All morning and almost all of the afternoon we had a David Project Seminar, discussing different issues in todays Middle East conflict and how, as Jews, we can help defend Israel against Anti-Israel debaters. I have had lessons on the David Project before, but never a whole day for them. In my opinion, we had two interesting speakers. The first speaker claimed he was from a Pro-Palestinian organization focused on human rights issues. As the audience, we were given an opportunity to ask questions and debate with him, which a lot of the audience did. The slide show and statistics he presented were smart and intelligent. The David Project teacher, who was with us all day, told us before the Pro-Palestinian speaker presented that we would be frustrated with what we will learn. Yes, I did get frustrated with some things he said, but I also agreed with some of the things the Pro-Palestinian speaker was saying, yes, Israel is doing a lot of horrible things, but my main problem was that he was coming from a human rights side, not as a 100% Pro Palestinian and not as a 100% Anti- Israel. He kept on going on and on about human rights issues in Israel, but if he was so focused on human rights, why not also discuss the lack of rights in almost every single Arab country surrounding Israel, or talk about the many human rights issues in factories and everywhere else in the world, I am my father's daughter, aren't I?
In the end, the Pro-Palestinian speaker was actually just another David Project employee who happened to have the exact slide show from a real Pro-Palestinian speaker.
The second and final speaker of the day was also very interesting, his name is Khaled Abu Toameh, an Israeli Arab journalist working for the Jerusalem Post. He talked about how when he travels to different universities in the states or else where, he is always confronted by people who ask questions like, "don't you think it is unfair that your children aren't allowed to go to the normal public Jewish school in Israel?" He replies by telling that person that his children do go to good public Jewish school and that he lives in a Jewish neighborhood and doesn't get crap from the Arab community. In this conflict, and in life, people often focus on the negative, while this man, yes he might be well respected and well off, is a man living a perfectly happy life with a happy family in Israel proper as an Arab.
During the last 10 minutes of Khaled's talk, we could hear distant sirens going off constantly, not just one siren but lots. My friend and I looked at each other and realized something must have happened. Then someone's phone went off then 30 seconds later, another phone went off. After a few people, my phone vibrated in my pocket, I took it out and saw I had a missed call from my one relative in Israel, Tamar, who I had spoken to for the first time in my life just the week before. I looked over at the staff who were all on their phones scrambling around. I looked at my friend again, something definitely happened, but the famous journalist's phone wasn't going off. Khaled finished answering questions and the head of the Jerusalem section stood in front of us and told us there had been a bombing at the central bus station here in Jerusalem and that we need to take attendance immediately. For some kids, after their name was called, they would go right outside to call family to tell people they were O.K. I eventually did the same and began to call all my friends who are now living in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the entire country was trying to make sure a family member of theirs was safe so I was lucky to be able to reach my friends and Tamar, but not lucky enough to call my parents. I was able to call them later when we got back to our apartments. Everyone was fine, thank G-d. The seminar ended as scheduled, only a few minutes after the attack, and we all quickly walked back to campus. Everyone had to stay on campus for an hour or so then the off campus kids were allowed to go back to their apartments. We were all scrambling around calling people, calling parents and checking online to see updates of the event. The hysteria obviously caused some concern by the parents. Some parents of my apartment-mates were telling their kids to leave Jerusalem or even come home if it got worse.
A little bit after, we got a mass text from Year Course telling us the following day would go as planned. This is Israel, we can't hide and be scared, we need life to continue. So we did.
(I happened to not go to volunteering the next day because I was not feeling well.)
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