DAY SIX
SALIMA AND THE BEDOUIN TENT

AVIVA R.
he past few days have been filled with activity after activity and so much fun. Though each day was different, one thing was the same, the talk we would have about Israel’s diversity. As a grade, we’ve spent hours talking about various populations in Israel both in school and in the land itself. Many of us still contemplated this idea and even remotely doubted it, given we had been in specific areas with similar looking Israelis. Today we were taken to a new experience. Something we were told we had never seen before, a Bedouin village. We didn’t know what to expect and were excited to meet a real Bedouin woman, Salim. 

When we drove down the rocky and unpaved road to the village, we looked around in shock at the lifestyle we saw. The tents were made of wood and cloth with some tin material. We soon settled in and talked to Salima. We all had so many questions and comments which were answered with so much detail and explanation. Salima had grown up in a traditional Bedouin home. She got married when she was 19 and had 7 children. When she started going to a program to learn Hebrew, she saw many women doing activities that were looked down upon in the Bedouin community. She learned more about these activities and she soon found herself a title; feminist. She wanted to keep her culture while leveling the playing field from men and women. She continues working to balance the beliefs of her community and her more feminist ones. She talked about looking into the future. 

This entire experience was so eye-opening and transforming. I had no idea these people had this struggle in Israel! We are now driving towards our sleeping tents for tonight, a Bedouin experience, which people at Salima’s home called “Bedouin Hollywood.” We are all so excited to continue to learn and grow and love Israel more!