This Shabbat I was douped into signing up for a MASA Shabbaton in Jerusalem that I couldn't seem to get out of. Being in Jerusalem? Awesome, I'm sure. Being in Jerusalem on Shabbat with a random bunch of Jew-camp loving twenty-somethings? Headache.
Shabbatons are two-day themed seminars gathering participants from all kinds of MASA programs....Ulpan, kibbutz, volunteer, etc etc. The diversity of the group was amazing. Jews from the Ukraine, Russia, Argentina, France, England, US; as well as some non-jews from Australia and Germany who just decided to volunteer on an Israeli kibbutz. They broke us into two groups for various discussions based on the city of Jerusalem, our personal feelings towards it, and the impact the city has on the Middle East and world as a whole.
Dr. Hagai Agmon Snir, of the Jerusalem Inter Cultural Center, presented a lecture about the difficulties of his job trying to mediate the various cultures living in Jerusalem. One powerful example he gave us involved the World Gay Parade in Jerusalem. As Jerusalem is a holy city, with conservative and Orthodox representatives, the idea to parade was opposed by the mayor and general Orthodox residents. They had a vision of the parade that people would run through the streets naked, and even have sex in the middle of the town. If the gay community paraded, the Orthodox community planned to protest. As a compromise, the event was held in an outdoor arena.
Following the lecture, we broke into four groups to discuss assigned topics from the Shabbaton. One group was assigned the issue of the Gay Parade. In a group of one non-Jew from Germany, one yeshiva boy (religious student), one girl from Miami, and one boy I can't remember, they voted unanimously that the Gay Parade is a terrible idea for Jerusalem and shouldn't be allowed. My jaw dropped to the floor. I immediately spoke up without hesitation, which is actually unusual for me in these kinds of groups. I tend to be more of an observer, but this is a topic I just couldn't sit back for such intolerance over. I began to create a bit of a heated debate with another yeshiva boy, who claimed the gay community shouldn't matter to Jerusalem because it's impossible to be religious and gay at the same time, as it goes against the Torah. I always find a predjudice Jew to be completely hypocritical and go against Jewish morals and history. How can a population that's seen such discrimination for its beliefs and customs reject ANY other culture? It's beyond me. I begged him to imagine the gay community in a city like San Francisco forbidding religious Jews to pray in the street...The gay community is a part of the "mosaic" that is Jerusalem, just like the many other cultures who reside there. They should be allowed to celebrate!
I guess this whole topic makes me happy to live in Tel Aviv, where just a week ago on Friday afternoon, I went to the Gay Pride Parade here! It was definitely one of the craziest and exciting events I've witnessed here, and I'm glad I was a part of it. Music, families, lovers, and dazzling drag queens filled Gan Meir park on King George St., celebrating life! Thousands filled the streets as the parade continued, and even though it was crowded and hot, it was TOTALLY worth it!
The title of this entry, "Boundaries," comes from Dr. Agmon's lecture. He touched on how if you really wanted to encapsulate what it is to be Israeli, you must talk about their disregard for boundaries. Tell them they can't do something, they'll do it anyway. I've experienced this plenty of times myself...from my Birthright soldier teaching me to cut lines for buffets, men sitting on my beach blanket uninvited, strangers asking for your phone number, never meeting deadlines or showing up on time, or the lady behind me in the super market practically standing on top of me. He said that while usually the saying is to think "outside the box," Israelis should be tested to stay WITHIN a box for even two minutes! I find that this Shabbaton really tested my own personal boundaries, and the debate helped cross some which needed to be crossed, both for me and the other participants with different beliefs. When all is said and done, we were ready to bridge the gap and be more open-minded to other sides....and funny fact, I ended up befriending the same boy I'd argued with. An Israeli moment if I've ever had one! 
Hebrew phrases for today's post:
Eruah: event
Ta'arucha: exhibition
Bachutz: outside
Bifnim: inside
Tikvah: hope
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