I am still not ready to gather all my thoughts about Israel and put them down here. Right now, I need to get back into the swing of work, and sort some stuff out. But, I am planning on doing an activism program with my old USY chapter (high school Jewish youth group), while I am here in CT. A little something to prepare some of the older kids for what they are going to confront when they get to college. It is a new world on a college campuses and it is really important for new freshman to come in prepared for what they are going to see. I have never “taught” before so this surely will be an interesting experience. What I want to do is put together all of the information I accumulated while in Israel into about a 30 min presentation, discussion and Q &A. In the end I want to bring this to college when I go back in the winter and run a similar program with my friend who went on the trip with me. We’ll see how this one goes before I do it at RIT.
I have been doing a lot of thinking about politics lately. Yeah, yeah, it sounds boring, but the reality is we need to be a part of it. You can’t complain about minimum wage, affirmative action, etc. if you aren’t taking an active role in politics. I had a very interesting conversation with my grandfather before I left for Israel about who is the better candidate for Israel. First of all, as an American there are many other important factors about presidential candidates that should be considered when selecting a nominee. Yes, Israel is EXTREMELY important to me, but what good is a safe and peaceful Israel, if unemployment skyrockets in the US and terrorist attacks happen here every week. As a Jew, I completely understand and appreciate the need of a Jewish homeland, and of American support for that homeland, and that is why I advocate for Israel every day. In the end, either presidential candidate will be good for Israel. Take a look at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/electiontoc.html for each candidates stances and history related to Israel.
I will impart one piece of wisdom learned from my trip to Israel. Speaking with a professor of political science for Touro College, Manhattan on the topic of the November elections, he brought up an interesting point; a bipartisan legislative/executive division is the best for Israel. Having a republican Congress and democrat President provides checks and balances on Israel decisions. Yes, in some ways it ties up the political system, but it also keeps Israel safe. If one side of the fray wants to sanction Israel, the other end will more than likely halt the action. I am being really broad right now,b because I don’t have my notes, I will try and be more accurate in my next post. Think about it, and comment.
