Working on this new server in php7...
imc indymedia

Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

white themeblack themered themetheme help
About Us Contact Us Calendar Publish RSS
Features
latest news
best of news
syndication
commentary


KILLRADIO

VozMob

ABCF LA

A-Infos Radio

Indymedia On Air

Dope-X-Resistance-LA List

LAAMN List




IMC Network:

Original Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: ambazonia canarias estrecho / madiaq kenya nigeria south africa canada: hamilton london, ontario maritimes montreal ontario ottawa quebec thunder bay vancouver victoria windsor winnipeg east asia: burma jakarta japan korea manila qc europe: abruzzo alacant andorra antwerpen armenia athens austria barcelona belarus belgium belgrade bristol brussels bulgaria calabria croatia cyprus emilia-romagna estrecho / madiaq euskal herria galiza germany grenoble hungary ireland istanbul italy la plana liege liguria lille linksunten lombardia london madrid malta marseille nantes napoli netherlands nice northern england norway oost-vlaanderen paris/Île-de-france patras piemonte poland portugal roma romania russia saint-petersburg scotland sverige switzerland thessaloniki torun toscana toulouse ukraine united kingdom valencia latin america: argentina bolivia chiapas chile chile sur cmi brasil colombia ecuador mexico peru puerto rico qollasuyu rosario santiago tijuana uruguay valparaiso venezuela venezuela oceania: adelaide aotearoa brisbane burma darwin jakarta manila melbourne perth qc sydney south asia: india mumbai united states: arizona arkansas asheville atlanta austin baltimore big muddy binghamton boston buffalo charlottesville chicago cleveland colorado columbus dc hawaii houston hudson mohawk kansas city la madison maine miami michigan milwaukee minneapolis/st. paul new hampshire new jersey new mexico new orleans north carolina north texas nyc oklahoma philadelphia pittsburgh portland richmond rochester rogue valley saint louis san diego san francisco san francisco bay area santa barbara santa cruz, ca sarasota seattle tampa bay tennessee urbana-champaign vermont western mass worcester west asia: armenia beirut israel palestine process: fbi/legal updates mailing lists process & imc docs tech volunteer projects: print radio satellite tv video regions: oceania united states topics: biotech

Surviving Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: canada: quebec east asia: japan europe: athens barcelona belgium bristol brussels cyprus germany grenoble ireland istanbul lille linksunten nantes netherlands norway portugal united kingdom latin america: argentina cmi brasil rosario oceania: aotearoa united states: austin big muddy binghamton boston chicago columbus la michigan nyc portland rochester saint louis san diego san francisco bay area santa cruz, ca tennessee urbana-champaign worcester west asia: palestine process: fbi/legal updates process & imc docs projects: radio satellite tv
printable version - js reader version - view hidden posts - tags and related articles

A Rosh Hashanna Gift

by mymicz Saturday, Sep. 27, 2003 at 5:58 AM

Ethnocentrism or just ehnicity?

I have been offering a free trip to Israel for Jewish adults from 18-26. It's sponsored by an organization called Birthright Israel that invites Jews from all over the world, including Russia, Argentina, and France, to come and see what Israel is all about. The donations come primarily from wealthy businesspeople, actors, moguls. The nature of the trip is educational. Several times I have been asked why it is not open to other races, the basic premise is that there is only enough funding to send people who have a vested historical interest in this type of tour, in other words, people who want to know their roots in Judaism because all activities are tied in.
All of the sites seen are traditional holy sites, and the food prepared is Kosher. The tour includes meetings and dances with Ethopian Jews, Yemenite Jews, Orthodox Jews, and a shabbat service, among other things like a moonlight cruise and a ride on a camel.
Recently I have been getting flagged on Craig's list because people think this tour is ethnocentric.
Is it wrong for people to get together to give a gift in the name of their religion?
In Judaism, all Jewish children belong to the same tribe. The goal is that we offer our children an opportunity to learn. No other organization of other faiths has even tried to join in and help out.
But still, I myself would love to have other faiths and cultures along on the tour.
Yet the one thing I keep thinking, is that in America we should have the freedom to have a religious tour, or an ethnic tour, to benefit an ethnicity or a culture.
We need to preserve our differences so as not to become bland and conforming.
We sometimes need that feeling of belonging, to recognize that everyone has the need to belong to something. That way we can understand another persons closeness to his culture or race.
I was once told by a Native American shaman that to have good medicine I must go back to my own roots.
That is what this tour was for me.
So if there are any progressive Jewish kids over 18 and under 26 out there on Indymedia, and if you want to see Israel for free this winter, to check your roots, and perhaps afterwards start a program to help all faiths and races go somewhere to check theirs, drop me an e-mail.
Those who choose can even extend their flights for pennies and visit more progressive places with me, like the school in Jerusalem where Arabs learn Hebrew while Jews learn Arabic, or some tshuva healing and peace groups. We will be missing the international peace march by our flight date, but hopefully there will be a lot of progressives still there.
Israel is more than just a news story. It is a place where I have felt at home for the first time in my life.
There is a magic there you will not believe.
Please forgive me for not being able to offer this to everyone, if I was the funding millionare, believe me I would.
amatex@covad.net
be sure to let me know you're from Indymedia
Report this post as:
Share on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+

add your comments


© 2000-2018 Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Running sf-active v0.9.4 Disclaimer | Privacy