my Zionist upbringing eventually crack wide open and ultimately turn to dust, .. something fundamental and impenetrable opened. The foundation was sup[posed to be strong, but instead it broke. Palestine ...is one of the most crowded places on earth because its population is literally sealed in by the Israelis . Sealed in, means simply to prevent things leaving. Here it suggests that the people in Palestine cannot leave. The fact that it is densl;y populated suggests either a lot in a small place or population growth. . "Sealed" generally just means that a partticular thing or type of thing is prevented from entering or exiting. A seal on food prevents germs in, or food out. A seal on a letter makes it such that you can tell if it has been opened. . To be sealed in, as in an ancient Eqyptian in a tomb, would effectively prevent anything entering or leaving.

The person in your story had a strong Zionist upbringing, which means that he was raised and educated to believe in the state of Israel and it's right to exist. Not only that, but a true "Zionist" would also believe that Israel had the right to defend their state by any methods. In other words, Israel was never to be criticized and it could do no wrong. Your profile says you are from Egypt, so of course you know all this already. This attitude about Israel is what "eventually cracked wide open and ultimately turned to dust". Your story goes on to say that this person took a trip to Gaza and this changed his perspective. Perhaps seeing the harsh living conditions of the Palestinians started to challenge the things he was told as a child and he began to have sympathy for them. He didn't like how they were forced to live on a tiny piece of land that they couldn't leave. They were "sealed in", like how food is sealed into a can. We usually believe the things we are taught when we are young without thinking about them very deeply. If I was to construct a metaphor I would say that it's like we have a sacred vessel inside of us and our parents and elders write down wisdom on little bits of paper and place them in the vessel and we carry this around with us. When we get older we sometimes learn that some of those bits of paper contain lies. This is a traumatic experience. It's like the vessel which carried this wisdom was cracked wide open and the contents all turned to dust. If a clay pot is cracked it means it has a broken line running up the side of it, but it is still shaped like a pot and you can't see inside. But if it is "cracked wide open" then it has fallen apart or split in half and no longer functions as a pot. The things this person was taught as a child had fallen apart and they no longer functioned as beliefs. His beliefs turned to dust.

For cracked wide open- image you are breaking an egg and instead of yolk inside, knowledge is inside. When you crack something open you are revealing something. Sealed in is almost the opposite. When something is locked in or prevented from leaving or exiting

yes

Not sure what you are asking. Are you asking for an explanation of what "crack wide open" and "sealed in" mean in this entry?