New Canadian reflects on his life

The month of May was exciting and eventful for 23-year-old Arash Ben-Shaul, president of the University of British Columbia's Israel Advocacy Committee (a pro-Israel student group affiliated with Hillel). Not only did he successfully complete his third year of studies in business administration with a 98 per cent average, he also finally received his prized Canadian citizenship.

Ben-Shaul was born to Jewish parents in Kabul, Afghanistan, but was cared for by Muslim friends of the family during his early years. Fighting between the Soviets and Americans prompted the family to migrate to a refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, but financial constraints forced them to place then seven-year-old Ben-Shaul in the camp's orphanage. He lived there for four years, at which time he was released from the facility since it did not have the means to care for children beyond that age. Ben-Shaul had to fend for himself in the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission on Refugees) tent-camp. Similar to many refugee camps, he was provided with only the basics – a tent and inadequate food rations.

Accordingly, Ben-Shaul's first priority was to work. As a young boy, he worked a multitude of jobs. He recalls that, as an 11-year-old carpet weaver, he was not allowed to yawn. Yawning is contagious and hinders production. He also remembers working in an Adidas factory outside the camp (a 45-minute walk). He was employed to assist in the production of soccer balls for the 1990 World Cup but, shortly after he was hired, the contract was cancelled. Western protests against child labor forced Adidas to turn elsewhere. Ben-Shaul reflected bitterly on this episode.

"Western protesters, well-intentioned as they may be, do not understand the reality of the economic structure in developing countries. Children in those countries work to support either themselves or their families. Whether they work for local industries or multi-national companies is irrelevant. Either way, they will work and at least foreign companies pay wages that are higher than the usual rate."

Ben-Shaul had to work to support himself, but he also realized that he could not forgo his education.

"I know that my education is my passport to success."

Throughout his teens, Ben-Shaul attended the Experimental School of the Sciences – an American-funded high school – from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and then worked from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m.

Although Ben-Shaul had initially intended to return to Afghanistan to continue his studies at the university in Kabul, he decided to pursue his dream of relocating to the United States. In the American-influenced camp, the United States was perceived as the "land of opportunity."

"I was always impressed by the idealism of the American dream which was promulgated by the American cultural centres," he said. The United States had a formidable presence in the region. It was the primary aid-giver in the camp and this fact was both recognized and appreciated by the people, despite some discontent with American foreign policy. Ben-Shaul recalls how, at that time, the Muslims were equally suspicious of the motivations of the "two Satans" – America and the former Soviet Union. Yet despite well-intentioned aid, cross-cultural understanding caused problems. Ben-Shaul chuckled as he recalls food rations.

"Once a month, everyone in the camp would wait in line to receive their food rations only to throw away much of the food. The Americans donated unfamiliar products such as peanut butter (the people could not get over its texture!) and canned goods. Canned tuna and salmon were thrown away because they were suspiciously pork-like."

Ben-Shaul was fascinated by western culture. Visits by Lady Diana and Zbigniew Brzenski to the camp are memorable events because of the excitement they generated.

"I was fascinated by the blonde woman walking around the camp," he said of the visit by Lady Diana. "I thought she was an aid worker. People told me she was the Queen of England, but I didn't know who the Queen of England was or even where England was."

American movies and television shows found favor with Ben-Shaul. Although he could not understand English, he enjoyed watching Full House, Perfect Strangers, Miami Vice and the like. However, it was western literature that had the greatest impact on the young adult. He loved to read translations of Victor Hugo and Mark Twain, but it was the writings of Americans such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Thomas Paine that really moved him.

In order to move to the United States, Ben-Shaul had to learn English. He taught himself English at USIS, the United States Information Services, a cultural centre that provided him with the tools (books, newspapers, CNN) to learn his fifth language (after Persian, Pashtun, Arabic and Urdu). Ben-Shaul learned English quickly. In about a year and a half, he had taught himself to read and write.

"If you are motivated, you are capable of almost anything. I immersed myself so deeply in the study of the English language that when I used to dream at night I would dream English words."

Ben-Shaul wrote the required university entrance exams and applied to a number of foreign universities.

As a Jew, the Taliban did not recognize Ben-Shaul as an Afghani citizen and would not provide him with the necessary documents to travel abroad. His Afghani identity card read "Nationality: Jewish." However, as a refugee in Pakistan, Ben-Shaul obtained travel documents through the UNHCR.

The World University Services of Canada (WUSC) provided the 19-year-old Ben-Shaul with a full scholarship to UBC and living expenses for his first year. He has been working and studying full-time since his second year.

Not surprisingly, it took Ben-Shaul time to adjust to life in Canada, but he recalled that his first two weeks were incredibly exciting – it was all about the introduction to new things. For example, WUSC provided him with his own room in residence at UBC – a room, not a tent. He also remembers how he hated the food when he first arrived. It was "insipid and bland." His first (long-awaited) meal at McDonald's was thoroughly disappointing. As alcohol is hard to come by in Muslim countries, his first taste of alcohol (a beer) was on the plane to Canada. He also experimented with his appearance. He pierced his ear and dyed his hair, but soon came to the conclusion that that was just not who he is.

Similarly, Ben-Shaul had to adjust to a new system of social norms. "Yes, there are laws in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but no one abides by or conforms to them. Over there, a crosswalk means nothing. Basically, you wait until there are no cars before you cross the street. When I arrived in Canada, I found it amusing to have five or six cars wait for me to cross the street. I also had to adjust to the concept of 'personal space' over here. Over there, high density necessitates that you interact with people in very close proximity. If you put distance between you and another person, they will interpret it to mean that there is something wrong with them – that there is a reason as to why you won't stand close to them. Here, people didn't understand why I would stand almost on top of them in conversation."

Ben-Shaul only began to explore his Jewish roots here in Canada. Soviet rule in Afghanistan did not allow for religious expression and Judaism hardly flourished under the Taliban. During the mid-1970s the Jewish community in Afghanistan numbered approximately 50,000. However, Jews started to migrate from Afghanistan to India, Israel and the west following the Yom Kippur War. Today, there are only two registered Jews in Afghanistan.

In Pakistan, Ben-Shaul never met another Jew since no one openly admits to being Jewish. Few people knew that he is Jewish. His official papers listed his last name as Ben-Shaul, but otherwise he used his adopted family's last name. He related, however, that when people did read his last name on his official papers they would ask him "Are you Hebrew?" But for all intents and purposes, Ben-Shaul has never experienced anti-Semitism.

Ben-Shaul never even thought of himself as Jewish. His Jewish identity only truly developed in Canada when he began to meet other Jewish students in residence. Ben-Shaul connected with other secular Jewish students who, like him, did not have strong Jewish identities. Many of these students were from the former Soviet Union. However, one day during his first year at UBC, he came across Hillel's Holocaust Awareness Week display in the Student Union Building. He stopped at the booth and spoke to a Jewish student who directed him to Hillel House. He wandered over, but was hesitant as to how he would be received. In effect, Ben-Shaul was an atheist. But the more time he spent at Hillel, meeting Jewish students and participating in Jewish programs and holidays, the more his identity began to flourish.

Ben-Shaul recently returned from his first visit to Israel. He travelled with 16 other young Vancouverites on Birthright's 10-day Independence Day trip to Israel. He describes the experience as "sublime." Not long ago it would have been difficult for him to imagine that the young boy who was required to learn the Koran at school and who dreamed of having a bike would one day take to the skies to learn firsthand the history of his people.

Alexis Pavlich is the director of Israel Affairs at Hillel Vancouver and a freelance writer.