Art, Architecture, and Pyalara

First and foremost I want to make sure that people watch this video of JR that I posted earlier this year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PAy1zBtTbw Go to 5:30 to see specifics about the Israeli-Palestinian part of the project or watch the whole thing (highly recommended).

So this week we read an article about architecture and how it has been implemented over the years. It seems that there were three big movements that stood out about the rest. One was the sabra which I interpreted was a mixture of ancient Jewish culture and Palestinian vernacular. Could somebody explain what vernacular means in context here? It seems that this style was attempting to combine the best of both worlds allowing the Israelis to "let down their wall" in a way to allow some of the Palestinian culture to slip through.

Another architectural movement was to combine elements of the ancient biblical world with a modern sense of building. I am glad to see that many in the Jewish culture are not afraid to adapt to a new era in time.

Lastly, I think there was also a movement pertaining to presenting Israeli dominance. This one I did not like so much obviously because it does not portray a welcoming community in acceptance of the Palestinian culture.

We also studied the Pyalara website. This is an organization salient to the future existence of a Palestinian state. I enjoyed the quote that was taken from a speech by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that explains that if the Palestinian youth are ignored and shunned from political society then the nation will be "condemned to bleed to death". Youth are that important to the nation's health for a few reasons. First off, they will be the next in line for leadership positions within Palestine. Also, they will be a larger generation then the previous as the population continues to grow. Finally, youth are willing to take more risks that older adults meaning that they can have a greater effect on political media and social revolutions than the adults.

Divide by Zero

It's really quite interesting how people that live so close to one another could disagree so much. Jerusalem itself is within a 64.4 square km patch of land that probably does not appear any more important than the architecturally beautiful city of Rome or the Egyptian land of the Great Pyramids. Yet, while Roman architecture and tour of the seven wonders of the world are still widely open to the public, Jerusalem continues to section itself into exclusive pieces for very few. And while it is not completely true that Palestinians and Israelis are so close to one another (very few Israelis settle across the walls in Palestine and vice versa), the multitude of mental divides appear to be the real problem in this Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Although I noticed the many differences between the two battling groups early on (ie. physical, economic, ethnic, religious), I never really stopped to think about the varying ways in which these barriers act on the opposing group. Barriers can be protective, aggressive, exclusive, or dominative (not sure if that's a word). So more important than just looking at the fact that barricades and separations were put up, one should keep an eye out for the reason behind doing so. Many citizens of the general public that are unaware of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict probably see the barriers as protective whereas those involved see the aggressive and dominative side to them.

In this situation, many of the barriers that have been built up have been initiated by the Israelis. The physical barriers are obvious in that the walls have been built around settlements. Economic barriers have also been put in place to keep Palestinians from gaining more power. Checkpoints have created a widespread embarrassment amongst Palestinians as well which creates a social separation showing that Israelis have higher status. Many Israeli schools prohibit Arabic which forms an obvious language barrier.

Yet, Palestinians (although most likely in response to the Israeli presence) have also created their own fair share of separations. For one thing, generally they definitely do not try to learn Hebrew to try to speak with the Israelis. Religiously, radical and non-radical Islamic groups have proclaimed that Israel should be for the Arab people. Recently more pronounced on the Palestinian side as well have been attacks on Israeli settlements. Politically and physically, Palestinians have also been divided amongst themselves separating them by walls and ways of thought.

One way that Palestinians have dealt with the walls is through art. They paint the walls with spray paint through pictures of revolution and words of resistance. It is quite amazing what send.a.message.project has been doing. Giving people to say what they want to say while giving back to the communities that have been affected by the wall is a creative way to help out.

Of course given my strong background in the sciences, I tend to relate my experiences to chemical and mathematical relationships. The many separations amongst Israelis and Palestinians remind me of strange mathematical situation. Dividing by zero is confusing and mysterious like Jerusalem, and does not seem to allow any more progress to be made. Yet, thinking creatively through the miracle of calculus allows mathematicians to reveal the meaning of the impossible "divide by zero" to make that progress. Mainly through these grassroots creative routes, as seen through Banksy, J.R. anonymous, or the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, will the conflict be solved.

All About me

Hahaha as if you all didn't already get enough of me from my overbearing "About Me" section. Well you asked for it so here is more of what it really looks like to be me...

OK well if one is to even break the surface of the ice, let alone understand the 90% of the iceberg that is below sea level, I would say that any conversation about myself must include music. Phewww so I have been scrounging my music library for about 40 minutes now in search a select few that I hope will give a good soundbite (haha) about who I am. The first is, Roy Hargrove, a fabulous jazz-fusion artist of whom I listen to almost every day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxeb0cwjE8U and a Swedish jazz/blues/rap group called Movits! (who recently got the Colbert Bump in America): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHolNvS5XbM&feature=related Type in "Roy Hargrove radio" or "Movits! radio" and choose the link to Last.fm and you will not be disappointed.

Jazz has been a big part of my past considering my Uncle was actually my high school band director. Although I have thought about quitting the saxophone several times before, this is probably a tell-tale sign of any healthy relationship. Haha OK maybe not but still I can say that I am very grateful that I have been able to be a part of the music (specifically jazz) community without whom I would be a completely different person.

A response to a response of a response

Fiction is way more important as a socially influential genre than people give it credit for. Yes, reading history and non-fiction can give physical facts about the who, what, and where but gets a little flimsy when trying to describe the whys and hows. In order to understand how cultures think, studying literature of fictional media should be a prominent part of any sociological research. Two of the greatest series' of the past decades have been the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as the Harry Potter heptology (which, surprising as it is, is actually a real word). Lord of the Rings represents the Western fantasy with its Eurocentric ancestry, alluding to the roots most noticeably from Irish and British nationalities. Harry Potter on the other hand has been debated throughout the United States for its connections with blackmagic practices of witchcraft and wizardry. Yet, the fact that it has sold millions of copies may reveal the more secular outlook of Western culture.

Naomi's review of Yehuda Amihai's book Not of this Time, Not of this Place gives us a better look into the mindset of those with a connection to Jerusalem. It's interesting how correct Hasan-Rokem was in her analysis of Jerusalem in literature in that it is always represented in a transcendant fashion. Throughout this Naomi's paper, she talks about how the different characters in the story view the city in contrasting ways (ie. celestial, terrestrial, or full of a terrifying past), yet always with the same transcending apperance. A protagonist full-heartedly states "I admit loving it" in context of Jerusalem. Hasan-Rokem would have a field day explaining the feminist perspective of this statement but I think it would suffice to say that there is an obvious humanization of the city.

Many other passages help to illustrate an image of the unknown that the city seems to symbolize. One passage describes Jerusalem vaguely as a "mosaic of love". This fantasy lacks realism, expressing the omniscience that is believed to envelope the city. Even the physical actions of the protagonists are presented as transcending reality where a character goes back to the city narrating "I wandered aimlessly- as though in a dream". Amongst the dense religious history lies a sense that Jerusalem, although now separate, was once the bridge to the spiritual realm. This has instilled upon its inhabitants a sense of unattainability that is most often a part of the city's image in fictional literature from the area.

I hope I do not sound like a broken-record here, but I think that this point needs to be nailed into the frontal lobe of every citizen in this generation. That is that in order to make serious gains toward an efficient globalized system, of which has been expedited by the use of social media, everyone must achieve a better sense of respect for fellow man (and woman of course). Human rights has been brought up many times before within our class, and although some of the arguments may have strayed from the discussion, this is a key point that must be included in any political debate. Because what is the purpose of a nation without the support of its people?

Questions for Yonatan Gher

1. Do you think that the LGBT sympathizes with the Palestinian community?
2. Has the LGBT community been successful at all getting their message across through musical media?
3. Is there a prominent theatre, music, or movie industry in Israel? Do you know if there is a high percentage of LGBT community members in this industry? If not then do you think it is because they are persecuted against?

Perspectives on Amiry and Hasan-Rokem

The Ramallah Diaries gives a great look into the personal side to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I really enjoyed the set-up in that Amiry humanizes the conflict, including names of people and the emotions that they are feeling (which may seem obvious but is something that I feel is often neglected in talking about political problems such as Israel/Palestine).

"The Promised Gas Masks" appears to draw allusions to Jerusalem as being part of "the promised land" although showing the sadly ironic Palestinian side to the story. While Israelis continue to push that they are entitled to the holy land, Palestinians have become a mere afterthought. The story describes how difficult a process it was for the Palestinians to try to get their gas masks, all of whom were risking their lives to go out during curfew. Yet, in the end even after hours of waiting, many returned home empty-handed. This proves to illustrate the inefficient system that has been built in Israel to deal with the Palestinians.

"A Dog's Life" sends a message that is just as sad. Many Israelis and Palestinians with Jerusalem ID's can take for granted how nice they have it. While Amiry has been dreaming about getting a Jerusalem ID, it is nearly impossible for her to acquire one. Yet, it took a few minutes and only 125 shekels for her dog to get a Jerusalem ID. It is sad how dehumanized the image of Palestinians has become throughout this conflict.

In contrast, Hasan-Rokem's perspective is opposite in that she encourages others to view the city as a city rather than as a woman. I doubt that most Jerusalemites seriously wish to "fondle the roundness of the bulging hills", yet she draws on a good point. The semi-irrational love that is felt by many of its inhabitants resembles that of a husband to his wife. This lust has driven everyone to want it to the extreme that they have fought over it for centuries. Instead, they should be loving real women, wives, sisters, and mothers.

Questions for HR:
1. Do you believe that empowering women in the area will provide more benefits than problems?
2. Do you think female Jerusalemites view the city as a woman or man or city? (Is the problem only with men?)
3. Do you think that Islamic societies will ever be able to integrate female empowerment into their culture?
4. If you could have one wish, what would it be?

Contrasting Music Styles in Jerusalem

Initially, I was particularly excited about this week's readings. As a musician myself, I understand the calming and collaborative atmosphere that music can bring about. When our class focused on Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim's orchestra, a key point that was emphasized within their website was how the orchestra allows students to hear and be heard. This concept is necessary for the cohesiveness of any group.

Sadly, when I reviewed the website of the Jerusalem Music Centre, their image showed a different story. Although they seem to reiterate the idea that the orchestra would be an "open invitation to all" as Isaac Stern said. Yet, they never mention Palestine or other Arab countries once throughout any of the information sections. In fact the first time they mention Arabs is in the "Missions" section of the "Who We Are" tab at number 6 where they state that the group tries to play overlooked genres including "Arabic music". They even mention that the group is "Handicapped accesible" on the "Locations & Facilities" tab but nowhere include "Palestinian accesible". Now, I do not mean to bash the group considering that they do seem more inclusive on a universal perspective than the East-Western Divan Orchestra and maybe they do include Arab musicians in the group, but they sure do not show it.

On the other hand, I also surveyed the "Heartbeat Project". For every time that the Jerusalem Music Centre said they were free of bureaucracy, this group is ten times that. In my opinion, this grassroots musical movement is exactly what Jerusalem needs to overcome the opposing differences seeded amongst its divided colonies. The first thing I see is "Heartbeat: Jerusalem - The Palestinian and Israeli Youth Music Project" followed by a photograph of young Israelis and Palestinians actually interacting with one another (and I'm not talking about a radical suicide bomber on an Israeli bus or an IDF soldier patting down a Palestinian for 20 minutes). No, these young musicians are "musicians" in the most honest sense of the term. They are not just going through the motions recreating what some dead white European guy wrote down 200 years ago. Instead they are making music: suggesting ideas, dealing with differences, talking about their mistakes, compromising on the sound they want to hear, and finally experiencing bliss at the thought that they created something out of nothing together. And they show this. If you take the link to their site at www.heartbeatjerusalem.org they have uploaded videos that reveal the tension and later the glee that such a project has led to. I commend them on this.

Sociology, Ethnography, and Epistemology

The culmination of this week's readings in the Living Jerusalem Project focused on the writings of Dr. Salim Tamari. It seems that his studies have merged two very useful ideals that look at the sociological relationships of peoples and cultures and how this affects political change. For Israel and the Palestinian subunits, knowledge on this subject is particularly useful in hopes of coming to a stable resolution.

Anyways, on to the readings! Of the possible articles, I chose "Lepers, Lunatics, and Saints" and the analysis of Ishaq al-Shami. Sadly, I could not find a link to the article on music's influence in the region so if someone else more observant than myself could send me a link then that would be much appreciated. But I digress... "Lepers, Lunatics, and Saints" instantly drew me in with its specific references to the leper community. This has been the first instance in which the influence of disease has been covered all quarter, which is surprising considering the Ottoman Empire's rich medical history. Also I find that this is something often overlooked when considering any sort of relgious or cultural conflict as it affects every human being, which could act as common ground. I was even more taken aback when Dr. Tamari stated that the lepers were separated between Jews and Arabs. This reminded me of Joseph's solution which outlined a step based on "Confidence Building" where the Palestinian and Israeli cultures should work together on smaller problems like health and medicine in order to share an understanding of basic human rights.

Dr. Tamari goes on to list the many cultural movements that have taken place within Israel/Palestine. Nativism has preceded cultural nationalism by surfacing the innate sense of belonging that humans have, specifically towards their ancestral roots. This makes complete sense by the fact that as peoples basic needs (ie. water, food, shelter, safety) are pressured, they tend to become more animalistic which brings out instincts and other innate attributes that they were born with. In the case of Jewish culture, the idea of Zionism began decades it was implemented in 1948, but the Holocaust's harsh persecution surfaced the people's innate need for belonging and safety which expedited the Zionist movement. Of course, this new external pressure of the Jewish culture against the Arabs constituted the perfect layout for a sociological counter-movement of Canaanism. And so by pressuring both cultures, no problem has been solved, but rather more social divides have been created.

It was especially interesting to learn in the analysis of Ishaq al-Shami that Jews and Arabs were not the only populations being divided by this conflict. Instead, there were also two subgroups that emerged within Judaism between "non-Ottoman Jews and 'native Israelites'". I would think that the native Israelites would be more sympathetic towards the Palestinian community. I am also not sure if the native Israelites make up a larger percentage of Israelis than Zionist immigrants but if they do then why is it that Israel appears so hostile to Palestinians?

A few more questions of which I would like to ask Dr. Salim Tamari in the videoconference are as follows: 1. Has sacred geography played an important role in the Zionist movement? 2. How has social media (ie. facebook, Twitter, cell phones) influenced the Israeli/Palestinian conrflict? 3. How does the average Palestinian (Israeli) differ from American images of Palestinians (Israelis)?