Noemi Guttfreund de Segev: The Israeli Reality

Towards the end of the interview, I was very interested in learning more about Noemi's thoughts regarding the increasingly volatile conflict in the Middle East.

(How do you feel about the conflict here? There was a challenge for you in Salvador because obviously class issues were very difficult for you, that it was so in your face. How is living here?)

That is very difficult. (pause) It’s a difficult subject. Yes. I think one of my difficulties when I’m getting sad about is the sad truth that my son Itamar will go to the army in two years. And to tell you the truth, if something happens to him, I can’t justify it. I mean, my ideology is not to the point that I want to sacrifice my son. So it’s difficult. I mean, it’s my country, but I would prefer if he wouldn’t go to the army. But he wants to go to the army, and he wants to be a fighter. That’s part of the ideology of the school. I tried to encourage him to go into intelligence or something, where he can go sit in an office and won’t risk his life. But then again, you know, actually you risk your life more in the streets. I mean, they drive like mad here. There are more deaths per year—five hundred to six hundred people died a year here, and in the army much less. So if you start thinking rationally, statistically, there’s not that much of a danger.

It’s very difficult. I’ve watched Israel—I mean, Israel was much more of an ideal place thirty years ago, when I arrived.

I mean, I arrived in 1971, more than thirty years ago. And I don’t know how it will get solved, what will happen. I hope something happens that we can live peacefully next to the Palestinians so that we won’t suffer these consequences. On the other hand, I feel that the people here are very—a lot of them, or at least the ones I’m in contact with, I respect them tremendously. Very serious people, authentic people, very committed people, at least—I mean, I work with thirty therapists in a public mental health clinic, and I respect tremendously the work that’s been done. And I also work privately, so I’m exposed through my patients and my therapists. I find that in the arts, very serious work is being done, in music, in art, writing, and authors. Maybe because the place is in danger a lot, it also creates a lot of very interesting artistic people as well.

(Do you have a lot of contact with Palestinians in your life?)

Well, it’s been interesting in that I have to say two things. I feel guilty about not doing enough, you know? Politically. I mean, it fits me to do more than I do. One of the things that I wanted to do, I can’t do, because a friend of mine told me it would be dangerous, which is being where the, how do you call it? where the Palestinians pass, the borders.

(The gate, the wall, the checkpoints?)

It’s the—well, there are borders where they watch, where soldiers watch how they come in and out. So there are people overlooking that, so there’s a human way of treating the Palestinians when they come in or go out. That’s the type of job that I would love to do. A friend of mine does that, but she told me that she wouldn’t do that if she would have younger children that still need you, because sometimes it gets dangerous. This type of work I would like to do. I can go to demonstrations and all that, but I’m no longer such a believer of demonstrations. One good thing that I have been doing in the last two years is that I have Arab and Palestinian clients, not only at the public clinic but also privately. I charge them very little, very, very little. That for me is significant work.

It’s been a very rich life going through three different cultures, different countries. It’s a rich life here because, like I said, I encounter all these cultures that are part of me. That’s part of being in Israel that’s significant for me. Yeah, and each—I mean, Salvador, I love its culture. I love the music, the literature, the food, the language as well. My parents gave me a lot by being so active there in El Salvador. That’s why I think I’m so active here. I think that was very significant.

I’ve forgotten one very, very important part of my life, which is my husband Yoav, we’ve raised these two wonderful, beautiful Israeli children. My daughter Natalie is in the army teaching about tanks, (laughs) the techniques about shooting tanks. That was very strange for me. And the language that they speak about the army and, you know, the shooting techniques and all that is totally foreign to me, so it’s been an experience to be in that. She will be through in a few months. And I must say that I also see that the fact that I’m Salvadoran and also the European background and my mother living in Israel and relatives living in the United States, also that has influenced them. They’re very social people, very warm, very outgoing, sensitive. They’re very—they have their home. I like the fact that they really feel that they belong here. It’s something that I wanted for them, and I have that.

Transcription by Sandy Adler, Adler Enterprises LLC