Edition 7 - The Finale
This (Last) Week at Finn
My last week at Finn Partners was a mix of emotions. I continued many of the projects that I needed to finish before my internship was completed while also learning some new aspects of Finn itself. Finn Partners is primarily a Public Relations agency, which is different than an Advertising agency in 1 very particular fashion - advertising is paid media whereas PR is earned media. That being said, PR agencies reach out to journalists, tell them about how fantastic, interesting, or diverse their clients are, and hope to receive coverage in return. Whereas with advertising you pay a specific amount of money and you know that your ad will appear where you paid for it to appear. I had previously thought that Finn didn't do any advertising at all, however, after speaking to my supervisor about my particular interests post-graduation, she introduced me to a side of Finn that I didn’t know existed. Finn Partners is a full-service agency, and although they specialize in Public Relations, they will do anything for any client they take on. This is because Finn Partners truly cares for their clients and has a deep passion for positively impacting the world. My supervisor showed me the recent creations of ads for Equashield, one of our clients, and explained the process that they have to go through as a PR agency and who they work with to create these ads.
My last day at Finn Partners was a lot more emotional than I expected it to be. It was a typical day full of interesting work with a little ice cream party in the middle of the day! During this short break, my supervisor, handed me a certificate of internship completion and a Letter of Recommendation for me to use in the future. Many of the other employees went around and spoke about me, my work here, and what I have done for them. One of the account supervisors (on the non-profit side) spoke about how many interns have come into the office, completed the work they were given, and left. They didn't make a mark on the office, the people, or their work. However, I was an intern who did make a mark on each of those aspects of Finn. As I was saying my final goodbyes to my fellow employees, each one said that when I find myself in Israel again, I must visit the office and continue to be in touch with everyone.
Final Weekday Adventures
During my last Tuesday, two of my friends and I decided to attend the Jerusalem Wine Festival hosted at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. We purchased a ticket and received a wine glass. Then, we were able to walk up to different booths from various wineries to taste wines, breads, cheeses, and chocolates.
The Last Weekend (and some “illegal” trips)
During the Friday morning of my last weekend in Israel, I (and 4 others) decided to go to Bethlehem, a city in Area A of the West Bank. Although I was technically not allowed to visit Area A of the West Bank during my time in Israel (as our program insurance did not cover parts of Israel under the Palestinian Authority), a few of us decided that the chance to learn more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a viewpoint opposing everything we had previously heard was worth it. Another participant in our program set us up with a Palestinian man who was born and raised in Bethlehem. We took a private tour with him - he gave us his full attention, allowed us to ask questions, and was extremely open and honest with his answers.
Creating this opportunity for myself to listen to an opposing narrative, completely unfiltered, produced an obscene amount of confusion and many questions have yet to be answered. We spoke to our tour guide about his personal experiences with Israeli attacks in his home of Area A, his ideal solution, Palestinian refugees in Area A, and the wall amongst many other topics.
I don't have an answer to the conflict, and I'm still not sure if anyone does. However, I do believe that everyone has a truth to tell and even though every story is biased in some way, it is important to realize that everyone's story has truth to it, whether a tragedy or a celebration. The only way to continue to understand the complication that lies within the walls of Israel is to listen, ask questions, and never be content with an answer.
My weekend also included 1 final Shabbat potluck (with great company, of course) and some sad goodbyes - to the food and the people.
This journey has been educational, experiential, and powerful. I know I will take what I have learned over the course of this summer with me for years to come.