Ani Zocher:
Pilgrims' Stories

Etgar 2003,
by Shauna Ruda, Emtza

In a country that spans short length by short width, in a country where a religious center binds 3 religions, and in a country where beauty cannot and will never be captured in mere words it's hard to believe that such a deep-rooted separation exists between two people. Two people are treated differently in the land of Israel. Two people judge each other day-by-day, moment-by-moment, because in the land of Israel, the two people were brought up to feel that they were extremely different from one another.

The tragedy of this does not lie in the fact that two completely different people will never come at peace with one another. The tragedy lies in the fact that two groups of Jews cannot reconcile their similarities and put aside misconceptions to embrace and love one another. The tragedy lies between the Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews of Israel.

This summer I had the privilege of going to a town in Israel called Yerucham with a group of USYers on a trip called Etgar for ten days. This experience was incredibly unique to this trip. There we got to volunteer at the summer camp there for the children, put on a carnival for the children, paint a house for people who could no afford housing there, and learn about Israeli society. There, a girl who was participating in Shirut Leumi (service for people who don't serve in the army normally due to religious reasons) gave my group a lesson on the relationship between these two groups of Jews in Israel. I had no idea what an everlasting affect those two hours would have on my conception of Israel.

Yerucham is a poor development town that lies in the far south of Israel where the people there, so kind and welcoming, sadly loose more and more confidence because their town is in shambles. Their town is in shambles due to financial problems, education problems, and reputation problem. Their town is mostly comprised of Sephardi Jews. I should note that this lesson, however, was not taught from a Sephardi perspective.

My eyes were opened in those few hours, though sometimes I wish that they had remained shut because the sadness I feel towards one people, my people, struggling against each other in a land that already has enough problems always make me frustrated and helpless.

Israel was founded mostly by a group of secular Ashkenazi Jews. Sephardi Jews, who immigrated to Israel before or during its early existence, generally were dedicated to the practices of Judaism and came to Israel purely based on religious pursuit. Thus, because they seemed to contribute less to the building of the land politically and economically there was an immediate crack in the relationship between the two. From there on, Ashkenazi Jews saw the Sephardi Jews as inferior. They didn't help build the lands. They didn't contribute to the founding of the government. Why should they be treated the same?

Over time, as each group overlapped in its wants from the land (Ashkenazi wanting to be more religious, Sephardi wanting to contribute to the land) problems erupted. Sephardi Jews were given lower positions in the army. They occupied, on a whole, poorer cities with poorer education and received less funding for the government. Sadly, this cannot all be put in past tense, because these problems exist today.

I suppose this short encapsulation of information could leave a bad taste for Israel in the mouth of any reader, BUT DON'T LET IT. Israel is everything you ever could dream of and more packed into a tiny space that's filled with our heritage. This lesson of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews inspired me and I hope it inspires you. Perhaps the goal of this was to inspire you to think. Think about Israel as the paradigm of all the Jews in the world (which makes sense because it is our homeland). Think about the way we treat other Jews, our stereotypes within our people, and the way we look to our Jewish family. Every moment you devote to your Judaism break down those preconceived notions and embrace each other. We have a lot to do in this world, but it starts in our own homes.

I will return to Israel one day with the goal of some how bridging this gap as my Shirut Leumi instructor was trying to do, because Etgar inspired me to help my country with all my heart and all my soul. Slowly, the Israeli government and Israeli societies are making changes to help this problem, but just like in any other country where Jews live, bridging the gap between our own is a hard task. Let us all open our minds to the problems our homeland is facing internally and externally, and make it a priority to always strive to help and to nurture Eretz Yisrael. Remember, we can start to make a difference with the people and places closes to us.

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