Excerpt of the book 'fuck yes it't paradise'.
Israel is a conglomeration of opposites, where different religions, cultures and traditional and modern lifestyles exist simultaneously. These differences are openly expressed in everyday life, yet there are areas of great tension and disagreement that sometimes seem to crush the people. It’s a tiring, suffocating wheel that keeps turning and there seems to be no way to escape. At some point, I too, needed space to breathe. So, I got on the next bus.
It followed road 90, leaving Jerusalem and driving along the lowest point on earth. By chance, I left the bus and ended up in a hidden place at the Dead Sea. At this barren wasteland away from society I was allowed to meet people, united in the feeling of seeking freedom from rejection, heteronomy, and control. Living in tents they built up new lives at what they call ‘the beach’.
When I met Eli for the first time, he told me “This beach is the only place in Israel where I feel free. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you experienced, or what you believe in. You must treat everyone as a human being and respect each other. That’s what this place is all about. Fuck, yes it‘s paradise!”.
Their stories, their positive energy, and their unique connection to the nature made me understand that ‘paradise’ is not an image given by society. It is a state of mind you must find on your own!
