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!