Confronting Conversations - Taking a Stand

Ok. So after wallowing in a blogging haitus for over three years (except for the sporadic tale of aliyah adventures spurned by aspirational pangs of literary fame) I've arrived at the conclusion that while I might not be able to offer the world as much as I would desire (yet still believing I possess the potential, as any human does), I can offer those around me something I have acquired of late: Israel knowledge.

It struck me, during a discussion with close friend N, that those in my community - educated, pro-Israel, pro-Jewish and widely read - are somewhat lacking in knowledge of the facts in Israel and current affairs relating to our Moledet, our Homeland. Most read the newspapers, but "news" today is neither objective nor discerning in its scope. So where to next? Online, I would assume, and there is a plethora of blogs and websites collecting all the small details of what goes on around us, keeping the average Melbournian Jew informed. But most information we glean and store is absorbed through conversation. And we're not having enough of it.

The longer I stay in Melbourne, the more I notice that conversations rarely turn to political discussions or debates. I'm not sure if it's Israel exhaustion or a comfort with the status quo of Israel's existence, and by default the status quo of Israel's tattered reputation across the globe. Us Jews are the people of the book, and a people of questions. We argue, we disagree, we are our own worse critics - yet I'm not feeling any of this here in the Melbourne ghetto. There seems to be a consensus among my generation, that talking Israel is passe, relegated to youth group bogrim or our parents. The whole notion of engaging with issues that might be so far out of our control, yet relevant in shaping public opinion, seems to be lost. Conversations, I've found, are the key.

A bothersome and baffling event has crept beneath my skin, the mistruths/half-truths/fabrication and lack of information already spewed by most media outlets, and I was in midst of a conversation with N in the early hours of last Monday morning when I realised that this conversation could open her left-leaning blinkers to a broader scope. N is inspirationally pro-active in her 'hasbara' - using her Youth Leader experience and social media expertise to spread her opinions to all her 1000 friends, she actively engages with people around her - students, fellow bogrim, teachers and communal leaders - and it's incredible. The fact that our politics differ is a side matter. Her engagement is exemplary, and unusual.

Nevertheless, as we were discussing the bothersome and baffling mystery surrounding Jawaher Abu Rahma's deathand allegedly caused by tear gas, I discovered that N had already formed her opinion without knowing the full story. How many news outlets publishing their own version - or the version supplied by the Palestinian Media - failed to consider the facts on the ground? How often does that occur? The mysterious circumstances, causes and reactions surrounding the immediate aftermath of Abu Rahma's death, made by the Palestinian Authority, her family, other Bilin protestors and Ramallah Hospital, revealed that this story was not so clear cut. Then how can we take accusations at face value and spread them as 'truth'?

After poking and prodding at N's interpretion of the tragedy, casually dropping some facts established by the investigating IDF, N's initial accusation and opinion seem to have changed. "Oh, I didn't know that," N remarked, after I mentioned that Abu Rahma's lab test was dated 2.45pm, while she only was admitted to Ramallah Hospital at 3.20pm. Now, a few days after our conversation, the IDF reached the conclusion that Abu Rahma died of medical malpractice, not tear gas for which news outlets typically condemned Israel. (For more info on that, click here and this haaretz piece here - disclaimer: a good haaretz piece. I would never blog gideon levy and the like here.)

Now, when conversations dig and prod at the facts, peeling the layers of information, we find that the truth has long been buried beneath a lazy prejudice that's too comfortable to disrobe. The truth, or perhaps the acquisition of knowledge, or even the ability to raise those uncomfortable questions that might be niggling at the back of your mind, has all but faded and now lies tattered, a distant memory, an abandoned and rejected idea whimpering quietly in the background.

But for those, yearning for youth, longing for that fiery inquisitive passion that seems to consume your soul, desperately seeking an outlet for your frustration, for your ideas, for your unique thinking - while at the same time, burdened by polite conversation and the tightening of lazy, uninformed opinions around the necks of your neighbours and friends - make conversation your weapon of choice. Information is power, and through conversations we glean information. Harness the power of conversations, and soon you'll inform those around you, perhaps even shaping opinions.