{"id":75649,"date":"2020-01-17T17:05:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T15:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=75649"},"modified":"2020-01-15T09:19:57","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T07:19:57","slug":"17-05-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=75649","title":{"rendered":"When A Summer Internship Becomes A Battle Over Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>When A Summer Internship Becomes A Battle Over Israel<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

MEITAL FUKSBRUMER<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Defending the Jewish state from the \u2018A\u2019 word charge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Gaza border protests in the summer of 2018 led to a heated discussion during the author\u2019s internship. Getty Images<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: The following article is the grand prize winner of the Fresh Ink for Teens\/StandWithUs High School Writing Contest. More than 60 contestants from around the country answered the following question: \u201cDescribe a time when you were put in a situation where you had to defend Israel. Share your feelings, thoughts and actions in response to this experience.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Summer internships, especially for high schoolers, are a mixed bag. A diverse group of students doing unfamiliar work, interns quickly band together in efforts to work efficiently \u2014 and to have some fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was among four religious students at this particular program in New York City. Many of my fellow interns, and even superiors, were curious about my heritage and practice; I invited such discourse, as I felt conversation would yield understanding. Accustomed to my welcoming attitude, no one shied away from questioning me.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was June 2018, the time of the Gaza border protests. During every break, I refreshed my news feed for updates on fatalities. At lunch, one of my fellow interns, a friend with a religious background like my own, inquired as to how my brother was doing, as he is an elite combat soldier in Israel. The conversation soon progressed to a discussion of the events occurring at the border.<\/span><\/p>\n

One intern named Aria asserted, \u201cWell, I think Israel kind of deserves it.\u201d I recoiled, aghast at her unapologetic bias. Although I had heard anti-Israel perspectives before, her eagerness for increased violence was both unfamiliar and horrifying.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attempting to take a moderate stance that she could affirm, I quickly replied, \u201cI wish there was less violence on both sides.\u201d Her response was quick and biting \u2014 there was no compromise in her tone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI disagree. Those who occupy land are bound to be attacked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Never did I actually consider that I would stand and preach Zionist ideology. I glanced at my fellow religious intern, who gave me a nod. I readied myself to unleash what my yeshiva day school education had thoroughly prepared me to say.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cActually,\u201d I retorted, \u201cIsrael is not an occupier. You cannot occupy what belongs to you, nor what did not have a sovereign prior.\u201d I launched into a history lesson, beginning with the Balfour Declaration and the 1947 partition plan, then the Six-Day War, before recapping current events, disregarding her interruptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

My disbelief was apparent when she insisted that Israel was an apartheid and bloodthirsty regime. \u201cYou don\u2019t believe it\u2019s [the Gaza border protests] in self-defense? You think this is aggressive action by an oppressive state?\u201d I was flabbergasted. Had I not just recounted, in mere minutes, Israel\u2019s history?<\/span><\/p>\n

The author: \u201cActually, Israel is not an occupier.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It was then that I realized our debate had attracted a crowd of listeners who attentively surveyed this conversation. Rejuvenated, I cited recent terror attacks and Israeli policy regarding injured terrorists \u2014 who are treated by Israeli doctors in Israeli hospitals. The murmuring that erupted as I concluded, \u201cthat doesn\u2019t seem like an apartheid or terrorist state to me \u2014 feels like quite the opposite, actually\u201d \u2014 was both gratifying and nerve-wracking.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t think I was convincing Aria that Israel is a compassionate democracy. There is no \u201cwinning\u201d with an opponent who refuses to acknowledge its right to exist. I cannot make someone care about safety, about history, about justice.<\/span><\/p>\n

I did hope, however, that the audience who tuned in went home with Israel on their mind, and a passion for defending it in their hearts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Meital Fuksbrumer<\/strong> is a senior at Ma\u2019ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, N.J.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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When A Summer Internship Becomes A Battle Over Israel MEITAL FUKSBRUMER Defending the Jewish state from the \u2018A\u2019 word charge. The Gaza border protests in the summer of 2018 led to a heated discussion during the author\u2019s internship. Getty Images Editor\u2019s Note: The following article is the grand prize winner of the Fresh Ink for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75649"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75649"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75659,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75649\/revisions\/75659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}