Perceptions of daily life in Israel received faces and names for many UW-Madison students Wednesday evening at Hillel, 611 Langdon St., in the form of three young Israelis who shared personal stories of living in struggle and keeping hope.
The speakers came to Madison through \Israel at Heart,"" which started in April 2002. The program has brought more than 100 Israeli students to North America to speak about life amidst and beyond the conflict shown in the news. They also spoke about their military service, which is compulsory in Israel for three years for men and two years for women.
Ilan Missulawin moved to Israel from South Africa when he was a baby. He served in the army as a paratrooper and sniper. Missulawin related a story of being awakened from his tent on a cold night one year ago when two terrorists infiltrated an apartment complex. Missulawin said that as he traveled to the site, it dawned on him that Israel has a lot of enemies.
Twenty-four-year-old Naftali Aklom immigrated to Israel when he was eight months old from Ethiopia because of persecution of Jews in that country. His family walked in the desert from Ethiopia to Sudan before arriving in Israel. Aklom served as a fireman in the air force. After he left the military, he decided to become a musician and spread a message of peace.
""We do have the hope and the faith that one day peace will come to the Middle East,"" Aklom said.
Ayelet Gordon, who is 21 and was born in Jerusalem, worked in the Israeli intelligence forces. She recalled hearing about a suicide bombing on the radio two years ago. She turned off the radio, relieved, because the attack was not in Jerusalem. That afternoon, a friend called her and informed her that one of her friends from high school had been killed in the bombing.
""I know that there's suffering on the other side,"" Gordon said. ""I also realize there are ways to achieve goals, and terror should not be one of them.""
Missulawin said many people have misconceptions about the army in Israel.
""It's not these horrible people, it's people like me, like Naftali,"" he said. ""Soldiers are scared, just like Palestinians.""
All three speakers said they would not leave Israel at this point in their lives. Though most of the questions they answered were related to politics, Gordon spoke of Israel as a place with a beautiful climate and culture.
""[The conflict is] only one aspect and it's not an aspect we like to dwell on,"" she said.
