Over the next ten days, our tour group came to develop a close bond with both the Jewish state and each other.  Of course, the unity we felt in appreciation of Israel did not necessarily translate to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Many in our group knew only one side of the story, were misinformed, or knew very little about its history.  Some did not really want to know the details for fear of disturbing their simplistic vision of Israel.  While most seemed to support a two-state solution, there was not going be any room on a trip like this for nuance and objectivity.  And for those already set in their hard-line opinions, they would only be searching for reinforcement.  During our flight from New York, I got a sense of what I was in for when I found myself arguing about whether Palestinians should even be referred to as such. 

This was no accident.  I went to Israel looking for opportunities to discuss and debate the situation there.  Learning about war and conflict has always been great interest of mine (I became obsessed with the American Civil War when I was 9 years old), an interest that naturally extended to the most intractable and visible conflict of our time.  An interest heightened by family history.  My great-grandfather had picked up the family and left their home in Berlin for New York just as Hitler was beginning to storm across Europe.  It was a storm that much of the extended family in Poland did not escape.

This history is the foundation of my deeply-held belief in the need for Israel's existence.  Going to Israel allowed me to better understand the precarious nature of this existence (my trip coincided with the Hamas kidnapping of Gilad Shalit and ended only ten days before the beginning of the war with Hezbollah).  However, I soon realized that few in my tour group had even a basic level of knowledge about Israel and its history.  The misunderstandings and outright ignorance I witnessed among young American Jews, coupled with a seemingly contradictory (yet predominant) desire to see peace between Israelis and Palestinians, stirred in me a desire to learn as much as possible about the issues and seek to correct this imbalance.

After returning home, I began to read about Israel and the conflict more consistently.  I began reading Haaretz daily.  I oriented my academic studies toward the subject and wrote my undergraduate thesis on Hamas.  I dreamed of being on the ground helping to solve the conflict and being involved in the minutiae of negotiations.  As with any passion, it was something I couldn't not do, something I couldn't not continually think about.   

At some point in early 2008, I came across the website for Americans for Peace Now (APN).  I quickly found that their mission was one that I supported.  More importantly, I found validation and hope in an organization that, like me, staunchly supports Israel while strongly pushing for the sacrifices necessary for peace.  This was before J Street, and APN was articulating and advocating positions that no other Israel-advocacy group seemed to be willing or able to.  I became a big fan.

As I spent the next couple years trying to figure things out in the "real world" (AKA my parents' basement), I often relied on APN to keep me informed and updated on developments in Israel.  I learned the facts on issues about which I knew very little, such as settlements and their relation to Israeli politics.  I also learned the dynamics surrounding Israel's place in the American political landscape.  Throughout it all, APN provided a detailed understanding couched in ever-present optimism and an unwavering belief in the possibility of peace. 

After enrolling in graduate school at the University of Maryland, I jumped at the chance to intern with Americans for Peace Now.  I began my internship in January of 2011.  My experience since then has been educational, enlightening, and beyond fulfilling.  So much so that, when the time came for my internship to end in May, I asked that it be extended through the summer.  

At APN, I had the pleasure of putting faces and personalities to the names and work of those who comprise their small, dedicated staff in Washington.  I learned how an organization such as APN- one that is both proactive in pushing for peace while being responsive to current events and new challenges- gets its message out and operates successfully on a daily basis.  (While moving offices, I also learned that they have an ample supply of old computer monitors, phones, and obscure metal CDs).

One of the benefits of interning alongside a staff as small as APN's is that I have had the opportunity to contribute to large, important projects as well as the crucial everyday efforts that they are relied upon for. While here, I have done research for a variety of projects, written op-eds and blog posts, been published in the Jerusalem Post, put together YouTube videos for APN's website, helped write time-sensitive "action alerts," helped assemble Lara Friedman's "Legislative Round-Up," helped represent APN during the University of Maryland's Israel Week, and met with officials on Capitol Hill, at think-tanks, and from various other organizations. 

Besides facing the challenge of supporting the efforts of Peace Now in Israel (the sister organization of Americans for Peace Now) to bring about a two-state solution, APN deals with the difficult task of mobilizing policymakers here in Washington to act in what we believe to be Israel's best interest.  Only a staff like APN's- driven in their work and personally invested in peace- could tackle this challenge.  Their perseverance and dedication in the face of mounting challenges has given me invaluable inspiration.

   

From when I set foot on Israeli soil until now, I believe I have made great strides in developing a comprehensive understanding of the Jewish state.  Thanks to APN, I have gained the skills and deepened the knowledge needed to put that understanding to good use, fueled by the feelings aroused in me while in Israel.  That experience helped me realize just how badly I want to see peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  My time at Americans for Peace Now made me believe that I can help make that peace a reality.