It just got real
Today was an incredibly difficult and moving day on this side of the pond. I am currently inKrakow, a city of ancestry for me. I feel my roots here and today they became much more real and alive. Today we went to Auschwitz as a group. This trip was a main reason why I chose this study tour and I knew going into it that it would not be easy. Walking through the death camps is only uncomfortable and awkward because nobody knows how to handle the subject. For me, being an American Jew and seeing these camps at a time when politics around Israel are aggrivated and nobody seems to be looking favorably at either side of my identity was even more difficult. I did not know how to react to the group either. I have been very concious of this the entire time as well considering the fact that there are so many people from the middle east on the study tour. I mean, the site of AIESEC walking through these camps was amazing and it really returned me to the mission of AIESEC and how the organization emerged.
I then started thinking about the direction of the organization. It was started so that people who did not understand one another could meet and learn about each other while gaining professional skills and having complete imersion within a culture. Now it has morphed into an organization that develops people and arms them with the skills to change the world using this exchange product. Both ideas I like, but I wonder if we are loosing some of our orgional intent. What brought me to this conclusion is the question, do AIESECers still want this type of experience? Are we heading for Salaam? Why isn't Israel in AIESEC and part of the Salaam program. There is no difference to me, looking at the world now and looking at the world in 1945. Conflict is present because people don't understand one another and AIESEC acts as a bridge. So what if the country has problems. So what if it is controvercial. So what if not everyone is comfortable. If there can be AIESEC in Afghanistan how can there not be AIESEC in Israel? Here we are trying to build understanding, but not in a real way. So we say AIESEC is non political. In my opinion, this is not true. I have been judged over and over again as an american and as a jew through my involvement and I happily accept this fact because this is my opportunity to be a change agent, but i don't understand how this can continue.
Anyway, my thoughts are not so clear because it it late and I have not had a ton of time to reflect on this.
Some basic thoughts I have had today are:
When I walked through the gas chambers and the crematorium all I could think of is that this could have been my fait. Had my grandparents not escaped Germany, they could have easily perished in he room that I walked through today. Why? Because they were Jews. Nothing else. I think Jews as people draw strength now from this occurance. It drove my grandparents to work countless hours for years and years after arriving in new york with only a few cents. It drove my father to study and achieve success. Now it drives me in a different way. I think it drives me to part take in AIESEC. To understand other people and make changes to prevent such occurances again.
From this reflection about drive it struck me that I will never understand how such massacres and genocide can occur. There is no logic behind such deliberate killings and there is some element of society that sustains this practice because there are holocausts accross the worls today being ignored. How can I sit there and watch Sudanese people kill each other and how can I watch the news knowing that this happened to my people and to me? How can anyone? I will never understand how people were able to partake in such acts of pure brutality. I am amazed at the apathy of the world and at my own apathy. So many people "care" with their wallet, with their vote, or with their words, but very few care with their direct ability to correct such situations.
I want to be someone who can lead to good. There have been so many instances of these types of leaders in the world. Ghandi, MLK, Nelson Mandela maybe... but it is clear there are more than twice as many hitler types. I hope AIESEC can develop Ghandi's and not Hitlers, but today I'm not sure.
I have never exactly had a great deal of pride in being jewish, mostly because of the way people percieve the religion and its culture. Also, I have never particularly enjoyed the company of fellow Jews on mass because of the narrow minded suburban lifestyle that I cannot stand. However, I have never felt fear about being Jewish. Today I did. I walked through the death camp with people from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Qatar, and Palestine, as well as many from Europe. I was afraid to tell these people about who I am because of how their opinions of me might change. Up to now, I have been spending a lot of time with the MENA people and things have been going well. What will they think of me after I tell them? I know these people have very strong opinions against Israel and maybe even Jews. This is clear when Sunnis support Hezbollah against Israel, but not as a political body. I want to shatter perceptions. I want them to ask me all the questions that they have. I want them to respect me and for me to respect them. I want to live without fear, without shame, and without secrets. This will weigh on me for the rest of IC and for a great deal of time if I do not sit down and have these conversations. The time is coming, and I am excited about the prosepcts but scared shitless about the possible results.
When I walked through the gates of the camp where many wanted me to die, simply for who I am, my persepective changed. It just got real. What would Ghandi do now?
Sorry for the spelling and grammar, it's 4 AM in Krakow and there is no spell checker.
Peace is possible?? Let's see.
I then started thinking about the direction of the organization. It was started so that people who did not understand one another could meet and learn about each other while gaining professional skills and having complete imersion within a culture. Now it has morphed into an organization that develops people and arms them with the skills to change the world using this exchange product. Both ideas I like, but I wonder if we are loosing some of our orgional intent. What brought me to this conclusion is the question, do AIESECers still want this type of experience? Are we heading for Salaam? Why isn't Israel in AIESEC and part of the Salaam program. There is no difference to me, looking at the world now and looking at the world in 1945. Conflict is present because people don't understand one another and AIESEC acts as a bridge. So what if the country has problems. So what if it is controvercial. So what if not everyone is comfortable. If there can be AIESEC in Afghanistan how can there not be AIESEC in Israel? Here we are trying to build understanding, but not in a real way. So we say AIESEC is non political. In my opinion, this is not true. I have been judged over and over again as an american and as a jew through my involvement and I happily accept this fact because this is my opportunity to be a change agent, but i don't understand how this can continue.
Anyway, my thoughts are not so clear because it it late and I have not had a ton of time to reflect on this.
Some basic thoughts I have had today are:
When I walked through the gas chambers and the crematorium all I could think of is that this could have been my fait. Had my grandparents not escaped Germany, they could have easily perished in he room that I walked through today. Why? Because they were Jews. Nothing else. I think Jews as people draw strength now from this occurance. It drove my grandparents to work countless hours for years and years after arriving in new york with only a few cents. It drove my father to study and achieve success. Now it drives me in a different way. I think it drives me to part take in AIESEC. To understand other people and make changes to prevent such occurances again.
From this reflection about drive it struck me that I will never understand how such massacres and genocide can occur. There is no logic behind such deliberate killings and there is some element of society that sustains this practice because there are holocausts accross the worls today being ignored. How can I sit there and watch Sudanese people kill each other and how can I watch the news knowing that this happened to my people and to me? How can anyone? I will never understand how people were able to partake in such acts of pure brutality. I am amazed at the apathy of the world and at my own apathy. So many people "care" with their wallet, with their vote, or with their words, but very few care with their direct ability to correct such situations.
I want to be someone who can lead to good. There have been so many instances of these types of leaders in the world. Ghandi, MLK, Nelson Mandela maybe... but it is clear there are more than twice as many hitler types. I hope AIESEC can develop Ghandi's and not Hitlers, but today I'm not sure.
I have never exactly had a great deal of pride in being jewish, mostly because of the way people percieve the religion and its culture. Also, I have never particularly enjoyed the company of fellow Jews on mass because of the narrow minded suburban lifestyle that I cannot stand. However, I have never felt fear about being Jewish. Today I did. I walked through the death camp with people from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Qatar, and Palestine, as well as many from Europe. I was afraid to tell these people about who I am because of how their opinions of me might change. Up to now, I have been spending a lot of time with the MENA people and things have been going well. What will they think of me after I tell them? I know these people have very strong opinions against Israel and maybe even Jews. This is clear when Sunnis support Hezbollah against Israel, but not as a political body. I want to shatter perceptions. I want them to ask me all the questions that they have. I want them to respect me and for me to respect them. I want to live without fear, without shame, and without secrets. This will weigh on me for the rest of IC and for a great deal of time if I do not sit down and have these conversations. The time is coming, and I am excited about the prosepcts but scared shitless about the possible results.
When I walked through the gates of the camp where many wanted me to die, simply for who I am, my persepective changed. It just got real. What would Ghandi do now?
Sorry for the spelling and grammar, it's 4 AM in Krakow and there is no spell checker.
Peace is possible?? Let's see.
