When Jessica Laviolette won a trip to Israel, she thought it would be fun, exciting and educational.
What she didn’t expect were bombs, turmoil and prejudice.
Laviolette, a 2006 Brandon High School graduate, arrived at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel on July 2 and is scheduled to stay until July 28. But following the killing of eight Israeli soldiers and kidnapping of two others on July 12 by Hezbollah terrorists, the bombing of southern Lebanon by Israel forces the next day, and the subsequent attacks by both sides since, she wants to come home. The trouble is that all the flights out of Tel Aviv are full.
The Citizen contacted Laviolette via e-mail last week to relay her experiences in Israel while the country is in a deepening crisis.
Laviolette, 18, and her parents, Tom and Dede, were slightly apprehensive about the trip she was awarded in March as the top high school senior in the Science and Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit, but overall thought it would be a positive experience. It hasn’t been what Laviolette envisioned.
‘I wasn’t briefed on Israeli culture before I came here and I think that this put me at a great disadvantage during the security checks before my flight to Israel,? says Laviolette, who took a 10-hour flight to the country that is home to more than 6 million people and is about the same size as the state of New Jersey, with 15 other Americans who were participating in the International Summer Science Institute (ISSI) at Weizmann. ‘I was asked by El Al (the airline) security if I was Jewish, if I could speak Hebrew, and what I knew about Israel. I’m not Jewish, I don’t know Hebrew and I know very little about Israel.?
Laviolette says she and the other non-Jewish non-Hebrew speaking participants were set aside by security, went through extra rigorous questioning, and all of their things, including her carry-on luggage, purse, and cell phone, were held by security for hours until they personally escorted them to the plane.
‘My first impression when I arrived in Israel was that if you’re not Jewish and not absolutely in love with Israel, that you’re not really wanted here,? she continues.
During the weekend of July 8-9, the 70 participants took their first trip off the Weizmann campus where they have been studying with mentors during the day and attending lectures in the evening. They visited the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem at which there is an old world market with haggling, says Laviolette, and where shopkeepers normally ask shoppers their names and where they are from.
‘Myself and some other Americans were asked to leave shops as soon as we said we were American,? Laviolette says. ‘The ISSI administrators, all Israeli Jews, were shocked to hear of our experience and said that Israelis love Americans and that it must have been an Arab shopkeeper that kicked us out. Anti-Arab feelings are high in Israel right now with the recent conflict in Palestine and Lebanon.?
During the Jerusalem excursion, the students also visited several locations revered in Judaism, as well as some of Christianity’s most holy sites, with differing treatments for each, Laviolette says.
She explains that the Jewish tour guide favored the Jewish sites over the other religious sites. The group spent nearly an hour at the Western Wall at which Jews have prayed for two thousand years, believing that the retaining wall has greater holiness than any other accessible place on Earth as the only remnant of the Temple in Jerusalem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wailing_Wall). They also spent a full afternoon in the City of David.
Laviolette notes that when the tour guide explained about Jewish history, he kept saying things that offended an Arab Muslim in the group and the pair got into numerous arguments over religious details. The following day, the group could take an optional trip to see Christian sites including Golgotha (the hill on which Jesus Christ was crucified), Christ’s tomb, the stone Jesus? body was washed on after death and selected parts of the Via Delarosa, the path Jesus took to crucifixion. Laviolette said this tour was packed into about two-and-a-half hours and she asked three different questions, none of which the guide had the answer to.
‘He seemed to only have basic, memorized knowledge about Christianity and nothing more,? she said. ‘It was disappointing.?
She also observed that the Jewish sites had an air of reverence about them and everyone was mostly quiet and praying. The Christian sites, meanwhile, seemed to her to be cast aside, with markets right next to them and lots of noise.
Racism and religious intolerance are two major themes she has noticed in Israel. She notes that racism in America is formally condemned even though it exists? however, in Israel, racism against Arab Muslims is perfectly acceptable.
‘I’m not sure if this is the general attitude or a recent development due to escalating violence,? Laviolette says. ‘Being Jewish and expecting everyone else to follow Jewish doctrine is very acceptable in Israel. Openly frowning upon and ridiculing Christianity and Islam is a normal occurrence.?
The weekend of July 15-16, the Weizmann participants were to take a trip to northern Israel and see Galilee, but it was cancelled because of the conflict with Hezbollah, which Laviolette learned about the previous Wednesday.
‘Thank God the trip was cancelled or else I’d be in a bomb shelter right now,? Laviolette says. ‘The hotel we were supposed to stay in is on the border with Lebanon and in the bombing zone.?
Instead of the trip to the north, Laviolette and the other Weizmann students traveled to Caeserea, which she describes as a beautiful old Roman city that lies in ruins now on the Mediterranean coast. The next day they visited caves that were used by Jews, such as the famous Spartacus, that rebelled against Roman rule.
Jewish Israeli women are strong and considered equals to men in their country, Laviolette says, in part because they must serve two years in the military. Jewish Israeli men must serve three years, and can be called back one month a year until they are 45. Israeli Jews consider it an honor to serve. Other populations in the country, including Arab Muslims and Bedouins, are not required to serve in the military.
‘My overall impression of Israel is that it is a country made up of European Jews that immigrated here due to conflict and pushed out the Arab Muslim minority population,? says Laviolette. ‘There is significant resentment and tension between these groups… No one here likes to discuss politics. After the bombing from the Lebanese terrorist group, people are discussing politics now. I understand why they avoid the topic. No one agrees on anything. Everyone has their own opinion that they feel is the ‘right solution? and vehemently oppose anyone that disagrees with them? which is everyone.?
Laviolette says the initial reaction by Israeli Jews to the current crisis was blatant racism toward the Arab Muslim population, in their own country, and especially toward Arab Muslims living outside of Israel.
‘They are talking about completely exterminating this terrorist group once and for all,? Laviolette says. ‘Many of them are grumbling that ‘something? needs to be done about ‘the Arab Muslim problem?. It amazes me that so many of these people can talk about their grandparents, first-hand survivors of the
Holocaust, but then allude that all Arab Muslims need to be exterminated and will be the cause of World War III.?
Still, she admires the resolve of the Israeli Jews, who she says consider themselves a tight-knit family. Her mentor’s boyfriend and one of her fellow scientists have been called back for military duty, but the mentor talks about it non-chalantly, without fear and, Laviolette says, fully confident in her government’s ability to exact revenge.
‘She says that she and everyone else at the Institute has to keep working and going about their daily lives or else the terrorist’s goal will be achieved,? Laviolette explains.
Not everyone is as non-chalant about the conflict as her mentor, however.
Laviolette notes that a Weizmann administrator has parents in the north and has been very edgy and upset, even after moving them to Tel Aviv, because of recent reports that the terrorists have bombs able to reach that city. Another mentor, who lives an hour north of Rehovot, can hear the bombings from her home.
Laviolette was all right until she heard these stories.
‘I don’t believe the people at Weizmann that (say) I’m safe,? she said, citing the reports of terrorist bombs capable of reaching Tel Aviv, where she is due to fly out of on July 28. ‘Also, Tel Aviv is about the same distance from the Lebanese border as Rehovot. They say Rehovot won’t be a target, but it houses the best university in Israel, the Weizmann Institute.?
Tom Laviolette was sent a letter from the Weizmann Institute telling him they are confident in the safety of everyone at the institute and of the safety measures that have been taken, but it has not alleviated his concern.
‘You know how things can melt away in a hurry. It’s stressful,? he said, and he agrees with his daughter: ‘If someone shoots a long range missile, the Weizmann Institute is the best university in Israel and if (Hezbollah) really wanted to upset the Israelis, they would target that.?
The Laviolettes have been in contact with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, both of whom have told them the hostility is in the north of Israel and to stay away from there, but the south, although always a little tense, is normal. They continue to try and find a seat on a plane out of Tel Aviv so they can bring home Jessica, even though they’ve been told the Tel Aviv area is a safe area right now.
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, (R-Mich.), confirms that information.
‘I would recommend that U.S. citizens be careful about moving about the country, and that they pay special attention to and avoid areas that are under direct attack, particularly in northern Israel,? he said. ‘The U.S. State Department is responsible for all American citizens living abroad. Currently, the State Department has no plans to evacuate American citizens from Israel, although a voluntary evacuation is underway in Lebanon.?
There are 184,000 Americans are in Israel, according to the non-profit organization, American Citizens Abroad.
From her experience, Laviolette says she has learned that sometimes there isn’t a solution to every conflict. She has heard horror stories from both sides and feels empathy for both.
‘I would advise America to stay out of this conflict as much as possible, because I’m afraid there isn’t a clear cut side to champion,? she said. ‘When I talk with my mentor in the morning, an Israeli Jew, I feel that Israel has a right to be here and that they are truly on the side of peace. When I talk with an Arab Muslim from the Youth Village at dinner, I feel that Israel muscled its way into this region and took advantage of the Arab Muslim population. Both sides are equally convincing of their cause. Both sides have committed atrocities that one can not logically expect the other side to forgive.?