In an attempt to promote understanding of day-to-day life in
Israel, three Israeli youths are speaking on campus today about
their experiences living in the country and serving in the Israeli
army.
The three Israelis, who are around college age, are all former
soldiers and will try to give UCLA students a non-political view of
Israeli life and a thoughtful discussion from their personal
perspectives.
As part of the Israel at Heart program, Eran Friedman, Shira
Lupiansky and Eyal Naor are speaking at colleges and churches in
the Los Angeles and San Diego areas over a two week period.
Funded by Joey Low, a businessman from New York, Israel at Heart
sends groups of three young Israeli volunteers to North America,
Europe and South America. The groups speak and answer questions
about their country to counteract what Israel at Heart perceives to
be a biased portrayal of Israel in the media.
“We just want to show that we’re only normal people,
and we’re facing difficult times in Israel,” Friedman
said.
Friedman added that they are trying to open up the Israeli issue
for discussion so students can discover what life is like for
Israeli youths.
“Answers to questions will be from our own personal point
of view, not from the government or any other political
movement,” he said.
The three students come from diverse backgrounds. Friedman grew
up in a small town, but Naor was raised in Jerusalem; Lupiansky
grew up in the United States.
They also have different political stances on issues such as the
existence of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Israel’s
policy of targeted killings of militant and terrorist leaders.
Through their different backgrounds and political views, they
hope to demonstrate Israel’s diversity.
The students’ experiences in the Israeli army will most
likely become a controversial topic of discussion, as they will be
speaking and answering questions about the mandatory military
service as part of today’s event.
Friedman, 22, who is waiting to start college next fall, and
28-year-old Naor, who just graduated college, both served as
paratroopers for three years.
While visiting UCLA on Saturday, Friedman said he was offended
to learn that some UCLA students will not talk to him because he
served in the Israeli army.
Friedman, Lupiansky and Naor all felt that serving in the army
was a necessary contribution to their country.
Friedman said serving in the army was a difficult experience,
but it was something he needed to do.
Lupiansky, who came to the United States when she was 5, moved
back to Israel after high school. A year after moving to Israel she
volunteered for the army.
Lupiansky said being in the military made her feel like she
“belonged to Israel in every way possible.”
The event, previously scheduled for Wednesday, will be held
today in Ackerman 3517 from 2:30 to 4 p.m.