Essay: My Travel to a ‘Forbidden’ Country — Detroit Jewish News – The Jewish News
“I journey to forbidden nations as a Outcome of I would like to expertise firsthand the humanity of
odd people.”
Dan Brotman, authorities director of the Windsor Jewant Federation & Group Centre in Windsor, Ontario, writes about his journey to Lebanon.
“I’m struggling To place into phrases how upset I am that as our Jewant expert in Windsor you go toed an anti-Israel, antisemitic nation,” a seasoned community member wrote to me after listening to that I had recently go toed Lebanon.
Let’s againtrack: As a Jew who beforehand lived in Israel, I On A daily basis tprevious myself that I might by no means put myself In peril by go toing Definitely one of Israel’s sworn enemies — That is, till I go toed the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2018. Having made it by way of Iran In a single piece, and in want of ancompletely different adrenaline rush after a yr and a half of COVID-19 monotony, I signaled up for a tour to Lebanon organized by An group That makes a speciality of journey to unusual locations.
Dan Brotman
It is illegal for Israeli and Lebanese residents To go To at least Every completely different’s nations, and arrivals bearing any signal Of getting go toed Israel are typinamey refused entry to Lebanon. I held my breath as I went by way of moveport administration in Beirut, terrified thOn the border administration officer would flag and take me amethod for questioning.
As my fellow vacationers turned acquainted with Every completely different, it turned out That the majority of us had, Truly, beforehand go toed Israel, which in public we referred to as in hushed tones “the I phrase.” I used to be astonished To discover that Definitely one of my fellow vacationers, an unassuming 60-one factor-yr-previous retired teacher, who I am going to name “Sally,” was The earlier president of her synagogue in upstate Ny.
Intrepid Sally talked about to me And by no means using A contact of irony that she plans on signaling up for The agency’s Syria tour subsequent yr, And that i noticed on Fb that she has subsequently go toed Iraqi Kurdistan. Aside from Sally, I used to be very cautious To not reveal my true id and profession.
Hezbollah Territory
Experiencing Hezbollah-administrationled territory in South Lebanon, shut to the border with Israel, took me again to my journeys in Iran. The cities we drove by way of have been alcohol-free; yellow Hezbollah and black Shia flags flapped Inside the wind; and posters of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini adorned the metropolis squares.
Hezbollah Is assessed as a overseas terrorist group by the U.S. and is believed to have carried out the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewant community constructing in Buenos Aires, which I’ve go toed. Our tour of the movement’s museum started with a 15-minute propaganda film narrated by its chief, Hassan Nasrallah. We have been then informationd by an English-talking Hezbollah member To various inventive installations displaying seized Israeli tanks entangled in metallic spiderinternets, An inventive homage to Nasrallah’s well-knpersonal saying, “This Israel, And that i promise, is extra fragile than a spider’s internet.”
The artist even constructed the symbolic tombstDefinitely one of an Israeli spreviousier, titled “The Invader’s Grave,” not Faraway from a quantity of rocket launchers that focused northern Israel. Whereas Sally complimented my Oscar-worthy poker face, she merely mightn’t assist herself, and On The prime of our three-hour tour devoted to destroying Israel, requested our now bewildered information: “Do you assist a two-state reply?”
On our method again to Beirut, we sprimeped to view Ein El Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp. Simply like the completely different Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, it is guarded On The doormethod by the Lebanese army, who dare not enter. Regardless of dwelling Inside the nation for Greater than 70 yrs, the nation’s Palestinian refugees have nonetheless not been granted Lebanese residentship.
Our Christian information defined that Palestinians are denied Lebanese residentship as per the want of the late PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, who believed that perpetual statelessness would protect the Palestinian wrestle. As properly as, The federal authorities wanted to protect the demographics of Lebanon’s Christian minority, who comprise 30% of the inhabitants.
The identical information tprevious our tour group On The conventional metropolis of Byblos that he had beforehand labored with Israelis in Turkey, however that he might get into critical problem with the authorities if he stayed In contact with them. He expressed a lifelong dream To go to Jerusalem and said That the majority Christians and Sunni Lebanese want Lebanon And that israel to make peace, however thOn the Shiite inhabitants is The primary impediment.
Dan Brotman at Hezbollah’s “museum” in Lebanon.
Armenian Population
Round 4% of Lebanon’s inhabitants is ethnic Armenian, the descendants of refugees who fled the 1915 genocide. Through An alternative encounter, I begood friended a 31-yr-previous Lebanese graphic designaler of Armenian origin. One night he took me to Bourj Hammoud, Beirut’s Armenian neighborhood. Armenian flags and anti-Azerbaijan slogans brandished the constructings. Arabic was nowhere to be seen or heard, exuding the Caucasus A lot Greater than The center East.
In distinction to non-haredi diaspora Jews, who for In all probability the most half Did not move on Yiddish to subsequent generations, the Armenians in Lebanon have stored their language alive for Greater than 100 yrs.
Armenians in Lebanon go To Highschool in Armenian, converse Armenian with One ancompletely different And regularly go to their ancestral homeland. Like diaspora Jews, the Armenians in Lebanon are A particular, extremely worthwhile minority inhabitants, dwelling each ahalf from and forming an inseparable An factor of their adoptive homeland.
On the final Evening time of the journey, I confided to my new Lebanese good friend That i’m Jewant. To my astonishment, he said that his primary problem with Israel is that it refuses To acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Not The reply I anticipated.
I now Reply to these essential of my journeys as follows: “I journey to forbidden nations as a Outcome of I would like to expertise firsthand the humanity Of unusual people from societies I am taught to fear.
“These odd residents are The Most very important victims of Their very personal authoritiess, which In lots of circumstances They Did not have A great say in electing. I am All of the richer for having met them.”
Dan Brotman is The chief director of the Windsor Jewant Federation & Group Centre in Windsor, Ontario. He writes in his private performance.