I am not an extremely political person, but I cannot help but write about this. Anyone who has watched the news lately is bound to have heard about President Bush's trip to Israel. There were many stories about how security was being heightened in the country (which cost Israeli taxpayers around $25,000/hour and practically shut down the city of Jerusalem), as well as mumblings about what his visit may mean to the future of peace in the middle east. Upon landing in Israel, President Bush was quoted in saying:
With the Presidential election drawing closer by the day, it is obvious that the questions of Israel and the Middle East are two of the "hot topics" for candidates. As someone who tends to be liberal in politics, and identifies as a Zionist Reform Jew, these topics hold a great deal of weight in my political standings. However, after discussing various Presidential hopefuls and where they stand with Israel, I have only become more confused. My trip to Israel was in the Summer of 2005. I spent 4 incredible weeks there, and left just before the disengagement. Being there right before the disengagement opened my eyes to just how deeply rooted the Arab-Israeli conflict is. As much as I cannot imagine this two-state policy being put into place, I do not really know what else we can do. So this is where my confusion stems from for this upcoming election. Do I vote based on one aspect of a candidate (that aspect being Israel)? Or do I look at the candidate as a whole? I hope my decision becomes clearer as the election approaches.
Back to Bush's trip to Israel, a major stop in his visit was Yad Vashem. Upon looking at an aerial photo of Auschwitz, Bush made a comment about how the US should have bombed the site. It was somewhat unclear as to if he meant to bomb the camp or the tracks leading to the camp, but either way- we were bombing something. I am not saying that President Bush was wrong by saying that the US should have taken more action with Auschwitz, but I just don't see (in any situation) why bombing seems to be the answer. I have always believed that there is an alternative to violence, I just don't know what that alternative is in this, and several other situations. Which brings me back to my hesitations for the Presidential election and Israel. I guess I will just have to wait and see what else comes about in the upcoming weeks.
On a completely different note, recently I have been having some interesting conversations with friends from other schools about what Jewish life is like on their respective campuses. I am happy to say that I love Jewish life here at IU. Being in the Jewish studies FIG has allowed me to share my knowledge of Reform Judaism with others, and learn a great deal about Conservative, and even Orthodox Judaism. I always thought I was well informed about the differences and similarities between the denominations, but I have learned a lot in the last few months. I believe that taking the classes I have chosen as well as spending a great deal of time at Hillel has been helpful in defining who I am as a Jewish student from New Jersey at Indiana University.
In the beginning, I was nervous about what it would be like for me out here. I come from a town in New Jersey that might as well be nicknamed "Jerusalem" because of how dense the Jewish population is. I was nervous to step outside of my East Coast Jewish bubble of a community and dive into the world of college in the mid-west. But I have found a great community here, both Jewish and in general, that I could not imagine living without at such a large school.
I hope this entry wasn't too painful or boring to read... but i'm new at this.
I wish everyone the best in their 2nd week of classes!
1 comment:
I want to preface this with I DO NOT LIKE GEORGE W. BUSH.
The thing that pushes my buttons more than anything is one issue voters. I know a lot of people who voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 election because of his stance on Israel and nothing else. For them, Israel was the most important issue and therefore the only one that really mattered. During the 2004 election I was so mad when my friends told me they were voting for Bush because of his stance on Israel, I always responded with "what about the country we actually live in!" it was as if they could care less about what happened within our own country and Bush's policies on other issues such as abortion and gay marriage. I think it is possible to take the Israel issue into account when you decide who you will vote for, but it should not be the only factor playing a role in your vote.
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