Great Conference!

MK Benjamin Netenyahu addresses the conference

I've only been at my internship for a few days, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm working on a bunch of great research projects, some on my own, and others that I picked up from previous researchers. I'm making a presentation next week on an Egyptian imam.

I had the pleasure of attending a fantastic conference yesterday, which was co-hosted by my employer. The amazing array of speakers included Israel's vice-Prime Minister, Tzipi Livni, and former Prime Minister Benyamin Netenyahu. Canada's former justice minister Irwin Cotler delivered a powerful address regarding the United Nations.

The influential people in the room added to the event. After a speaker criticized the European Union for funding anti-Israel groups, the Ambassador from Slovenia (current EU presidency holder) stood to deliver a response.

The conference was held at the David Citadel hotel.

The complete program can be downloaded here.

Some JCPA interns

And so it begins...

We moved into the apartment a few days ago. We've got a lovely view of Jerusalem and a portion of the West Bank. Living on a (small) mountain is kind of cool. I just wish we didn't have a rooster beneath our fifth floor window.

I'm writing this in a laundromat, as I wait for my clothes to be ready. I don't have an internet connection in my apartment yet, but I've got one here, right next to the dryers. Go figure.

Noam and I share our apartment with three other folks; David from Australia, Rebecca from Brazil, and Sharon from Florida. We each have our own bedroom, and we share a kitchen/living room, plus two bathrooms.

The roomates (flatmates?) are great so far. We all get along, share in cleaning duties, and we genuinely enjoy hanging out with one another. We all got to know each other over the course of the past month as we lived on a kibbutz.

We start our professional internships tommorow. I'll be working at a policy institute/think tank as a researcher.

We are heading to a Purim seudah tonight in the Old City of Jerusalem. That means we are attending a festive meal to commemorate Persian Jews being saved from slaughter, thanks to the heroics of a few folks, including Queen Esther, and her uncle Mordecai.

Purim is a really fun holiday during which people dress up in crazy outfits, give money to the poor, and exchange tasty treats with friends and family. One is also obligated to hear a retelling of the Purim story, read from a scroll which is known as a 'megillah'.

Purim has already been completed around the world, but in Jerusalem, it runs a little bit longer.

Video and pics are coming soon. Now that we have some laundromat internet, Noam and I will be putting some goodies online.

Kibbutz Life

Living on Kibbutz Harel means living in a paradisical oasis of serenity. Every day, I wake up, attend five hours of (enjoyable!!!) Hebrew class [aka: Ulpan], followed by either a free afternoon or some fascinating lectures and discussions.

My fellow participants are from around the world, and over the next three weeks, we will enjoy one another's company before splitting up for our professional internships in either Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

The cafeteria serves up greasy comfort food and a lot of salads, and I'm surrounded by palm trees and chirpy birds. And it's only a 40 minute ride to Tel Aviv by bus.

I'm sponging off Noam's computer because mine is in Jerusalem. He's having a good time here too. We hung up a huge Canadian flag in our window, much to the chagrin of our roomates from Brooklyn and Brazil.

I see, and often hear, Israeli fighter jets flying overhead. The situation in Gaza has grown quite dire, and now a quarter-million Israelis are within range of the new rockets being fired by Hamas. Tank crews moved into Gaza yesterday. Innocent Palestinians are dying, as are the brave Israeli soldiers that battle Hamas terrorists. Until the threat presented by Hamas is extinguished, most Israelis accept that fighting the terorists is necessary. As a sovereign state, Israel must defend her borders, and her citizens. Israeli blood is not cheap.

So that's life in Israel - peaceful surroundings, and battle brewing on the periphery. The good and the bad. I wouldn't expect anything else.