I'm excited to say that I got into Masa's Leadership Summit! From March 18-22nd, I will be with about 100 other students in a hotel in Jerusalem. On the second day, each of us has to give a presentation on the topic of our choosing. I will lecture on effective communication as a means of conflict prevention and resolution. My goal is to turn it into an hour long workshop that I will give to Debate for Peace students, as well as in other high schools I have connected with throughout Israel. Please find the PowerPoint below and let me know what you think. Last week, I tried to explain Halloween to a taxi driver. Knocking on strangers' doors and eating their candy sounds strange when you didn't grow up with it. The topic came up when I asked the taxi driver the history of Purim, the Israeli version of Halloween. Purim is a Jewish holiday, celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of the Hebrew month, Adar. It stems from a story in the Book of Esther that takes place in the 4th Century BCE when Ancient Persia ruled over the land that is currently Israel. After the king's anti-semite prime minister ordered all Jews to be executed, Esther and Mordechai, two central characters in the Tanakh and Old Testament, convinced the king to let the Jews fight back. The 14th represents the day in which the Jews defeated their enemies and the 15th is when they rested and celebrated. This year, the 14th and 15th of Adar fell on February 28th and March 1st. Despite its religious underpinnings, today it is celebrated just like Halloween (minus the candy), only the dressing up and partying lasts all week. Starting on Sunday, Tel Avivians wore elaborate costumes out and about. And my favorite: mustard, a chef, and ketchup. With their little dog, a hamburger. People dressed up as everything - from Wonder Woman to Adam & Eve to ice cream. I was so impressed by the intricate costumes and makeup. One that stood out was a woman who somehow attached a zipper to her face. It looked like this. (Photo courtesy of https://www.designtrends.com/fashion/makeup-designs/zipper-face.html) People celebrate Purim in many different ways. Yesterday, there was a street party in the Ben Yehuda/Rothchild area where some of my friends bought all-you-can-drink passes to bars. Others went to Synagogue, while others went to the beach since it was such a nice day. I was also invited to an Indian curry lunch to celebrate Purim. Celebrating lasts all hours of the day and night. Some of my friends partied at Purim-themed nightclubs (e.g., superhero night) and others went to Jerusalem's Shuk where many people gathered late into the evening. I celebrated by going to a street party today, which was hosted by Tel Aviv Municipality. They had a stage with a DJ. There were thousands of people there, each person with an interesting costume. I enjoyed seeing how similarly Americans and Israelis celebrate. At the street party, I felt like I could have been back home at the local fair. However, Israelis outdo Americans when it comes to costumes. Some of my Israeli friends had 3 different costumes to wear to different events. In all, I find Purim to be a more intense version of Halloween. Its religious roots and significant meaning make its celebration important to most Israelis. Whether you choose to recognize the holiday by getting drunk or praying, there is something to do for everyone in Tel Aviv. Last week I had a truly unique experience here in Israel. I've known that my grandmother lived in Jerusalem, but I never met her. All of her children were estranged from her, including my mother. I knew very little about her aside from her name, Bryna, and that she sent me a birthday card all the way from Israel when I turned 10. Before going on Birthright in 2017, I asked one of my cousins if he ever thought about reaching out. He's about 5 years older than me and did meet Bryna at least once that I know of: at my parents' wedding. My cousin said he would never reach out to our grandmother because he respected his mother's decision to keep them apart. I decided that my cousin was right. Our mothers had kept us from Bryna for a reason and I trusted their judgment. It wasn't until I returned to Israel later that year for graduate school that I considered making contact. I've always been curious about meeting Bryna, but I didn't want to hurt my mom or my aunt by disobeying their wishes. However, by December, I realized that my grandmother was getting older and, if I kept waiting, I might not get the chance to see her alive. First, I tried to find a Facebook page or some kind of contact information online. No luck. My second and final attempt was to message the only cousin I knew who might have access to Bryna's contact information. She encouraged me not to go down this path, but said she would ask around. I never heard from her again. On January 19th, my mom sent me an email titled "Mom is dead." She had heard from her aunt who found out from a cousin who learned from another cousin (who I would later meet). I felt disappointed, but what were the odds that only a month after I started looking for Bryna, she would pass away? In some cosmic way, this is how it was meant to be. However, I had no less curiosity about her. I told my mom that I wanted to go to her funeral. As an expert at Facebook sleuthing, my mom found the notice. There was some general information and then an email address of her "dearest friend." This is what my email to her said: "Hello, My name is Miranda Franklin-Wall and I am Bryna Franklin's granddaughter. I am hoping to go to her memorial service and would love more details on the time and location. Thank you. Best, Miranda" I received a very warm response and an offer to meet before the memorial service. As I did not have the time to go to Jerusalem, my grandmother's friend offered to meet me in Tel Aviv. I was nervous. This encounter would mean I was officially opening a door that would be difficult to shut again, not just for me, but also for my mom and my aunt. I also had no idea what Bryna's life was like here. Did she embody the sordid characteristics that my mom had described? Was her friend like that too? We met at a cafe and, to my surprise, Bryna's friend painted her as a saint. She had been a positive presence in everyone's lives. She was always writing letters of encouragement to people, especially on their birthdays. She gave what little money she had to her friends who needed it. The list went on and on. I left the meeting feeling confused. I believed my mom's account of Bryna, so was it possible that moving to Israel had been a redemptive experience for her? My grandmother's friend had brought up reconciliation with Bryna and her children. Apparently shortly before she passed, her friend had encouraged her to reach out to her children. Bryna refused to because it went against their wishes. She did, however, write a letter addressed to her children and grandchildren, which her friend provided me with. It asked for forgiveness, but the language led me to believe it wasn't sincere. On the day of the memorial service, I met the only family Bryna had still been in touch with, a cousin who lives in Jerusalem. We bonded over our shared facial features and this crazy family we are a part of. I instantly liked her. She described Bryna for me. She was tall, poised, and had dark red hair like me before she went grey. While she was always a positive light in my cousin's presence, she also knew a little about my grandmother's dishonorable past. I was grateful to be able to get a more balanced image of Bryna from her. Before the memorial service, we went to Bryna's apartment. It was a studio in government subsidized housing. I was shocked to see that it was only a couple blocks from an overlook I had been to less than 3 weeks before my grandmother had passed. The apartment was eclectic. Bryna had spent many years in China and it was a mix between Chinese, American, and Israeli cultures. Bryna also saved many little momentos and trinkets. My grandmother's honorary daughter was at the apartment. She and my cousin were very nice and kept asking if I wanted anything. That was the strangest part. Here was the home of a woman who was, by blood, my grandmother. But by definition, she had not been my grandmother or even a mother to my mom. What was I supposed to do with her trinkets? I didn't feel like I had the right to take anything from her. I did take pictures though, anything to do with my mom or my aunt. Bryna's memorial service was held at Yakar, a synagogue in Jerusalem. There were about 140 people at the memorial service, but I was one of maybe three who knew about her past. People who shared stories about her described how she advocated for forgetting about the past and focusing on the present and the future. After my grandmother first moved to Israel, she even refused to tell people her last name. When people asked for her name, she would say, "Bryna, just Bryna." That was when I realized that reconciliation would have never been possible between Bryna and her children. She didn't want to deal with the past because it was too painful, but her children would have needed acknowledgement of it. My grandmother was only able to be a positive influence in the lives of people she had not hurt in her darker days. I started crying. I cried throughout her entire funeral. Here I am studying conflict resolution and I realized that my own family's conflict was unsolvable.
Maybe for cases like this or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which wounds are too deep, it takes a generation to symbolically bring the two sides together. I certainly see evidence of this in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The current generation of teenagers in Israel is one of the first in decades to have not lived through serious violence. An organization I intern for, Debate for Peace, unites Israeli-Jew, Israeli-Arab, and Palestinian teenagers through Model UN. The Israeli-Jew participants tell stories of how their parents would not let them go to conferences held in Arab villages. The parents thought they would be killed. However, the persuasive kids would talk their parents into letting them go and, after going to a couple of conferences, the parents no longer feared Arab towns (it is important to note that the majority of Arab parents did not reciprocate the fear of their children going to Jewish towns). The difference between generations is vast. The previous generation experienced trauma first-hand and, while their children know the trauma and violence occurred, they are emotionally removed from it. These are the kinds of people capable of reconciling. Similarly, in my situation it is too late for Bryna and her children to reconcile, but perhaps I can in a way. First, I can maintain a relationship with my cousin in Jerusalem and her kids. I would be forging a bridge between my side of the family and the side of the family that knew Bryna well, but is also emotionally removed from the conflict. Second, going to Bryna's memorial service was a conciliatory gesture. Wherever her spirit is, perhaps she knows I went. I feel grateful that I opened this door and have gotten to learn about her. I feel even more grateful that my mom and aunt have been so gracious and understanding of my curiosity. My grandmother: a fascinating woman with a lot of dark and a lot of light. She seemed to step into the light in Israel where she called home. RIP Bryna It took a bit longer than expected, but here is my guide on traveling to Jordan from Israel. The information is based on my experiences in Jordan on a 5-day trip over Christmas to Wadi Rum, Petra, and Amman, in which me and my friend, Anna, booked everything ourselves. In addition, a friend visited me from the states last week and decided to go on a 1-day trip to Petra with a tour group. I will pull from her encounter as well. The hope is that, when you book your trip to Jordan, you feel better prepared. Booking a Tour Guide What we did: Anna and I decided to go sans guide because we could go at our own pace. It also enabled us to immerse ourselves into the culture. For instance, we stayed with locals instead of hotels and took municipal buses. Speaking with Jordanians, I realized how cheap transportation is for locals, whereas they hike up the prices for tourists. For example, when riding from Wadi Rum to Petra, we paid 10 JD ($15), while our host in Petra said for locals it costs 2 JD ($3). Taking a local bus in Amman was one of my favorite experiences because I didn’t feel like a tourist and it only cost about 50 cents. Traveling by ourselves also made the trip cheaper. A comparable trip with Abraham Tours for 3 days in Jordan would cost about $600 (including the visa and border crossings). Our trip for 5 days cost $414 per person. What you should do: Despite the life-changing cultural experience, the next time I travel to an Arab country, I will go with a guide, or at least a male friend. As two women traveling alone, I felt very out of place. Everywhere we went, we were stared at by men. One morning in Amman, I went for a walk alone and put on a head scarf to see if I would get less attention. I got the same amount of stares. In Wadi Rum and Petra, cars would regularly honk at us; while we came to understand that in Jordan this is often a way of asking if you need a ride or saying hello, it made me feel uncomfortable because in my culture, men honking at you is an aggressive act. My experience would have been much different if I were traveling with a man. In Petra, Anna and I ran into a man from our program and we spent half a day with him. That was one of the only times I didn’t get stared at. We had been walking around the town outside of Petra, Wadi Musa. We sat down at a restaurant for dinner and had a great time eating and laughing for hours. After our friend left, Anna and I stuck around to use the restrooms and the wifi. I remember I could feel the shift when I finally stood up to leave. The other guests were all men and turned around to focus on us. I don’t even think the intent was malicious. The men stare because it is strange to see women not accompanied by men in Jordan. Another reason why I would consider going with a tour guide next time is because the prices would be set ahead of time. On our trip, we got ripped off so many times because we were in a vulnerable situation by not speaking Arabic or understanding the culture. Our first night was spent in Wadi Rum, the southern desert. We had booked a Bedouin campsite ahead of time and I made a deal with our host that he would have someone pick us up from the border and drive us to the campsite for only 20 JD ($28). However, upon arrival in Jordan, we were told that only licensed tour guides could pick people up at the border. Because of this, we had to pay a taxi driver 10 JD ($15) just to drive us 5 minutes into Jordan. Then, our driver who was supposed to take us all the way to the campsite only took us to the edge of the desert. We were met by another driver who would take us 15 km into the desert to the campsite. Once there, he bullied us into paying him an additional 35 JD ($50) for his services. Conversely, my friend who recently went on a tour to Petra with Tourist Israel still managed to get ripped off. Before going into Petra, her tour guide told them that they would get donkey rides to the entrance for free and not to tip the donkey handler. However, after riding a donkey, the handler insisted on a tip and the guide made her pay. Furthermore, the rest stop that the guide took them to overcharged every credit card purchase by about $100. The only person I've met who had a positive experience in Wadi Rum stayed at Beyond Wadi Rum (https://www.beyondwadirum.com/). She was a young woman traveling alone and was the only visitor at the campsite, yet he did everything possible to make her feel safe. Additionally, he refused to take her money in the end because she was his guest. This is the kind of Bedouin hospitality I had always heard of, but didn't get to see in practice in Jordan. Therefore, I would recommend staying at Beyond Wadi Rum. You shouldn't expect to stay there for free, but at the very least, the host seems honest and respectful. Bottom line: Whether you choose a tour guide or a self-guided trip to Jordan, expect to pay more. Most Jordanians, especially the Bedouins in Wadi Rum and Petra make their income through tourism. They will do whatever it takes to make more money in order to provide for their families. If you don’t want to pay more, then do not get on any animals in Petra and do not purchase goods with credit or debit cards. Visa What we did: There is a lot of conflicting literature online about whether or not you can cross at the southern Israeli-Jordanian border, Wadi Araba. According to many travel blogs, a couple years ago, Jordan banned visa dispensing from the border and required that travelers obtain a visa from the Embassy beforehand. However, other people had different stories. My classmate whom me and Anna met up with in Petra, read online that you could get a visa at the border only if you were entering and exiting from the same border. Another classmate said that only tour guides could get visas at the border for their guests because they had a pre-arranged agreement. Further research additionally suggested that a visa was only obtainable at the border if you were staying longer than 3 nights. There were no conclusive findings on whether we could or could not get a visa at the border. So I called the US Embassy in Jordan. A woman answered who seemed to only speak Arabic. After trying to communicate for 15 minutes, I hung up. Troubling. Then I called the Jordanian Embassy in Israel. I got a very helpful man who spoke English. He assured me that we could get a visa at the border and that it would cost 60 JD. Anna and I flew from Tel Aviv to Eilat and then walked across the border, unsure of which story would be correct. As it turned out, none were. The visa agent had us fill out a form and then we were on our way. She said the visa was free since we stayed over 3 nights. However, we came back into Israel through the northern border, Sheikh Hussein crossing, and the Jordanian officials made us retroactively pay 40 JD for a visa. To us, this seemed like a made up fee. The rules were not posted on their website or on any signs at the border. However, again, Anna and I were in a vulnerable position. When I said I couldn't pay the fee, the visa agent said we would have to stay in Jordan then and I certainly did not want that. When the visa agent why we had been told different information at the southern border, he said they are different operations and don't work together. This is a strange but - knowing Jordan - plausible explanation. What you should do: It seems you can avoid paying a visa fee if you enter and exit from the Wadi Araba border crossing. If you only intend on going to Wadi Rum and Petra, this is the best plan. However, if you plan on going to Amman, it is a 5-6 hour drive back to the southern border. It is also possible that border agents at Wadi Araba would also make you retroactively pay a visa fee. It wouldn't surprise me. The golden rule of Jordan is always expect to pay more. My classmate who went on a separate trip at the same time got a Jordan pass, which seemed like a good deal. For 70 JD ($100), your visa fee is waived (if you stay in Jordan for at least 3 nights) and entry into sites, such as Petra, Wadi Rum, and Jerash are included (Go here for more information: https://www.jordanpass.jo/). Anna and I ended up spending 90 JD for what we could have gotten with the Jordan pass (40 JD visa + 50 JD entrance into Petra). Other considerations: Anna and I took a bus from Amman to Nazareth in Israel (https://abrahamtours.com/tours/transfer-nazareth-amman-jordan/). We met an Australian woman living in Jordan who wanted to go to Lebanon after visiting Israel. However, Lebanon will not let you into their country if they have any inkling that you were in Israel. For this reason, Israel does not stamp passports. However, Jordan does. It is pretty obvious that you went to Israel if you have a stamp from an Israel-Jordan border. Therefore, this woman asked the border agent if she could get her stamp on a piece of paper. He gave her a hard time, but, after she filled out a form, he did as she asked. Here are other fees you should expect to pay: Israel border exit fee - 100-105 shekels ($30) Jordan border exit fee - 10 JD ($15) Bottom line: Get the Jordan Pass, but as it seems there are no clear rules about visas, expect to pay more. Food What we did: One of my favorite things about Jordan was the food. We got most of our food from grocery stores, which are located in shopping malls in Jordan. Here is one in Aqaba: I bought four packs of these delicious dates that are not sold in Israel. They taste like caramel. Anna and I also went out to eat. Chicken shwarma cost only 2 JD (but be aware of the abundant mayonnaise). On Christmas day, we decided to splurge and go to a restaurant in the Fairmont hotel in Amman. One of the eateries, Nasim, had been recommended by a fellow tourist we met in Petra. She warned us that it was pricier. When I think of nice restaurant in an upscale hotel, I think $30 a plate. However, I was surprised to find that the most expensive meal, a lamb dish, was only 8 JD. Here, we had the best food and wine. My friend even smoked shisha. And the service was amazing. They served a bowl of assorted nuts with a delicious spicy seasoning. We told our server how much we loved them and he brought us back a to go container full of them, free of charge.
The most disappointing meals were the ones cooked by our hosts. We had been eating mostly carrots, fruit, and pita bread that me and Anna bought at the grocery store, so on our last morning in Petra, Anna asked our host for breakfast. He charged us 7 JD each for 1 egg and pita bread with sugary jam. It wasn't worth it to me. What you should do: Go out to eat and do grocery shopping. Going into Jordanian malls is a fun way to see how the locals live. And treat yourself to some fine dining since food is so inexpensive! The bottom line: You can't go wrong with food in Jordan. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Here are some additional links that helped me: Southern border: http://www.your-guide-to-aqaba-jordan.com/get_to_wadi_rum.html https://www.itraveljerusalem.com/article/israel-jordan-border-crossing/ https://wadirumjeeptours.com/transport-in-jordan/ Entrance fees: http://international.visitjordan.com/generalinformation/justthefacts/entrancefees.aspx https://www.hostelbookers.com/blog/destinations/petra Public transportation: http://www.jett.com.jo/SubPage.aspx?PageId=230 Graduate school is like a roller coaster. You get on, it starts slow, and then it gradually accelerates until you're on a high-speed ride and cannot get off until it ends. Lately, school has been intense. I had my first final exam yesterday (whoo!), two papers due next week, and one final exam to study for. After next week, I will have a final paper due every week for the next month. In addition to my school work, I am doing some extra curricular activities. I’m happily surprised by how easily and quickly things happen here. One of my goals for coming to Israel was to work with children in an empathy-building capacity. Just three months later, I have an internship with Debate for Peace and will be starting a volunteer project with Elifelet shortly. Elifelet is an Israeli nonprofit focused on helping refugee children in the country. I will go to an under-staffed refugee day care center once a week in order to be a consistent caregiver for at least one 2-3 year old child. It’s a cause I think is super important and I’m so excited to get started. Another one of my goals was to work in the lab of Nurit Shnabel, a social psychology professor at Tel Aviv University whose research I admire. Just a couple weeks after reaching out to her, I am helping two of her PhD candidates with a research project. I was also accepted into a conference called VHacks held in Rome. It brings students with technology backgrounds and students with social change initiatives together. Very exciting! Oh, and I am also on two committees at TAU: International Senate, which brings together representatives from every international program to suggest activities for the student union and our Madrichim (ambassadors to everything non-academic in Israel), and Interdisciplinary Committee, where we plan speakers and events related to conflict resolution for our fellow classmates. As you can see, I’m doing a lot, not to mention my classes. Moreover, I love everything I do. I love the act of learning almost anything. The problem is there is never enough time in the day. My New Year’s resolution for 2018 is simplicity. I believe you do more meaningful work when you do less. The problem is then, how do I do less? The best answer I’ve been able to come up with is to pick one thing - the thing - you want to focus on. But then what is the thing? I’ve been pondering this for awhile. I knew I was unhappy working in entertainment so I went to grad school, in part because I thought it would help to clarify what I want to do in life. In some ways it has. I know eventually I want to become a US Diplomat. But in other ways it has made the future even more obscure. Before I join the State Department, I want to spend more time learning. I have a strong interest in social psychology and I thought that I wanted to get a PhD after my Masters. But now I’m not so sure. I’m surprisingly loving my international law and political science classes. And academia is seeming repetitious to me. Occasionally there are new findings, but for the most part, people respond to and expand on other people’s research. When there are new findings, what does that do? Do the findings translate beyond the academic community into actions that affect everyday people? This is an area that needs further research. Meanwhile, I have a theory of my own that I developed whilst figuring out what I want to do in life: our ideal career is dependent on our values and our function in the world. Hypothesis1 (v): Values in line with job correlates with ideal career; β1 > 0 Hypothesis2 (f): Function in the world in line with job correlates with ideal career; β2 > 0 Here's the statistical formula: Y = β0 + βvDv + βfDf + ε My values are doing something that I consider ethically sound, has some positive influence on people’s lives, and that still enables me to live a comfortable life with a decent paycheck. In terms of function in the world, I feel most driven to take an active, getting things done role. The other night I woke up groggily after a long night of my brain working really hard. The first coherent thought was, “I should go to law school.” This came as a shock to me. Not that I’ve never considered it, but that I’ve never wanted to be a lawyer. It sounds strange since who wouldn’t? But I don’t particularly like the idea of practicing law. I've worked with lawyers and the bulk of what they did seemed boring. However, it is in line with my values and function in the world. Additionally, I love the conceptual study of law and value the tools you gain from law school. I also love the negotiating aspect that many lawyers practice. So if I could go to law school and specify in negotiation and international law, I think I would be happy. However, since I have not yet proven my hypotheses above, I cannot be sure. I will let you know in 10 years or so when I have the results. I want to take the time to acknowledge how lucky I am to have the dilemma of "what do I want to do in life?" Many people do not have this choice. Here’s to an uncertain and exciting year ahead. Highlights from this year so far: (Broshim dorm cat lounging in the community room) (Yarkon River) (The Mediterranean during a break from the rain)
I went to Jordan over a long weekend last week. My classmate, Anna, and I made our journey over five days, starting at Wadi Rum and making our way north to Amman. This was my first time in an Arab country and I severely underestimated how different my experience would be from traveling in North America and Western Europe. Compared to other people I have talked to, my experience in Jordan was unique, and I believe this is due to two young white women voyaging without a man in the off-season of tourism. In addition, Anna and I wanted a "local" experience, meaning we stayed in people's homes (except Amman) rather than in hotels and preferred to walk instead of taking a taxi. There is a lot to unpack, so I am splitting this blog post into two parts. First, my initial thoughts and reactions and, two, advice for those who would like to travel to Jordan. Despite my iffy experience, I would not have missed it for the world. Petra is one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been to. I also believe it is essential to get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. This rarely, if ever, results in a relaxing event. However, the hope is that we will learn and grow from the situation. Here are some regional and cultural differences that surprised me: Bedouins live in caves The Bedouins in the regions of and around Wadi Rum and Petra. Bedouins are a sub-community of Arabs; most practice Islam, but some are Christian. They are a tribal, nomadic people who, being forced to stay in one place because of national boundaries, mostly work in tourism or agriculture. It is common practice for the men to have multiple wives so that they can have more children. Since they do not have retirement plans from working with companies, their children are their retirement package. Not all Bedouins live in caves. We stayed in a Bedouin village called Umm Sayhoun (above), just outside of the back entrance to Petra. Though we stayed in a house, I was interested to hear that our host, Awwad, also owns a cave, which is his primary living space. He told us that Petra used to be completely inhabited by Bedouins, but the Jordanian government paid many of them to move to the surrounding areas in order to allow room for tourists. Even to this day, many of the Bedouins still live in the caves of Petra, but not in the main area designated for tourism. Everyone works in tourism I asked our "taxi" driver, Rami, as he picked us from Little Petra whether there was any industry in the area besides tourism. He said no. Another "taxi" driver said that, before tourism, Bedouins made a living from trading livestock, such as goats, horses, camels, and donkeys. In this region, one camel is estimated to be worth 30,000 JD (roughly, $42,250). These animals also come in handy for tourism. One camel ride through the desert costs about 35 JD ($50) per person for two hours and a horse ride in Petra for two hours costs about 50 JD ($70) per person, although if you are good at haggling, you can cut the price by 20 JD. (Our classmate, Matt, on the left. He went on a separate trip to Petra, but we ran into him a couple of times.) You might have noticed that I keep putting "taxi" in quotations. This is because, again, everyone works in tourism, so everyone operates as a cab driver, even if they do not drive a vehicle that says "taxi." This took awhile to get used to. When we would walk, almost every vehicle would honk at us. At first, we were really shaken up by it. However, we learned that this is many drivers' way of asking if you need a ride. When you get in, the price is usually not discussed until after the trip. Getting into a stranger's car goes against the rules of safety I learned as a kid, so this aspect made me extremely uncomfortable. But this is the norm in southern Jordan. Because it is often expected to negotiate the price after the service, many of the locals use sketchy tactics to get you to pay. For instance, I heard stories of Bedouins offering free donkey rides to tourists. However, what they don't tell you is that you have to pay to get off the donkey. Anna and I did not experience this, but we did come across locals beginning to give us tours. We had to firmly say we did not want a tour or else they would expect us to pay at the end, even though we never agreed to a tour. I did fall into one trap. These boys asked me to take a photo of them and then demanded payment. The boy on the left asked for 1 JD and the boy on the right wanted my hat. Sneaky... Jordanian hospitality One thing I heard time and time again was how hospitable Jordanians, especially Bedouins, were. It is true that everywhere we went in the South, Bedouins asked us to come into their homes for tea. Based on poor interactions with many locals, instead I saw this hospitality as a facade for tricking us into giving them money. Maybe it was a kind gesture and I was too jaded at this point, but the tea conversation usually resulted in, "Do you have a place to stay tonight? 20 JD for both." And us having to forgo all manners in order for them to understand. The nicest place we stayed was in Umm Sayhoun. Anna and I had our own room and the house pretty much to ourselves, other than our host, Awwad, a bored-looking man in his mid-20's. On our third night in Jordan, Anna and I wanted a quiet night in. We were watching Jessica Jones when Awwad knocked on our door offering some bananas. He wanted us to come into the common area to talk to him. It was around nine o'clock at night and I was planning on going to sleep soon. We declined. Then, the morning we were departing, Anna thanked Awwad for his hospitality and said she would give him a good review. Awwad responded that he would write on our review that we never left our room. Obviously, there was a difference in expectation. To Awwad, as guests in his house, we should engage with him in the common areas. To me, we paid for a service to stay in Awwad's house, so we have the right to stay in our room if that's what we feel like doing. It is important to note that I know many people who had positive experiences in the south of Jordan. On the bus ride from Wadi Rum to Wadi Musa (Petra), I met a woman from Australia traveling alone. She had stayed in a Bedouin campsite called Beyond Wadi Rum and had the most amazing experience. She was the only guest at the campsite and the host held a bonfire in the middle of the desert and cooked for her. She felt completely safe with him and at the end of her stay, he refused payment from her, saying that it was his form of Bedouin hospitality. I also know people who had great experiences in Petra from accepting a spontaneous offer to stay in a Bedouin's home, rather than booking ahead of time. Anna and I also encountered helpful Jordanians in Amman when we braved the public bus. The manager of our hostel wrote down the name of where we were going and pointed us in the right direction. When we got to the bus stop, we handed the piece of paper to the bus stop attendant (who collected money) and he, along with another helpful gentleman, told us which bus to get on. Riding the public bus was one of the best experiences in Jordan. Times and locations are relative Another thing to get used to was there was no concept of "on time" and no addresses. The buses left whenever they filled up. To get from Petra to Amman, we were told buses arrived at 6am, 10am, and noon, and left when they were full. However, we arrived at the bus station at 9:15am and got a bus right away. Moreover, people did not use addresses. Instead, they used landmarks. For instance, we were told, "Meet at the hospital. Just tell the taxi driver and he will know." Everyone knew every storefront and where most people lived, in the South, at least. In Amman, we were given directions such as, "Walk about two blocks, then make a left, and walk uphill for about 100 meters." I was also shocked that buses do not have exact stops. On highways, they would pick people up on the side of the road where, to me, it looked like there was nothing around. Anna and I learned the hard way that this is true for getting off the bus as well. Our stop was coming up in a few blocks, so we stood up to prepare. Within a couple of seconds, the bus driver pulled to the side of the road to let us off, though we still had five minutes to our stop. So much sugar I didn't like hanging out in the common area at Awwad's place for a couple reasons. One, he smoked all the time. Two, he usually offered this really sugary tea, which I felt obliged to drink. The first time he offered the tea, I did not drink much of it because I do not enjoy sugar. He commented on this and I told him it's too sweet for me. The next time, he made me tea without sugar and it was great! However, all of the other times he offered tea, he would say, "I'm only going to put in a little bit of sugar" and it tasted as though he put in three tablespoons into my tea cup alone. Awwad thought it was so strange that I didn't like sugar. I experienced a similar situation when I was in a Temple in Petra. An old, rough Bedouin woman approached me selling Byzantine coins. When I said I was not interested, she looked at my bag and asked if I had "sweet biscuits." I offered her pita bread, but she said she only wanted "biscuits." I think she meant cookies. In this part of Jordan, people were certainly not obese, despite McDonalds and Burger King being strong trends throughout the country. I was surprised by how thin most people, especially the men, were. Whereas I'm sure some, such as this woman, do not get enough nutrients, others are thin because they are very active, walking and climbing in Petra. I'm sure sugar offers quick energy. Perhaps the sugar-related illnesses, such as diabetes and obesity, have not yet affected the Bedouins. Or maybe they have and no one has made the connection to sugar. Instead, sugar was a treat to offer guests. The idea that sugar did not appeal to some people was foreign. Cheap food Speaking of sugar, the food in Jordan is really cheap and really good. I was especially surprised by the meat. Meat is really expensive in the States and in Israel, but chicken, beef, and lamb were inexpensive throughout Jordan. (Chicken Shawarma - 2 JD=$3) (Chicken Shawarma - 1 JD=$1.50) (Lamb Shawarma at an upscale hotel restaurant-8 JD=$11.30) Insulated Culture Jordan's population is 70% Palestinian. Therefore, after Trump's announcement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, I thought I would feel the most uncomfortable about revealing that I am American and that I am studying in Israel. However, in all but one instance, the Jordanians I came across could have cared less where I was from. When I said I was from the US, one responded, "I have a brother in Chicago!" Another had a brother in Washington D.C. Anna and I also discussed our studies in Israel. One man said that he lived and worked in Jerusalem for a time. The other received a work permit in Israel, but decided not to go because it would prevent him from traveling to Lebanon. Despite being eager to travel and having relatives in the US, when I asked where they would like to travel to, not one person said they would like to go to North America or Europe. It was always Egypt, Lebanon, or Turkey. My guess is that it's because, just as I felt out of place in their culture, they would feel out of place in mine. Though I did not get the chance to this time, I would like to delve into this a bit more the next time I go abroad to an Arabic culture. I assumed that my nationality would cause me discomfort in Jordan, but instead, it was my gender. During my entire stay, the only time I said more than, "hello" or "shukron" to local women, was in Petra to women trying to sell me souvenirs. The only women I saw unaccompanied by a man were the extremely impoverished. Furthermore, until I got to Amman, I did not see a single woman driving. Walking, Anna and I would get leered and whistled at by men driving by. In Amman, I did an experiment and wrapped a scarf around my head. Even with my hair covered, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I felt like it was impossible to blend in. Aside from tourists and foreigners, every woman wore hijab. In most buses, women were not allowed to sit next to men. When a new woman got on the bus, a man would move to sit next to another man to give the woman her own seat. It wasn't until I got to Amman that I saw women having a bit more agency. Women drove, walked by themselves, and were even sitting next to strange men on the bus. Figuring out how to talk about my trip to Jordan has been challenging. I recognize that I am judgmental of the culture and I know that is not the best route to understanding. I felt uncomfortable by the treatment of tourists and the apparent lack of agency of women. In terms of the women's role in public, Western European society enforced similar policies of covering up (not your head but your ankles and wrists) and being accompanied by a man. However, for whatever reason, this has all but been forgotten. I am led to think that maybe Arabic cultures have had more practical reasons for holding onto these traditions because it is not necessarily about oppression. In Amman, we walked by University of Jordan, witnessing men and women talking and walking side by side, and taking classes together, yet the women still wore hijab. In Israel, the cultural expectation is much more mixed. Among the Arab residents, some wear hijab and others do not. It seems no more different to them than some people wearing a jacket and others not. Whether you wear a hijab does not define you as a person, but it's more of a cultural and traditional trend. In Wadi Rum, strict gender roles were much more enforced than in Amman. For one, girls and boys were separated for all thirteen years of school. Secondly, I did not see a single local woman, either in the Village or at the campsite. This suggests that, though tourists come in and out, women are isolated to their families. Additionally, the coordinator of the bus from Wadi Rum to Petra told us that he was looking for another wife. I find the concept of having multiple wives especially difficult to accept, though it makes sense if the woman's sole purpose is to bear children. As mentioned earlier, in these desert villages, a man's retirement package is his children. While he is able to work, it behooves him to work hard to support multiple wives who can bear him more money-making sons. In Western capitalistic cultures, especially social welfare states, in which you are expected to save up for retirement in 401(k)'s and IRA's, and collect social security, this option is defunct. Therefore, I am coming to understand how privileged those who come from the West really are, not just in terms of money and education, but that these give us the opportunity to ask for more out of life. More rights. Better quality of life. To grow. To make a difference. I did not see this in the eyes of any person I met in Jordan. It is important to note that I don't think the answer is to impose my beliefs and values onto Jordanians. Obviously, it is easier to see the benefits to the culture I grew up in and the issues of this foreign culture. Rather than imposing, I am more interested in learning, understanding, and trying to see the benefits of their culture the way Jordanians see it. In addition, this blog reflects my own experience in Jordan and does not reflect Arabs or Muslims in general. Like Western culture, there are many nuances to Arab culture. There are personality and family differences. Furthermore, as discussed earlier, Arabs in Israel alone have contrasting practices. Jordanian Bedouins have different practices from those of Arabs living in Amman. To complicate matters further, there are Arabs in Jordan who are Christian and not Muslim. Though I have never been, it is also probable that Muslim Arab practices vary from Egypt to Syria to Lebanon. This uncomfortable mess of a trip to Jordan has been - and will continue to be as I process through the information - the best learning experience I could have hoped for. I know I didn't paint the best picture, but I honestly would not take it back for the world. Last night marked the seventh and final night of Hanukkah. As this was my first Hanukkah in Israel, I was excited to see what Tel Aviv had in store for the holiday. I was not disappointed. Everywhere I went, there were Hanukkyot (Hebrew plural for Hanukkiah) and every group I was with did a candle-lighting ceremony. Day 1 יום אחד (Outside Broshim Dorms) (At my International Senate meeting) Day 2 יום שני Did I mention the donuts (sufganiyot)? They are everywhere! (Photo Courtesy of https://www.amny.com/eat-and-drink/sufganiyot-where-to-find-nyc-s-top-hanukkah-doughnuts-1.12718789) Day 3 יום שלוש (At the Debate for Peace conference closing ceremony) Day 4 יום רביעי (Shabbat dinner in the dorms - we had to make due with the candles we had) Day 5 יום חמישי I FaceTimed with my parents instead of going out. I did have a lovely view of my neighbors' hanukkyot. Day 6 יום שש (My classmates' Hanukkah party) (Walking back from the party, Rabin Square) Day 7 יום שבע (Street corner in Ramat Aviv) Day 8 יום שמונה (In the Naftali Social Sciences building at Tel Aviv University) (Back to the dorms)
Chag sameach (happy holidays) everyone! Today I will talk about conflict prevention programs in Israel, namely, Debate for Peace. For a couple weeks now, I have been interning for Debate for Peace, doing research for their conference in Kosovo and creating a promo video. Today I got the privilege of seeing the hard work of the staff and student participants come to fruition. Debate for Peace organizes Model UN conferences for ages 13-18. Each conference has about 200-400 students. Many are from high school MUN programs, but others come many kilometers on their own just to participate (one in particular, Leah, just graduated from high school and drove 2 and a half hours to participate). According to one of the MUN chairs I spoke to who is a veteran MUNer, MUN is a hugely popular activity for teenagers in Israel, but there are very few opportunities for many students to participate in conferences, which bring students from all over the country together. This is due to limited building space, which is an obstacle to having conferences of more than 400 students. Debate for Peace is unique in that it is free to participate in and strives to bring a diverse group together. Today’s conference was held in a Muslim town called Tamra at Eshkol Pais, an accelerated school that brings the most academically gifted students from the eight neighboring cities into one rigorous education center. It’s over 115 km north of Tel Aviv (side note: I drove there-my first time driving in Israel and, although Israelis have a reputation for being bad drivers, it was comparable to driving in LA. Needless to say, I felt at home on the road). The participating students were from wealthy, poor, orthodox, secular, Jewish, and Muslim backgrounds. Particularly exciting was that this was the first conference with students from Nablus in the West Bank! When they left, everyone exclaimed, “Please come back next time!” I also learned about many subcultures in Israel, including the native English speaking community of Modi’in, the African Jewish population, the few Asian people (specifically Chinese and Phillipino) and there was even one Bedouin representative. During the conference, each participant is a delegate of a country dealing with a particular political concern. The topics today were Kosovo, Catalonia, Kurdish, micronations, historical, and...everyone’s favorite...Palestine. I felt compelled to hear their solutions to the local conflict. As you can see, all three delegates chose a two state solution along with common themes of establishing Palestinian economy and infrastructure, management of terrorism, fair treatment of refugees in the area, and less Israeli and more Palestinian Authority security enforcement in the West Bank. Germany’s equitable proposal passed in this round (however, it is worth noting that the video displays the second round of voting for clauses. In the first round, none of the clauses received enough votes to pass). No matter what the results were, it is valuable for these kids to learn and represent different points of views for international conflicts. In addition - and probably the most important aspect of Debate for Peace - it allows the next generation of leaders to get to know people from different backgrounds, given how segregated most of Israel is. It is for this reason that I would deem Debate for Peace a "conflict prevention" effort. According to Michael Lund, a prominent figure in peacebuilding, conflict prevention is “actions to avoid eruption of social and political disputes into substantial violence, keeping the emphasis squarely on stages before, rather than during violent conflicts” (Lund, 2009). Furthermore, it often seems as though not enough conflict prevention procedures are taking place because these measures are rarely labeled as "conflict prevention." Conflict prevention can include teaching a common language, showcasing artists from local adversarial groups in the same art show, and sponsoring local peacebuilding efforts. All of the actions I mentioned above are being done by the US Embassy in Israel. To be honest, I came to Israel feeling fed up with the US government. However, I am pleased that my tax dollars are funding mostly non-invasive peace efforts aimed to mitigate long term conflict in the Israel/Palestine region. *On the other hand, it begs the question, why is the Israeli government not sponsoring such projects? Why is the US Embassy the sole funder of Debate for Peace, providing the buses that drove students from non-central locations, such as Nablus? On the ride home, I sat next to a teacher of one of the MUN groups. She teaches classes in the diplomacy track at a high school in Modi'in and facilitates the MUN club, all of which are in English. She is the most inspiring teacher I have ever met, one who clearly loves to teach. She is also from the town I went to high school in and made aliyah in order to raise her children in Israel. This teacher told me about another US-sponsored conflict prevention program that she is participating in. Through an NGO called Pathways, educators throughout Israel are taking a two-day negotiations and conflict resolution training course, so that they can better teach these skills to their students. The US Embassy is paying for the training and accommodations for the teachers. During the long bus ride, the two of us pondered why the US government would see the importance in sponsoring these types of programs. The US government is listening to the research, which shows that the peace process does not end when a treaty is signed or a ceasefire is made. The peace process is a process and one that we often do not see the results from until a couple generations down the line. However, it is also important to note that the US has a tendency to spread western values, such as education to all and English, where it is not wanted. So I had to stop and ask myself, is this what Palestinians and Israelis want? Is the American ideal something that the future leaders of this region want to uphold? From what I've seen, the answer is surprisingly "yes." This week alone, I have been asked by three teachers in Arab/Muslim schools to come and teach English to their classes. Last week, I went to a Bedouin village called Rahat, spoke with members of a local non-profit called A New Dawn for the Negev, and they too expressed interest in having English-speaking classes. That this is happening despite Trump's announcement regarding the state of Jerusalem shocks me. I expected much more backlash and outward hatred of Americans. This picture is much different than the Western-hating Muslims that I often hear about on the news. I believe the reasoning is simple. Though there are many extreme Islamist groups that disagree, the Palestinians that I have met realize the importance of getting their voices heard. Without a common language, it is hard to do this. The strength of Palestine relies on quality education of its future leaders, perhaps striving for English-language diplomacy programs similar to Modi'in in the Arab schools. Furthermore, better-educated Palestinians will offer more jobs to Palestinian youths who might otherwise be encouraged to join terrorist organizations, as well as strengthen Palestine's economy. Once Palestine has a better economy, they will have much more political power to achieve independence. Though I would love to do more research on this, it seems that Israel is not funding such educational programs for Palestinians (that's the US's job), but also not standing in Palestine's way of getting external aid. Though I often feel disheartened by the state of the world today, programs, such as Debate for Peace, and the US State Department's financial and institutional support make me feel proud to be an American, happy to be living in Israel, and generally hopeful on the outlook of the world. *UPDATE 20/12/17 - I spoke with the organizer of the Pathways conflict resolution training workshop for teachers in Israel and it is sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Education, NOT the US Embassy. Very cool that the Israeli government views this type of education as important. (Recipients of an Interfaith Encounters Scholarship for a conflict prevention program in the US)
References: Lund, M. S. (2009). Conflict Prevention: Theory in Pursuit of Policy and Practice. The SAGE Handbook of Conflict Resolution, 287-321. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9780857024701.n16 Palestinian prayer protest with IDF soldiers (photo courtesy of The Portland Press Herald) EVERYTHING IS FINE... US President Trump’s announcement on Wednesday acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has certainly stirred the pot. Hamas has threatened an attack on Israel. However, the only action I’ve heard of were rockets from Gaza on Friday, intercepted by Israel, resulting in no casualties. The protests in Jerusalem and Hebron have proved to be more violent, unfortunately resulting in hundreds of injuries and one death of a Palestinian. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv feels very safe. The Israelis sure know their security. In fact, it’s only the non-Israelis who seem at all concerned about the possible implications of Trump’s announcement. Will there be another intifada? Will there be increased small-scale terrorist attacks in Israel and abroad? We will have to wait and see. So far, the US seems to be taking the potential consequences seriously. Just two days before Trump’s announcement, a friend reported US military presence and planes in Gaza, perhaps preparing for potential backlash. I have also been receiving travel alerts from the US Embassy in Tel Aviv almost everyday with updates. So far, it is the same message as before, warning of the risk of going to the West Bank. Nothing has physically changed. There will be no movement of the US Embassy to Jerusalem for years to come. In addition, Jerusalem has already been under mostly Israeli authority. ...WELL, KIND OF FINE... But at the same time, there is an aura that everything has changed. Why is that? Why does one representative of one country have so much clout, even when the UN remains neutral? The answer is, the US does not alone have the power to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel. However, its standing as a superpower, position as a permanent member in the UN Security Council, and its allies allow the US to sway international support. For instance, the US might use their economic and military power as leverage to gain support on the Jerusalem dilemma from other members of the UN who do not have interests in Palestine. However, this would mean the US having to make a concession as well. Does the US care enough to do this? ...EVERYTHING IS NOT FINE I do not think so. Trump’s announcement is a stance on terrorism that has no political significance, but that has already and may continue to cause deaths, propelling the cycle of violence. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is ultimately a land dispute. Both the Palestinians and the Israelis want it all for their people. However, they have very different methods for achieving their goals. On September 11, 2001, a faction of Arabs made a bold move in an effort to be noticed and recognized by the Western community. Before this, terrorism did not get the hype that it does today. Whereas 9/11 may have had the intended results for this minority of Arabs, it has had a detrimental impact on the Arab community as a whole. Racial profiling, fear, misunderstanding, and separation of Westerners and Arabs, even those that have lived peacefully in North America and Europe for decades. Even worse, with the normalization of Islamist terrorist attacks, “terrorist” has become synonomous with Muslim, which is not reflective of the majority of the world’s Muslim population. 9/11 affected Trump’s announcement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, a move that is sure to cause more violence and hault the peace process in the coming years. If 9/11 hadn’t happened, our current world might look very different. Perhaps the US would be more willing to facilitate the peace process and be more generous towards Palestinians. We will never know. I do know that we have two powerful movements in a cycle of conflict, which one is the initial offender depends on who you talk to. Some Arabs might say that the West made the initial offense through years of colonization and empty promises (e.g., Hussein-McMahon Correspondence). However, from a Western perspective, it is easy to see that 9/11, the largest, most devastating terrorist attack on American soil, was an offensive act. And one that has changed American policy. According to my International Law Professor, Daniel Reisner (Head of the IDF’s International Law branch from 1995-2004), the US used to condemn Israel for their harsh treatment of terrorists. However, as a direct result of 9/11, the US established laws in which, if you are accused of plotting a terrorist attack, you are denied legal representation, many human rights, and can be detained indefinitely. This is in contrast with laws pertaining to criminals in the US, which legally require you to have committed a crime in order to be detained. Why then are terrorists treated differently? According to Reisner, there is more fear around terrorism because, whereas criminals commit crimes for selfish reasons, terrorists commit crimes because they are intending to change the system. They are ideological criminals that do not accept our judicial system as a means of crime and punishment. Instead, they assume « punishable by death » for all who oppose their beliefs. This is understandably a terrifying prospect to most and one that has legitimized Israel’s extreme reactions to such ideological forces to some. While it is known that Israelis have committed atrocities against Palestinians, they have never committed atrocities against the US, and that is an intelligent political move, one in which we have seen positive results from time and time again, from the Balfour Declaration to Trump’s announcement yesterday. Looking at this scenario from a realist point of view, it is easy to see why the US President has metaphorically given Jerusalem to Israel instead of Palestine. What if you have intelligence that a bomb is going to blow up your house with your family inside? The only way to prevent this from happening is to blow up the compound where the bomber is launching the rocket from, which may have the bomber’s family in it. What would you do? How many people are you willing to kill to save your family? Yourself? These are questions that unfortunately intelligence and security officers have to answer on a daily basis. And I believe it is only getting worse. The more extremist Muslim groups attack Western countries, the more the West is going to retaliate with violent force and political statements, such as Trump’s. Moreover, while the UN is currently hoping for a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine, many of the permanent members (US, UK, France, Russia, China) have been recent victims of terrorist attacks. Before we know it, the UN might too give up the two-state solution and solely side with Israel. I suspect that Trump’s decision is going to surely cause more terrorist attacks. These attacks, in turn, will further decrease sympathy for Palestinians and Arabs on the whole, which will again cause more terrorist attacks. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could walk up to Hamas, Fatah, Hesbollah, al Qaeda, PLO and ISIS, and say, “Hey guys, maybe you’d have better luck getting your Arabic nation if you played by the West’s rules instead of opposing them? I’m not saying you have to agree with them, but maybe try offering sanctions, trades, or concessions to get what you want instead of bombs?” It reminds me of the kid in school who everyone avoids and picks on because he just doesn’t understand social norms. Some may feel bad for the guy, but at the same time, keep their distance because he makes them feel uncomfortable and - let’s be honest - everyone else is doing it too. The more and more the West becomes afraid of Palestinians and their radical supporters, the more and more they are digging themselves into a political hole they might not be able to climb out of. In alienating potential Western allies, terrorist attacks do a disservice to Palestinians in their pursuit of an independent state. Israel, an international recognized Jewish state, exists because the Zionists found a way to be useful to Western superpowers that made it possible. Though many Palestinians are on board with peaceful negotiations, I believe it is unlikely at this point that they will ever get all of the land they believe is theirs through this channel. Therefore, it is just as unlikely that the Islamist groups that have sworn to stop at nothing to get this land will stop being a threat. There is a clear dilemma here because the reality of what the Zionists have built through political strategy conflicts with the interests of the Palestinians. Even if the Palestinians were to make concessions in favor of peace, I doubt that this would appease all of the radicalists. I feel saddened by this. I have come to love the land of Israel/Palestine and have received warm hospitality by both Israelis and Palestinians. Whether you are pro-Palestine or pro-Israel, once you come to live on the land, the conflict takes on a more personal nature. It’s no longer just another war zone on the news or a strategic power-play between superpowers. You realize that political statements, whether they have legitimacy or not, are no longer just words. They are lives lost. Today I went to a wonderful town just south of Tel Aviv International Airport called Ramla (or Ramle depending on who you ask). My friend Ronit and I decided to check it out after our History of the Middle East teacher recommended it as one of Israel’s “hidden gems.” Established as a city by the Umayyad Caliph, al-Malik, in 716 CE, as part of Muslim expansion efforts, it was an important stop along the Damascus to Jaffa trade route. During this time, the White Mosque was built. Remnants of it still stand today. One huge difference between Israel and the US is how they treat tourism and ancient sites. In the US, you would never be able to go up to a 1,300 year old structure and “hang out.” There, we met a friendly man who says he will come there at night to think. We also came across two Israelis who were sitting under the arches, having a smoke, and listening to music. While some might think this is unappreciative of the structure’s history, I think it’s another type of appreciation, and one I really enjoy. The two men smoking and listening to music in the ruins of the White Mosque were very aware of the site’s history. At one point they asked us in Hebrew, “Did you know this is 1,300 years old?” And they can admire the amazing architecture and healing energy from up close. This is one of my favorite things about Israel. At at the same time, part of the reason Israelis are not as strict about ancient sites as Americans is because they have so many! It seems like in the states any structure that is over 500 years old, we try to preserve at all costs, which often means viewing it from a distance. However, in Israel, the whole country is ancient. Just in this small, walkable city alone, there were many sites to see that apply directly to our studies of the history of the Middle East. Next to the ruins of the White Mosque, the minaret of the Mosque, now known as the White Tower, still stands. It was built by the Mamluk sultan, ibn Khalhoun, in 1318. Must best attempt at some interior photos: It also served as a watch tower as it has a panoramic view of surrounding cities, such as Tel Aviv. Again, it was so cool that we were able to climb all the way to the top by ourselves. Another highlight was the Pool of Arches, which was a reservoir built in 789 CE, and today is an awesome canoeing experience. (Photo courtesy of Ronit and her blog, https://ronit-foundintranslation.blogspot.co.il/2014/11/not-my-normal-dagaa.html?m=1) I think we must have been canoeing for about an hour until they kicked us out to make room for another group. We also stumbled upon a beautiful Franciscan church built in 1902, dedicated to Joseph of Arimathea. He is purported to have taken Jesus off the cross and was from Ramla. Because it was a Sunday morning, there was a service going on...in Arabic! So cool! (Photo courtesy of Ronit and her blog, https://ronit-foundintranslation.blogspot.co.il/2014/11/not-my-normal-dagaa.html?m=1) In addition to ancient beauty, there was new stunning artwork as well. Lastly, we went to the Market in Ramla. I bought a ton of walnuts (only 44 shekels per kilo, the best price I’ve seen in Israel so far), sweet potatoes, turmeric, and rice seasoning. Yummy! So I have found my new favorite spot in Israel. Only a 40 minute train ride from Tel Aviv University, Ramla offers an amazing array of cultural and religious diversity, as well as a look at rich history, some of which fueled the existing conflict in the region. Being a gateway to Jerusalem, Ramla was invaded by the Crusaders, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, Napoleon, and the British. When the British partitioned the land between Jews and Arabs in 1947, it was Arab land. Israel bombed it, driving many of the Arabs out. Israel then gave the land to Jewish immigrants. Therefore, Ramla is absolutely a part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, when I was there I did not see any remnants of the dispute. Talking to a native of Ramla, who is Bedouin, a typically Muslim community, he said Christians, Jews, and Muslims are friends in the town. He spoke with us about Sunnah, the third party mediation practice in Islam, which we also learned about in our Islamic studies classes. Although I’ve heard Ramla has a majority Jewish population and everyone spoke Hebrew, I did not see a single synagogue (although I’ve heard there’s an active Karaite center). These experiences of getting outside the Tel Aviv bubble confirm what I learn in classes and change my preconceived notions. Before our trip today, Ronit had told an Israeli acquaintance that she was going to Ramla. The Israeli told her that it’s a dangerous city. Though I’m sure her fears are well-founded, I can tell you that this was not my experience at all. I came across friendly people and never felt out of place. I will absolutely return and when I do, I have a list of what I want to do: -Buy more walnuts -Go to the Raml Aqueducts under the White Mosque (we didn’t go this time because Ronit and I were starving) -Find some synagogues (they must exist in Ramla) -Go to the Great Mosque (we went by during the hours it said they’d be open, but they were not open. When in Israel...) |
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