This is where we went on Wednesday for our History of Modern Israel class field study.

Our first stop was at the campus and house that Cheim Weizmann built. Born in Russia, he became a brilliant man as he went on to Germany for school at a younger age and then England to teach. When he came to Eratz Israel and established the university of graduate and doctorate programs in science in the modern town of Rehavot, the modern town was not even established. The reason why he was able to build this campus with his own money was because of the patents he had in the science community. He was a man that knew the right people to be able to establish the Balfour Declaration. Even though many people helped establish this country I think Cheim does not get as much credit as he deserves. He was the one that knew the people in the British government who had the authority and power to be able to establish this state. It is true that many Jews did not like the British, but this was all their land so they were the ones that had the power to do with it as they pleased. Cheim was the one who was able to greatly influence this decision. He was in there at the right time, because Britain was not too particular to having a Jewish state before or after the Balfour Declaration. When Israel declared itself a state Britain did not recognize it until Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. I think that the people should have given him a more honorable position as Prime Minister.
We then went to David Ben Gurion’s house. He too was not born in Eratz Israel but in Poland. He was made to be a politician because he could not farm, fight, or be a doctor. It is disappointing that he was not able to finish law school, but he was able to do a much more prestige job of becoming the Prime Minister. Ben Gurion was also a brilliant man almost like Weizmann because of his ability to learn multiple languages.I am not sure if it is just that Ben Gurion knew the people more than Weizmann or if he knew politics better, but even without a major degree he became the first Prime Minister.
On our last stop we came to the tank museum and it was an experience that allowed us to be able to look in on the Israeli military and how they have functioned throughout the wars and how they have functioned in the losses they have had in personnel. I really enjoyed the Tower of Tears. It was sobering to see the holes where a projectile hit the tank and killed people and how those pieces were integrated into the piece of art as a whole. The rust that the water made seemed to me that it shows the effect of scarring that a death has and that war can have on people. It was a very unique piece of art that I think really represented that whole place.