I'd say that Israel's a pretty popular topic. The Middle East is a hotbed of religious, political, cultural tension and just like diamonds are created through immense pressure, so too a powerful, gorgeous, amazing country was created in a high-pressure environment. This past year, I had the experience of living in Israel. I participated in two different programs in different areas of Israel, but for the most part, I lived in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel-Aviv. I lived a 45-minute bus ride from Telly, and the cab ride was 20 minutes at most. It was awesome being so close to the beach, the shops, museums, and so many incredible restaurants. My scale says I spent too much time at the restaurants, but that's a separate topic.
A few of my friends went to Sarona Market every Wednesday near 4 o'clock after they finished their classes. They always went to a chocolate restaurant and consumed chocolate waffles, chocolate pizza, chocolate "pasta", and basically enough chocolate to give Willy Wonka a stomach-ache. I always wanted to go with them, but unfortunately, I had class. They always went, though, through rain or hot Mediterranean heat. This had been pretty consistent, except for this one Wednesday where they decided to skip their Sarona trip.
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They just weren't feeling it. One time they didn't want to go eat chocolate, just one time. Who knows what would have happened if they went? I mean, every week the Max Brenner group went to Sarona to indulge in chocolate and this one week, just one time, they decided not to go. That was the Wednesday that terrorism struck Sarona Market. Everyday miracles for some, unfathomable loss for others.
But we're just gap-year students, I mean surely we aren't targets or anything. We're just studying in a foreign country and we're not even Israeli! Could we really be targets? Maybe. If you're a government official, religious symbol, something prominent like that. Maybe just existing is enough for you to be a target. "If I'm right and you're different, you must be wrong." So terror is directed at anyone who's "other". Anyone unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time is a target.
Terrorism is an issue that might not affect you directly, but if you were just in a different location, it so easily could. If you were just in a different place, even if you were still you, you could have been one of the four killed and six wounded at Sarona Market on Wednesday, the 8th of June. Or one of the two murdered and eight injured during a New Years celebration at a pub hit by an open fire on Friday, the 1st of January. Or one of the three murdered and five wounded in an open-fire on Thursday, the 19th of November. One of the victims was Ezra Schwartz, an American gap-year student, who was studying in Israel just like I was.
This doesn't just affect Israel, it's just disgustingly common there. What if you were visiting the City of Love for your honeymoon? Or had a stop-over in Turkey? Or tried to dance the night away in Orlando?
I don't have answers. I'd just like to spread awareness and unite my readers if there even are any after this long, depressing article. I'd like to unite us in the fight against terror in a way that recognizes that terror, in any country, planet, the universe, is not justified. The fight involves standing against terror, no matter where it takes place or the purpose of it. Whatever your opinions on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are, condoning terrorism just isn't an answer.
Living in Tel-Aviv was amazing and incredible. I got the experience of a lifetime, and I'll be forever grateful. I only touched on the painful and I hope to explain the joys in a later article. Thank you for reading.
