Oh goodie, a class trip to the West Bank

It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep. I'm not sure what woke me up in the first place but once I woke up I remembered that my son Ari is on a class trip Hevron and I couldn't go back to sleep.

This is definitely the kind of thing that couldn't happen in Canada. Where in all of Canada, from sea to sea, could you go on a class trip that would freak a parent out enough that they couldn't sleep?

For those of you who don't know, Hevron, besides being the largest city in the West Bank, is one of Judasims holy cities (along with Jerusalem, Sfat, and Tiberias). It was the place, according to the Old Testament, where Abraham bought the land (actually a cave) in which to bury his dead wife Sarah. Ironically, this is actually the root of the problem because Islam and Christianity also see Abraham as their original forefather.

Today, Hevron has a much more colourful place in Jewish history -- it is the home of approximately 166,000 Arabs and about 700 very determined and committed Jews. To say that it is not the most welcoming place for Jews is one of the country's ultimate understatements. Not only is it unfriendly, it is often downright dangerous.

So, now you are probably wondering what my son is doing there. (Well, for my Israeli readers, you aren't wondering at all. You know why he is there because many if not all of your children have been there as well.)

There are a few times during the Jewish year that Hevron factors into Jewish life in a more high profile way than otherwise. One of those times is the week that the Torah parshat (chapter) discusses when Abraham bought the cave. It's the only land transaction specifically mentioned in the Old Testament and for thousands of years, it has reinforced Jews' belief in their ownership of that land. (Needless to say, the Arabs don't see it that way.)

Tonight is also one of "those times" as Askenazi Jews (Jews of European descent) start to say special prayers in the week leading up to Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. Other Jews say the same prayers, but their time frames are a little different.

And that is why my 14-year-old son is with his class and his rabbis in Hevron. It is an important, religious time and this is an important religious statement.

Of course, that's the simple part of the equation.

The more complex side is how I feel as a parent to let my son go to a less-than-welcoming place for Jews in the middle of the night with his school. Many of you are probably laughing now because you have long since put this internal debate to rest. I am new to this and I have not.

On the one hand are the questions: Why should a Jew NOT go to such an important place in his or her own country? Why should a Jew be fearful in a place of such historical importance that was bought outright by Abraham and therefore, the property of the Jews? And on the other hand there are the concerns for safety (despite the large IDF presence there) in an area that has, since 1997, been designated as part of the Palestinian Authority. Not all of Hevron is part of the PA, but a big piece of it is. In 2008, all of the remaining Jews were evicted. They didn't go, but that's another story.

There are supporters and detractors for each side of the debate -- inside Israel as well as outside. Hevron is definitely one of the most contentious and emotionally charged parts of Israel. One of the IDF soldiers killed there is the past six years was Hevron Brigade Commander, Colonel Dror Weinberg, who was home having dinner with his wife and six children when he got a call that there was an Arab ambush of Jewish settlers there. He left his dinner and headed to Hevron to do his job. He never came home. I didn't know him but he was my good friend's brother-in-law. His death was devastating on many levels for many people.

All this aside, Jews live in Hevron and many Jews visit the city regularly, albeit, frequently under heavy IDF protection. I am not going to tell my son that he cannot go to such an important place. And I am definitely not going to tell him that he should be afraid.

Instead, I am going to sit up for the rest of the night worrying and praying that he will be okay. And knowing full well that this is his first trip there without his parents, but definitely not his last.

The Great Passover Rice Dilemma

At the most fundamental level, there are mainly two types of Jews -- ethnically speaking. I had to say "ethnically" otherwise all the smart asses out there might start with comments like: "yeah, good and bad", "religious and secular" or "what, only two groups!!!???"

"Ethnic" is the key word here. I mean that Jews either have North African roots or Eastern European roots. But before I get to the point of my posting, I have to add the caveat that now there appear to be Jews from India, Ethiopia, Greece and maybe even China. I don't know if they fit into either of these categories. BUT THAT IS NEITHER HERE NOR THERE -- I JUST DIDN'T WANT ANY NASTY EMAILS SAYING THAT I LEFT THEM ALL OUT.

The point is that the Sephardic Jews of North African descent are very different in some fundamental ways to the Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe. They pray differently. They have different customs. And most important, the only difference that matters to me right now, they eat differently. The Sephardic Jews can eat rice and legumes during Passover and the Askenazi Jews cannot. It sounds so simple when you state it like that, but in fact, it is anything but simple.

When we lived in Canada this was pretty much a non-issue because most of the Passover food products were tailor-made to the needs of the Askenazi Jewish majority and Sephardic Jews just added to that list on their own.

However, I don't live in Canada. In Israel the majority of Jews are Sephardic and therefore, the food manufacturers focus on their needs. I don't blame them, I would also. In other words, while the Sephardic Jews barely alter their eating habits during Passover, we, the Askenazi minority, might as well be re-enacting the Exodus from Egypt.

On one hand you could argue that its only for eight days so really what is the issue? On the other hand, and this is the hand I subscribe to, there is really only one ethnic origin of all Jews!!!!!! All it takes is a quick read of the Torah, The Five Books of Moses. And if you are too lazy to do that, you can google it on Wikipedia and get the answer in about two minutes.

All Jews come from the Land of Israel -- excluding the converts who joined late. That is the whole point of the Torah. God was looking for a group of people to accept His laws. He meets Abraham and that starts the ball rolling. Then, Moses clenches the deal when he takes the willing Israelites out of Egypt (see the Prince of Egypt from Disney if you don't like reading). Of course, only 20% were actually willing so right there the Israelites suffered their first and very large mass assimilation. The 80% were out of the picture.

The remaining 20% included about 600,000 men (they were not counting women and children at the dawn of recorded history). And when Moses went to the top of Mt. Sinai and received the Ten Commandments, the deal was done. Trust me, there were no other Jews getting separate instructions elsewhere!

It wasn't our fault that life got difficult again after Sinai. The Jews had lots of ups and downs which resulted in them ultimately being thrown out of the Land of Israel for more than a thousand years.

So my theory is that since we all have the same origins, and we were forced out of our land by our enemies, as opposed to by our own free will, then there is only one ethnic origin of the Jews and we should all have the same laws for what we can eat during Passover.

I am not alone in thinking this. But there isn't a rabbi for miles around in any direction who is willing to take up the fight. It would be career suicide. But at this time of year, when we should all be focusing on how great it was that we were freed and we became a people, we Askenazi in Israel are just too busy being upset with our pending food situation.