孫傳音 Ingrid Sun
Ingrid Sun_JTCA Israel Study Tour Review
Nothing was the same as I had imagined it to be throughout the twelv e-day journey. Anticipation had been accumulating since the announcement of the study tour program last winter, and I was more than grateful to be part of the well-organized journey. Before the study tour set sail, my knowledge of Israel was limited and shallow, for the world knows too little of the mo dern Holy Land. I could only piece together an imaginative picture, where ' innovation and tradition' were at opposing ends, 'Jewish ethnicity and mult iculturalism' were in conflict, and 'capitalism and socialism' were unable to coexist. In addition, I had believed that Israel was merely a nation ope rating a powerful military in the middle of a war zone, and that the Jewish people were renowned for their long traditions, faith, and strong Jewish id entity.
Nevertheless, Daniel Ben from WeWork shattered these simplistic assum ptions in his speech the first opening day, stating, "The Israeli nation is like a rainbow with each color unmixed. Yet no matter which color we belong to, we must acknowledge the existence of others." He wished to spread the i mportant message that every individual visiting Israel has vastly different purposes. While we were visiting Israel as a "New Innovation and Exchange I nternship Group," we must not forget the presence of others.
To begin with, there were diverse people. During the trip, we saw tou rists from various countries speaking different languages at the Mediterran ean beaches and the old city, witnessed Christians and Muslims on their pil grimage to Jerusalem, and observed American and British Jewish teenagers re turning to Israel to trace their roots during the summer. While we saw sta rtups from various industries in Tel-Aviv, there was also the North High Te ch Park built in the desert, and the non-profit organization Hilma Tech For
Impact in Jerusalem. We were also amazed by the Kibbutzim adhering to socia lism while producing drip irrigation technology. At the Yad Vashem Holocaus t Memorial Museum, we were immersed with the memories guarded by generation s of the Jewish people. However, as the future continues, every Jewish desc endant holds their own ideals, creating unique values on this land with the ir distinct ways of life.
Secondly, there was a split in the performance of religion. Even thou gh the foundation of the country was seemingly built on religion, it is by no means singular. On the eve of the Sabbath, we saw ultra-Orthodox Jewish people in Tiberias strictly observing Passover, celebrating and spending 25
hours without work, electricity, or pressing buttons until the town awakene d again at nine o'clock the next night. At the same time, secular Jews foll owed their own principles of the Sabbath, such as going on vacations with t heir families or simply abstaining from social media, finding a balance bet ween faith and life.
Last but not least, there were kind people accompanying us on our jou rney. Namely our peace-loving guide Ben, who honestly detailed Israel's soc ial issues, political dilemmas, ethnic conflicts, and terrorist attacks wit hout concealing any dark side of the country. There was also our Arab drive r Salalah and our musician bodyguard. Even though they may not all be Jewis h, they are all Israelis living on this land, holding their own standpoints
on Israel's racial integration, conscription system, international politic s, cooperating with constantly challenging and questioning each other. In t he end they may not have the perfect solution, but they are willing to keep seeking it. While many startup speakers constantly mention the 'Israel DNA, ' I believe that such heterogeneity cannot be explained solely by 'genes.' This rhetoric overlooks the uniqueness of each individual because it is pre cisely this diversity that creates the country called 'Israel,' where seemi ngly conflicting colors form a beautiful rainbow.
Once again, I believe Daniel Ben was referring to the importance of ' breaking out of the echo chamber'. Because too often, we are too self-absor bed to even realize we are in one. This simple truth can only be understood through personal experience. And what opened my eyes was not the latest tec hnology developed by startups or their creativity and entrepreneurial perse verance or successful exits of unicorns, but rather the complexity of The S tate of Israel and its people living on this land—the clash and contradicti ons of cultures.
Similarly, I am grateful for the incredible friends from all differen t fields, which allowed us to view one thing from different perspectives wh ile exploring Israel together. Every night, we would gather up and venture out, wandering through the alleys of each city, discovering unique cultural
scenes, and chatting with the locals. There was one night in Jerusalem, we even crashed in the protest against the conservative government. That nigh t, my friend and I had an impactful conversation with an American ultra-Ort hodox man. This devout Jewish father, adorned with tassels and a high hat, barbecued steaks in the park while cradling his two-year-old daughter. He s aid firmly, 'Taiwan is the rightful China,' and 'I believe this land flowin
g with milk and honey is a gift from God, exclusively for the Jewish peopl e, but Israelis are generous, which is why we allow Arabs to have their own communities, Asian tourists to come and visit, and different ethnicities to prosper on this land.' I may not agree with all his views, but this convers ation allowed me to understand Israel's diversity even more.
It was impossible to sum up the twelve days' experience with only wor ds. Nonetheless, this journey not only gave me a deeper understanding of Is rael but also made me realize the importance of breaking out of the echo ch amber. We should constantly seek different perspectives, understand other c ultures, and respect each other's existence. Based on surface observations and assumptions alone, we cannot truly understand a country or a person. It
requires interactions to feel and comprehend the ways of life and values of others. Only then can we truly open our minds and broaden our horizons. This trip to Israel has given me the courage to face my upcoming exch ange program in the Netherlands. I look forward to accepting new cultures a nd experiences with a more open mindset, just like discovering different co lors in Israel and finding beautiful rainbows within diversity. This experi ence has deeply convinced me that genuine learning and growth often happen when we step out of our comfort zones and bravely take that first step. I e agerly anticipate future adventures and the ongoing journey of exploring, l earning, and growing in different cultures.
