Everything that we have experienced thus far in Israel starts with a simple idea, in a simple place, and yet we learn that everything here has an intense complexity built into it because of the multitude of cultures, people, ethnicities, religions, food and water sources, and geopolitical interpretations.

We started our day in the Hula Valley, which originally existed in nature as a marsh, and was purposefully dried up (in part using non indigenous eucalyptus trees) to make the valley suitable for agricultural production. Now the "Hula Preserve," recognized as a national park, is a newly man-made wetlands that has been recreated to replicate what existed naturally decades ago. It took losing its natural habitat for the Israelis to realize the need to recreate it as a part of the ecosystem for the natural migration of birds from Europe to Africa -- making a simple place very complex.

A more extreme example of how complex apparently simple things are in Israel is the Golan Heights -- an annexed region bordering Syria. It illustrates some of the geopolitical, religious, and historical narratives Israel faces. One moment our cohort was sitting and having lunch, peacefully enjoying a full spread of salmon, sweet potato quiche, espresso, and other food along with beautiful views from the top of Mount Hermon. The next moment we heard the sounds of civil unrest and bombings in Syria, only 20 kilometers (12 miles) away. This was accentuated by the presence of UN observers at the top of Mount Bental, and the visual of IDF presence in the valley between the northeast base of the mountain and the cease fire line (not an actual border) between the two countries, established in 1974.

A final example of the simple complexity of our experience today was ending the day with a sunset cruise on the Sea of Galilee, the main water source for the entire state of Israel. The sea stems from the Dan spring and several rivers, many of which originate in the bordering countries of Lebanon and Syria. Water is a theme that ties together the complexity of the different conflicts between Israel and other countries, as it is key to human survival, and essential to the survival of the entire infrastructure of the country in an area that is primarily desert. The potential for this essential water source to be cut off by dams in neighboring countries and the continuous potential for conflict in, between, and from multiple neighboring nations, contributed to the existence of the cease fire agreement with Syria.

THIS BLOG WAS CO-AUTHORED BY AARON ZAFFRON AND ERIN McMAHON.

Feature image of the view from the Golan Heights, looking towards Syria, by Erin McMahon of the Silicon Valley JCC.