Response to "Searching the Web for the Wall!"

I know one thing: it's hard to search for information on the Israeli-Palestinian separation wall to write about...I just wanted to click and read more, and more, and...yep...more!  But here's a short one that sounded all too familiar.  It was on the NZ Week, from Jerusalem and dated 25 February 2013, and it sure reminded me of our meeting with Sahar Vardi. This article basically reported that Israel is banning the Palestinians on building on more than 1,000 acres of their own land near the separation wall...for 'security reasons.'  Those two words reminded me that Sahar said almost all replies to questions asked about the wall are answered that way...'security reasons.'  Who could doubt or question.  But one does have to wonder why, when so many people do not have homes, homes can not be erected for the homeless.  And, how can a country on one side of the fence govern another?  Just wondering.....

http://www.nzweek.com/world/israel-bans-palestinian-construction-near-separation-barrier-for-security-reasons-51133/

Also, on Haaretz.com, dated 21 January 2013 there was another article on the wall.  It's headlines were: "Israel to change route of separation fence near Jerusalem to cut off Palestinians from E-1 area."  That meant finding out where in the world...where in Israel... the E-1 area is located.  After locating it (it is east of Jerusalem between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim) I am thinking that Israel is really stretching it as, apparently, this will isolate Palestinian territory from E-1.  I am wondering why or how it can be built if the international community is in opposition.  Also, if the High Court of Justice is petitioned by the isolated Palestinian settlement/city of Al-Zaim, wouldn't Israel have to tear it back down?  Hmmmm...interesting to me is the speculation as to what might happen, what repercussions might take place, what consequences might result....like a wait and see child's game with super high stakes.....what could be the advantage here?

And, I must say, in my unprofessional opinion, that the wall is not even close to attractive for such a beautiful country...and it winds in and out and around so much that it looks like a series of after-thoughts...surely there is a better way to exist next to each other.....

Reading Response

The videos about graffiti and where and why it is appearing was very interesting.  This was the first real look at a separation wall for me... I didn't realize they were so tall or stretched for 700 kilometers!  Wow.  And, indeed, there is a lot of smooth concrete surface available for artists to go to work on.  I really was amazed at the multi-faceted "Send a Message" business.  You can actually send them your message and, after some basic looking over, they go to work on it and, presto, it becomes a message on a most unusual wall.  I had to smile when they said their 'overhead' was relatively low...and it's neat how they use the profits from their business to try to help Palestinians who have lost their homes.  The mysterious Banksy, the British wall-artist, was quite interesting as well.  Kind of like the face of Tim Allen's neighbor in "Tool Time," the face of Banksy is not known to the public...but his artwork is.  Although his work graces many cities with many messages, he has also been active on a separation wall, painting pictures and images that send unspoken messages.  I especially liked the one that looked like a giant dotted line with a pair of scissors on it, like we find on the back of a cereal box, showing where to cut something out.  Very clever!  Each painting offers some form of positive message, I thought...the little girl holding the helium balloons, obviously soaring with them, seems a message of hope.  I am not sure of the connection with Julie Peteet and the Grafitti, but sure enjoyed the videos!

Also, the information of the Sheikh Jarrah was something new for me to digest...if I understand it correctly, it seems a platform for Israelis to protest against the eviction of Palestinian families and Israeli settlement policies of East Jerusalem?  I think it was interesting, as well as the short article about the amazing young woman, Sahar Vardi.  I look forward to hearing her tell her story.

I also am wondering, through all our speakers, all interesting and insightful, if we will hear any speakers that seem to speak for the Jewish Israeli population.....

I must also mention Noura Dabdoub's well-written thesis, "Homeland Redefined: Spaces of National Belonging."  This is a fascinating article.  It is amazing sometimes how one thing ties into another...for example, in another class of mine we are studying Jewish history's late 1880's and the people she mentions are being mentioned in my other class...small world it is.....I liked how she delved into the historical aspect of each people and followed them through time, establishing their identity and connection with their homeland, which both claim as their own.  And I really had never heard in words, but both sides really do consider each other their enemy.  I know that sounds dumb on my part, but within her article, each side says pretty much the same thing, ending with....[our] enemies the Jews, or [our] enemies, the Arabs....sad that that is true!  Her article leads us right into her conclusion, where she details what could be, if.....very well written.

Group Project ideas

Our group is the Identity one.  We have chosen to focus, at this point, on music and sports, and possibly children.  And, most specifically, how these areas, through integrated projects (such as that awesome West-Eastern Divan Orchestra) have or can make a difference within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Daniel Barenboim, in the book Parallels and Paradoxes, said, "...they have shared a common experience.  And this is what was really, for me, the important thing about the encounter."  That common experience between Israeli-Palestinian youth, be it through music such as the WEDO, or sports, or early education, can make a difference.  We hope to capture pieces of this difference.  I am really interested in the children aspect, but this may easily overlap into the music area.  I am not sure yet.  But we are wondering if there is such a thing as finding out a "then and now" on some of the youth that were involved with the orchestra.  I don't have any more specific details, as, especially after seeing the movie last night, my mind is spinning with possibilities and areas of curiosity.

Reading Response: Parallels and Paradoxes

After the really interesting video conference with Mariam Said, the Parallels and Paradoxes reading added a little more dimension to what we are learning right now.  It amazed me that they took the time to document their conversations; it was a wise thing to do.  It makes me think of those in my life that I should take the time to record conversations with....anyway, this bit of the book gave a fascinating glimpse into Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said.  The Memoriam of Edward Said, written by Daniel Barenboim, was so well articulated; not only is Daniel Barenboim a Maestro and genius in the musical arena, but is so adept at putting his thoughts into words.  He really wrote so beautifully about his dear friend, painting a picture that helped me envision what Edward Said was like.  In reading about each of these men, the word 'Renaissance Man' comes to mind; I read it in one of the readings about Edward Said, but I had already thought it while reading about them.  For example, Maestro wrote: "Edward was not only at home in music, literature, philosophy, and the understanding of politics, but he was also one of those rare people who saw the connections and the parallels between different disciplines, because he had an unusual understanding of the human spirit, and of the human being."  WOW!  What else could there be left to know?  Edward Said not only was beyond genius, but Daniel Barenboim is a master at writing so eloquently to relay his point...my, my.....

I feel that details they shared help flesh out what we know of the West-Eastern Divan, which I now see has much of the heart and soul of these two men living within the orchestra, its purpose, and the Barenboim-Said Foundation itself.  I really like what the Maestro said about sharing their music: "They were trying to do something together...they already can't look at each other the same way, because they have shared a common experience.  And this is what was really, for me, the important thing about the encounter."  Sharing common experience....perhaps this is a key to peace in the conflict....like the project we watched about schools for the very young, from both sides, sharing common experiences...maybe this holds peace within its hand.....I really look forward to seeing the movie.

Response to WEDO and questions for Mariam Said

Hello Mam,

What a wonderful project the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra project seems to be.  I first watched the trailer of the movie and, besides being excited to see the entire movie; I was touched by the message by some of the youth within the movie clip; such sincerity and touching words for hope.  Your husband's quote from the clip: "...the question of identity has to be posed in terms of the future...that is to say, how do you deal with other identities who also feel they have a place in that very place..." seems to be the very question posed in our class this semester.  We have read Karen Armstrong's Book (Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths) to try to understand a little better the various identities within Jerusalem and their history within the city.  Although these identities are critical to where Jerusalem has come from, these many identities feel they are a part of this very place...how can we move forward in understanding and peace without carrying the question of identity into the future?  His words ring so true. 

This beautiful music is testimony that we can remain individual yet learn from each other, working together for a common cause.  I could see the passion in the tremendous conducting of Daniel Barenboim and the intensity of the musicians to bring soul touching life to their music.  WEDO is witness to Mr. Barenboim's vision of "a productive and harmonious Arab-Israeli co-existence," reflected in the performance of the youth and offering hope for a peaceful tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your work in this project and for your time to speak with us.  I have a couple of questions to ask you, with your permission.  Do you remember the first time you heard of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra project idea and what was your reaction? At what point did you begin working with the project and what differences do you notice from that point until today within the project?

Thank you again most sincerely,

Barbara McGinness

Reading response to Issam Nassar's article

Fascinating reading!  Questions popped out of my head on every page, yet he answered most of them by the end of the article.  I had no idea that many (most?) late 1800-early 1900 photographs of Jerusalem and the countryside there left room for questions: Why were so many incorrectly identified?  For example, the early 1900 picture in his article identified the subject as 'The Tower of Antonia' but was really a minaret of the Aqsa Mosque.  How did THAT happen?  Accidental?  Intentional?  Why??  As I read, I wondered WHY then there were so few people in the photographs...did they just not have enough foresight to consider the value of the people in the photos for later researchers?  Was it on purpose?...

Especially, although a photograph was of one thing, WHY did they describe something else?  For example, The Dome of the Rock was spoke of as "The Site of Solomon's Temple."  And the picture mentioned above, of the lone dead tree with the minaret in the background, captioned as "The Temple Area.  Tower of Antonia."  Also, the many photographs of people, the land, etc. seemed to always reflect Biblical stories.  The Biblical stories are awesome, but how can every photo lead to them...for example the 1870's photo of the old man talking with an old peasant woman in a wheat field...Ruth and Boaz...Why?.....

By this time my mind was suspicious of some unspoken, subtle plot for some unknown purpose....conspiracy theory, huh....questioning, "Why the extreme slant to relate the people and the land to Christian Biblical stories during this time period?"  Again, I love Biblical stories, but this was noticeably extreme....as was mentioned in our class: it may not be about the beautiful stone gate but rather the man that sits by that gate everyday.....And then Nassar offered my wondering mind an explanation: "...this paradigm of European colonial expansionism was further complicated by the special connection of the country to the biblical history of both Christianity and Judaism as was fully exploited to serve European colonial expansionism.  Calls for a PEACEFUL CRUSADE to establish a European Christian enclave in the Holy Land...."  Ah HAH...there it was!  The unspoken purpose was to condition the minds and hearts for another type of crusade?  Wow!  It makes sense....but then, why did they quit doing this, or did they???

Also, I had to smile....Russia self-appointed itself as protector of the Christian-Orthodox community there, France did the same thing for the Latin Church, and Britain signed on as protector of the Jewish community...Where was the US?  Did they not get involved in this concept, to be left out in the event something moved forward, in some direction, for some purpose (peaceful crusade even)? It is not like the US to not be involved in the matter of others....nuff said!

I thoroughly enjoyed this article...it really offered interesting information.  Especially, it offered the concept of wondering about the proverbial man sitting by the gorgeous gates...what do these early photographs show us about what was going on in the minds of the photographers, therefore others of the time period, since he was commissioned by them and photographed to entertain/inform the viewing audience...what was Paul Harvey's rest of the story.....

Questions for Issam Nassar from the Identity group

Do you see similarities or difference between modern photography of Jerusalem and what is discussed in your article?  Why do you think this might be?

It was very interesting to learn how many of the early photographs were improperly identified (ex: James Graham's 1854 Dome of the Rock and the early 1900's picture identified as 'Tower of Antonia' instead of a minaret of the Aqsa mosque).  Do you think these were accidentally or intentionally mislabeled/misrepresented?  Why (or why not)?

You mention that Russia self-appointed itself as protector of the Christian-Orthodox community, France as protector of the Latin Church, and Britain as protector of the Jewish community.  What happened to the US?  Did they not also get involved in this concept?  Why/why not, do you think?

Who I am: 55 years in 500 words

I stood in line, sat in front of a camera and smiled, and walked away with a thin plastic card clenched in my fist, like thousands before me, only… I cried.  My life has been a journey through time, the product of experiences, choices, and dreams, and this card was the doorway to a dream I thought could never be mine. 

A baby boomer born in Napa Valley, California, my childhood education was earned as a US Navy brat.  Schools in California, Virginia, and Maryland taught me a lot about differences within our own country, while three years in Japan and two in Scotland allowed me to learn of other cultures and peoples.  A time of exploration and adventure, my sister, brother, and I made paths through forgotten bamboo groves exploring the Japanese countryside and rode rusty bicycles down many Scottish roads, in awe of hills covered with purple heather and Highland cattle.  And I learned that life was a beautiful journey.

A teenage American woman during the free-spirited early 1970’s, I learned a lot about the consequences of choice.  My high school diploma in one hand and my letter of acceptance to Indiana University in the other, I realized that dreams of higher education were not as important as life growing within.  At that time in rural southern Indiana, girls didn’t go to college pregnant.  They married.  So marriage I chose.  And I learned that life was a journey with pain.  But I also learned the beauty of love between mother and child.

As a devoted mother and homesteader of the 1980’s, I learned what it was like to step into a man’s world in the workforce, becoming the first woman pipefitter/plumber within the Central Foundry division of General Motors.  Serving an 8000 hour apprenticeship to earn my journeyman status, I worked long hours of backbreaking work, retiring after a thirty year career.  During those years I learned that life was not a fair journey for women.  But I also learned the value of hard work and that you can realize great accomplishment if you never give up.

Two children to support as a single mother, I bought a farm and remarried. Years of experiences and choices allowed me to appreciate that which I may have overlooked when I was younger.   During the 1990’s I learned the joy of being married to your best friend and the wonders of two more children, and I learned that life was a journey of satisfaction and peace worth discovering. 

The new millennium brought with it rekindled family relationships, precious grandchildren, and homeschooling for our two youngest children.  As our son finished high school and pursued his dream of attending Indiana University with their AFROTC program the fall of 2011, I remembered my dream of so long ago…..

I stood in line, sat in front of a camera and smiled, and walked away with a thin plastic card clenched in my fist, like thousands before me, only… I cried.  My student ID card from Indiana University was the doorway to my dream, and I learned within my life’s long journey dreams really can come true.