Over the holidays of this past week I met lots of very interesting people doing all sorts of interesting things. There were no i-bankers, or people working in finance for a couple of years 'just till I save up some money.' Rather, there were a number of teachers, a few artists, a whole lot of students, and an amazing general attitude of just...well... hanging around.
People (mostly Americans) come to Jerusalem for a year, or two, or ten and just spend a lot of time in self-exploration of all sorts. The American dollar goes far here (supposedly, although not so much for me) and so people either support themselves or receive various fellowships or living stipends or low-paying jobs in Jewish institutions of learning. There are lots of opportunities for volunteering and learning.
I must say, I have mixed feelings about this whole set-up (which I guess I'm participating in this year). On the one hand, it's a refreshing contrast to the New York mentality of high-power, high-speed, high-paying jobs whose goals are more money and more power. People take the time to think about themselves and where their lives are going and what they live for, and not just during a 45 minute therapy session during a lunch break or an hour and a half yoga class fit in at the end of a 12 hour workday. These are people who seem to genuinely care about bettering themselves and the world around them.
However, there is a bit of a feeling of... I don't know...maybe uselessness is too harsh of a term for it, but something along those lines. For people who generally seem to be on the forefront of liberal thinking, hoping to change the world, etc. how much actually gets done? Sure, volunteer and peace organizations are created. Sure, they (we) all get to participate in lots of different causes and movements. But in the end, we're generally being supported by someone else's dollars. Those same dollars that require the hard work of all those people back in New York. There's certainly not much money to be made in informal Jewish education or peace-oriented inter-denominational dialogues. That seems to be the point and the justification - 'we pursue our dreams, even though there's no money in it.' ie - it's a sacrifice. But which one is really the sacrifice? Giving up a high paying job to do things you love to do by using external funding or being a productive element in the economy that helps support these initiatives even though you might not get to love what you do?
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4 comments:
Hi, it's Moshe.
It's this very thought that plagues those of us who aim to succeed in careers in which the goal is to directly improve the lives of others. We must also make a living ourselves, and yet we're often confronted with issues that require introspection and careful analysis of self - and we find there's no time for it.
So too, it is this reality that often disturbs us - those who dream of change don't have what it takes (the name, the money, the clout), and those who in a position to effect change are forced to choose between causes they don't fully understand.
really interesting point. hopefully you will start a different trend by actually making the most of your time (and money) there - maybe others will follow...
i take issue with your stab at yoga..of course :)
Thank God, we have Jews in Israel with ideas and enthusiasm, and Jews in America with money to support them.
At least that's the ideal :)
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