Israel in general and the Israeli-Arab conflict is one of the world’s biggest obsessions. On a daily basis, people die all over the world in places like Darfur. People like Joseph Kony get some seasonal attention in the media and a bit of a reaction from the American government. Israel, on the other hand, is consistently being looked at and criticized. It’s close to impossible to understand the world’s obsession with Israel when looking at the dry facts. People who grow up in America are not sure what exactly it is, but they know that something about Israel is important.

In history classes in the U.S., students learn about various events that happened in old Israel. Almost every American knows that Israel is the most important country to all monotheistic religions, but that still leaves the secular obsession with Israel in question.

I personally have the pleasure of looking at Israel from many different perspectives. I am an Israeli, European and American citizen. I spent most of my life in Jerusalem, Israel. I remember many incidents of friends and family getting hurt and dying in terrorist attacks, but I also recall feeling safe and going to the bars as if it were Madison.

As far as I could see, Israel was nothing special, just my country. When I moved to the U.S. in my junior year of high school, I started to really understand how sensitive Israel’s existence is. I remember once being asked if I rode a camel to school and being asked why Israeli soldiers rape Palestinian women. Of course both questions have nothing to do with reality. I proudly drove my mom’s Volvo to school and I also know that the Israeli Army holds itself to the highest moral standards possible. Over winter break I had the wonderful opportunity of touring Israel together with American college students. Seeing their reactions and observations made me finally understand the identity of my country.

When you land in Tel Aviv, you can observe a Manhattan-like city consisting of high rises and skyscrapers. Tel Aviv is one of the world’s biggest cultural centers; it was ranked No. 3 on Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities to live in for 2011. Tel Aviv offers an amazing club and bar scene as well as top-notch theaters, restaurants and highly maintained beaches.

In a 40-minute drive you can arrive at the capital city, Jerusalem, where one can enjoy not only a modern city but also the most interesting cultural focal points in the world. The old city of Jerusalem is occupied by religious Jews, Christians and Muslims who still to this day live around the Western Wall. They live equally and happily together while expressing their religious freedom. It is mind-blowing to walk around the market by the western wall and see the trade between all cultures. It is unbelievable to actually see some of those buildings described in the history books still maintained and occupied in our modern days.

Israel is only about the size of New Jersey. But unfortunately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unfortunately not yet close to a peaceful solution. But in a culture where one can get a little annoyed by how personal everyone is with one another, one always enjoys the sense of community and care around the country.

Although I have yet to fully understand the media and governmental obsession with Israel around the world, I can for sure understand the obsession with Israel on a personal level. A trip to Israel is for every person who considers himself a person of the world. Regardless of your religion and ethnicity, you should go to enjoy the amazing cultural phenomena.

Tomer Stein ([email protected]) is a freshman intending to major in philosophy, economics and Hebrew studies.