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Articles: Israel still a choice for semester abroad
Written by Elana Brownstein
Published in The Diamondback on 09/08/2006[see original]
See also
other letters to the editor and write-in responses
other articles published in The Diamondback
Having studied in Israel for a year before college as well as for a semester this past spring, I can say with confidence that going abroad to Israel is an incredibly valuable experience, war or no war. As I sat on my living room couch this summer with eyes glued to the news, I found myself cringing knowing that the news philosophy, "if it bleeds, it leads," was overwhelming broadcasts, in effect scaring people away from visiting Israel.
By and large, daily life in Israel goes on as normal. Yes, there is an element of fear, but it is hardly different from the fear I face in College Park. Just as I opt not to walk around certain areas of this town at particular times of day, there were a few places I was careful to avoid while abroad. And as far as risks go, according to John Mueller, a political science professor at Ohio State University, since the late 1960s, the number of Americans killed in terrorist attacks is "about the same as the number of Americans killed over the same period by lightning, accident-causing deer, or severe allergic reactions to peanuts." So, I guess we can give into terrorism and cancel our plans to go to Israel. But if we do that, we should probably stop driving our cars too, because who knows? There's always the chance we might get into an accident with a deer.
Elana Brownstein
Junior
Journalism