A Response to the Attack in Bulgaria

As many of you already know, (and if you don't...you should probably switch to a less biased news source) yesterday there was an attack on Israelis in Bulgaria. I'm not here to report the story-but to sum it up: a man  detonated an explosive device on a bus filled with Israeli tourists. 

That was the scene yesterday after the bomb was detonated. 

I just watched a clip of the coffins, shrouded in the Israeli flag, being carried off the planes that brought them home. It left me in tears. It left me shaking. 

It was no coincidence that the bomb went off on a bus filled with Israelis. Six lives were lost in this horrific act.  Five Israelis, and the sixth, a Bulgarian man--the bus driver. 

-Maor Harush, 24

-Elior Price, 25

-Itzik Kolangi, 28

-Amir Menashe, 28

-Kochava Shriki, 42

-Mustafa Kyosov, 36

All were young, with full lives ahead of them. Two infants are now fatherless. One victim was exactly my age. Their lives have all been cut short. Their futures have been denied. Because of an act of hatred.

I don't remember the first time I realized that there are people out there that hate the Jews--people that would look at me, and feel nothing but contempt because of who I am. I have never witnessed an act of antisemitism. I have, however, been the victim of antisemitism on the internet. About a week after I posted this VIDEO, a tribute to the Six Million who were murdered by the Nazis, someone commented: "go sit on a bagel you heeb." Granted, they could have said much worse, but it left me slightly shaken. 

I will never forget one incident that occurred during college: I was walking to the HUB. As I rounded the corner, a sign made my stomach drop--my body seized up and I could not move. There was a sign, held by a man--I remember nothing of him--but I will never forget the sign. It is burned in my mind. I had only seen it in photographs previously...but there, in person..was one large, ugly swastika.  

When I caught my breath, I saw the rest of the sign. He was protesting abortion. His use of the swastika disturbed me greatly, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt that way. It scared me. I willed myself to continue walking, and went about the rest of my day. But I couldn't shake the uneasiness that had settled within my bones. 

In about a week, the Olympic Games will begin. Despite a viral petition, the International Olympic Committee still refuses to hold one minutes silence during the opening ceremonies to remember the 11 Israeli Olympians who were brutally murdered during the 1972 Games. The IOC claims that they do not wish to bring politics into the games. They are, admittedly, afraid that Arab countries would walk-out. What does that mean? It means that they are afraid to piss off the countries who hold anti-Israel views. If the athletes were from any other country, it would be done. Without question, and without hesitation. This has been 40 years in the making. 

It's time for the world to stop being afraid of supporting Israel. It's time for the world to understand that a country, less than 100 years old, is one of the greatest start-up nations on our planet. It is home of some of the most groundbreaking scientific and medical research, and home of some of the most innovative companies. Israel, in less than 100 years, took a desert wasteland and figured out how to turn it into a thriving desert garden. 

It's time for the world to recognize that Israel is not the enemy.

The folks who blew up a bus yesterday in Bulgaria...they're the ones to watch out for. 

My prayers go out to the victims of yesterdays horrid attacks, and the affected families. 

Am Yisrael Chai. 

With love, 

Ariela

A Case of the What-Ifs

As I grow closer and closer to making my dreams a reality, I cannot help but think of the courage it takes to embrace our true identities, and achieve that which we are meant to achieve.

We often find ourselves at a moment of recognition, when it becomes clear to us what we must do. We can see the path unfolding before us, laying out the journey that we must take. It is never easy to embrace this path, and we often become so taken with fear that we cannot move forward.

We catch a nasty case of the "What-if's?"
"What if I fail?"
"What if nobody cares?"
"What if it's the wrong decision?"

But, I challenge you this, my friends.

What if we didn't think like that? What if we embraced, I mean, truly embraced every opportunity? What if we embraced our own hearts, and respected the voice in our head that guides us? 

At the crossroad where we are presented with our path...it is natural to feel doubt. But we must leave it at the crossroad, and not carry it with us through our journey, for doubt is a heavy burden. We must abandon doubt the minute we make the decision to move forward. But we cannot forget that we felt it. 

Now, I am no Biblical expert, nor will I pretend to be. However, my mind wanders to the story of Moses. I won't lie...it's mainly because I just caught a bit of the animated film, The Prince of Egypt, over lunch. After I reminisced of my 11th(?) birthday party at the movies, I got to thinking about the actual story. Here was a man who grew up believing he was one thing, until one fateful day when he discovered he was another.

Cue the identity crisis. 

Moses accepts his true identity and leaves Egypt. Later, he is faced with a great task: to free the Hebrews from Egypt. He can ignore it, or he can embrace it. Certainly, there were many "What-ifs" in that case. But G-d presented him a task, and he embraced his G-d given purpose--thereby fulfilling his destiny.

He trusted the unknown.

What if we did the same? 

Before I made the decision to go to Israel, I struggled a great deal with whether or not I should take this enormous step. The What-ifs had a strong hold of me, and I thought up every possible scenario of how things could go terribly wrong. It wasn't until I realized that I was just making excuses for myself...because What If...none of these scenarios happened? What if I went...and it was amazing? What if I changed my life? I remember the excitement that rushed through me as I realized that YES, I could actually do this. 

I am working harder than I've ever worked in my life to make this happen, and I occasionally find the shadow of doubt creeping up behind me in an attempt to bring me down. Sometimes, it succeeds. It will grab a hold of my ankle and weigh me down, dragging me beneath the waters into the depths of uncertainty. It is in those moments that I must remember how to trust. It is in those moments, that I must remember that even when it seems hopeless, when it feels like nothing is happening with my work--that the seeds have been planted, and no garden grows overnight. 

It may take some time for all the pieces to fall into place, but work hard and trust what you are doing...the Universe will take care of you. 

An Olive Branch

When One-Thousand Paths Converge

There is a moment, when all of a sudden every path you've walked down suddenly converges into one. The heavy vines and brush have been cleared, chopped and hacked away. All that is seemingly left, is a well-lit path that glistens in the sun and sparkles in the night. You have found your path. Your destiny. That "thing" you know you are meant to be doing. That "thing" that you have to do, because it chose you. 

I had that moment several months ago. I was pondering how I could combine my love for Israel with my future as a writer. In a flash, as if it had been there all along, "Shabbat Across Israel" came to my mind. I began furiously typing the idea, lest I forget it. I found my path, and after years of wandering through a metaphorical desert (I don't know how the ancient Hebrews did it for 40 years...two years of being "lost" was enough for me!) Metaphorical Deserts aside..I truly believe everything in my life has led me to this. 

Growing up, I had the pleasure of sitting down with my entire family (great-grandmother included) every Friday night to share the Shabbat Meal. Our dinners gave me a strong connection to Judaism that I wouldn’t have found otherwise, and an extremely powerful sense of family.  By the time I was eighteen, I had been through roughly 936 Friday night Shabbat dinners at my Grandparent's house--but on June 2, 2006 the chair at the head of the table was empty for the first time. The sudden passing of my invincible Grandfather showed me the importance of my family's weekly tradition, for in the midst of sorrow, observing the Sabbath held us together. 

That realization got me thinking--when we examine the history of The Jewish People, we see a history filled with persecution. So how is it that after thousands of years we are still one of the major religions of the world? What is it that has kept us strong throughout the generations?

I believe the glue that holds us together is the Sabbath; I am embarking on a journey across Israel to explore the meaning of this tradition in all walks of Jewish life across the ethnic and socio-economic spectrum. The mission is to express the collective Jewish family through the observation and experience of Shabbat Across Israel.  This research will not only benefit the Jewish people, but it will show all people the true value of coming together as a family, demonstrating that family is the thread of every individual’s life, weaving together generations.

My immediate goal is to write a memoir discussing my Shabbat experiences across Israel. Each experience will be a unique look into the traditions of a family and community, highlighting the act of a family coming together. This book will serve as a means of connecting families, and the Jewish community across the world; as we live our hectic lives, we often need to be reminded that religion, and the traditions that come with it are not archaic, but rather a beautiful and spiritual experience to be shared with loved ones and passed on to younger generations.

The ultimate goal is to facilitate a conversation among young adults about the importance of tradition, and how they relate to it; as we race towards the future, it has never been more important for young adults to understand who they are and where they come from. I feel that beginning a conversation on the importance of our traditions in today’s fast paced world is vital to maintaining the Jewish people’s place in it, as a growing amount of teenagers and adults are rejecting their traditional heritage- to them it seems archaic.

Now, you have to understand...when I first set out to do this, I never imagined how excited other people would be about it. But, the response from both Jewish and Non-Jewish Communities has been overwhelming. Today, I spoke with a family friend, Bryan David Scott, who is a self-described “Mick from San Francisco”. He was so touched by my story, and by the act of observing the Sabbath. We spoke for nearly an hour, and I was truly humbled by his support of this project, by his love and respect of the Sabbath and of the Jewish Community. 

I may have found my path, but there is no way I can walk down it alone. In order to accomplish this research, I need to raise $45,000 to cover the initial expenses. I would like to offer you the opportunity to be a part of this exciting, new research project that will play a phenomenal role in the Jewish Future. A financial sponsorship would enable me to conduct my research across Israel for the next year. For you, it will mean participating in an endeavor that will demonstrate your commitment to community, and show a dedication among people of all faiths towards the preservation of family.

If you or your company is interested in learning more about "Shabbat Across Israel", please view the facebook page and contact me through there, or at AJR5127@GMAIL.COM

Thank You. 

My family, gathering to observe the Passover Sedar

We are the story collectors, keepers and tellers.

Shalom, my friends. I originally wrote this as an email update to my amazing creative imagination workshop friends. They have been my source of creative inspiration for the past year. They were the first ones to call me a writer. Without their love, and beautiful creativity...I would not be where I am today. 

It's been almost a year since I met them, and I can't help but find myself reflecting on how far I've come. Imagine your life last year at this time. What were you doing? If the July 6, 2012 version of you told the July 6, 2011 version of you what you were up to now...would you believe your future self?

I know I wouldn't. I most definitely wouldn't. A year ago, I was a completely different person. I was afraid to take risks, but I spoke highly of the importance of taking one. My soul was yearning to bust out and explore, but I was afraid to let it. I wouldn't call myself a writer if you held a gun to my head. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic. I wouldn't call myself a writer because I was so set on following the path I had determined for myself, and I was afraid to stray. Little did I know: straying from the path is exactly what led me to the one I'm thrilled to be on now. 

I am preparing to embark on the journey I've always dreamed of.

As a child, I fancied myself a globetrotting storyteller...a woman with wild hair and a worn pair of hiking boots that travels everywhere and anywhere, collecting people's stories. This was a fantasy. It never seemed feasible. Never, ever in a million years would my parents allow that! Never, ever in a million years could I make money doing that. So, I kept it in the back of my head: a fantasy, and nothing more.

But every so often I would be visited by the image of a woman, a figment of my imagination. She was an old, old woman with wrinkles etched into her face that told tales of joy and love. Her eyes were deep set and as deep as an ocean--they told of her life. She had experienced pain and sorrow in her time...but she was happy. Her life was and still was filled with laughter and love. I have always striven to be like the woman my imagination created...to learn from my pain, to laugh and live as fully as possible. I found quickly that it came naturally to me...perhaps this woman was my mind showing me who I could be. A happy, happy old lady filled with love. I never (until this very moment, actually) considered this woman to be a part of me, but rather, she represented the stories around the world that I had to collect. She was the little old woman who owned a villa in Italy, and walked every day to get a fresh basket of fruit. She was the woman who came to America by herself, and figured out a way to make a life. She was the old woman with the hump back, who walked across Manhattan every day with a walker full of bags, newspapers and old photographs. She had a story...and I had to collect it. 

Stories have always fascinated me...because I see them all around. Everyone has them. Everyone. That guy sitting across from you on the train? He's got a story. He's felt pain. He's loved, and lost. These are our shared human experiences...these are the things that connect us, regardless of where we come from or who we are. Our stories are what make us human. And that is why what we do as artists is SO important. Without us, everyone would be lost in a jumble of confusing technology...always looking at the bigger picture, instead of the precious, precious little details. Instead of capturing the stories that exist within the great web of life. Whether it be through written word, spoken word, music, dance, film, theatre, painting, sculpting, sketching...the list goes on! We are capturing, and creating stories. We are the story collectors, keepers, and tellers. 

And that wild haired woman with a worn pair hiking boots...well...

This summer, I am moving to Israel where I will spend the next year of my life collecting stories. I am writing a book/memoir about the importance of the Shabbat tradition in my life, and the life of the Jewish people. At age eighteen, I had been through roughly 936 Friday night Shabbat dinners at my Grandparent's house--but on June 2, 2006 the chair at the head of the table was empty for the first time. The sudden passing of my invincible Grandpa showed me the importance of my family's weekly tradition, for in the midst of sorrow, observing The Sabbath held us together. I am embarking on a journey across Israel to explore the meaning of this tradition in all walks of Jewish life. Each weekend of the year will be spent with a new host, experiencing their Shabbat, and collecting their stories. 

The first few months will be spent volunteering, hiking and learning. In October, I begin my year as a graduate student at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I'm finally becoming the globetrotting storyteller I always dreamed I could be. 

If you'd have told me THAT a year ago...I'd never have believed you. 

So. I'll throw this out there for you...where are you in your life? Are you happy? Are you pursuing your passions and dreams? Listen to that small voice that dances in the back of your head...it knows exactly what you need to be doing. 

Love, 

Ariela 

I know, I know. I've already used this photo...but...it just works SO well with today's entry. 

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