Arrival to Tel Aviv

One of my last conversations in this lifetime with my mother was about the Boulder Nablus Sister City (BNCS) delegation trip. My mother was my first and best cheerleader. Supportive, strong, and sassy, I am the proud daughter of Deborah Fern Adams. The fruit does not fall far from the tree.

Taishya and her mother Deborah Adams Edwards, may she forever rest in peace.

Given the ongoing genocide in Gaza and continued expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, some mother’s may not have encouraged their daughter. Perhaps some would have mentioned the timing and consider waiting for more favorable conditions.

However, just like in the United States, at any given time, there is tragedy and triumph, love and laughter, terror and tyranny – depending on your lived and learned experience. My mother loves Jesus Christ and his teachings. She believed that these travels were destined. She encouraged me to be careful but to follow my intuition, to follow my dreams.

Unlike a traditional tourist vacation, this BNCS delegation trip included the BNCS board members that I knew as well as an opportunity to reconnect with Hatem (see previous post to learn about how I met Hatem). An opportunity to meet his family and to see for myself which textbooks and political speeches had failed to capture.

Though I had never been to West Asia before, I did have dear Jewish friends in NYC having gone to high school in Brooklyn. I also learned much about Orthodox Jewish people and culture from friends I met through the Japanese Government Sponsored Ship for World Youth who visited Tel Aviv frequently. One friend even made a connection with a Jewish Israeli for me to connect in person with later in the trip. Since my time as the liaison to the BNCS, I have also expanded my relationships with Muslim and Palestinian people who connected me with their family’s in the West Bank.

Yet, I could not forget the images, the fears, the look of concern of people’s faces when I told them where I was going and why. With the support of so many family, friends, colleagues, and liberation advocates, I pressed on.

One of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.

Register for the Public Preview in Boulder, CO on 12/20