Adventures: The Revolution

The protests in Israel are beautiful. I haven’t been following them in the news, so I am unsure how they are being portrayed in the US but they are very peaceful so I can’t imagine the news is giving them the coverage they deserve. I have visited four tent sites so far, Rothschild in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Kiryat Shmona and Rosh Pina (both in the Hula valley in the north). They are all so different, but all share an overwhelming feeling of community. That is what these protest are saying and doing in one way or another. They are bringing all types of people together to share knowledge, experiences, support and ideas that otherwise may have never even interacted.

The first, and largest protest is on Rothschild Street in Tel Aviv. The idea of protesting by camping out in a tent originated by one girl on facebook. She held a decent job and yet was being evicted by her landlord because he was raising the rent. She posted on facebook that she was going to set up a tent on the street and about 20 friends decided to join her, today it is said that there are over 80 tent communities throughout Israel. The protests have escalated from the unaffordablity of housing in Israel to all aspects of social welfare. There is a group on Rothschild for almost any cause you can think of; single fathers, parents, military, art therapists, doctors, teachers, students and much more. As you walk down the street each block is filled with people at all hours of the day offering different atmospheres. At 1am I passed a group of religious Nachman followers jamming with some hippies, followed by an intimate circle of educators discussion their ideas for solutions, followed by a large discussion with a projector and power point talking facts and figures of the ‘welfare state’ of Israel. Earlier that evening I attended a free cabaret show by a popular performing group of Israel which was located just a block down from environmentalist building mud tents. There is a kitchen serving free meals all day run by volunteers and a constant flow of guest speakers, politicians, free performances, music, art, dance—everything and anything. But it is far from a giant festival. The people are not just sleeping in tents on a busy street to hang out with friends. All day different conversations are being held, reports are being written and action is being taken to defend the people of Israel and the cause of the protests. Unfortunately my participation has been minimal due to the language barrier. But people are constantly working together for change.

The smaller cities such as Kiryat Shmona and Rosh Pina have a more intimate vibe where I have started to recognize many familiar faces and make friends the more I visit. For the first time in Kiryat Shmona the students of the University of Tel-Hai are interacting with the families of Kiryat Shoman. Just last night I arrived to catch the tail end of a group discussion involving almost everyone at the site, followed by an amazing performance of talented artists traveling to all the tent sites they can in two weeks. They are joined by one of the girls who first started the protest in hopes to better connect the different tent protests together. After the performance, which focused on the protest and theme of community, there was another conversation with at 50 people that went on well past my bedtime at 1 am and then transformed into a jam session until 3 am. Each tent site has a schedule with a discussion and activity planned for each night. Professionals, from therapists to magicians volunteer their time and knowledge to share with the communities. Educational movies are watched, music is played and friendships are being made all over the country…peacefully.

In a country that is constantly at war, the people are tired of fighting and violence. Not only are they coming together over a common cause of social welfare, but they are doing it peacefully as an united community. And this is a country that things often, and can easily turn violent. An Israeli friend of mine said it is the first time in her life she is proud to be an from Israel. Though as beautiful it is to see community coming together, it is still a struggle. Many people are working very very hard to keep the momentum forward and the protests realistic. The solutions are far from simple. From the eyes of an ‘outsider’ the people have already accomplished so much even if their demands are not being met. There is much more to the protests then can be seen from the news; it is truly a revolution of the people and the structure of society. I hope that it can help the people of the entire world shift to a new way of thinking that focuses on community, local and small scale production that better fits the reality of our current globe.

It is a very interesting time to be in Israel between the tent protests, the recent attacks in Gaza, Eliat and Egypt and the upcoming UN vote about the creation of a Palestinian state on September 20^th. It is truly unbelievable to be a part of a revolution that is world history in the making. I am curious how my remaining two and half months in Israel will unfold….