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Ten Days You Will Never Forget

East Lansing
alking out of Ben-
Gurion International
Airport was a
moment that will live vivid in my
mind forever. The diverse people
and the unique culture that
•
embraced me were merely a few
of the unforgettable memories
that would accompany me all the
way home from Israel.
I went to Israel as a part of the
Taglit Birthright program. This
was a chance for me to experi-
ence the holy country along-
side my peers. Forty students
embarked on a 10-day adventure
that none of us would ever forget.
I initially signed up for the
trip to get away for winter break.
I had no idea the connection
I have been searching for was
awaiting me. I couldn't truly
understand why Israel was so
special. I would never have imag-
ined that a country that takes
only eight hours to drive from
top to bottom could contain so

W

much power, enough power to
allow me to appreciate the Jewish
woman within me.
As a Jewish student in East
Lansing, I am considered a
minority. I rarely encounter stu-
dents with the same beliefs and
morals I choose to follow. When
I first moved to East Lansing, I
never stood tall or expressed my
opinion in the classroom due to
the fear of standing alone. I have
been home from Israel for more
than two months and the pride I
felt there is still inside of me.
Going to a place where Jewish
beliefs are greatly respected
allowed me to realize that as long
as you believe, respect will follow.
The respect I gained for myself
makes it so I am no longer.
intimidated by my minority sta-
tus. I can confidently express my
beliefs that shadow the Jewish
religion, not only in the class-
room, but also in every future
experience I encounter.
Israel gave me a sense of

belonging I have yet to find in
the place I call home. The Jewish
identity expressed in Israel is
not just a religion; it is alive and
living through every person,
every building, and every occa-
sion. While in Israel the Jewish
identity lived through me and
strengthened me as a person of
the Jewish faith.
I have never been ashamed to
be Jewish, but I can honestly say
that for the first time in my life, I
was proud to let the world know
that I am a part of the chosen
people. This pride was created
due to the strengths that hold
together the land of Israel.
Israel will always stand strong
because it is a land comprised
of hope, faith and spirituality:
hope that some day peace will be
a reality, faith in the Jewish reli-
gion and spirituality that imbeds
itself into the soul of every Israeli.
The silent hums of prayers at
the Western Wall and the loud
chants heard for miles outside

of the Dome of the
While walking
Rock cannot help
down the streets of
but contribute to the
Eilat, I finally real-
land's spirituality.
ized what was so
The Western Wall
special about this
is one of the most
small, controversial
peaceful places on
country. Regardless of
Earth, regardless of
all the troubles that
the hatred that sur-
surround them, the
rounds it.
Jewish people have
Lindse y Finkel
In the news media,
confidence that can-
Comm unity
Israel is portrayed as
not be penetrated by
Vi ew
comprised of danger
hate, war or acts of
and violence. What
terror. I brought that
the media fail to tell the world
same confidence home with me.
is about places like the Western
Israel changed my ambitions,
Wall where Muslims and Jews,
my opinions and my overall
Arabs and Israelis unite to
strength as a Jewish woman.
express their faith, no matter
Israel provided me with the con-
what it may be.
nection I needed to see myself
Regardless of what the news
as an influential person in my
media portray, I never felt as
society. Now I understand why
though my safety was threatened Birthright's motto is "10 days you
in Israel. The ambulance sirens
will never forger' D
at home churn my stomach more
than the security devices I had to Lindsay Erin Finkel, 19, of West
pass through-before entering the
Bloomfield is a journalism student at
McDonald's in Israel.
Michigan State University.

Another Day, Another Genocide

Washinato 11
he 20th century wit-
nessed no fewer than
seven genocides, and
the Holocaust was arguably the
most horrific. Sadly, the 21st cen-
tury is off to a terrible beginning.
The Sudanese government con-
tinues to support Arab Janjaweed
militias, which are executing,
mutilating and/or raping the
non-Arab adults and children of
Darfur — the western region of
Sudan. As the refugees sought
safety across the Sudan-Chad
border, the militiamen followed
and surrounded the temporary
aid camps.
The faith-based community
(especially the Jews) has put
forth a tremendous advocacy
and fund-raising effort to aid
the displaced refugees, while
our government has basically
(but, not surprisingly) sat on the
sideline.
The United States has a gravely

26

April 13 • 2006

disturbing trend
Congress to approve
of passive inactiv-
a measure making
ity when faced with
the U.S. the guard-
preventing ongoing
ian of Armenia, but
genocide. We need to
Congress rejected the
ensure that the Bush
idea.
administration does
In 1924, Joseph
not leave the citizens
Stalin effectively
of Darfur to the same
starved 7 million
fate as genocide
Ukrainians while
Steven Krieger
victims of previous
increasing grain
Special
generations.
exports and feeding
Commentary
In 1.913, Turkish
animals. The people
dictators placed Armenians in
resorted to cannibalism. Despite
the Turkish army in slave camps; Stalin's lavishly staged tours
the women and children were
to the diplomats who came to
sent on death marches into
investigate, the FDR administra-
the Syrian desert; ultimately,
tion likely knew about the fam-
about 1.5 million Armenian s .
ine but chose to recognize the
were killed. Henry Morgenthau,
Communist government in order
the U.S. ambassador to Turkey,
to sign a large trade agreement.
explained to Washington, "When
At the end of 1937, the
the Turkish authorities gave the
Japanese Imperial Army began
orders for these deportations,
the three-month plan to overtake
they were merely giving the
China. The Chinese resistance
death warrant to a whole race ..."
in Shanghai severely delayed the
President Woodrow Wilson asked Japanese plans and annoyed the

;IN

Japanese into using additional
violence to murder 300,000 in
the next city of Nanking, includ-
ing 90,000 surrendering Chinese
soldiers. The American govern-
ment was too.preoccupied by
Hitler to help.

The Murder Continues
The murder of 6 million Jews
in the Holocaust is well docu-
mented and basically an undis-
puted fact (with the exception
of Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad). It's widely
believed that FDR could have
bombed Auschwitz, one of the
major concentration camps in
1943, which would have. saved 75
percent of those who were ulti-
mately executed, but our govern-
ment claimed a lack of available
aircraft for that mission.
In Cambodia, the United
States, in effect, began the geno-
cide by backing a right-wing
military coup to overthrow the

existing government and. then
left Cambodia. The Khmer
Rouge army overthrew the gov-
ernment and forced millions
of Cambodians into slave labor
camps. The Gerald Ford and
Jimmy Carter_ administrations
sat quietly while the Khmer
Rouge regime wiped out at least
1.7 million Cambodians because
the U.S. was afraid of upsetting
relationship talks with China
(which backed Khmer Rouge).
In Rwanda, Hutu extremists
began attacking all Tutsis and
moderate Hutus by checking
ethnicity I.D. cards and kill-
ing the Tutsis. Hutus controlled
Rwandan radio, which allowed
them to promote the killings and
divulge Tutsi hiding locations,
which ultimately killed 800,000.
The United Nations and United
States were careful not to call
the situation genocide because it
would require them to intervene.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton