Rats do not exist in Israel. Neither do squirrels, mice, or any variety of dumb birds. This is because way back in the history of Israel, someone brought over one too many tom cats. Fast forward to the present, and you will find that in every dumpster, alleyway, and even in trees 1+ cats is/are somewhere nearby. They're even treated like pigeons- everyone hates them, but no one does anything about them. I have also learned that, just as women who live in close proximity to each other become close biologically (you know what I mean), so do the cats. I came back from Jerusalem to find that every single cat in Israel is in heat this week.
That's right people, If you didn't catch that subtle slip in the last paragraph, I spent this weekend in Jerusalem! Actually, I spent my Saturday evening wandering the streets of the old city...Lost...desparately trying to get outside of the walled city before sundown. After walking through the walled city for about an hour and a half, through many alleys (everywhere I go, there seems to be an alley)and past many vendors speaking Hebrew, Arabic, or English, depending on what quarter of the city I was lost in at the time, and how American he thought I was.
I was mostly spoken to in English. I managed to survive, and made it out of the city with 2 Rosaries I tried to haggle down a shekel or two, as well as one pastry fuller. I thought it was baklava, but turned out to be some other pastry with goo filled in it. Whatever it was, it was 2 shekels and kept me full the whole night. All in all I walked about 2 hours extra than everyone else who decided to stay in the market for a little bit longer, and while I was never scared for my safety, my childhood fear of getting locked in a building resurfaced at the age of 21.
I've learned here that there is no escaping religion and politics. Even at the concert I went to, the lights on stage had Stars of David. I guess I knew this before I came, but experiencing it is much different. Maybe it's my own bias, but Tel Aviv is more than just any other NYU abroad site. I'm living the politics now, not just taking an Argentine tango class (Sorry, Bri). At the Holocaust museum and Har Herzl (Memorial Mountain), and the Military Cemetery I felt both like an Israeli, and yet so removed. Our tour guide, who we had for the whole weekend kept addressing the politics of Israel with "we" and "our" and I felt alienated. One thing he said at the Holocaust museum that sent me into a silent rage was "We will never forget. We will never forget". Please don't tell me who I can and cannot forgive, and let me have my christian practice of forgiveness. I realize this may stir a bit of controversy, but Israel is NOT about being politically correct. Ever.
The Barrier wall made my heart sink, but what I'm going to take most from my trip was a Feminist Orthodox Shabbat service I went to Friday night. The prayers, and service, all in Hebrew, was beautiful and uplifting and was a needed juxtaposition of the suffering I had seen at the museum earlier that day.
Oh, and here's a video of what We heard while walking through an Arab section of Jerusalem. It's the Muslim's call to prayer.
Hey Melly!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and I am super jealous of you in Israel :( I want to come visit so bad!
Just a point of clarification: The "we will never forget" thing is a mantra repeated to pretty much every Jewish child from the time they enter Hebrew School. It's not about forgiveness, it's about not forgetting history so that we never make the same mistakes again. That's why many Jews are so passionate about the genocide in Darfur, because it has become a big part of our culture to prevent genocide wherever we see it so as not to repeat the horrors of the Holocaust. Forgiveness is also an important part of Judaism, but forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean forgetting as well (despite the common "forgive and forget" adage).
That's all. Talk soon and I miss you!
yay! i'm glad someone is reading this thing.
ReplyDeleteI understand never wanting to forget it, because if we forget it (and even if we remember it) we are doomed to repeat it. Especially after going through Yad Vashem I have a deep appreciation for the perserverience of human kind and I totally understand where you're coming from, but what I had a problem with was that there was no separation between the two. I believe you can forgive without forgetting, but I was told, YOU cannot forget AND YOU cannot forgive. That's what left me unsettled.
Emmmm. Actually I'm NOT taking a Tango class. Mmm-kay? Hahaha
ReplyDeleteBut seriously though, I think that's something we take for granted in the US. In developing nations, the politics are so personal, intense, and powerful. While we sit arguing about conservative v liberal, people are fighting to protect what they believe is their's and honor the memory of loved ones perished. I'm moving to the country where Peronism is still prevalent, and las madres still gather at el Plazo de Mayo every week.
Just don't get all Jewy on me okay? Remember- You're an Arab at heart. : )