Welcome everyone to my sparkly new MASA blog. To give you a better idea of where all this is coming from, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sam Melamed, I’m 22 years old, and I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison last May, having studied history and philosophy. Besides studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa for a year, I’ve traveled abroad extensively and consider it perhaps the most defining, integral part of who I am. To me, coming to Israel was a no-brainer. Especially since I’ve been working at a pizza joint the last six months. But, I digress…
While here, I’ll be interning at the Jerusalem Report, the Jerusalem Post’s biweekly magazine, as part of MASA’s Career Israel program. My aim in these blogs is to shed light on the situations in South Africa and Israel, draw parallels where I can, and ultimately, come to terms with what many in the international media – rightly or wrongly – consider to be Israeli ‘Apartheid.’ So, I hope that you’ll follow along as I venture into these unfamiliar grounds, provide criticism along the way, and most importantly, find a compelling new voice coming from inside the holy land.
But to start, I’ll tread lightly. A major draw to Cape Town was its natural beauty, with picturesque, verdant cliff faces cascading into miles of sandy, pristine beaches. As an outdoors enthusiast, there truly was nothing better. I could spend the morning climbing Table Mountain and the afternoon surfing at Muizenberg Beach. In fact, this is what I did. All the time.
So, coming to Israel, I was certain I’d be in for a bit of a letdown. Having been here just once, a decade ago on a family trip long since wiped from my memory, I had the typical notion of Israel: that of desert, desert, and more desert. Luckily for me (and Israelis), this couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, Israel is desert; it’s dry and warm and remarkably pleasant, even in the middle of winter. Which is nice, having just left Wisconsin’s balmy single digits.
Yet desert doesn’t begin to describe the wide range of environments (sorry for the Wikipedia link; best I could do) in the country. From the lush, green volcanoes of the Golan Heights to the stunning rock formations of the Negev, Israel has it all. Add to that coastlines on three seas, and you can imagine the plethora of sights and activities one can experience here. Even Jerusalem, my soon-to-be home, is a mass of hills and valleys adorned with olive trees and the like.
In short, I think it’s safe to say that Israeli outdoors will indeed hold my interest for the next five months (and maybe longer…). While the surf may not compare to Cape Town’s and the rock pitches may be a bit shorter, there’s nothing to stop me – weather, least of all – from exploring every crag and crest this beautiful country has to offer. And for that, I couldn’t be more excited.
Sam Melamed is a MASA participant, participating in Career Israel, one of MASA Israel‘s 160 programs.
