History coming to life

Last night was the first real night where we were not sleep deprived, allowing us to enjoy the warm night alongside the beach. Yet here we are in the heart of Israeli life in Tel Aviv enjoying ourselves, to then wake up to a very intense day. First on our agenda is the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center which having grown up in Israel myself I never knew existed. The location of the museum is actually not even on the common maps, and is placed alongside of an active military base. A big portion of this place is dedicated to be a memorial site for those soldiers that served and died while working for the Israeli Intelligence the Shin Bet, Mossad, and the IDI.

People’s names are engraved into stones with only the date of their deaths next to it. This is due to the fact that these people are so honored that there should not be any differentiation on whether they were male or female or what religion they believed in. Another amazing thoughtful part was that the placement of the stones is in a way to create a labyrinth, mimicking groves and lines of a brain. These people are highly recognized for their efforts in keeping Israel up to date with its enemies.

 The tour continued and we were exposed to very visual experiences of the terror that has happened since 1948. This was quite emotional since it brought back memories I have been oppressing since the second intifada while I was living in Israel. To be honest I was very glad the rest of the group saw the tragedies Israel has gone through, since it is not covered in American news. The world truly does not know what goes on in these borders, which I find frustrating. Israel and I believe Jews also tend to not want to be vocal and loud and show their true struggle. This almost makes it easy for the anti-Israel communities and organizations to make up lies and win the hearts of those around the world. Israel does fight hard though to keep its borders and people save, even though today I saw numerous Arab maps without the acknowledgment of Israel as a country.

The day continued and we got to see another completely different side of Israel. Art. Ruben Ruben is a very respected and beloved painter in Israel. He immigrated to Israel and found his home in the land. The paintings truly tell the story of the times as the years progress so does the backgrounds from sand to buildings, from a flower to bouquet. Surprisingly Jesus was incorporated as well into the story lines which I feel helped to connect some of the other members of my group. Today was such a dip into the struggle of the fact they Israelis have to flight to live. Live in both the aspect of actually staying alive, as well as being free in such away to be able to explore things such as art.