January 29th: The Big Cheese

During the Andrew Jackson administration, the story goes, a large block of cheese was wheeled into the White House. The purpose was to allow for all of those who were hungry to come and join the staff and cabinet of the highest office of the United States and share some food and discuss matters that would important to them.

This tradition was brought into common knowledge when it was featured on the West Wing, Aaron Sorkin’s masterful television show detailing the workplace environment of those working at the White House. In the show, the Chief of Staff brought back this tradition, or at least the part of getting some face-time with the leadership of the government. Throughout the seven seasons of the show, the White  House staff was visited by a wide variety of people with interests ranging from wildlife conservation to astrological concerns and even cartography issues. While many were ridiculous proposals and somewhat outlandish, all received the time and attention of those with some degree of power to act on the shared knowledge.

In a Youtube video that brought Bradley Whitford and Josh Molina together alongside Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary, the White House announced their intentions to make this tradition come to life. For the first time, the White House has been accepting videos today to be answered by government officials. This will offer the opportunity for citizens, the day after Barack Obama’s State of the Union, to reflect on ways that their government can best serve them.

While the day in the West Wing was often thought of as “Crackpot Day” because of the prevalence of rather crazy ideas, this is an incredible opportunity for the government to be transparent and include the people in their deliberation. A government run for the people must have an idea about what the citizens deem important, and this gives all Americans the opportunity to have the ear of the leadership of our country.

The Obama administration won the presidency in 2008 because of their ability to understand the internet and social media, and how to use these tools to speak to an audience larger than any public appearance. This is yet another example of that understanding.

As is almost always the case, the State of the Union shed light on an incredible number of issues that are important not only to the Obama administration, but the country as a whole. Everything from the education system, the middle class, and international politics were called center stage to the forefront of the mind of all Americans. As incredible as it is that television has allowed all of the American citizens to get into the room for this address, there is an issue with translating those powerful words into powerful action. This year, more so than any in recent memory, the government looks incapable of making the kind of changes that Obama calls for.

This is where Big Block of Cheese Day comes into play. The American public gets to put the important questions to the government and get answers about not simply beautifully written words, but the actual actions that will be taken to make them a reality. Through this one day of internet communication, the Obama administration has the opportunity to use social media tools to communicate with its constituency in ways never done before.

January 17th: A World Away

Friends and family alike, when I told them of my upcoming trip to Israel, wished me the same sentiment: “Be safe.” While the thought was based on caring and affection, I couldn’t help but be disconcerted. My trip was through Birthright, an opportunity for 18 to 26 year old Jews to go to the Holy Land to experience all of the magic of what the Jewish homeland had to offer. Falling off a beautiful mountain should have been the only real risk to my health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately that isn’t the picture in the minds of most Americans when thinking of Israel. The images of war, conflict, and hate are all-too prevalent. Israel is almost always the first two syllables, followed swiftly by “Palestinian Conflict.”

This was, though, not my first trip. I had been to Israel once before, although in a far less structured function. It was especially difficult to reconcile what I knew about Israel with what others knew, or at the very least claimed to know. I felt myself as conflicted as the land supposedly was.

It was on the very first day that this conflict was challenged outright. As part of our tour, we had the chance to go to an olive oil manufacturing plant, where they harvest the olives and produce a wide variety of products from the plants, from food oils to skin creams and more. The owner was there to greet us, and he did with a smile and a demeanor that didn’t seem unlike everyone’s favorite Jewish uncle.

He spoke for a few moments about the process of making his products and the idea behind his creation of the company. Quickly, though, he changed the subject.

“I’m sure you will find, in your travels in this beautiful land, that everyone you meet is nice to you, friendly, and helpful.” He said. He went on to say that these people were trying to show us the real Israel.

“You don’t make a 65 year investment in hate. We are making an investment into a land where we can be a people, where we can put down roots and grow. We make that investment in love. There is this belief that we wake up in the morning full of hate, grabbing our guns. You can’t survive like that. You don’t make an investment in hate. It would kill you.”

I was instantly struck by his words. I rolled them around in my head for the remainder of my ten day trip, and for the week since my return. He was absolutely right. Everywhere we went we found happy, helpful people who wanted to show us how incredible Israel is. The land is beautiful, and the people are as well.

We have such a skewed idea of what it means to go to and live in Israel. We paint a one-dimensional picture. Yet, that fails so wholly to appreciate the complexity of it. There isn’t a single person living in Israel who doesn’t know someone who has lost their life fighting for their country. Conflict and war definitely exists.  Our tour showed countless locations where battles, armaments, and the picture of war still very much stains the earth. But the land is also filled with craftsmen, painting over that beauty.

People greeted us with open arms, offering to teach us about their country and help us with the language barrier. We found kindness running through the streets, history rich with culture, and a modern society that just doesn’t look that different from any American city. In fact, there were a great many places I would rather be in Israel after dark than downtown Chicago.

These people are making a commitment to the land. They want to create homes, make businesses, and raise children to live in the land. They want all of the same things that Americans of all people should understand. The notion of winning freedom is an equally American concept, which is one of the reasons that I believe American-Israeli relations have always been so important. We, in the United States, though, can’t really honor our end of the friendship if we believe that Israel is a cruel, dangerous place. We need to understand our allies if we are to truly call them our friends.

Not once on my trip did I feel scared for my safety. I felt like, if my health were in jeopardy, I would have 7.9 million family members waiting to help.