JOHN VELIS
Season’s Greetings, Westfield- I hope you are all keeping warm after the snow this week!
Today marks my last day on my fact-finding trip to Israel. This past week and a half has been eye-opening to say the least. I am extremely grateful to the Jewish Community Relations Council, the organizers of this trip, for allowing me to visit a region that has always been of great interest to me.
I set off to Israel last Thursday with the expectation that I would learn more about Israel’s business and economic ties to the Commonwealth. However, this trip has proven to be so much more than that. It has been fascinating to visit the historic sites in Jerusalem, including the Old City and some of the world’s most sacred places. My trip also included a tour of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament building, and other government establishments. In Jerusalem, I also met with community leaders who bring Israeli and Palestinian children together in a school called Yad BeYad, or Hand in Hand. It is amazing to see the work that they are doing firsthand.
From Jerusalem, we left for Haifa, a city near the Lebanese border. Along the way, we drove through Ramallah, a West Bank city where I met with Palestinians and took a closer look at the Security Barrier between the territories. In the north of Israel, I was able to see the Golan Heights, an area that has been at the forefront of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I met with UN Peacekeepers in the region who are tasked with the important job of maintaining the buffer-zone between the Israeli and Syrian territories.
My last stop was Tel-Aviv, where I learned more about the innovation in Israeli society and the social activism that has strong roots in the city. I met with Eytan Schwartz, an International Affairs advisor to the Mayor of Tel-Aviv, and Miki Gitzin, a grassroots leader of Yisrael Hofshit, a movement that aims to protect civil rights and religious pluralism in Israeli society. Today, as my trip is ending, I will be visiting the Dead Sea basin and Masada, an important symbol for Jewish Defense forces.
It has been amazing to tour this country and learn more about the people, culture and its ties to the Commonwealth. Although it will be sad to leave Israel, I look forward to returning to Westfield and my regular duties on Monday. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office in the meantime at (413) 572-3920 or email me at [email protected]. Have a wonderful weekend, and happy holidays!
