When middle school teacher Aaron Pribble got the chance to pitch for a professional baseball team, it was like a boyhood dream come true. And the fact that the team was in Israel was extra motivation to explore his Jewish identity. That summer, he only pitched in 10 out of the 45 games total, but the experience was life-changing. Upon returning, his new dream became to write a book, and he did just that. It's called, "Pitching in the Promised Land."
“I’ve always been interested in a resolution to the Palestinian Israeli conflict, and I thought baseball could be a lens for the politics and culture of the middle east. What allowed me to do that was being social studies teacher,” said Pribble. According to Pribble, there’s nothing in the book that he doesn’t want his students to read, but he said, “They definitely know me better. If you love something you gotta be honest, I poured my heart and soul into it.”
“As teachers we tend to have multiple identities. Teachers are sensitive to their personal lives. This is a story of Mr. Pribble and Prib, and talks about a whole self identity change,” explained Pribble.
The book is littered with stories highlighting the cultural differences between a ballgame in the U.S. and in Israel. Things like not having ice for injuries, and getting paid in the right currency were minor things, but according to Pribble, the real difficulty of playing baseball in Israel was “getting Israelis to like the game. If you don’t have fans, you don’t have any money and the league isn’t going to make any money,” said Pribble.
The process of writing the book was not easy -- Pribble said he struggled with how to write about a baseball game. But ultimately, the story was worth documenting. “It definitely made me consider the extent to which we have to follow our dreams. This was my dream, and you never know where that leads. Baseball took me far away to school, to France, and to Israel. The game of baseball has given me more than I can give back to the game,” said Pribble.
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Recently, Youth Radio blogged about some high schoolers in Arizona that live in fear of being deported back to Mexico. Instead of daydreaming about future college adventures, they dwell on how to remain in the United States.
Now, 400 children face this same problem in Jerusalem, where a reported 150,000 foreign laborers do not have proper documentation, and neither do their children. There are about 1,200 children without documentation, who are at risk for deportation. According to the New York Times, the cabinet decided this summer to allow the children of laborers who entered the state WITH a visa, but stayed illegally, to remain in Jerusalem and be given citizenship. This comes to 800 children.
The other 400 children of foreign laborers who entered the state illegally, and had their children in Jerusalem will be deported. Native Jerusalem residents are torn on the issue, just like they are here in the United States. According to the article, Israel prides itself on its Jewish identity, and too many outsiders will weaken that identity.
President Netanyahu is quoted in the Times, “This is a tangible threat to the Jewish and democratic character of the State of Israel.” As these immigration debates rage all over the world, the children and youth are caught in the middle.
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The Youth Olympic Games are underway in Singapore, with only a minor bit of drama so far.
The diving medals were locked in today: Bo Qiu from China, Olexsandr Bondar from the Ukraine, and Michael Hixon from the USA (Amherst, Massachusetts) took gold, silver, and bronze respectively (check out more medal results here).
However, not all competitions went off so smoothly.
The taekwondo event came down to two finalists: Mohammad Soleimani from Iran and Gili Haimovitz from Israel. But, the gold medal round never happened. A post by Jacqueline Magnay on the UK's Daily Telegraph website gave more details. “Mohammad Soleimani withdrew from the gold medal bout against his Israeli opponent Gili Haimovitz ostensibly because of an ankle injury.” However, there is speculation that he was forced to withdraw because Iran does not recognize the state of Israel.
Some of the organizers of the Olympics are worried that youth are being used as political tools, despite the fact that this competition is designed to be anchored in healthy sportsmanship. Magnay writes, “IOC president Jacques Rogge, who thought up the youth Olympic Games concept, has every right to feel insulted, even if his diplomatic skills are so developed he will only give the most measured response. Soleimani is just 16.”
Is this culture of tension an omen of things to come? Magnay thinks so. “This persistent standoff between Iran and Israel - another first round bout between the two countries at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games judo competition resulted in a similar Iranian no-show - has to be resolved. Quickly. No one wants to see a repeat of this embarrassment at the London 2012 Olympic Games.”
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This past Thursday, President Obama spoke at Cairo University in Egypt during his Middle East tour in an effort to build bridges between the United States and the people of the Middle East. Of special focus was the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. During the speech he recognized that, while the American government is an ally of Israel, Palestinians face “daily humiliations, large and small, that come with occupation.”
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Yellin on his work with Other Voice:
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