"Hello, from Israel"

Hello Maya,
I am Haviva, I live in Kibbutz Harduf in north of Israel.
I am a social worker and art therapist, working in a home for people with mental disability.
Carol, your teacher and my friend, gave me your e. mail address, asked me to make the first contact with you.
I attached to themes that I think represent my country and 2 very different proverb.
You can choose one that you like better.
I hope you get it and I am looking forward to your respond.
With regards

Haviva
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Hi Haviva,

I've been trying to email you but I guess you didn't get them. Anyways, it's great to meet you. Mrs. Shigemitsu sent me your choices already. I liked the first one with the painting of the wall and city of Jeruselum but I had some questions. I wasn't quite sure what a lend was in the phrase "the lend of honey and milk" and if you could tell me why that particular artists version of the city and wall of Jeruselum, or is it more just the city itself that you wanted to focus on. Let me know. Thanks and good to hear from you-M
Hi Maya,
Can you please tell me in what class are you?
I am sorry, I missed spelling the word "land" I hope now it is more understandable.
This is one of the description of the land of Israel in the Bible. Probably this emphasis that it is a rich land that have all the variety of climates and can grow everything.
I choose this artist and this particular painting, which is one of many he has of the landscape of Israel, Â because he is one of my favorites artists, and he puts beautifully all the symbols of this city in a rich soft colors.
Jerusalem is not just a city, it is a symbol of many other things.
Hope to know more about you and your land

Haviva
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Haviva,
I'm a senior this year and right now I'm taking Mrs. Shigemitsu's World
Literature class.
No problem, it makes sense now. I know it might seem like a dumb
question but can you tell me more about why the city of Jeruselum is so
key to understanding Israel?
-M
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Shalom! Maya

The word "Shalom" means peace, also it is the common greeting word in
Hebrew.
The name of the city Jerusalem comes from this word. In Hebrew we say
Yeru-shalem - the meaning Yeru- fearing- with awe or reverence. Shalem-
peace and wholeness. So the symbol of this city is striving for peace
and wholeness.

Through 3000 years of history, Jerusalem became the holy city that is
very important to the 3 religions, starting with the Judaism, then the
Christianity and last to the Islam.
But through history we see that it was almost always a city of wars
conflicts and blood.
Every new force or empire wanted to possess her.

Jerusalem gather all variety of people of all religions and
nationalities. Today Jerusalem is the core of all the polarities
between people. The city that focus all conflicts between people.
Jewish - Moslems, religious - non religious, westerns (European
culture) - eastern (middle eastern culture) etc...
This city has a great beauty with unique qualities of old and new, of
range of all colors, range of all people.

But till the time that people will learn to respect and appreciate what
is different, it probably will continue to be a city of war and
conflicts.
When and if it transform, the polarities become a wholeness and each
deferent individual add his unique color (like in the painting) to the
whole, it can be the city of peace, the heart of the world peace.
That the reality of the life in Israel as well (may be in the all
world).

I hope it helps.

Haviva
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Haviva,
Here are two different pictures and sayings. Let me know which one you're interested in because they are both pretty different. I wasn't sure if you'd be more interested in America in general or just Hawaii.
Aloha-M
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Aloha Maya,
I am interested in the landscape drawing and much more interested in
Hawaii them America.
Please tell me about it.

As I said the proverb "the land of milk and Honey" is a promise from
God to the people of Israel, describing the richness of the land of
Israel.
The land of Israel is a very small land but it has variety of different
soil, climates, topography etc.. That enable to grow almost every
thing. I attached a presentation (was sent to me) that can gives you
some idea about the varieties of the land of Israel - people, nature,
religions, etc..
I hope it gives you the interest to come and see it for your self.

I was in Hawaii (Honolulu) for 2 weeks almost 30 years ago. I loved it
very much especially the nature and the see.

Haviva
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Haviva,
I don't know if my reply to this email went through so I'm sending it
again but I apologize if you got the first one as well.
The landscape drawing is of something called an Ahupua'a. An ahupua'a
is a section of land, resembling a triangle, with a peak at the
mountains and getting wider and wider as it reaches the ocean. Each
island was divided into ahupua'as in ancient times. Each ahupua'a was a
small community unto itself, with it's own leader. This was nice in
that it was like neighborhoods, where because it is a smaller area,
rather than the entire island, everyone knows each other and the people
in charge can have more interaction with their charges instead of the
common people being ruled by someone they've never met. The idea of the
ahupua'a was also to have each community of the island, each section,
be able to be self sustaining. Each ahupua'a had the capacity to
sustain itself because it contained all of the environments of the
island. There were forest areas for hunting and harvesting. There were
also ocean areas in each ahupua'a, so that the people living there
would be able to fish and work in the ocean. The people who worked and
lived by the ocean would trade their goods (fish, seafood, salt...etc)
for goods made by those who lived in the mountains (boar, canoes,
vegetables...etc). The saying "Ua mau ke'ea o ka aina i ka pono" or
"the life of the land is preserved in righteousness". It goes hand in
hand with the idea of the ahupua'a as it also encourages living in
harmony with the land. It means that we must act righteously, we have
to honor the land and understand it if we are to benefit from it. In
Hawaiian culture, often the land or other aspects of nature seem more
important than humans which is so different from our modern
perspective. The idea of both of these things was really the value of
our physical world and the importance of cultivating it in a way that
is right for everyone and not just helpful for ourselves. We have to
take into account what is right by the rest of the earth.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Shalom-M
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Aloha Maya,
Thank you it is very interesting.
What a greet value to live in Harmony with nature and the earth.
It seems that in Hawaii there are very strong life forces and ability
to live and appreciate harmony. As an art therapist I know the
therapeutic forces of harmony.
It is interesting to hear how and what, from the past you still have in
modern life in Hawaii.
As the nature life forces are still very strong today.
Shalom
Haviva
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Haviva,
Sadly a lot of that culture is no longer practiced, but what is is
often linked with those ideas.
What interesting me about the picture and saying you sent me was the
focus on the area of land itself. Jerusalem has been a place of such
conflict for so many years so I can understand to some degree but I
also see that there are places that have similar histories and yet they
are not as cherished as Jerusalem seems to be, from what you have sent
me. Why is it that the land is so key to Isreali culture? Is it the
land itself or is it that it stands for something? I wonder if perhaps
part of the reason we in America or even Hawaii are not as connected to
our land is because so many people have immigrated. While we can
appreciate the land, because our entire history is not based in it, it
doesn't hold the same value that Jerusalem does for you. Maybe it is
because we have lost touch with our roots or maybe there is just
something very significant about Jerusalem that ties into your culture
and daily life more than any particular land has done for me. What do
you think?
The image of the city of Jerusalem and the wall was of the Wailing wall
right? and what do you think is more important, if one is?
I was thinking about the saying and when I think of honey and milk I
think of sweet things. They seem like sweet foods, things you would
feed a child and yet looking at the other picture and saying you sent
me ("the land that eats her inhabitant") there seemed like a major
contridiction. Maybe I don't understand Honey and Milk correctly but
the saying give me two completely different views of Israel, and
perhaps there are two different sides of it. If that is the case, do
you see that divide in your day to day life or is it bigger than that.
Are there two Iraels? and how often to they entertwine? Why are they so
divided?
The picture that went with that saying also interested me. It looked
like an American soldier holding a little girl but I couldn't tell if
she was alive or dead. When I think about it in context with the saying
you sent me it seemed like as much as the land of Jerusalem city is
holy and sacred the conflict over the land has caused such damage that
it has destroyed so many because it is so sacred to them, because, so
far it has been worth being destroyed to have a chance at claiming the
land.

Sorry this is so long. Shalom-M
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Good morning Maya,
It is Tuesday morning here,(Monday late evening where you are).
You are so right about this extreme polarities that connects to this
land.
The Hebrew word for Land is Eretz and it also means country ground and
the earth.
There is a very special connection for the Jewish people to the land of
Israel especially to Jerusalem.
This is a 4000 year connection, the promised land that was given and
was taken away by God.
Jewish people were exiled from Israel for more then 2000 years, were
spread all over the world and all this time were praying to come back.
The Waling wall is what left from the temple in Jerusalem, after it was
destroyed by the Rome 2000 years ago. (in the painting it is the wall
that surround the old Jerusalem city) you can't see the Waling wall,
you see the big Mosque that was build on the temple ground.
Modern Israel is also a country of immigrants who came from all the
countries of the world (Jewish immigrants). After the second world war
and the Holocaust the state of Israel, as a Jewish state, was founded.
Since that time there is continues war with the Arabs countries that
surround Israel and in the last 30 years with the Palestinians (the
Arabs people that lived on the land of Israel).
This is a very complicated situation, connect to history of this land
and the Jewish people.

The first picture and sentence were connect to the potential and the
richness of this special place. A land that can be the "light of the
world" - because it is so special for all the people (religions). Can
be nourishing and sweet etc... when we - the people who live here, will
be able to change.
I believe that when we overcome difficulty than we grew.
A real beauty comes from transformation of the pain, Love comes from
transformation of anger.

The second picture and sentence are connected to the present reality
were Israelis solders forced to harm children and they weep for them.

Yes, there are so many faces to this country and to this land that the
Jewish people calls the "Holly Land".
Shalom Haviva
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Haviva,
Thank you so much for speaking with me and explaining to me a little bit about your culture and Israel. I've really enjoyed learning about Jerusalem and the conflicting ideas it represents, it's fascinating! I was wondering if you could recommend a book for me to read that might further my understanding of Israel. Hope all is well for you and to hear from you soon.

-M
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Shalom Maya,
It was very interesting for me too, you had good questions that opened the real essence of this place.
I am thinking about the book "Exodus" Â by Leon Uris, there is also a film based on this book with Paul Newman (50 years ago) when he was young and handsome.
This book that was written by American author is a novel. The story is on the time before Israel became independence, it gives a background of the conflict and the connection to the Holocaust and the new stat of Israel.
Sorry but I don't know about other books that you can reed in English. May be in Biography's of people like Shimon Peeress, Golda Meyer. Of course in the Old Testament there you can read the Jewish people history that is very much connect to every
Israel is a very different from Hawaii.
Harmony and being atmosphere opposite conflicts and doing atmosphere.
I hope you will come one day to see Israel. It is, in spite of every thing, a very beautiful and special country.
Haviva
_______________________________

Shalom Haviva,

I wanted to thank you so much for your book recommendation. It took me a while to get my hands on a copy of Exodus but I managed to get the book yesterday and I wasn't able to put it down until I finished it! What an epic story. It has given me much to think about and I wanted to thank you for that. I feel that I understand some parts of your connection to the land of Israel better although I can't say I have experienced such a connection with any land. Thank you again for sharing that beautiful story with me. Hope all is well.-M

_______________________________

Shalom Maya,

Nice to hear from you again, good that you find the book enthralling.

There is a lot of Israeli literature but I do not know what is available in English.

Perhaps you can find books by the Israeli author: Amos Oz. I know his books are translated to other languages.

He is one of my favorite.

Please let me know if I can help with other things you are interested in.

All the best regards

Haviva

Symbols of Hawaii

"Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono"
The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness

Exodus

When my partner Haviva first sent me her symbols and sayings to tell me about her country of Israel I couldn't understand her complete love for the physical land of the place. Both of her symbols had to do with the land and how it had the ability to either nourish or destroy those who inhabit it and find it to be a holy land. I couldn't understand the attachment to the physical land it's not something I could comprehend. My inability to understand was similarly incomprehensible to Haviva. We talked about it in our emails back and forth but the attachment to the land is so natural to her it wasn't something she could easily explain to me. To help me understand the history and the attachment of the people to their land she prescribed Exodus by Leon Uris. The book follows a number of characters from various backgrounds and the struggle for a free State of Israel. The characters come from all over to smuggle people into Israel via the ship Exodus as well as fighting the government in power to gain access to the land they consider home.
Through reading this book I definitely came to understand so much more their connection to land. So many of the people who came to Israel had past's involving concentration camps and other forms of mistreatment and abuse due to their religion. Each person involved in the movement had been uprooted repeatedly for years due to the Nazi invasions of their countries and the war going on across Europe. None of them had a place to call home and most had been through tremendous ordeals. Through all of this a lot of what kept them going was their faith in this fabled place of Jerusalem and Israel as a whole. Every obstacle they had to encounter, every friend they saw die, every battle they fought or episode of mistreatment they endured they focused that much more on the land. Every time they lost something the put that caring into Jerusalem, into the liberation of their land of their country and religion. They lost everything and with every loss they suffered they put that much more devotion into their land. The physical land was all that could survive the war they were fighting and it was the only thing that would live on no matter how horribly or successful their cause went.
What impresses me most about all of this is the conviction each of these children and adults never waivered in their convictions about their mission. So many people were involved in this movement and not one of them ever had to think again about what they were doing or whether they were right in doing so. It was almost the only thing they didn't have to worry about. In most historic examples of large political movements there's usually some sub-sector that rethinks what they are doing and finds some fault in the movement they're supporting and yet that didn't seem to be the case with these people.
There was no way I could understand this concept before because I haven't ever lost as much as any of the fighters in the book. Nor have I ever believed in any cause, any battle as much as these people are. Even generations later, years after the creation of the state of Israel, these people's faith has not left them. It isn't something that they lost after the battle was over as so many cultures do. Haviva's love and faith in her own land and culture is something that has only been reinforced over the years something that is so primal and natural to her that she couldn't explain it to me or understand my own ignorance to the matter. It is a faith I have never had in both their God and their land.