

neatie said...

I`m not sure this has anything to do ...with anything in your blog Mr. Boggs...But...my brother was getting a degree in The Classics once and he went to Israel to learn Yidish. He went to work on what I think they called a Kabutz...anyway that is what it sounded like. He made many friends there but his job was killing the sick chickens in this gigantic chicken house. He did this by learning what a sick chicken looks like and then...stepping on the head and then kicking the chicken like a football...It was quick and he told me.... painless. Then he went to another Kabutz where he learned to insiminate cows..... artificially. I did not question him on this one but just took his word for it. I do know that he does neither of those things now and is a college professor who teaches Latin. You know...back then he loved the Jewish people and actually tried to become Jewish but after he came back to the University of Wisconsin he became a communist and loves the Palestinians.....and last time I talked to him he thought I was a spy. Go figure. Can you explain this to me Mr. Boggs? To tell you the truth it was all confusing to me. However, I love the Jews although I see them as people like the rest of us in this present age but they will be restored when Christ returns. And I love my brother as well and hope he comes to his senses soon. I`d rather he were a sane chicken killer than a crazy college professor. And I must say, being an American girl....I resent your statement that the women in Isreal are all beautiful. What am I...chopped liver?
Neatie

9:27 PM

TF Boggs said...

Of course there are beautiful American women. I was just talking ratio Neatie, thats all.

7:42 PM