The country I have chosen as my main focus for the Semester is Israel, more officially known as The State of Israel. Israel is an 8,522 square mile country with a population of 8,174,527 people (according to the 2016 estimate.). Bordering with several other countries — Egypt, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank — , Israel is a small nation, as well as the only Democracy in the Middle East. According to a 2013 estimate: the religions that are present in Israel are 75 percent Jewish, 17.5% Muslim, 2% Christian, 1.6% Druze, and the remaining 3.9% is occupied by other remaining religions that are present. A predominantly large Israeli Community that I am aware of is actually right around where I live, the Kew Gardens, Union Turnpike area of Queens, as well as Bayside and Hollis Hills.
The history of the Land of Israel has always been one of dispute and different interpretation, which is what calls conflicts like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into order. The start of this conflict came to be in 1948, and still goes on to present day. In 1948, during the end of World War II, both the President of the United States who at the time was Harry Truman, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, acknowledged Israel as its own free independent state and nation. However at the time at which this agreement was made by the UN, the members of the Arab League refused to accept this plan implemented by the UN. They then declared self determination, which at this point marked the start of the conflict that is now in fact more present than ever in the everyday lives of the people of both Israel and Palestine.
Of course there is so much I can cover with this nation, but I will be going for different kinds of stories, something that pulls away from the stigma of this conflict and really dives into the real lives of the people who live in this truth every single day.
I would love to dive into the lives of IDF Soldiers, which I believe is one of the most unique stories to be told of this country. However what I think makes my article on this topic so interesting is that I am going to be reaching out to IDF soldiers that are ALSO naturally American Citizens, but have chosen at the age of draft to go and serve for a country they do not live in. Being that I am half Israeli, in the past year I have seen so many of my close family friends fly to Israel to serve in the Military, whether it is to train and be a part of the artillery, or to play their part in national security. One of my closest friends since I was younger, Yahav Sinay, has actually been living in the US for about two years now, post-IDF. From what I have spoken to him about, he left Israel knowing a lot of the suffering that it is to live in a country full of constant attack and fear, but he still has room to discuss the love and zest for life that the Israeli people have to show and give while living in such high tensions land.
Besides this topic, I do want to dive further into the IDF, and right a feature article about Women in the IDF, and how they see themselves in that environment. This will require me to reach out to the two close friends of mine, Hadas and Sherri, who are both currently in training for national security positions in the IDF. I think this will be very interesting in zooming into the lives of these American women who have chosen to go back to this country and call it their home and dedicate themselves to serving for it.
After these two article ideas, I also have several for the beauty of the country and the preservation of its nature and the way that the society is built around such dangerous times. I want to look at the way that the Israeli people look beyond the tension between themselves and a neighboring land, and see how they can still live a happy healthy life full of joy.
And I do also think it would be a very interesting angle to look at how other cultures and religions live and are treated in the Democratic Nation of Israel. To see how they practice their religion, the laws they live under, and how their living conditions are as a whole, in lieu of the constant tension taking place between their homeland and the country they are now living in.