Over the past two weeks, a social protest movement has grown exponentially across Israel. Facing a shortage of affordable housing and high living costs, many students and young Israelis have pitched tents in cities such as Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheva and Tel Aviv, along the pedestrian-populated Rothschild Boulevard. After talking to many Israelis, balancing living expenses and high rent with the available job salaries seems to be a widespread challenge amongst the younger generation. Especially for students, who have no good options for finding decent housing during college (most dorms are old and in disrepair, and can only accommodate about 6% of students). After huge organized protests on the last two Saturdays in Tel Aviv, growing to 100,000 this past Saturday, one challenge of the protests seems to be maintaining a coherent, unified message. Even before the tent protest began, Israeli doctors were threatening strikes due to poor government support leading to a lack of resources for doctors and conditions of extreme overwork and low pay.
It's been interesting being here during the protests and to hear what different Israelis think about the challenges the country is facing. I spent last Friday night on Rothschild in Tel Aviv. The attitude among the people camping out is very positive and welcoming. With widespread music and singing, one local described it as Israel's Woodstock. Protesters have been camping in a park across the street from my apartment, where well known Israeli artists have come to perform some nights. The mayor of Jerusalem came to speak here last week, to address some of the protesters concerns.
Here's some more info on the protests if you're interested: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/07/israel-one-tent-launches-israels-summer-of-discontent.html
I'm heading to Tel Aviv for the night and then Masada and the Dead Sea over the weekend, with Jim, Mary and Nick Hunter-Jones, who's coming to visit from Germany! Only two weeks left in Israel...
Update
For any Hebrew speakers, check out this animated infographic about Israel's economy in relation to the protests, made by a colleague at the science museum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs3x7fPkjTY
It's been interesting being here during the protests and to hear what different Israelis think about the challenges the country is facing. I spent last Friday night on Rothschild in Tel Aviv. The attitude among the people camping out is very positive and welcoming. With widespread music and singing, one local described it as Israel's Woodstock. Protesters have been camping in a park across the street from my apartment, where well known Israeli artists have come to perform some nights. The mayor of Jerusalem came to speak here last week, to address some of the protesters concerns.
Here's some more info on the protests if you're interested: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/07/israel-one-tent-launches-israels-summer-of-discontent.html
I'm heading to Tel Aviv for the night and then Masada and the Dead Sea over the weekend, with Jim, Mary and Nick Hunter-Jones, who's coming to visit from Germany! Only two weeks left in Israel...
Update
For any Hebrew speakers, check out this animated infographic about Israel's economy in relation to the protests, made by a colleague at the science museum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs3x7fPkjTY
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