Reading response for Suad Amiry's 'Researching East Jerusalem.'

I just finished reading Suad Amiry's 'Researching East Jerusalem' and was totally drawn into her writing.  I loved how she opened with the Talmudic proverb, adding her own words of wisdom to it: "When God created the world, He created 10 problems, giving 9 to Jerusalem and 1 to the world."  This is an amazing summation of the situation that has always seemed to reflect Jerusalem and the world.

I also was touched when she wrote "...see the human face of the Palestinians."  Too often I have heard of the Palestinians as a whole.  She helped to break the box Palestinians seem to be placed in and allowed eyes of individuals to be visible rather than a mass of humanity as a whole.  Also her description of Albert Aghanzarian saluting each shopkeeper along the winding streets of Jerusalem as his joy and love of Jerusalem was broadcast to all was well written.  She allowed me to feel the passion and pride he has for Jerusalem.  This is important.  She showed that Albert Aghanzarian is an individual proud of his home.  Regardless of our religion, ethnicity, nationality, or political stance, there are many who share this love, passion, and pride of Jerusalem.  Oh if we could truly consider her as the awesome and awe-inspiring city she is with the support she deserves.....

Also, her interview in 'Representing Jerusalem' seemed to recount some of what we learned in class yesterday.  But it also made me think of the word parallel.  As she dictated that East Jerusalem is Arab and West is not, and the stance that it is viewed (by Smithsonian) as neither divided or united, it reminded me of two lines running parallel.  And it is whether these two lines can ever come together that seems to be a valid question.....

Galit Hasan-Rokem's article 'Dialogue as Ethical Conduct: The Folk Festival That Was Not' spent a great deal of time on the concept of a sukka.  I was surprised at the various ways to embrace the concept of Sukkot and the sukka.  It seems so much of it centered around a secular concept; I was surprised at the depth of explanation regarding its construction.  Even the different opinions on the meanings of the colors, and the fact that when people used black you could tell they were recent to the area, where they use white.  The detail with which Rokem explains the sukka lets me know that Sukkot and its sukka is a much broader arena than I ever dreamed.  Such variation, such opinions, such diversity, amazes me.  And it is interesting that is seems disjointed so much from its religious origins; rather it serves as an identity marker for a people.

Truly it is a neat thing that the fascinating teacher of my new class is also the author of the reading assignment 'Living Jerusalem: Cultures and Communities in Conflict.'  With the work involved between the three cultures and the willingness to work toward a common goal, it does make me wonder if they have the right people negotiating the peace process.  Maybe they should utilize the same individuals that worked on the inception of this project.  Like the poem at the beginning of her article, maybe it is not the Roman arch that need to determine this; rather the man sitting with his fruit and vegetables for his family that can help solve the problems of Jerusalem.....

just thoughts.....