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the list of people who apparently read this thing is growing, and it’s tad bit intimidating (though appreciated!). i wish i had more time and a better internet connection so i could write more complete (and better-edited) entries about all that’s going on. when i came to israel, my intention was primarily to study sustainable agriculture, but as we’re discovering, nothing in this world is truly independent, and both on and off the farm, we’re learning about the connections between food, natural resources, and the land, politics, micro- and macro- economics, religiosity, secularism, militarism, hypocrisy, livelihoods, cooperation, sense of place, housing policies, ancient history, modern history, personal histories, the arts, corruption, heroism, terrorism, zionism, philanthropy, human rights, language barriers, international relations, natural beauty, group dynamics, spirituality, and on and on.

in our very first permaculture class in september, we did an activity where we all held cards with phrases like “medicinal plant garden” “passive solar design” “chickens” and “old-growth forest,” and we had to verbally connect one phrase to another – some connections were easier than others, but in the end, we’d formed a web where “graywater systems” connected to “personal satisfaction” and “cobb bench.” it’s like that now, on a larger scale: for example, at the UJC General Assembly meeting our group participated in a workshop on the creative arts in jerusalem, where discussion went from the lack of funding for the arts, to the local government’s inability to effectively manage/allocate money, to the government welfare-subsidy for ultra-orthodox jews who don’t work, to the situation in jerusalem where housing is generally unaffordable in part because of “ghost apartments” (americans buy apartments to live in for the 1 or 2 months of the year theyre in israel, but they remain empty) so young people and artists are fleeing the city for cheaper homes, which means that the ultra-orthodox population of jerusalem is growing exponentially (because of the subsidised housing), which is changing the face of public representation, and the friction between religious and secular is growing in every facet of life and  … and on and on and on …

all this complexity is putting my brain in the blender, and – between this and the powerful wind storms we’ve been having lately – i’ve been feeling a bit like dorothy in the tornado lately. it’d be nice to think that at some point we’ll all wake up in a techinicolor dream of munchkins and poppies and good triumphing over evil, but who knows when we’ll get there. so, what’s there to do but continue trying to learn and understand and connect as much as possible? this isn’t meant to sound so Debbie Downer-ish, but it is what it is.

in other news, it seems that the prime minister ehud olmert is coming to the farm to light the channukah candles with eco-israel on december 25th – it is quite an honor, although one could say that olmert is not the most beloved politician in israeli politics at the moment (having been kicked out of office, and being widely viewed as a corrupt puppet politician). so, we’ll start preparing by building a menorah out of recycled materials, decorating a dome with farmy decorations, cleaning up the farm, and trying to navigate the annoyances of the prime minister’s security forces (for example, they’re bringing a metal detector to the invite-only lighting ceremony …) for the record, the PM did not happen to mention me in his speech at the GA (susie cohen had a better story, apaprently), and i got several remarks form the lions of judah that the PM made a mistake  (again!) but really it was kind of silly anyway.

alright – the day is new, and i’m off to abed’s, the palestinian farmer whom i visited once before; michal and i are returning to his home outside of jerusalem to help build a rainwater catchment system with a group of international activists, and to drink nana tea during the regular tea breaks.

[and, since i'm staying with my madrichah, nomi, right now - happy 98th birthday to popu saul!]

in peace and love,

ele

בשלומ ואהבה

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~ by travelinshoes on December 12, 2008.