Final Paper: Class Critique

Rachel Sherman

Dr. Amy Horowitz

Living Jerusalem

April 30, 2013

                                  Living Jerusalem Reflection: Class Critique

            I enjoyed Living Jerusalem very much. It is unlike any course I have taken at Indiana University thus far, and probably any course I might take ever. The course made an honest effort to open students’ eyes in an unbiased way, which proves difficult as nearly all information regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict has some sort of bias or agenda. I know this isn’t the place to really discuss our feelings about how the course has impacted each of us personally (that’s what the blogs are for), but the format of the course and the structure definitely affected the dynamic and how I came to view the course as a whole and my opinions about the Arab-Israeli conflict that was shaped over the semester.

            Upon entering the class I really had no idea what to expect and this was typical of many other students within in the Living Jerusalem Project that I spoke to. The blogs were a great way to find a small entryway into fellow classmates’ minds about the material. I could relate to their insights, misconceptions, and confusions. I felt like some of the ideas that made me think the most were presented in the personal blog posts. I would have enjoyed reading and writing more of the personal blog posts because it allowed me to reevaluate my opinions and viewpoints and to see them next to those of my classmates’. The commentary on the blog posts had the possibility to be entirely personal and based on how each student interpreted the information. Most of the questions were open-ended, which encouraged students to take the prompts as they saw fit, but it often left me without a lot of direction and guidance. The reassuring aspect is that the class is truly an experiment where we were learning together and it was difficult to be “wrong” in a situation such as this.

            One major critique I would have would be about the class is the scheduling of speakers for each day. The speakers were individually intriguing and were very engaging in what they had to say in regards to their knowledge of the topics such as gay rights, music, social issues, political issues, and many others. The topics seemed to jump around from one to another it was difficult to often get a grasp on their perspectives fast enough, because we had just as quickly moved on to another issue, typically linked to the previous speaker, but still different enough to create confusion. In truth I think the only way to combat this is time, which we was always working against us. In the future, I would hope that the course is divided into more cohesive topics from week to week. It was interesting to see many different aspects of Jerusalem, but it made it difficult to become immersed in the specific issue we were discussing within the overarching cultural concept of Jerusalem.

            Another suggestion or critique I have about the style of the class would be to include a section about photographs and photography of/in Jerusalem. It was difficult to envision issues of specific spaces when we were not presented with physical photos. It made it difficult to connect to Jerusalem as a physical space and it prevented us from having a mental picture of the material. This was highlighted in the discussions regarding the settlements. The basic information was relatively accessible or relatable, especially about the basic human rights violations but it was entirely different when one of the final presentations showed photos of the crowded spaces and the uninhabitable conditions, often in extremely undesirable locations. If there had been a section specifically on photos or more photos included in the preface of each article, then it might have made the topics a bit more personal or relatable.

            The class structure is built for intimate discussions, but the large size of our class prevented in depth discussions in which students learned from another through intellectual debate and dialog. The structure of the class encourages students to speak among themselves in regards to the articles and speakers inside and outside of class. Living Jerusalem IU was extremely well attended, which is a testament to the class’ overall message and goal of allowing students to explore the Arab-Israeli conflict in a civil and productive manner. It became difficult, especially towards the end of the class, to discuss people’s blogs with them because they were able to hide behind their keyboards the entire semester. In the beginning, the blogs were personally terrifying because they were shared among the entire class. Students quickly realize that they only have a limited amount of time to read other blogs and have to become more selective in the ones that they choose to read. I would recommend that students would be assigned different blog posts to comment on. It would reinforce the practice of having students create blog posts on a biweekly basis and it would reinforce the practice of commenting on each other’s blogs. In such a large class, it would make the atmosphere more personal, which was challenging at times during such a large class. It was interesting to see how the blogs had the potential to be extremely personal, but each student had the opportunity to read or listen to the speakers.

            Another critique I have of the class is that we were not given the opportunity to discuss with Ohio State University about their experiences with the speakers and the materials. We were able to hear the same lectures, which gave students a fair basis, but we were unable to hear the discussions afterwards. This certainly gave students at IU and Ohio State a sense of privacy, but that sense of privacy was not present to begin with because we were asked to share our thoughts and opinions on our blogs. It would be interesting to record interactions between the Ohio State class and the IU class in terms of dynamics and their social and political views on the Arab-Israeli conflict after the speakers we encountered. In the future it might be beneficial to pair each student up with a student on each campus. This would open students up to new perspectives based on their backgrounds and general interest in the overall topic. The class is described as more of an experiment in the course description and like many experiments there are variables that can be altered in order to produce or change the outcome of that reaction.

            Another issue for me during the class was the final project. Although we were able to choose any topic we wanted for the project, the topics were almost too open and too broad. I think everyone would have benefitted from a rubric or something to indicate how we would have been graded, so we could have planned better and differently. The final project allowed each student to explore the topics we discussed during class in either a private or a public setting, or something entirely different. I liked the fact that they were all different and creative in terms of their levels of formality, but I had trouble associating a sense of finality within the class through the completion of my project.

            Some of my favorite moments in the class were during the section about Karen Armstrong’s history of Jerusalem. My biggest complaint with her book was that it read as overly emotional towards both sides in an effort to keep bias out of the equation. This is not to discount her book as an excellent introduction, because it truly was. For future classes I would be interested in looking at biased sources in order to compare them. This would allow students to evaluate the different histories in order to create one that made the most sense to them personally. By looking at openly biased sources and their versions of history, it would also allow students to identify biases within articles on their own.

            I also think that students should have been more informed about the impact they could and would have by participating in class. I think we were all encouraged to participate during class, but naturally some people responded more than others. I do not think that people realized that they could make a strong impact on the course through this participation. Conversations about the speakers, our projects, and blog comments could be molded or geared towards our class’ interests. I think more people may have participated if they could have realized that by just speaking, they would be able to shape the conversations into something that were more interested in.  

            Upon reading the course description for Living Jerusalem: Ethnography and Bridge Blogging in Disputed Territories, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I was drawn in by the word “Jerusalem” in the course title, as someone that loves Israel in general, especially Jerusalem, and the cross-counts for my majors (always an added bonus). I am taking 18 credit hours and was feeling very stressed about the sheer amount of work I received within the first few weeks of class. The blogging was very intimidating at first considering I had had no prior experience with it except for a few short angst-filled posts on Tumblr in 7^th grade (hardly academic or anything worth talking about). I commend Living Jerusalem as a class and as a concept for pushing students outside of their comfort zones in terms of an alternative format for a course.

            

Change In Opinion (Or Not)

When considering the class as a whole, it has covered a wide array of topics relating to Jerusalem from the Palestinian and Israeli perspectives. As a Jewish person within the conservative movement it was engrained in me to go to Israel and that it is without a doubt the Jewish homeland. I would nod along blindly and agree with what I was taught in Hebrew school and in my own home. I never thought to question why people feel this way or how I came to feel that way. Towards the end of my high school career I became more involved with my Judaism and took an active role in exploring the fundamentals of my Judaism through Torah. I never wanted to look into the political side of Jerusalem because I naively had this perfect image of Jerusalem. I didn't really have a personal opinion about Israel as a political power or Israeli society. I knew that I liked the idea of Israel, but that's where it started and ended. I had been to Israel through a Jewish organization and of course loved my time there Taking this class opened my eyes to the societal and political issues within Jerusalem today and others from the beginning of its history.

The first eye-opening experience occurred when we read Karen Armstrong's book. I didn't realize that I had put Jerusalem on this religious pedestal and never considered it as a city with conflicts, bloodshed, and less than glamorous moments. I knew about the history from Jewish studies classes but I had trouble placing them in context with my religious perspective of Jerusalem. I do think the two perspectives can exist side by side but I have struggled and continue to struggle with combining the two and deciding how I feel about the situation. I've also come to realize that it is necessary to remove religion from Israeli politics in order to make any sort of resolution or agreement. I still feel connected to Israel as a Jewish homeland but am unsure how I feel about sharing that homeland with others, who in their eyes, have just as much of a claim to the land as the Jewish people. Who am I to deny them of that belief?

Long story short: I can say that I do know a lot about Jerusalem and its history. My religious connection to Jerusalem exists along with my knowledge of both sides of the conflict. I tend to be an overly sympathetic person, which probably is connected to inability to deny someone of one of their deepest traditions: a home.

March 27th Post

My initial difficulties with the class was the blogging itself. I have never blogged in my life and had no intention of doing so until I joined this class. Admittedly, I was terrified of the format and sharing my opinions in such a public format and considered dropping the class. The lectures and topics we discussed kept me enrolled in the course, and I still have a lot of trouble with the format. I wish that I had more knowledge about blogging, especially about political issues that are potentially incendiary to someone of an opposing viewpoint. The fact the class is so large allowed me to find comfort in the fact that realistically, only a few people would read my posts, if any. I have not had a class at IU before where each person in the class has the ability to read each response or I produced. It was definitely caused me to triple and quadruple check every post I had in the very beginning to make sure my point was clear and maybe a little less opinionated than I had originally intended. 

Also, it was interesting to see the different styles people use for various posts, especially the personal reflections. I learned a lot from other class blogs about posting styles that are accessible to the reader. 

Things I'd like to write about for the class review:
1) Relating to topics: I wish we had covered less topics, but more in depth about each topic that we did cover. At times, it felt like we were forced to rush certain topics and were only presented with two or three articles about a subject. 
2) The class size: I found it difficult to really get into discussions with people about the topics because of the class size. Maybe a smaller class in the future?
3) Maybe having the class choose a topic and work on finding a speaker of their own to bring in. Just to change things up.

Questions for speaker about LGBTQ issues in Jerusalem

Question 1: Do Al-Qaws and JOH work together in order to make political progress in within Jerusalem's governmental policies regarding LGBTQ rights?

Question 2: How do LGBTQ rights within Tel Aviv differ from those in Jerusalem?

Week ?: LGBTQ issues in Jerusalem

Learning about a social issue was a great change of pace in comparison to some of the historical or political issues. The issue is still a political one, but less so than in the United States. I sympathized with difficulty the JOH had when they tried to get bills passed in order to receive acceptance from the government in order to fund their parade, but it wasn't exactly surprising to me. Jerusalem and the social and political image is forever tied to religion. Catholics, Muslims, and Jews alike have not necessarily been the most accepting of the LGBTQ community and their rights, especially in the strict orthodox settings. In one response by Maia on the JOH website she said that she wished they could have "...put the Torah aside and considered the realities of people and their desires." I found this to be really powerful because it shows the direct conflict between religion and a real modern issue within Jerusalem. This made me think about so many other social issues people deal with in Jerusalem such as laws of kashrut, intermarriage between Jewish sects, and others. At what point are lawmakers and politicians compromising the needs of Jerusalemites with those of religious the right? It is interesting to look at LGBTQ rights within Jerusalem today and how they have have not been at the forefront of legislature because they have been dealing with more immediate issues such as war. It is sad that people have had to put their rights aside in order to deal with more "pressing problems", but war affects many aspects of life: social, economic, political, and cultural.
"City of Borders" seems to discuss sexuality and LGBTQ rights as a meeting-point between Israelis and Palestinians with Jerusalem as the backdrop. Israelis and Palestinians are affected by the governmental stance on LGBTQ rights and the process of social acceptance. The laws may change, but social acceptance may take years upon years to exist within the minds of the public, if ever. People within the religious right will not accept the LGBTQ community because it is not discussed and many attempt to use scripture to justify this argument (which is often manipulated in order to further their personal agendas).

Reading Response #?: March 18th: Suad Amiry

Galit Hasan-Rokem's discussion of Jerusalem as a feminine entity brought the conflict into a new light. From Karen Armstrong's historical account of Jerusalem, we saw the number of times various groups attempted to seize Jerusalem and claim it as their own. How many times people today try to take city by force, and just like the treatment of a woman, specifically women in the Middle East, the situation requires more gentility and respect than ever. Jerusalem has been given feminine attributes since biblical times, but what Jerusalem as a woman of strength. Cities and countries of all kinds are often referred to with feminine adjectives and qualities. Hasan-Rokem removes some of the poetics surrounding Jerusalem as a city. It sort of reminded me of Issam Nassar's argument that people attempt to pigeonhole Jerusalem as a biblical city trapped in time. She reminds us that Jerusalem is a living entity just like any other.
It is was incredible to read a firsthand account of what it was like to be a Palestinian under lockdown. After reading so many dense articles about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is easy to lose the reality of the situation. These are real people with families, fears, and daily lives that are interrupted during each attack or threat on their homes. Regardless of the biases people may have or opinions regarding which side is "correct" or has a claim to the land, you cannot help but sympathize with Suad Amiry's fear and the fear of those around them. Reading about their removal from Nazareth and how easily the group on the bus joked about the "transfer". Her accounts about the bus and her experiences with her dog add a sense of humor to living in Ramallah as an area of dispute. Her descriptions make situations such as the attempt to distribute gas masks, while Palestinians were still technically under curfew and were not supposed to leave their homes, even more absurd than they already were.
The fact that her dog's papers allowed her to gain entry through a checkpoint had my jaw on the floor.  I understand the dog does not pose as much of a threat as a person, but it is nearly as innocent as the children that were unable to gain Jerusalem visas that she discussed. A dog. The visa meant absolutely nothing to the dog and it continued to be happy and playful as ever, completely unaffected by the situation. I found it incredible that the Palestinian veterinarian was so sexist towards a puppy. I realize that she was a symbol for sexism within the larger community, but it shows how deep the issue really runs.

Weblog 4: Music in my personal life

Music has always been an important part of my life since I was very young. Some of my earliest memories are sitting in front of the television singing along to Sesame Street and other shows. My elementary school stressed music as a way to learn about cultures, peoples, and languages and forever shaped the way I learn about the world. I was in choir throughout elementary school and was involved in 5 different choirs by my sophomore year of high school. I've always enjoyed listening to new bands and listening to things that are not on the radio. Like most people, middle school was an awkward time for me and I went through phases ranging from goth, a wannabe Avril Lavigne (see Sk8r boi), to outfits straight out of a J-Crew magazine. My taste in music changed in order to match those moods, but throughout all these different stages music was always there for me. I tutored kids for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs throughout high school and taught them Torah and Haftarah trope. Relating this outside knowledge of music with my Judaism was one of the greatest things I could have done for myself. As a result, I decided that I wanted to be a cantor and lead a congregation in something that I love as a future career. My focus has switched to more theoretical and philosophical topics within Judaism, but I've continued to study ethnomusicology throughout college. 

Music has been a constant throughout the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It acts as a way to console people throughout tough times and as a coping mechanism. As we say in the documentary "Channels of Rage", music acts a way for people to vent their frustrations and to listen to differing opinions about the situation. It acts a way for people to share information about the day to day situation and to listen to someone discuss problems similar to theirs without having to speak words of their own. Music is a huge part of culture and is inherent in both Judaism and Islam. Both religious practices and chants can and have been analyzed as music and have similar origins and sounds on a theoretical level. The West-Eastern Orchestra shows that music can be a meeting ground for people because it exists on the Israeli and Palestinian sides. Music can also reinforce stereotypes about each side, but people that hold these personal views would have them regardless of the music they listen to or not. They would be naturally drawn towards songs that have these views. I swear this rant without a true point will end, but what I mean by all of this is that each group has their own music. Each group is creating music of the same genres as well as different genres. It has acted as a unique outlet to vent about current issues and to spread them to people in order to speak to them, infuriate others, and to create a sense of unity on either end. 

Reading Response Week 9: The Musical Side of Things

Music and art often are places where artists can vent their frustrations in a "constructive" way. People use this term because it is better than an alternative, where people act open their pent up aggression or emotion. I found that Subliminal and DAM were venting their frustrations, but they are representative of a larger group of people and more frustrations.

The description on Channels of Rage is very interesting because it compares MC Tamer and Subliminal side by side in a very honest way. Seeing their lyrics side by side shows how passionate they both are about the conflict. Allowing the music to stand on its removes biases for the listener and viewer of the film. It allows each person to take away something different from the documentary, almost a like a choose your own adventure kind of situation (this is me projecting a bit as we haven't seen the documentary yet and I may want to retract this claim tomorrow). Combining the music and lyrics with historical background is a great way to evoke an emotion from someone regarding their personal feelings towards the conflict. I really look forward to seeing the documentary, as I think music is suc

I found interesting that in the article on the Global Post, DAM said "Rap is CNN for us, the Palestinian people...".  He is more than entitled to express his opinions, but if we are to take his quote literally, that Palestinian rap acts as a news source, you be reading news with extreme biases. If people are unable to get their information from other places then they would be receiving just one side of a specific issue. There is something comforting in listening to music from a perspective that you identify with and it acts as spoken poetry about deeper feelings. His comments were intentionally inflammatory and spread like wildfire, just as he had hoped. It seemed like a quick change of heart after he had performed with Jewish artists during the early days of his career. I believe that DAM has just as much of a right to say whatever he wants, but the comments are deeply rooted. Conflicts would still exist regardless of whether or not he adds fuel to it.

In Tablet Magazine's article about Subliminal it described about his journey to fame, more so than the Global Post's article about DAM. He became known for his interactions with the media and others first and his music second. Being recognized for his personality and size only added to people's interest in his music. He is truly the famous rapper in Israel and his repertoire spans more than just songs about the conflict, giving him legitimacy that many other Israel rappers have failed to achieve, especially internationally. He has had time to change many different aspects of his image throughout his career as it has had many personal ups and downs. The article was not solely based upon the political situation involved in Subliminal's music, which was a nice change of pace, similar to the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

The stories about Subliminal and DAM reminded me of the East Coast/West Coast battle between Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G in the 1990's, that resulted in violent deaths. Their messages targeted one another and the people closest to them, but they personally did not exhibit violent behavior towards one another. They didn't always discuss the conflict between them within their music, but when they did it was a brutal and violent outburst. Many people thought and still think that rap is related to hatred and negative sentiments towards society, a specific group, or any specific thing. Through the East Coast/West Coast battle each side blamed the other for various reasons. No one knows the true beginning of the battle, but it took on a life of it's own. What happens when the lyrics aren't just lyrics anymore, but they are plans of attack on a group of people? I know that there is a lot of censorship in regards to things said on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and maybe they can learn from other instances such as the East Coast/West Coast battle, which was minor and insignificant in comparison.

Feb 25th Reading Response: Art Within Conflict

One of my favorite things to document when traveling around a new city or country is the graffiti or street art. Graffiti is illegal in almost all cities and countries and therefore, there is a risk associated with making this sort of public statement. There is something about graffiti that is more honest than any other type of art you might see. It seems to be the art of the people and expresses a larger sentiment held by others in the specific area. Many people seem to think that graffiti is a way for artists to just "____ was here", and for one to downplay it to that level would be ignorant and entirely false. Not to say that all graffiti is profound or has deep intent behind it, but it is worthwhile to at least question the intention and what the artist or creator may have had in mind.

Julie Peteet's description of the virtually empty streets lined with angry graffiti gave me chills. Graffiti is such a powerful tool because it makes the strongest statement and can create chaos without every making a sound. I think Peteet's statement that Palestinian graffiti was used as a way to make a political statement to Israelis in order to demonstrate or regain an element of power. The graffiti itself is a non-violent act, but it represents something much deeper and angrier beneath the surface. The messages are strong ones, but they themselves do cause any physical pain, only psychological. In the case of the intifada, people graffitied stones, which served as weapons. The act of putting political statements onto the physical objects used for violence made the messages that much clearer. I had no idea that graffiti during the Intifada was taken down just as quickly as it was put up. The fact that someone would take the time and energy to display something personal which may be destroyed within a few minutes, shows the intention behind it. I understand why Israelis could think the graffiti would be potentially harmful, but constantly removing it only creates more friction. It is just another struggle between Israelis and Palestinians.

Peteet's point about censorship within most types of art really resonated with me. Graffiti during the Intifada was a resistance movement and strove to create the statement through civil disobedience. This is a public way to express anger and emotion without it being filtered through censors, which sometimes lasts for mere minutes before it is hidden. Graffiti helped fuel events of the Intifada, but it was just one way in which people contacted each other. It did act as a sort of bulletin or way to spread news. The graffiti addressed issues of gender and other struggles that existed long before the Intifada. It was just another way to get the messages across, in a format that was relevant.

In New York City this summer I stumbled upon my favorite graffiti to date. When reading these articles I could not help but think of this while walking around SoHo in early August. I don't know if it has been covered up since, but I sure hope it is still there.

And right next to it I found this: 

Parallels and Paradoxes Reading Response

The tribute to Edward Said by Daniel Barenboim was truly beautiful. After hearing from Miriam Said about her husband's works done during his lifetime as a professor, writer, and intellectual, I was excited to read more about Said.  It seemed like he truly did a little bit of everything, like many try to do in life, but he differs because he succeeded in works and was a true progressive. Barenboim and Said came from the same geographic location, but their ideas about the land and the conflict differed as Barenboim is Russian and Said in Jerusalem while under the British Mandate. As scholars, they were open to each other's ideas and within their various disciplines. This open-mindedness aided in their friendship and collaboration, and continue to make progress and allow people to address the conflict from a new perspective. Barenboim's tribute to Said expressed many sides of Said's work from a place of respect and admiration for a colleague and close friend.

Their partnership bridged much more than the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and this was definitely reflected in the Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra. The Barenboim-Said Foundation helps to create cultural meeting points for Israelis and Palestinians, so they are focused on the activity or ultimate task.   It seems like looking at the conflict from an entirely political stand point has not worked in the past. A change within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will have to come from a new angle, unless the situation changes dramatically within the near future.

Identity Group Project Outline

In the identity group we have decided to look at how three different expressions of identity and culture aid in creating peace. Our three focuses are music, sports, and children as the future generation. I will personally be focusing on music and how it acts as a cultural meeting point for Israelis and Palestinians. Our idea of switching from dress to music was inspired by Miriam Said's talk and the Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra. 

Our basic outline looks something like this:

1. Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra- how it helps to open peace talks and looking at different reactions to the orchestra, both Israeli and Palestinian. 

We would like to showcase the music throughout the slideshow as a way to both hear and read about their impact on the conflict.

2. A group called Heartbeat: Jerusalem that is a hip-hop group made  Israeli and Palestinian people.

2.5? Other examples of musical groups that combine both Israelis and Palestinians. It might be interesting to look at protest music and other points of divergence to serve as counterarguments.

3. Look at the structure of popular music coming out of the Middle East and the similarities and distances between them as a way to connect the divided groups.

4. Ultimately, the connection it has to sports and children and how they are important components of identity within Jerusalem and open new avenues for peace talks and opportunities to connect intellectually as opposed to situations that are entirely motivated by politics. Politics lie at the heart of the issue, but tackling the problem at full force is not necessarily the answer. It may be just as important for the two groups to engage each other relatively neutral concepts such as music or sports. This is what we are hoping to capture throughout our presentation on identity and how it contributes to peace.

Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra

Edward Said was a true progressive and reading about and hearing the orchestra gave me chills. Music is an international language and this truly captures this sentiment. It was interesting to hear from Tyme Khleifi in the Arts.21 video and how she did not feel that she had a lot of support within her own community because there weren't teachers. It made me wonder if her desires clashed with gender roles in the Palestinian community or if they are lacking music teachers and resources. The Barenboim-Said efforts bridge the gap between people on the Israeli and Palestinian sides in a way that seems to incorporate all the sentiment and emotion without discussing politics. They do stress that is not a "political organization", but reviewers have tried to politicize their efforts. It is difficult not to bring politics onto one's understanding of the Barenboim-Said foundation. 

The western-eastern divan orchestra lives in a space outside of the conflict and show that cultural activities are a good starting point for younger generations to come into contact with one anther on a relatively neutral ground. The fact that the project is funded by Spanish organizations shows their attempts to be neutral, but I wonder if Israeli and Palestinian organizations chose not to support them. Either way, it bolsters their political neutrality and reminds me of Grenada, Spain the 11th where people of all religious backgrounds came together through poetry, music, philosophy and other cultural expressions. When reading about the Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra, I couldn't help but place it in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Issam Nassar Response: Photographing The "Real" Jerusalem

Issam Nassar discussed an element of Jerusalem I had never really thought about. Photographers are paid to photograph a certain subject or place. At the end of the day, they are attempting to sell their work as best they can, as it is their livelihood. Jerusalem's image in the late 1800's was entirely based upon photographs... ones that did not include people? Reading that seems bizarre. After having been to Jerusalem it is silly to imagine the Old City without hundreds of people pushing and shoving in the background. The idea that people believed Jerusalem was a biblical city frozen in time is astounding. It shows that people buying art at that were interested in owning foreign or biblical pieces and were not concerned about the accuracy of what the images were representing. It's seems strange that people assumed that Jerusalem never progressed from the biblical times the photos "represented", but it must have been a nice/comforting idea that the places one can read about in the bible, actually existed and look the same way they did in the stories. It seemed like photographers were in on a big scheme in order to depict Jerusalem as a dead city that remained unchanged. It was unfair and it must have held Jerusalem back from progressing into modern times. Another question remains: Did people really care to know what Jerusalem actually looked like or were they too infatuated with the idea and representation of biblical Jerusalem?

It is incredible that the modern perception of Jerusalem is based off of a photographic tradition dating back more than 150 years. Jerusalem is so much more than just the city of the Bible. It's a living thing that changes and transforms just like any other city. After reading this article I went through and looked at some of my photos of Jerusalem and I can say that I am guilty of trying to portray the ancient side of Jerusalem. Of course, I am not a professional and couldn't tell everyone to get off the street because I, Rachel Sherman, was taking a photo of __insert holy site here____.

Webjournal Three: "Who In The World Am I?..."

In this webjournal I'll try to demonstrate a bit more about myself and why I am how I am.... Here goes. I'm an avid music listener of all kinds, so for each image/ description I'll post a song related to it.


I think a person's room or personal space of some kind says a lot about them. In my case, the first thing you see when you walk into the door of my room is this mezuzah:

Judaism has been a large part of my life for as long as I can remember. Before the age of 12, when I became a Bat Mitzvah, it was mostly on a cultural level. Events included but were not limited to: attending Friday night services at least once a month, Passover Seders with my kooky family, bringing in latkes and dreidels on Hanukkah to my middle school, and Hebrew school every Wednesday and Sunday. My Bat Mitzvah was a life-changing, embarrassing affair that affected my life on a deeper level I ever thought possible. It is because of that experience that I am a Jewish studies major and hope to continue onto rabbinical school. Cantor Eddie Roffman taught me the musical patterns (trope or cantillation) that correspond to the words of the Torah and Haftarah. I felt connected to traditions thousands of years old and to people around the world that I have never met. My Cantor Eddie showed me different trope patterns from around the world, but the language remains the same.



Song #1: Shabop Shalom, Jane by Devendra Banhart 

 My love of music probably came from my father and his side of the family. As a kid, I always asked my Dad why he listened to these funny guitar songs by this strange-looking little man named Bob Dylan. I told him that the guy couldn't sing and that he probably should go and listen to Britney Spears or Backstreet Boys instead..... Imagining "little me" saying that to my father makes me want to cringe as I now have this poster hanging above my bed: 

Song #2: Don't Think Twice, It's Alright by Bob Dylan 

This past summer I lived in Hoboken, NJ and could see the Freedom Tower from my pillow and the lights were so bright they kept me up at night throughout the month of July. I could be in Greenwich Village in 8 minutes and at lunch with a close friend in 15 minutes. I could also see the Empire State Building if I stuck my head out the window and craned my neck to the left (not recommended). I grew up in central New Jersey and would venture into New York about once a month to see a Broadway show, visit my oldest brother in Brooklyn, and to try some exotic new restaurant. Something about New York City always scared me, but I feel like I mastered NYC this past summer and would intentionally get lost in Brooklyn or SoHo and came across some of my favorite restaurants and shops. NYC forces me out of my comfort zone and I gained a sense of confidence during my nearly daily trips there.  I intend to go to rabbinical school in NYC and I cannot wait to go back. I have this poster near my bed to remind me of these moments and to keep myself motivated towards my goal.



Song #3: New York State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys 

Lastly, you can always find me in Starbucks or with a cup of coffee in my hand. My grandmother gave me my first cup of coffee when I was 8 years old and was having an asthma attack early in the morning. She convinced me that the coffee would make me feel better... okay, this isn't obviously wasn't true but I was 8 and looking for a way to stop my asthma attack. My father always grinds coffee beans at 5 am and I used to go downstairs to meet him and have coffee. He worked late and I wouldn't get to spend as much time with him as I liked, so these early morning chats were special. My father calls early morning "God's time". He always says that the world is quiet and hearing the birds chirp while the sun rises starts the day off right. I still start my day off very early even though I'm away from my parents and still start it off with a big cup of coffee. Coffee has been a constant in my life since I was 8 years old. I often wonder how I could function without it. It reminds me of family and so many great memories.

Here's a photo of my cup of coffee freshly brewed at 7:30 am:

One More Cup of Coffee by The White Stripes

The Last Few Chapters: Karen Armstrong

After finishing Karen Armstrong's historical novel I have so many questions and quite a few comments. She put herself into the personal experiences and emotions of the various religious groups she described throughout. This was helpful because there a countless number of takeovers, threats, destruction, and hatred from all sides that could have been expressed in a laundry list. I would go so far as to say that Jerusalem is a psychological history of Jerusalem. Armstrong takes a humanistic approach to a complicated story about Jerusalem, while coming from a place of religious understanding. I enjoyed the descriptive language she used throughout the novel, but it made me feel like I was bouncing back and forth from her perspective to ancient (or not so ancient as the novel ends ) times. 

I have expressed my frustrations that she basically refrains from endnotes or citations throughout the novel, but I'm retracting that statement. I do think that Armstrong wrote more than just a history. It does read like a novel and should be viewed as such. Calling the book a novel leaves room for Armstrong's personal opinion and she can give a depiction of the psychological climate or atmosphere. The endnotes may have made it seem like a textbook. I understand that people are going to have different perspectives on historical situations, but to me a textbook seems to imply something definitive or ideas that people have made general conclusions about. These ideas are so controversial that to propose a textbook about the history of Jerusalem seems laughable. Armstrong's maps and photos bolster her interpretation, but little is actually known about the events that "actually" occured. My response to that statement is: Her guess may be as good as anyone else's. She is a scholar and a former member of the clergy. The novel reads like someone that has been heavily involved in both aspects. Having a background in both areas gives her interpretation more credibility. Jerusalem's history is different than most because you cannot just look at the events as simply "group X overthrew group Y in battle Z". It is so much more than that. The religious component of it all brings in emotions and family ties, which are very sensitive subjects and to remove them would be unfair to the reader.

The main questions that remain for me: 

1. What the heck is Mount Sion? 

2. Does Karen Armstrong actually believe in the religious sentiments she proposes? She certainly sound like she does when she states that certain people felt types of emotions. Or, is it tactic to remove herself from situation by empathizing with every group?

3. If she had included more endnotes would we have read the novel as textbook? 

4. Is it possible for someone to 

Adding In Some Detail: Culture as a Constant through Conflict

For our initial group project we are looking into culture as a constant throughout the Israeli-Arab conflict. Culture in Jerusalem is a complex subject because of the subcultures and layers that developed over time and continue to develop. How do different cultural aspects link various groups across Jerusalem. I personally would like to look into religious dress and fashion within Jerusalem. I would like to do this by portraying a virtual "fashion show" displaying various examples of dress found in Jerusalem. I put "fashion show" in quotations because that sounds like a vain term, but I propose that these people would be walking in a neighborhood or area within Jerusalem. I would strive to depict  various groups that we choose in an accurate manner in order to depict one aspect of culture through dress. Dress separates and bonds religious and secular groups within Jerusalem, but our question is how. What is the overlap? How did these traditions come about? How does this separation or relationship relate to the conflict? Through this method of representation we would not be making a statement either positive or negative about the various types of dress, just representing them as they might be seen in Jerusalem. This would hopefully by absent of biases and we would connect the dots between the external appearances of various groups and the subcultures that exist. We would also explore how these perceptions and perspectives have religious implications (or lack there of).

Our next issue would address the future generations. This part is still a little fuzzy as we would have to create some sort of group conclusion after we have done our research, but I think we have a really good start!

Reading Response Chapters 11-13

This was probably the section I have been the most excited for being it was relatively unknown to me. Being a Jewish studies major, my classes have mainly focused on the origins of, you guessed it, Judaism. So here goes....

When reading Chapter 11, I felt like Armstrong used words to try and make the reader sympathize or root for early Islam. She portrayed the religion as an overly peaceful, idealistic religion, which was probably the case. Armstrong said that, "Originally Muhammad believed that the Jews and Christians belonged to the same faith. He was shocked to discover that they had quarreled about doctrinal matters that nobody could prove one way or the other" (220). Again, at one point did their values become so different than those of the Christians and Jews that they practiced an entirely different religion. Islam came about in a relatively hostile way and seemed to be the result of outside pressures from Jews and Christians because they did not have a "true prophet" or God had not appeared to Arabs in some way. They were described as the little kid in the sandbox getting teased by some of the older kids for something that was out of their control. I found it fascinating that the Islamic sacred geography was forced upon the people because Muhammad quickly realized that people need physical representations to pray to or relate to. It is not enough to have abstract concepts when virtually selling your new religion to a group of people already practicing a different religion.

It appears that Jerusalem may be in a state of harmony for once, but of course its just a lofty idea that lasts for the historical equivalent of about five minutes. Islam seemed to bond together Jews and Christians as the third Abrahamic faith. Ultimately some Muslims began to preach that Islam was the one true religion. How could there possibly be coexistence if one group claims they are better than the other? It goes back to Armstrong's quote stating how Muhammad could not understand how people could claim they belonged to different faiths. This altered the situation entirely. The Sufis reacted in the opposite manner and continued to practice in a way that Jews, Christians, and Muslims were still connected through Abraham and that was all that mattered. It is interesting that they are believed to be mystics, because it seemed to me that they kept true to Islam's original message and purpose. It doesn't seem overly spiritual or different to me. Similar to the beginning chapters, I had trouble focusing on the various arguments and destruction of ideas and physical structures expressed in this chapter. I really enjoyed seeing the interplay between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in these chapters. It is fascinating to see how they interacted on such a close level within one city when today they are very spread out and have little interaction even within Jerusalem.

The Crusades were again another blur of a chapter to me. The various attacks by the Catholic Church on Jews and later Muslims were appalling and brutal to say the least. In the beginning the attacks were based upon the desire to have sole control over Jerusalem. Although Crusaders were divided between wanting to restore Jerusalem to its original state and creating a new image of Jerusalem. These events demonstrate a bastardization of the peaceful ideas religions held at their conception. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme for these three chapters and for the greater part of history. Once a specific group believes that they are better than another or have an idea that is more "right" or "correct"the system falls apart. Groups have to assert these ideas in violent ways that end in atrocities on both sides.

I Should Be Sleeping....

I'm up at 9 AM on a Friday morning and don't have class until 12:30. What do I do? Go back to sleep? Clean my room? Do more homework? The answer is none of those. I'm reading Living Jerusalem blogs as some light reading material! I'm really getting into blogging and am far more comfortable expressing how I feel in this format. The other blogs have inspired me to write more about myself and to make it more personal. Not that I am that famous or that intriguing, but I guess it would be nice for someone reading my blog to know a bit about me and my perspective. In order to do so, I will list 4 fun facts about myself:

1. I have been to Jerusalem twice. It is truly a magical place and I would like to spend a period of 6 months in Israel.
2. I would also like to spend a chunk of time (by that I mean more than a solid month) in Barcelona, Florence, or Venice.
3. I'm trying to go on Semester at Sea in Spring 2014. Looking at the itinerary makes me drool and the "travel bug" that bit me when I was five years old starts bothering me again.
4. Writing about the Arab-Israeli conflict makes me nervous. I don't consider myself to be very knowledgeable about the subject and writing about it makes me sweat a little bit (actually sweat... too much sharing, I know). I'm trying to read about the history of the conflict on my own time and am asking various family members and friends who I consider to be well-versed in the subject.

This blogpost has been brought to you by: A large cup of Starbucks coffee (Starbucks did not actually endorse this post, although I wish that they did) and these 8tracks playlists:

http://8tracks.com/10togo/sof-shavua-ragua

http://8tracks.com/miramane/1323118

I found the first link when I typed in "Israel" on 8-tracks. I'm pretty sure all the songs are in Hebrew but if you have any suggestions of Arabic music, I'm always open to suggestions.

The second link was the first entry when I looked up the word "Arab" because "Palestine" didn't come up. Trying to be diplomatic in my musical motivation as well.

Happy listening!

Reading Response Chapters 8 - 10

In Armstrong's 8th chapter "Aelia Capitolina" she discussed the Roman destruction and takeover of Jerusalem. I find it virtually impossible to imagine that at one point, Jerusalem was littered with Roman statues, baths, and temples dedicated to gods and goddesses. The idea that the Temple must be destroyed and a new building would be placed in its stead shows a lack of cultural sensitivity. This seemed a bit odd to me because the Romans and Jews seemed to be in good communication with one another and lived rather peacefully until early Christendom evolved into something that had elements of its predecessor, Judaism, but was not an obvious offshoot or descendent. For example, according to Armstrong "Luke's favorite name for Christianity was 'the Way': the followers of Jesus are continual travelers, with no abiding city in this world." This idea reminds us of the Jews as wanderers, constantly in search of a homeland. It forced me to ask the question: Have Christians searched for a homeland in the past, and if so where? From my limited knowledge of the New Testament, the search for a homeland does not seem to be a major focus. This changes into Chapter 10, after Christ's tomb is discovered, but  It seems to be one major deviation from the Judaism, where they are constantly looking towards Jerusalem to have a religious base. Also, the dispersion and modern prevalence of Christians around the world may have impacted the way priests thought and continue to think about one central location.

Continuing into Chapters 9 and 10, Christianity religion seems to be based upon the Gospel or the actual words themselves, physical location or site. When Christ's tomb was found at Mount Golgotha, it
proposed just the opposite. The idea that people described Christ's tomb is a fascinating one and all the myths and legends surrounding its origin are fascinating. It is a shame that people did not document what the stone looked like before it was incorporated into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I think Armstrong is correct when she describes the Christian reaction to Christ's tomb because may be looking for that religious experience, but to have a tangible object or site furthers that experience. Armstrong also continues to put herself in the shoes of the people she writes about. I do believe that she tries extremely hard to be unbiased in accounts but she lists "facts" about Christ's life or what the apostles thought without footnotes or any other indication of her sources. It would be nice to know if these thoughts were taken from the Bible, works by modern day Biblical scholars, or other types of extrabiblical writings. Also, I wish there were more written accounts or reactions the findings at Christ's tomb. Eusebius' account is valuable but it has already been established that he was a skeptic and he may have been overwhelmed by the things he saw or experienced at the time. It is still a valuable resource, but I had trouble when Armstrong used his perspective in order to bolster her arguments.

One thing that particularly resonated with from Chapter 9 to Chapter 10 was the idea that Christians viewed the Jewish expulsion and their ultimate takeover of the city as a necessity for the betterment of their religion. Dissension of any kind would have provided challenges for Christianity in its early stages and into its early development. I think it is interesting that during the time period and today many groups think it is necessary to destroy or remove their competition by brute force or any means necessary in order to better their cause. Eventually the Jews were invited back to Jerusalem, but only after the Christians had a strong hold over the area. It was interesting that Armstrong used Egeria's perspective regarding her experiences in Jerusalem while on her pilgrimage. It is interesting that women's opinions regarding religious experiences were valued during that time period. The female voice in Judaism was stifled and few writings are valued or discussed. This source may be one that Armstrong personally values more so than other scholars may value it, but I appreciate it regardless of the motivation. The notion of sacred geography makes another important appearance in this chapter as physical locations and objects come to the forefront of Christian practices. The medieval map in full color is wonderful because it allowed me to understand the way in which Christians viewed other places in the world, and how little they mattered to them.

The exile out of Jerusalem forced Jews to band together and to become more dependent upon the liturgy and adaptations of modern practices such as the alter and allowing certain traditions to occur in the home or in a smaller group of people as opposed to the temple. I found it fascinating to personally trace the origins of some of the practices such as a minyan and why Torah must be studied in a larger group. I think it would fascinating to look at the implications of this exile on religious practices in modern day Jewry. Maybe a possible paper topic for me? We shall see...

Weblog Assignment 2: Struggling for Answers

Throughout Living Jerusalem thus far we have had to read articles from a variety of perspectives. These diverse perspectives allows us to understand the components of Jerusalem that are important to Palestinians and Israelis, not just Jerusalem as a whole. These components differ from person to person, just as Jerusalem's history varies from scholar to scholar and is highly disputed. These biases and strong opinions make it impossible to look at Jerusalem in a holistic way, especially in regards to peace talks or treaties, but as part of this assignment I will attempt to the do the impossible: discuss a possible peace treaty or solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict.

I was really moved by the attempts to bring Jerusalem to the National Mall for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. It seemed like a great starting point for peace talks, even though the intent was to represent Jerusalem in the divided state is it now. This sounds awkward, but would there be a way to bring Jerusalem to Jerusalem in the same way they attempted to bring it the US? Using the ethnographic research like that of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival allowed researchers to come to a larger consensus about the things that are the most bothersome or important to people in regards to identity, culture, religion, etc. I'm not looking for a watered-down image of Jerusalem in the least, but an image that reflects the type of ethnographic research that is valued in order to get a sense of city, country, or continent. One possible start would be to bring cartographers together to discuss possible maps for Jerusalem as whole. These maps would obviously vary and opinions would clash, but creating one map or multiple maps that indicate changes in borders/boundaries overtime would at least put the Arabs and Israelis onto the same project. Then Arab and Israeli leaders would come and discuss with the cartographers the hard boundaries which they believe could not be changed (the answer would probably be all of them, but for this project please bear with me). This would create an honest list of the boundaries that cannot be physically moved and would overlap or impede on what each side would believe to be their space. Unless each side would be willing to compromise, than this idea is extremely idealistic (which it is) and virtually useless. It may actually make people more angry, but I won't discuss that because it will tear down my whole argument and that's clearly not the point.... 

For starters, I googled maps of Jerusalem. This may seem like a basic thing to do but it seems like  decent place to start. Interestingly, almost the first full page of listings are for maps of the old city. 

Google Jerusalem Maps

I feel like the other parts of the city are even more important than the Old City, because realistically most people do not live there. The emphasis needs to be placed upon the living places and less about the religious sites. Asking people to ignore their religious backgrounds and religious centers is cruel and  a bit strange when discussing Jerusalem but it would give a different perspective on peace talks. 

This a crazy lofty goal, I'm aware, but I guess this would be a good starting point? Using various timelines such as ones featured in Karen Armstrong's book and Mick Dumper's article would be valuable. They provide insights and thoughts that people are reading and using in order to understand the conflict and the borders and would be great starting points. This map idea would force researchers to at least compile the information and have it side by side. It would be miles and miles long, and would take years but there isn't a quick fix. I certainly don't have any of the answers and this may be an idea that has been thought of, tabled, and rejected.

In a way I tried to channel Karen Armstrong, where provides numerous maps that have changed over a period of years and presents them all. Conclusion: Facts are subjective

Reading Response: Chapter's 5-7 in Jerusalem

Armstrong gives a comprehensive history of Jerusalem, while adding comments about her personal experiences with religion. For example, in her first chapter "Zion" she says, "In fact, the goal of the religious quest has always been an experience, not a message. We want to feel truly alive and to fulfill the potential of our humanity, living in such a way that we are in tune with the deeper currents of existence" (Armstrong 8). In this statement, Armstrong assumes the a great about people's beliefs. She assumes that each person is looking for an encounter, which elevates them or connects them to their religion, which may be true for some people but not all. The idea that believers strive to connect to a higher power or are open to experiences with a higher power are presumptuous. This may be true for some practitioners but this seems like a difficult concept to apply to all practitioners. I find it interesting that Armstrong's views on Christianity are paired with elements of Israel's history in order to bolster her views, when they seem to detract from her specific arguments as they come across as more general. This constantly takes the reader from a single issue, such as the layout of Jerusalem at certain point, as Armstrong eloquently places maps throughout the chapters, to these larger sweeping statements about religion. 

In Armstrong's Jerusalem, she puts herself in the shoes of each group of people she discusses, such as Jews in the Babylonian exile, making the history more personal for the reader. This sets her representation of Jerusalem's history apart from most other histories. This is helpful because it allows her once again include her personal opinions about religion as a whole. It is a dense book and provides a nice breather or momentary pause until the reader is thrown into ancient Jerusalem at breakneck speed. In comparison to other histories we have read, Armstrong is more upfront about her agenda. She claims that she wants to remain unbiased, but this is almost impossible. She provides a lot of information and invests herself in each of her claims. For example, she discusses the brutality of the Babylonian exile for the average Jew and their struggles to retain their personal beliefs and practices, and in the Hellenistic period. The book is balanced because she does her best to fully describe each event in the simplest terms necessary, while still creating elegant sentences. Jerusalem's early history is tumultuous with rulers and conquerers destroying and building constantly and she expresses each moment in history with the same care. When she puts herself in the time she is writing about it allows her to express each transformation as they would have seen it.

When I continued to read Karen Armstrong's book after taking a brief break in between chapters, I was bothered by her lack of sourcing throughout the book. I have no doubt that she uses legitimate and reputable sources, but the fact that she did not include more footnotes or references fails to back up her claims. Her information is a combination of multiple sources, as a scholarly work should , but it is hard to trace her thought process when we do not know where the information came from. I believe the book is balance and does a good job of expressing many sides of Jerusalem's history as it is a highly debated topic. Armstrong ends the introduction with a strong disclaimer that she is not trying to predict Jerusalem's future. Her agenda is different than most because she is not trying to change the future by her representation of the past. I have read about Jerusalem's early history in Jewish Studies classes here at IU and through my early Hebrew school education. These accounts seem to gloss over many issues such as polytheism in the first temple and the number of people that veered away from Jewish traditions in favor of Hellenistic ones. 

Reading Response 2: Chapter's 1-4 of Jerusalem by Karen Armstrong

Karen Armstrong's book attempts to give an unbiased opinion of Jerusalem by approaching its history from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim perspectives. She chooses to focus on the events related to the physical space that Jerusalem now occupies and the concept of Jerusalem throughout its creation. Many authors and historians of Jerusalem choose to trace the Christian, Muslim, or Jewish influence on Jerusalem and trace its influence or mark they have left on modern day Jerusalem.

Armstrong's historical account of Jerusalem shines when she discusses the concept of "sacred geography." This is an crucial idea about Jerusalem because many people that are apathetic to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not understand why people have fought for thousands of years over an arid, inhospitable piece of land. Jerusalem is has become much more than the physical space or holy sites related to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The idea of Jerusalem and the idealistic qualities that accompany the "city of peace" stand even though Jerusalem faces many problems modern cities face such as overcrowding, economic struggles, and cultural differences.

Armstrong gives insight into the beginnings of the Israelite people and where the group might have come from. They may have been a small group of Hittites, a Semitic people living near Canaan. After closer examination it seems that the Israelites absorbed many of their religious practices and gods and says that the Israelites may have been a group of Hittites that broke away from the larger group. In the time of King David, Jerusalem became a Jewish center because of signs give to court prophets, but also because it was a good political strategy in terms of location. It was also beneficial because David wanted his reputation attached to the permanent home of the Ark of the Covenant. David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and people believed that it came to be there because God allowed it, only at David's hand.

Armstrong does a good job of presenting Jerusalem's history in terms of the city itself and the physical space, as opposed to a religious point of view. Any historical account of Jerusalem will be biased in someone's point of view, but I believe that by representing Christianity, Judaism, and Islam's perception of their "sacred geography".

Webjournal Journal Assignment 1

Going into Living Jerusalem, I had no idea of what to expect. Reading the syllabus and hearing from Dr. Horowitz about the blog format of the class was daunting and intimidating. Blogging is something entirely foreign to me and the thought of multiple people reading what I write and how I feel about a controversial issue makes me cringe, but I know that I will be better for confronting this fear of mine. The class will hopefully make all me and the students in the class more sensitive to opposing viewpoints. It should hopefully teach us how to respond to articles and other blogposts online, which is becoming a very popular format for scholarly articles and other journals and are taken seriously within academic communities. As I have a lot of schooling ahead of me, I will attempt to use my blog and the comments I post in order to add alternative viewpoints and disagree if I feel it is necessary. 

The first readings about bringing Jerusalem to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival surprised me because when I first heard the idea about representing Jerusalem in a realistic and unbiased manner I immediately shut it down. Jerusalem is a complex city with subcultures that overlap and diverge in nearly every way in order to make Jerusalem. After reading the articles and the passion each researcher had about the subject, I wanted the project to work even though I had been warned about the outcome. Lack of funding seemed like a poor excuse for canceling the project and slightly unrealistic, but a donor might have backed out due to personal biases and opinions. The festival was to occur at a precarious time for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, but realistically they could blame the cancellation of such a project attempted today on the same situation. There is never a perfect time to talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and it may have been easier for the United States to avoid the issue all together, but why start the project at all? I was frustrated to say the least because the project sounded like an idealistic one, but I was interested to see and hear about the specifics about what people think defines Jerusalemite culture. 

Project Idea: Religious Dress and Fashion in Jerusalem

My idea for the large project at the end of the semester involves fashion and religious dress in Jerusalem. Dress in Jerusalem speaks volumes about a person's religious beliefs (or lack there of), what community they are part of, various holidays and festivals, gender, levels of observance, and status within the community. As part of the project I would like to look at religious texts regarding fashion and compare them to modern interpretations of them as seen in Jerusalem. I am very interested in the Palestinian dress within Western Jerusalem as I have personally witnessed many different types of dress while in Jerusalem, other parts of Israel, and in various areas of the world.

I am drawn to this topic because of two experiences I have had, one in Israel and one in New York. I'll save my experience about religious dress in Jerusalem for a later post, because I think it deserves a full post of its, as I have a lot to say about the matter. My NY story:
Growing up in New Jersey I spent a lot of time in New York, one the world's fashion capitals. One of my favorite parts of New York City is the Diamond District because of the various types of religious dress one would see when walking through that area and of course, all the shiny things in the windows. I was intrigued by the men in long black coats and fur hats speaking in Yiddish to their friends and in English to a customer all in the same breath. I'll never forget the angry stares I received as I passed glatt kosher restaurants on Broadway in my strapless summer dress. After that experience I wanted to fully understand the laws of dress and the way they function within modern society, especially because Tel Aviv is another fashion capital.

My other interest is religious music and how it is preserved or altered in order to create or keep it sacred. For example, in Jerusalem the call to prayer is blasted from top of the minaret is a recorded track. Does the call to prayer lack authenticity? How has modern technology and music collaboration on the internet changed the music that has come out of Jerusalem?  Just some thoughts about this one...

Reading Response 2

The articles for this week's readings were packed full of history.The timelines were dizzying at best and are disputed according to different scholars even within the Palestinian or Israeli opinions. In Mick Dumper's article he calls the conflict the "Arab-Israeli conflict". Is there a difference between use of the word Arab or Palestinian in context? The two have different Wikipedia pages (not necessarily a good indicator). Are the two entirely different issues that I am ignorant to?

Mick Dumper delves into Jerusalem's history at remarkable speed. The articles we read for week one seemed to ignore the political involvements within Jerusalem's history. Dumper claims that the Palestinians and Israelis do not have relationships with one another within Jerusalem. He believes that Jerusalem is an Israeli city with some Palestinians mixed into the area. I do not think he specified East Jerusalem or West Jerusalem, which would have been an important distinction to make. I did not realize that Muslims originally faced Jerusalem when praying until Muhammad changed it to Mecca. This is just one example of the deeply rooted history Christians, Muslims, and Jews have to Jerusalem. It is this religious connection and the religious history that often overshadows the historical evidence. Each side naturally has biases but they seem to overwhelm these interpretations of history. As the Palestinians and Israelis are divided it makes sense that their knowledge or information about a certain topic, especially their origins, would differ. In Rashid Khalidi's article he mentions that some Palestinians believe they are descendants of the Amorites, Canaanites, Jebusites, and Philistines. In the Hebrew Bible, these peoples were sworn enemies of the Jewish people. The issue suddenly switches from a political one to a religious one.

The Israeli perspective on Jerusalem's history is just as tangled and tumultuous as the Palestinian perspective about Jerusalem's history. There was also a surprising amount of overlap between the two, but as these are scholarly articles I would expect these articles would have an agenda, but would have to have the fact to back up such claims. Reba Rubin captures the sentiment that Jerusalem is a holy city to Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike. There are countless rebellions and power shifted hands numerous times, but the religious sentiments have remained the same throughout time. Political and religious beliefs have become intertwined, making it impossible to separate the two at times. The claim to land on both sides makes it a heated issue and turns discussions into arguments. This relates to the issues surrounding the Smithsonian Folklife festival. For people with different interpretations of a city's history it seems improbable that the two could share the same space. I realize the intention of the festival was to focus on the everyday occurrences but these issues lie at the heart of the matter and should have been addressed in some way.