Charlie (CZ) and Brendan (BW): The Interview

CZ: What was your favorite thing we did today?

BW: My favorite thing we did today was woodworking. We volunteered at MOLET which is part of an organization that helps the children of asylum seekers from Africa who are living in South Tel Aviv. At MOLET we created planters to give to these families. It was cool to use recycled wood pallets and scrap wood to create something for the greater community.

CZ: Yeah, I thought that was a lot of fun too!

BW: I also really liked learning about and being immersed in South Tel Aviv and seeing the real-world struggles of the Neve Sha'anan community with immense hardships. In addition, it was cool to see the way gentrification and asylum seekers mix to create a community coming together through hardship.

CZ: I agree. The Central Bus Stop in South Tel Aviv was fascinating too. It seemed weird that the government was continuing to try to modernize that part of town, yet it ended up resulting in worse overcrowding conditions for the neighborhood.

BW: How did you feel about going to the Orchard of Abraham's Children preschool and meeting the owner Ihab?

CZ: I felt very empowered by the experience learning how Ihab’s perspective changed over time. When he was younger, he hated Jewish people and would yell and fight with Jews all the time. Then he met the love of his life Ora. Ora was a Jew, and this put him in a predicament. However, overtime he has been able to change his perspective and learn about all different types of people and beliefs. By figuring this out for himself he was able to inspire change in his family and community. From this he created the Orchard of Abraham's Children preschool which teaches children about life and learning hands-on skills. It also combines the desire for Jews and Arabs to live in a more peaceful world.

CZ: Did you enjoy the shuk?

BW: Yes, I enjoyed the shopping and the snacks that were in the shuk as well as the coffee. At one point, it started pouring rain and I got soaked! I would have to say easily the worst part of the day was the walk back from dinner. That was the worst flash flood I’ve ever seen in my life. The streets were basically a small river flowing into us!

CZ: That rain was horrendous. Although we enjoyed the most delicious dinner yet.

CZ: Other than that, It was a pretty good day and it was fun to walk around the market and immerse into the culture.

BW: It was overall a very great day and it was interesting to see the real-world struggles from asylum seekers and the effects it's had on South Tel Aviv and between people trying to have peace for their family and their country.

- Brendan and Charlie