A WALK IN THE PARK

I somehow keep going from one group to the other, Nahum finished, I am living in a house with 8 others and many walking in and out. That wasn't of course enough, so I joined Israel Connect for one day on their four day trip. It was more fun than I expected, being in an European group of my age. We went up north to see the beautiful white rocks at Rosh Hanikra, visited a military base to hear about the war with Lebanon last year and met with the mother of abducted soldier Ehud Goldwasser. I also went out with a bunch of them, but I can assure you, Jerusalem is not that cool. Bars are fun, but dancing.noooo..bad music, a young crowd and mainly male for some reason.
Want to go salsa dancing, but Thursday is the night and somehow never works out for me.

I am definitely still the odd one out in the group (different age, continent, gender and religious and political views), but so far so good, the guys are fairly nerdy, but friendly. And then there is always the pleasant surprise. I guess growing up I always put 'orthodox' in one corner, but I have also found myself having great conversations with one or two (who already left of course) who very critically look at many aspects taken for granted by many, just because some rabbi said it at one point (no, there is no halachic reason why a female can't be a rabbi!). Some are fighting hard to force divorced men to give a get (a divorce document, which is presented by a husband to his wife on the occasion of their divorce, when refused the man can get remarried, the woman is stuck). Even though I am not changing my views, I can see that my mind is being opened a bit more by learning not all are closeminded. Am still not enchanted by American culture, but more about that next time.

I returned to Jerusalem, just to depart back to the north the next day, where I joined a group of 50-60 Sudanese refugees (all male!!). Volunteers had organised a day out for them and we went on a hike. It gave me the chance to hear their stories from first hand. I also got a marriage proposal out of it...I have a solid background, he lost his family and needs to start a new one. Don't count however on any invitations to a wedding soon, Ahmed and Rosella just doesn't have that ring to it..
Sudan has been in war on and off ever since it gained its independence in 1924. Before the war between the Muslim north and the Christian and Animist south (2 million people killed and 4 million displaced) was over (2005) another atrocious one had come to an outburst. After decades of neglect, drought, oppression and small-scale conflicts in Darfur, two rebel groups – the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) – consisting of agrarian farmers who are mostly non-Arab black African Muslims from different tribes uttered their discontent. As a countermeasure the government supported an Arab Black Muslim group called the Janjaweed (=a man with a gun on a horse). They have been known to rape, murder and loot the African farmers. This 'scorched earth' campaign has made 3.500.000 refugees, living in appalling situations and approximately 450.000 been killed. Some of the Sudanese (not just Darfurians) refugees made their way to the neighbouring country Egypt. Legally or illegally they worked there. All the men I talked to were very negative about their experiences there. They were treated badly, often mugged and did not feel safe, as groups (linked to the government?) connected to the Janjaweed would attack them. About 900 of them made their way to the Sinai and walked from there to Israel (7 hours). In Israel they were arrested by soldiers who to their surprise did not mistreat them, but gave them food and clothing, after which they were transported to prison. Prison, because there are no proper refugee shelters and because Sudan is officially an enemy state. Some of them have stayed up to a year there! The UN did of course no agree with this. All the men that were on this trip were no longer in prison, but working in kibbutzim and moshavim, while waiting for approval to stay legally in the country, but will probably be sent to a third country. A 20-years old told me that his house and land was burnt when he was 14 and he fled with a group of people, losing his parents out of sight. He ended up in Israel through Egypt and is now studying at the university of Haifa. He told me he was always told that Jews (Israelis) were killers and bad people, but he had changed his mind completely and was looking forward to go into the army. Another young men showed me his scars, scars that reminded him of his arrest in Khartoum, where his father made good money running a supermarket. The government (?) accused them of working with the Janjaweed and arrested them. After 21 days he was able to flee, but his father died in a Sudanese prison and his mother is barely surviving, as the supermarket is no longer. It raises a different interest and involvement hearing those stories first hand, even though I need to admit I wasn't moved by it emotionally, probably also due to the fact they weren't either when they eagerly told me their stories in broken English.