Take the news with a grain of salt

August 21st, 2009 by | Country: Israel | 2 Comments »

In less than 24 hours, I will be on a plane heading to Israel.  My being Jewish sure does somewhat influence my decision to venture to Israel, but that’s not the main reason that I embrace Israel.  Israel is an extraordinary country with so many wonderful cultures and historical sites and a very unique lifestyle.  On my last trip to Israel two years ago as a Birthright student, I gave myself a biggest slap on my face for believing in what I was seeing in the news in my home country.  People were moving on with their rich and delightful lives by going to work, school, parks, shows, and whatever we, the Americans, would normally do in our hometown.  By this means, we should take the news with a grain of salt as journalists have the tendency to look through a tube and only feature the events that would grab the readers’ attention in order to earn money.  News media is a business and by that means, they’re all about making money…period.

I’m not saying that there are no wars in Israel because I didn’t see any.  There are certainly a few occasions, but they only occur in certain spots, not in every inch of the country, according to my friends and family living in Israel.

As I look back from two years ago, gazing out the window on the bus and feeling overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscapes was a serious cultural shock.  Attending a dance show with some friends in Tel Aviv, dancing on a cruise at a lake in the Golan Heights, crawling inside the pre-historic caves, exploring the ancient Roman ruins in Caesarea, going out for an ice cream on Friday night, and driving through the Carmel Mountains are all activities of which I never imagined doing prior to my first trip to Israel.  This what I am looking forward to – envisioning the beautiful life that is not portrayed in the newspapers.

Aside from choosing to go to Israel to embrace their magnficent culture and view their astonishing landscapes, I’m very delighted to be part of my first cousin’s bar mitzvah and to see my family and friends.

2 Comments

August 22, 2009 at 2:37 am

Rachel, have a great time here in Israel. It is so gratifying to hear of your wonderful experience with Birthright. Even more so that you have realized the biased picture portrayed by the media re: Israel. As a tour guide in Israel we have and will continue to suffer from this bias, as people follow the media rather than the advice of responsible people, who live in this country.
There are no wars at present. A certain travel restriction imposed a few days ago on Palestinians is being blown up out of all proportion.

Welcome to Israel

August 23, 2009 at 1:28 am

[...] Miss Travel Girl: Rachel’s Travel Blog http://www.misstravelgirl.com/travel/?p=1439 – view page – cached In less than 24 hours, I will be on a plane heading to Israel. My being Jewish sure does somewhat influence my decision to venture to Israel, but that’s not the main reason that I embrace Israel. Israel is an extraordinary country with so many wonderful cultures and historical sites and a very unique lifestyle. On my last trip to Israel two years ago as a Birthright student, I gave myself a biggest slap on my face for believing in what I was seeing in the news in my home country. People were moving on with their rich and delightful lives by going to work, school, parks, shows, and whatever we, the Americans, would normally do in our hometown. By this means, we should take the news with a grain of salt as journalists have the tendency to look through a tube and only feature the events that would grab the readers’ attention in order to earn money. News media is a business and by that means, they’re all about making money…period. — From the page [...]

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