The birthday party

Last night I attended a birthday party in my Tel Aviv neighborhood of Kyriat Shalom. Hosted by a couple Lovee and Eiyelat, their birthdays are only days apart so it was a joint celebration. They are affiliated to one of the communa's/communals/communes that I live amongst. Their communal is called "The Lemons" - there is no significant meaning behind the name, they randomly pick names for themselves and change them as regularly. As for my neighbors and former roommates have dubbed their commune "The Valley". Also amongst this social association within the neighborhood are staff members of my former organization Bina and a few Army groups, who are acting within "Service to the Nation". The "Service to the Nation" is a military option within the Army, where an Israeli does one year of community service before they begin their military duty/obligation - more than likely after their warrior training they return to the neighborhoods and continue working with in the community but in uniform. From my American outsider perspective, these groups provide a youthful, artistic, hippie-esq sort of gentrification within this otherwise predominantly old world, religious, Russian & Bukharian neighborhood. Many within this network run programs thru Bina, lead groups, seminars, community projects and are active members within the neighboring communities, as well as, attending school (most are pursuing some form of art study or social work).

The Reservist, in Hebrew: Miluim - In times of war many reservists are reactivated to relieve the active soldiers from their posts throughout the country. The active soldiers are than rotated and relocated into the high activity military areas. At present this would be the Gaza Strip and Southern Lebanon.

Back to the party...as those around me mingle, dance, offer birthday wishes to the birthday couple, we receive a surprise guest from one of our neighborhood friends who had been reinstated 3 weeks ago as a reservist and has been posted in Hebron. Nir Broyde lives within the community, a staff member of Bina and manages/supervises the groups involvements in the community and volunteering. We cheer for this pleasant surprise, many jump on Nir with big hugs and then continue dancing. He returns to Hebron today but will be concluding his duty by this Wednesday.

As I completely over heat from boogeying, I seek refuge outside and nuzzle up to my friend Yoni. As we are talking, Philip (active in the army and who Yoni leads his group in the community) comes charging towards us, ecstatic, he has received confirmation that he will not be going to Lebanon, he will remain in Tiberias helping children and families in the bomb shelters. Philip and I talk about the present life in Tiberias, (Kibbutz Ein Gev is directly across the Kinneret from Tiberias) a resort city that would normally be bustling at this time of year yet is hauntingly quiet, completely empty, virtually shut down, with the exception of certain stores and services that are required to be open in order to provide food and additional necessities to its citizens. I think of the Egged bus station (one I have used regularly) that is still open and running in Tiberias and wonder for a brief second if these bus drivers are being compensated for risking there lives by maintaining there public bus routes to the North. I quickly answer my own question - it would be an additional drain to the Israeli economy to compensate every Israeli who runs risk. Here, they are "The Peoples Army", it is a national duty, everyone participates in risk.

Abigail and her group (The Valley) leave tomorrow to Turkey for a 14 day camping/hiking trip. As I share my enthusiasm for this awesome adventure, she expresses concern. The boys are worried that the airport security might not let them leave the country. After dismissal from the Israeli Army, an Israeli is free for a year before they begin their reservist rotation. These guys were just dismissed within the past 3 months but they learned of a friend who as of yesterday has been called to duty, he too was dismissed the same time they were.

As I mingle a bit, I meet Americans who have been traveling in and out of the Palestinian territories. They are part of some sort of underground movement that acts as human shields against Israeli Settlers who attack Palestinians. We don't really discuss what they do, partly because I am of mixed political views (they would accuse me of Zionism) and partly because it is just better for us to not know too much. We keep conversation superficial, simply discuss the difference in cigarette costs from one occupied territory to another, the challenges of border police and where we all used to live in NYC. I take a moment of reflection; of being in the company of radicals to the radical social transition from what is going on in the North to what is/has always been going on in Israel. I decide I'm maxed out for the moment, there is no more birthday cake left and so it is time for me to leave the party.

I find Lovee to say thanks and good bye. I sense a weirdness from him and he confides he is leaving in 3 days to the Army. I hadn't learned yet that he had been notified. His party is a little bitter sweet, I imagine then for his girlfriend Eiyalet as well. Knowing him, I am sure he has been struggling with whether to be a refusenik and serve time in prison, but based on our conversation I've guessed he has decided to serve. His role in the Army is not as a fighter so he will be posted behind some desk or something similar. I express my relief but I can offer him no consolation and tell him this. As an American and a woman this is so outer body for me to be in this experience. Living in Tel Aviv and soon Jerusalem, I am removed and quite protected from the Big Bad Outside World. As said before; in Tel Aviv, if one did not turn on the news one would not know there is anything going on in the North. There are opportunities still being offered to me and do not feel the least bit compromised by accepting them. The only advice I could offer him was to generously leave his 'man fragrance' behind so Eiyalet could still smell him after he leaves.