My thoughts on the Jerusalem Festival

First off, I was amazed to hear in Dr. H's article that most of the festival's planning took place over the span of six months! I am already a little antsy about writing the 5 page final paper due in ten weeks; I cannot imagine the stress that would accompany a task that carries with it international political implications as well as such a large audience. I have drawn the connection that studying the Jerusalem Festival also seems very pertinent to developing a successful web blog. Not only does the blog need to include all sides of the topic of in way that is as respectful as possible but it also must take into consideration spatial representations. For example, if the blog is split into two columns with one side representing Israeli information and the other representing Palestinian information, then this will tend to imply separation of states whereas including them together in one column may represent more of a unification. These are ideas that I will be considering as I build my blog further.

I am glad to hear that women are gaining status, slowly but surely, in the public sphere. I am not particularly educated on which names are typically male or female in the Arabic language which surprised me when I learned that Suad Amiry is a woman. Leading a team to research and design an event on the scale of the Jerusalem Festival seems very significant to the future well-being of the Palestinian/Israeli nation(s). I have always understood that "women's work and culture was more in the private domain" as she states in the article on "Representing Jerusalem" but the fact that she could attain her public status gives me hope for the rest of the nation. I agree full-heartedly that empowering women in the area will be a crucial step to bringing about the cooperation and compromise that many are hoping for.

It is vital that the Palestinians and Iraelites find a common ground if this conflict is to ever subside. Again I agree with Amiry when she writes that cultural events are important to bringing about unity by allowing us to "see the human face of the Palestinians" (Researching East Jerusalem). We can read about the conflict as much as we want, but the only way we will truly be able to comprehend the complexity of the situation is through experience. The Jerusalem Festival would allow many Americans who are interested in cultures but who are worried about the dangers and expenses induced in international travel a chance to experience life in Jerusalem.

Something that particularly caught my eye amongst reading about what information was researched in the creation of the Festival's design was the issue of boundaries. Before I learned anything about recent events in Jerusalem, I had the image of the wall that separates the eastern and western sections of the city. The failure of this wall to prevent conflict is a vital metaphor for the city's ethnography. It's just not that easy. There is no one line that can split such a complex society into halves. There are cultural, temporal, and spatial boundaries that all come into play when considering a project like the Festival. The fact that surrounding villages to Jerusalem have their own distinct rituals, musics, and artforms shows that Jerusalem cannot be viewed so generally. As Dr. Horowitz asks, what should be done about musicians who play in Jerusalem but live outside of it? Are these distinct cultures?

I am still confused as to whether or not the Festival has ever been presented or not. This is a fantastic idea that reveals the diversity of cultures with such lush histories. "Mise en abyme" describes the situation well as Galit Hasan explains that representing Jerusalem within Washington, D.C. is difficult, artful, and complex.