Wednesday, 6 October 2010

An important part of visiting is the welcome

Heading to Telaviv feels quite surrealist, not only because of all the security measures which are, obviously, with regard to Israel, special:
coming to Frankfurt we have to pass a very detailed security check. A special gate where each person is carefully searched, and the queue is as long as the number of passengers of a Boeing747. There is no rush, no haggling, after all this is just a normal everyday life detail if you're on your way to Israel.
It is a strange experience, despite being a frequent flyer I must admit it stresses me a bit. I guess also the fact that the authorities actually shutdown part of Frankfurt airport, fact of which I am made aware through the planes info system makes for a bit of the apparatus!

At Ben Gurion airport i found a jewish family, fellow travelers with whom i had not exchanged a word, awaiting for me after my first security check to ask if everything was ok with me. Bliss in the fog to come!

This has been a journey I've longed for...can't quite put the finger on it to tell you why... maybe growing up with an obsessive interest about Shoa, the accounts of the survivors, the confessions of the perpetrators, the collected books, photos, exhibits and conferences attended are explanation enough... maybe a desire for justice, a need for the recognition of each individuals dignity, the belief that every single man counts is the background, the thought behind the thought, the why it matters. This is me paying respect and honouring those who have fallen, saying my silence, no! Rather the muteness is disbelief, sadness...
It hurts when reconciling my deep affection for the Jewish people from which I descend from, with the Occupation. 

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