Architecture

I found this article interesting because I architecture can play an important role in ones culture.   The style of your building can tell a lot about the person living inside.  During the Italian Renaissance there were two different political parties that often turned to using violence against each other.  They could tell who lived where by the brick pattern and the towers on their homes.  It makes sense to see this battle of architecture occur in Jerusalem especially since many Palestinians are afraid of losing their own culture.  This article does make me wonder what would happen if the situation was reversed?  What would the architecture look like if people of Israel were kick out of the homes and the Palestinians were able to return back to their homes?  It is a small detail, but I think that architecture and the changes in architecture do tell a lot about the feelings of the people living in them.

Three Questions:

1:  Have you received any backlash or cooperation from the Israeli side?

2:  Are you actively using any websites like facebook or tweeter and how do you utilize these sources?

3:  Is there any difference in the propaganda you send through your media compared to what is taught in the schools?

Walls and Graffiti

                I found these articles very interesting.  I believe Klein’s article about walls and borders was a good article to read after discussing the other kind of borders along sex orientation and gender.  Correlating to Klein’s article, it was interesting reading about the physical wall and barriers.  His description of the different kinds of walls made me look at certain barriers differently.  Also how walls can be in several categories and especially in Jerusalem, the same wall can mean different things for different people.  Walls may be for protection for Israel yet they are seen as an aggressive force for the Palestinians. 

                The graffiti on the walls demonstrates how the walls mean different things.  I loved this article and learning how people used this medium to speak out.  As Peteet said “Graffiti constituted a voice for those who felt voiceless in the international arena” (7).  It was a form of resistance that was not violent but could make their message reach many different people.  Peteet also mentioned how Palestinians relied on this form for similar reasons why stone throwing was common.  Graffiti is cheap and you do not need any technology or equipment besides yourself and a spray can, yet the effect can still be just as powerful.  At first I found it odd that Palestinians would rush out to erase or black out other graffiti.  I thought why not let the graffiti stay so it can reach more eyes?  Then as the situation was explained and how the Israeli Police would come and force them to erase the graffiti and fine them, I understood that the Palestinians would want to erase it on their own turf, and not erasing because they were told to.  Overall, I find the graffiti a great medium for the Palestinians to put their message on the walls and barriers that have conflicted their lives.  I know look at graffiti I see in Columbus much differently as well.

Items to Describe Me

1)       What other events or activities has the JOH sponsored other than the Jerusalem Pride Parade?

2)      Has the situation improved or gotten worse for the LGBT community in Jerusalem and if so, how?

3)      Has the JOH ever collaborated with the alqaws? Why or why not and do you think this could ever happen in the future?

The item that I spotted in my room is the Detroit Tigers baseball cap.  Baseball is considered the American pastime and whether you agree or disagree with that statement, there is something American about having a barbeque and playing a backyard game of baseball and softball. 

Baseball has been part of my life since ever I can remember; however, I stopped playing softball before high school.  My family loves this sport and my grandpa, dad, and older brother all played for a Division 1 college.  Growing up, I always had to be dragged to my brother’s baseball games and once he joined traveling teams, our family vacations were spent at baseball tournaments all over United States.  I learned to love the sport and the atmosphere of the games.  I still try to make it to as many minor and major league baseball games that I can during the summer.  I also chose this hat to represent me because it does show my connection to my family who has always played in important part in my life.

I also think my ipod is a good representative of who I am.  I think it is quite hard to define my personality by just a few items however, since my ipod contains music for all my different moods, I thought this would be a good fit.  There are a couple of Christian songs to show my faith, and then many playlists that are geared to running/exercise, also to dance to and just be goofy.  There are also several Disney songs because I am a child at heart. 

My final project will be a child’s story book that will convey a message of acceptance and tolerance.  I have looked at many things the Hands in Hands school has done and I have kept correspondence with someone who works for those schools in New York.  Malak and I will present our childrens book during Presentation week.

Amiry and Hasan-Rokem Articles

I thought one of the most moving moments was the excerpt about the ability for the dog to obtain a Jerusalem citizenship permit and how she seriously wanted her picture to be put on the passport, not the dog’s.  It was so easy for the dog to obtain the passport yet so hard for other people to be able to travel across the border.  Also, I was offended just as Amiry was when Dr. Hisham did not want to give Antar the anti-rabbies vaccine because she was a female dog.  The female dog is not worthy of the vaccine just as certain people are not deemed “worthy” or just cannot obtain a passport to cross the borders freely.

A small detail in “the Promised Gas Masks” also caught my attention.  The narrator was talking about how the Israelis always ordered the Palestinians to get into straight lines.  “ ‘No one will get their tasreekh unless you stand in a straight line.  No one will pass through the checkpoint unless you stand in a straight line…No one…unless…a straight line.’  Have you ever seen a natural straight line?” (90).  This struck me as a math major (and as any human being) that straight lines do not exist in nature.  In fact, one strategy used by pilots and satellites analysts is looking for straight lines to find manmade objects.  The reason I this excerpt struck me is because I think it is a very good analogy to this situation.  It is not natural for one group of human beings to have this type of control over other human beings. 

Questions:

1)      Do you think there is a difference in perspectives on this conflict between feminists and other males and females who do not deem themselves as feminists?

2)      With the excerpt about how Dr. Hisham questions whether he should give Antar the vaccine correspond to how women in general are viewed in this area?  Or, in other words, what was the point Amiry was trying to make in including this in her book?

3)      Where do you see this conflict going in the next 10 years?

Power of Music

This week I reviewed the websites for the Heartbeat Project and The Israeli Rap article on Israel’s National news webpage.  The Heartbeat Project reminded me a lot of Barenboim’s and Said’s orchestra.  This project brought together 12 different musicians from Palestine and Israel and tried to break down the barrier between them through music, just as the orchestra uses music.  What really struck me about this website is that the number of people involved is 25 yet according to their website, they have affected 10,000 people.  I was amazed at how few people could affect that many, yet it makes sense because everyone finds some type of joy in music.  Whether you are listening to someone else’s music or writing your own, music has the power to move people.   However, I did not find this website helpful in how they are affecting people.  How are they reaching these 10,000 people?  I was not able to watch any of the videos due to some technological issues (trying to get this fixed) so perhaps these videos showed some results.  However, I was not able to see the effects of their work.  The website explains their goals and why they are bringing these musicians together, yet it does not show any evidence of the aftermath.

I really enjoyed the article about Kosher Hip Hop.  One of the reasons I believe I enjoyed this article is because it almost made it relatable.  I do not know much about the stories in the Talmud or other practices of Judaism, however, I have grown up with many famous hip hop artists on the television.  Although this was never my favorite kind of music, I could easily see how other Jewish youth were attracted to this type of music.  I can easily see their claim that this music “invigorates Jewish youth”.  However, I would like to see the Palestinian equivalent.  Is there a Palestinian Hip Hop artist that invigorates youth as well?  This is what I think was missing from this article however, I think the only reason I believe this is because I am used to hearing from both sides at once, therefore, I was expecting to read about a Palestinian counterpart.

Response to Dr. Tamari's Articles

I found Mr. Tamari’s articles quite interesting and it opened my eyes to many other aspects of the situation, especially about the Arab Jews identity and the fact that not every Jew in Jerusalem and Palestine were supporters of the Zion movement.  I have previously assumed that all Jews in Jerusalem were Zion supporters, but now I realize that this may not be true.  Is there a good number of Jews that would rather not have the state of Israel and would rather go back to the Ottoman days were they shared their city?

I also found the cultural change after the fall of the Ottoman Empire very interesting.  I was slightly surprised at the impact this cultural change had on the situation then but once I really thought about it, the things that make us up as a person are based in our cultural foundations, so it became more clear to me that cultural changes can impact social and military actions. Also, culture is playing such an important part today since many Palestinians feel their culture is being destroyed. Again, this is the foundations of their lives and its being destroyed.   Again, because of this article, I was able to see different perspectives and I have a better understanding of how important culture is to the political spectrum.

For my final project, Malak and I want to incorporate our ideas of the lives of children in Jerusalem.  Everything I have researched thus far has inclined that children are taught to distrust the other side and this will only make prejudices become worse.  However, Hands in Hands schools are bilingual with Arab and Israeli teachers, even number of Israeli and Palestinian students in each classroom.  They focus on tolerance and Israelis and Palestinian children become best friends.  My idea for the final project is to make a children’s storybook that encourages tolerance and acceptance among children.  It would serve as propaganda, but not propaganda for fighting but for peace.  These children will be the future leaders so I believe if they have some experience with accepting the other side, it will lead to more tolerance down the road.  With more tolerance, maybe a peace agreement can be reached.

Questions for Mr. Tamari,

1.       How has the technological advances, such as internet and global broadcasts, affected the conflict?

2.       How much or how little do the people of Palestine want foreign aid and support and in what ways would they like to receive it?

3.       How have you seen the culture change in Ramallah since the construction of the wall?

Steps to a Solution

Tensions may be too intense right now to implement a successful solution.  But we can take steps to improve the situation and then a solution can be successful.  There needs to be a focus on improving tolerance and acceptance of the other side and I believe this should start with the children.

 If the Children living in Palestine and Israel are only told the stories of how the other people have done their people wrong, the conflict will never improve.  This only encourages the “Us vs Them” mentality that is why I think tolerance programs need to be emphasized in classrooms.  Hands in Hands are schools that focus on bilingual education and the school has an equal number of Arab and Israeli students with one Israel teacher and one Arab teacher.  Students learn side by side and play with one another.  Arabs have sleepovers at Israelis and vice versa.  This is a link goes to a Youtube video that explains the school’s setup:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seblkkKosXk

To the Isreali children, the Arabs are their friends with many similarities to them.  The same is felt by the Arab children.  Below is an excerpt of an article entitled Peace Studies: The Children of Israel:

Two members of the fourth-grade class, Yazid Ershed, the Arab boy, who asked about the drinks machines, and Aviv Pek, the Jewish girl, who asked about the library, have grown up together in the school having been at the kindergarden together. Discussing what the school means to them yesterday, they completed each other's sentences several times. "I like the school and I really like the teachers," says Aviv. "I have lots of Arab friends. One of my best friends is an Arab girl and, of course, she comes to my house."

The point is echoed by Yazid: "I have Jewish friends too," he says. "We go to each other's houses. We play football, we play with computers or we just talk."

My thinking is that if kids begin to see the enemy as people with feelings and many similarities, acceptance will increase.  The more people stop focusing on the differences and get to know people from the other side, I believe the focus will shift to how to deal with how to improve the situation.  According to the students at Hands in Hands:

Conscious that outside the school Jewish and Arab children remain segregated, Yazid says: "If they all went to school together there would be no war. They would live next to each other in peace and not fighting each other." What did their friends from segregated school think about them coming here? "When I tell them I go to a Jewish Arab school, they are very surprised," says Yazid. "They don't understand it." Aviv recalls: "A woman who is a neighbour started shouting at my father: 'Poor girl, what is she going to learn from the Arabs?' She doesn't understand that Arabs have a life, they are nice people and not the monsters of the city."

The students understand and know their friendships are not accepted but this does not stop Israelis and Arab children from becoming friends at this school.  These children will grow up with the memories of these friends they made at this school.  Even though their lives may end up going in separate directions, these children will still have the understanding the other side is not that much different.  Then maybe, they can take the steps to improve life in Jerusalem.