Though our time in Israel was brief and we were regrettably unable to go to the West Bank or Gaza due to time constraints and safety (my cousin Bobby  unfortunately had a pretty intense experience – he is okay though!), we tried to absorb as much as we could through conversations with both Jewish and Arab locals, the sights and sounds around us, and debriefing sessions most nights.  Our most interesting conversations were with Yuvall, our Airbnb host in Haifa who is a non-religious gay Jew, and with Suraida, an Arab native of Nazareth who has seen years of transition.

Despite feeling like Yuvall was far more hip than I was, I felt comfortable asking and discussing just about anything with him as we sat on his balcony sipping cappuccinos and he rolled a cigarette.

Yuvall seemed honest and genuine with his conversation, though we were limited in depth, mostly due to my ignorance.  He started with his explanation of the Zionist movement that was started by Herzl, less for religious reasons, but more to find a place of refuge for the Jewish (through ethnicity and culture) people.  Tolerance towards others was a pillar of Herzl’s movement.  However, as Yuvall put it, “when Herzl gathered the leaders of the Jewish population around the world including Russia, Poland, and the Middle East, his goal of tolerance was quickly stifled by these strongly religious leaders”.  This was the last of the tolerant movement.

After the Zionist movement took effect, displacement of those already living in the area occurred.  Sound familiar?  This was yet another “change of hands” for this contested strip of land against the sea.  Once Israel declared independence in 1948, Jews from all over the world started migrating to Israel.  This lead to an intensified Arab-Israeli conflict with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) occupying areas once strictly Arab and protected by Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.  After a brief battle in 1967, Israel had officially annexed Gaza, the West bank, and East Jerusalem and residents were given the option of applying for Israeli citizenship.  Since then,  the country’s history has been one of tit-for-tat battles and conflicts including hostage situations, landmine placements, and suicide bombings.  Yuvall remembered the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian Agreement witnessed by Bill Clinton in 1995 where Palestinian leadership could relocate to occupied territories including Gaza and the West Bank in return for Palestinians promising to abstain from use of terror.  Despite this treaty, suicide bombings continued and eventually Israel had barriers constructed around Gaza and the West Bank increasing the separation between Israel and the Palestinian Territories.  And that is about where we stand today – half the world accepting Palestine as its own country and the other half, including the US stating it continues to be occupied territory.  Yuvall didn’t have much to say as he saw it as black and white – the land is Israel and it is currently occupied by Palestinians.  Throughout our conversation, Yuvall was quick to differentiate between Arab Israelis (those who had accepted citizenship) and Palestinians (those living in the West Bank and Gaza).  He didn’t state much of an opinion of either group, however it was clear he was more comfortable discussing the Arab Israelis.  I left the conversation feeling that the fighting that continues today is less about religious differences between Muslims and Jews (as I had once thought), but is more territorial between two cultures, Jewish and Palestinian, both claiming land they believe to be rightfully theirs through history and battles won.

When we spoke specifically about Haifa, I asked if it was progressive like Tel Aviv or more divided like other cities in Israel.  Yuvall’s response: “No, Haifa is not so much progressive as it is tolerant”.  I asked him to explain and he explained that due to the way the city is arranged on the hill, different religions and cultures are intermixed and have been since the establishment of Haifa.  Unlike Jerusalem where tensions rise between different sections of the city where different cultures congregate, Haifa stays tolerant out of necessity.  He said, in his apartment complex alone there is a Hassidic family, a Muslim couple, a Russian Christian, and him and his partner.  If intolerance was accepted in Haifa, without “places to retreat to”, the city wouldn’t be able to function.  It made sense and I suppose in an area of such unrest, necessary tolerance is a good place to start.

Suraida is an Arab Christian business woman who manages the hostel we stayed at in Nazareth.  Nazareth is a mostly Arab city split between Christians and Muslims.  Suraida put away her laptop, poured a cup of tea, and sat down with us after breakfast one morning to give us the history of her hostel – her great grandfather’s house over 200 years old.  When it was clear there was more to this hostel than the transition from family home to dorm facilities, we began to probe for a deeper history.  She explained that in 1948, after the Arab-Israeli War and establishment of Israel as a nation, many of the Arabs living in Nazareth (and elsewhere in Israel) left for Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan afraid for their safety and the unknown.  Those who stayed watched the city turn dark with shops closing and increased danger and drug traffic.  She is proud of her family for staying on their land, despite making moral sacrifices such as “succumbing to Israeli citizenship”.  The general argument in Israel seemed less important to her as she stated “It is like the chicken or the egg when asking who had this land first”.  However, what was clearly dear to Suraida was helping her town of Nazareth slowly return from a dead and dangerous city, to one that tourists feel welcome and locals feel safe.  The town fights with the media and opinions of other cities in Israel as she tries desperately to show the Nazareth is alive and well.  Jonathan and I couldn’t help but think that fights with the media and outside opinion can expand to include the whole of Israel.

Unfortunately, we never had a chance to talk with a Palestinian and therefore, can’t help but feel like we only received a part of the story.  But I believe any conversation and discussion had with a local member in this controversial country is valuable and shares a bit of the flavor making up community.  I expected a bit more conflict and controversy, however both people we spent time speaking to encouraged tolerance and hope for growth in the future.  Though violence rears its head too often, especially at the gates and borders of Gaza and the West Bank, it seems to be from extremists who are outward with their belief that this contested land belongs to them.  Quietly and sadly, however, those living away from the borders seem to believe it as well and show it through a silent prejudice and in small discriminatory remarks.

Jonathan and I had multiple conversations about our experience in Israel trying to find common ground with a history of race discrimination we are familiar with in the United States.  In Israel, the prejudice and discrimination is not based solely on race, but on religion and the culture associated with that religion.  It is a fear of the unknown that transcends race here.  Skin color plays a minimal role in the tension.  It is involved only through the stereotyping that happens when people associate certain races with certain religions.  Both sides are guilty of stereotyping what they hate, which in this case is the unfamiliar religion and the associated culture.

We both came to Israel, interested in the truth of the media’s portrayal of the violence and discontent shown in America.  In all honesty, it seemed like a lot of blown up, pardon my language, bull shit.  The “assault” from the Palestinians does not seem nearly as extreme as Israel and the US make it sound.  There is really minimal “threat” (truthfully, they don’t have the means) and the response to any “threat” tends to be exaggerated by the IDF and the media.  For example, an IDF soldier was stabbed in the hand while checking an ID one of the nights we stayed in Jerusalem.  We watched as multiple IDF vehicles were deployed and read later that the Palestinian boy was shot multiple times with media coverage over-stating their headlines with “Palestinian Attack!!”  I am not sure how accurate our observations and thoughts are in the big picture, but after our brief time here, these are the conclusions we eventually came to.

That was then end of the post… until we had one more encounter that made Jonathan and me stop, think, and discuss.  On our way back to Israel from Jordan, we were stopped by security as they asked to search Jonathan’s bag.  They found a copy of the Quran, and what followed was a 30 minute interrogation of Jonathan regarding his past work, travel plans, and his knowledge of the book.  Jonathan stayed cool the entire time, with obviously nothing to hide, and I sat there and watched my boyfriend get profiled based on a religious book in his pack.  We are both white Americans who are not affected by the racial profiling that happens in America.  For the first time in our lives, we encountered this inappropriate response and left thinking, “That was completely ridiculous”.  I can only imagine it feeling worse for anyone of color in the US who has been in similar situations.  It is not fair and it is not right.

Final thoughts… Why can’t they all just get along?  Because thousands of years of history stand behind this fight and it will never go away.  The situation seems self-perpetuating where it is an all-or-none mentality. Both sides have zero trust in the other, for good reason, as both sides are not truly trustworthy.  Building trust in an environment where one side is feeling attacked and the other side oppressed is nearly impossible.  Yuvall’s perception begins to ring true, and I reluctantly consider necessary tolerance as my hope for Israel’s future.

Jerusalem is, without a doubt, sacred land.  Jonathan and I are not particularly religious, but from our first look at this city and the people residing here, it is obvious this place is unique.  Yes, we have seen plenty of yarmulkes and are now accustomed to the call of prayer, but upon entering the western edge of Jerusalem, we were immediately surrounded by hundreds of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews with devout Muslims and Christians across the way.  This town felt different.  It felt scholarly, but at the same time soaked in belief and at times even propaganda.  People from all over the world were here to “study” their “beliefs” which cannot necessarily be “proven” all the while, their neighbor is doing the exact same thing for a completely different belief.  It is mind blowing.  It would be like passionately studying world geography next to someone studying the same map, only upside down… with both parties believing their map is the correct and only way to view the world.  No wonder Jerusalem is a bit chaotic.

We spent the next four days immersing ourselves in this historical yet bizarre walled city… while also trying to keep our history and Bible knowledge up to snuff.

We spent one day seeking out the most important sites of each of the three major religions here including:

– The Temple Mount (The Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque) is the site Muhammad ascended into Heaven on his horse and is the third most holy site to the Islam religion.  It is also identified by Jewish and Christian tradition as Mount Moriah, the supposed location where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac to God.  Though a highly contested site, it is occupied only by Muslims and tourists as Jewish law prevents the Jewish people from setting foot there.  To them, The Holy of Holies resides there and they are forbidden to step in the same space – and are not huge fans of the Islam religion sharing the same site.  The Temple itself is an absolutely gorgeous shrine blanketed with royal blue tiles and intricate mosaics.  After some pretty aggressive security measures, a brief slap on the wrist when my cousin, Bobby, touched my shoulder (men and women must not make contact), and a quick lesson on the Quran, we were allowed to just wander the grounds of this incredible building.  We had a two hour window during our entire stay in Jerusalem to see this site, as it closes often for prayer and holy days, and it was well worth making a priority.

– The Western Wall, the most holy site for the Jewish faith is the remains of a temple long ago destroyed by the Romans.  This is a relatively small segment of the structure which originally composed the western retaining wall of the Second Jewish Temple and is the place to which Jews turn during prayer.  We were able to witness from afar as men and women danced, sang, and rhythmically prayed at the wall.  Once Jonathan and Bobby donned their yarmulkes and we were separated by sex, we were able to get a closer look at the wall itself.  I found a corner that I could touch and stand quietly by for a moment, but if I am going to be honest, it seemed like “just a wall” with those around me worshipping together.  Part of me hoped to feel something as I was surrounded by a community that clearly was, but I guess acknowledging the wall for its importance to others is about as far as I will get.

– The Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulichre in Latin reads, ” Way of Sorrows” and is the path Jesus took to crucifixion ending at the site he was crucified, died, and was buried.  After years of Catholic school, the 14 stations of the cross are more or less ingrained in my mind and I must admit, there was something pretty amazing about walking the “real” path.  I looked up at the steep hills and thought, “no wonder Jesus fell three times”.  We followed a procession led by chanting monks of multiple Christian sects along a path (through the Muslim quarter of the city surprisingly) ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulichre where the last five stations take place.  The church surrounding the site was elaborately covered in gold, softened by candlelight and the accompanied incense.  Jonathan felt the church to be cluttered and almost tacky with the amount of gold and trinkets spread about.  For it to be the site of such a humble act, it seemed a bit overdone to me as well.  Maybe it was just because this was the story I grew up with, but I was surprised to feel my stomach turn just a little when I reached the site of crucifixion…

While seeing these sites were separate events for us, they were happening simultaneously all day… everyday!  The monks lined the street during their procession along the Via Dolorosa while Muslim women in hijabs walked by on their way to the souk (market) and a Hasidic Jew in his hat and curls made his way to the wall for sundown… all under the “watchful” eye of the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) whose presence was well known in Jerusalem.  It seemed like people were, at least outwardly, living in tolerance and contentment – with only extreme radicals causing any disruption amongst the masses.

We spent one of our days taking a tour of The City of David and the Hezekiah Tunnels. This archaeological site of ancient Jerusalem is one of the most intensively excavated sites in the area and was an awesome example of biblical archaeology – the act of matching stories from the Bible to events in history. This was the birthplace of the city of Jerusalem and the guide said, “everything in Jerusalem is old, but in this part of the city, 2000 years means new”.  In 1004 BCE, King David conquered the city and established his capital there.  The excavations show large elaborate houses of the wealthy civilians of the city as well as King David’s palace where ancient letter seals (bearing the names of people mentioned in the Bible) were found, helping cross-reference and date the site.  One of the most fascinating parts of the City of David is their water system perfected years later by King Hezekiah.  Tunnels were built extending from the city to a well and the spring at the base of the mountain to allow transport of water without being seen and to secure the city’s water supply against siege.  It seriously amazed me to see ancient minds at work and the creativity it must have taken for success over 3000 years ago.

On our last day, we set out to enjoy the sunshine with a nice picnic.  However, in true Jerusalem fashion, you cannot have an outing without finding yourself at a sacred site.  Our selected picnic place with a panoramic view of the city also happened to be the Mount of Olives, the site of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas and the resting place of Mary.

This city is chalked full of history both religious and secular, and I found myself exhausted after four days.  Though I didn’t see much blatant aggression between religions, the undertone of the city let you know things were constantly on edge.  Off to the Dead Sea for some much needed decompression.