Response- Armstrong 11-13

"Nasir suggests that there were about 20,000 families living in the city  which would put the overall population at about 100,000. He was impressed by Jerusalem's excellent markets and high building. Each craft has its own sūq, the town had many excellent craftsmen, and good were plentiful and cheap"

This quote from Ch. 12 of Armstrong's "Jerusalem" really hit home for me. It pinpointed two ideas for me. 1: There are so many people living in Jerusalem who have a rich history in the city. This is valid on both the Jewish and Palestinian side of the matter. People don't want to be forced out of their homes, and Jerusalem is, in a way, a home to all.

2: There is a rich culture in Jerusalem that is rooted in historical tradition and is what really makes Jerusalem special. I am a White Jew from the United States. When I am deep in the sūq, I stand out. Yet as I used to wander through, talking with people, hearing their stories, and debating politics, sports, or anything else with strangers. My favorite time to go was thursday afternoons- the market was always calm, and I could always make a friend. Sometimes I would use my camera to become friends with kids- they loved to smile for photos and then look at them with me. The kids had not yet been exposed to the negative stigmas that often exist among peoples within the city, and so we were friends. I also used to sit with shop owners, and learn of their lives. One time, I sat for 3 hours hearing about Hassan's desire to move into the city, because it was too much struggle to commute from Ramallah every day. Ramallah to Jerusalem is not close, and I was blown away to see what a gentleman would do to work in a city that was so important to he and his family.

As I read about the market, and the people who have such long histories in the city, I read something familiar. Not all that much has changed. The images, smells, sounds, and people are much the same. Yet the conflict has grown.

In another class, I am learning about the intergroup contact theory. This is to basically say that people will begin to find they are more similar to one another and begin to respect each other once they interact on greater levels. Keeping this in mind, I must rant for a moment.

A huge part of Israel's economy is based off of tourism. Yet these tours, take Birthright for example, or many other Jewish-life heavy tours, shield participants from the reality. Many people will at most walk through the market, and maybe haggle for a shirt or something. What they aren't open to is the idea that the merchant from whom they just saved 3 shekels has a story. They don't see the Jerusalem that Armstrong described in Ch. 12. We read of history, but not much has changed.

Maybe we need to understand each other before we can judge. Maybe we will learn that all the peoples who fight for Jerusalem are really not that different after all. Maybe if we interact on higher levels than 3 shekels, we can boil the conflict down to something simpler, and maybe even agree to work towards a solution.