Week 11 Discussion Response

(One of the World Record-winning plates of Hummus in Jerusalem that we talked about in class... I want to eat it)

When watching the videos and reading the articles this week knowing that we were going to discuss cultural appropriation, I immediately kept my eyes peeled for signs of it. At first glance, I didn't quite understand how we were tying food to cultural appropriation; food is food. Even after finishing the assignment, I was still somewhat confused, as I thought it only made sense for Israelis, living in the Middle East, to eat Middle Eastern food, especially since many Israelis are originally from Arab countries. So in my reading response, I quickly brushed over the topic and didn't delve into it very deeply because I didn't think it was necessary. After our conversations in class this week, I see that I was wrong, but not 100%.

It isn't appropriate to call something cultural appropriation when (a) it isn't negative AND (b) it isn't being taken from somewhere else (emphasis on the and because one of these conditions isn't sufficient on its own). Since many Israelis are from Arab countries and have lived there for generations, and some being Arab themselves, they are not taking anything away from Arab cuisine. They are not claiming that it is their own and ignoring where it came from. It is only logical that they would continue to eat the food that they have eaten for generations, even when they move to a new political state and change their nationality. It also makes sense that when someone moves to Israel that they would eat the cuisine offered to them by those who run restaurants, many of whom are making this Middle Eastern food that has been eaten in that region for centuries. They are simply assimilating into the culture that they see, and Middle Eastern food has become very much a part of Israeli culture. Thus, I would not call this facet of our conversation cultural appropriation.

Here is where I see cultural appropriation entering the conversation: when Israelis eat this food and claim that it is Israeli and only Israeli, uninfluenced by Arabs. This is (a) very negative in nature and (b) being taken away from Arabs and coveted by Israelis, even though these people who are Israeli have been been raised on this food for generations. This type of distinction seems unnecessary, as who wants to create a problem out of food? However, as we're seeing in class, this is a problem.

The problem that I see is not people enjoying the same food and just wanting it to be theirs, but people having a political conflict and taking every facet of life and creating a problem from it to create a further separation as opposed to using the similarity to bridge the divide. Does this make the problem cultural appropriation, or an entirely different type of problem? I'm not sure how to answer that, but it could be a mix between the two. I think the most important aspect of the conversation, however, is that people who share something wonderful (and delicious) in common are using that wonderful thing to further divide each other. While Israelis are to blame for the cultural appropriation side of the problem, both sides share the blame in perpetuating an unnecessary fight over food.

Week 11 Reading Response

Whoa, week 11 already! This was a much less intellectually-taxing week, but I did the readings before dinner, which I don't recommend because it was basically torture.

To start, the first thing I thought of for some reason was this short film, "The West Bank Story," about two competing restaurants right beside each other in the West Bank, one run by a Jewish family and the other by a Palestinian family. I saw it a long time ago and it's actually pretty entertaining. So here it is!

One point that struck me about Lebovitz's piece was when he said, "I'm not a very spiritual person, but you just need to walk the streets of Jerusalem, or step into a place a worship, and see how powerful the city is." I find it interesting that no matter the background of the people whose pieces we've read or the people we've spoken with on video conferences, they all say that Jerusalem is an incredibly emotive, powerful place. While this isn't really tied to food specifically, it's just something that makes me want to visit Jerusalem even more to experience.

I thought the freshness of all of the food in the pictures and videos made it all the more enticing. In the US in general, we do not really experience food like that wherever we go. We mostly go to grocery stores and have produce imported from all over the world. I can imagine that in a place with so many cultures, no matter what food they prefer, it is easy to get the ingredients to make whatever they want. It reminded me of when I was in Italy and there were produce stands everywhere with produce grown at home, or other baked goods made at home. It all just looks so wonderful that I cannot imagine anyone having any kind of disagreement about food.

I thought that discussion of cultural appropriation within the context of food during the videos was a little strange. Appropriation has a very negative connotation, but since many people in Israel are of Arab descent, it would only make sense that the food they cook would be influenced by their own culture. Not to mention that Israel is a melting pot/tossed salad/whatever you want to call it. To me, that would be like saying that Americans are culturally appropriating when serving German-style frankfurters. I don't know if maybe I was missing something, but I was wondering what you all thought about that.

Discussion Questions:
1. For those of you who have been to Jerusalem/Israel, besides the influence of Arab and other Middle Eastern food discussed in the videos we watched, what other cultural influences on food have you seen?
2. Do you think that food can be a unifying enough experience to be used to bridge understanding between Israelis and Palestinians within Jerusalem, perhaps through some kind of unification project?

Week 10 Discussion Response

This is a picture from the Miss Israel pageant and Jewish women of different backgrounds are represented here, so I thought it was a fitting picture.

Since it's been a while since we've had a discussion, I really enjoyed talking with you all today! The readings that we've done since our last discussion have been some of my personal favorites, so hearing other people's perspectives on things was fabulous and refreshing.

I was glad we had the opportunity to discuss different identities. I didn't know until today that there was more tension between Mizrahi women and Palestinian women than with Ashkenazi women. This was kind of sad to me, as both Mizrahi and Palestinian women experience a very different, more difficult struggle than Ashkenazi women. It's always disheartening to see any group (in this case women of the region) divide on classist lines, as it's merely an issue of status as opposed to a deeply rooted, fundamental difference in ideas. I find the lack of understanding and unity to be the product of society, as most social issues are. This leads me into a discussion of our conversation with Galit Hassan-Rokem.

Speaking with Galit Hassan-Rokem, she mentioned something very interesting: her name sounded Mizrahi, so she was often mistaken as being Mizrahi, despite being Ashkenazi. This makes sense, as her last name sounds very Arab (when was the last time you heard someone with the last name of Hassan and not immediately associated them with Arabic?). But that assumption of someone's identity can change the way you view them. Mistaking someone's identity isn't necessarily a problem. It happens all the time, the issue is usually rectified after a conversation, and people move on. But considering the experience of Mizrahi women, and the interactions between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi women / Mizrahi women and Palestinian women, this misunderstanding could present a problem. As we found out this week, the tension can often be visible in every day experiences in Jerusalem. I would be interested to know if Galit experiences different treatment regularly when people become aware of her name.

"All of Israel is part of the occupation. I am also part of the occupation." When Galit first said this, I was taken aback for a moment. In political situations, I don't like to think that people are simply born as a part of something, especially not part of such a big problem, without choosing it (whether under pressure or not). Of course people are born into all sorts of issues, but whether or not they consider themselves part of the issue is an entirely different matter. I reflected on this more later and it definitely makes more sense. Living in Israel would require one to be part of the problem. They participate in government-funded programs and activities, which perpetuate the occupation. However, I'm still not sure I agree with her statement (and I want to hear what other people think about this). People don't really have an option when they are born and raised in a particular area. So long as they are not making the problem worse, and even taking steps to alleviate an issue, they are not part of the problem. Galit herself is an activist who speaks out against the occupation. While she participates in government-funded activities and programs, she is also a citizen of a country and should be able to enjoy life comfortably without feeling like she's a part of something that she protests strictly by virtue of living where she lives. Maybe she meant something more by what she said that I'm not touching on here, but again, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks because that specific comment was definitely the most striking part of the video conference for me.

Week 10 Reading Response: Feminism in Israel

This week's reading assignments definitely highlighted a majority point with feminism everywhere: it's complicated. It's never easy to talk about feminist issue without recognizing a variety of nuances that play into the way women experience society: sex versus gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, etc. There was a clear distinction between the way Ashkenazi and Mizrahi women experience living in Israel, but they shared common feminist goals as well.

A key point was class transcending feminism. Further along that vein, the division is ethnic, which is directly related to class in that Ashkenazi women tend to be much wealthier than Mizrahi women. This issue has been seen throughout many social justice movements within history, including the feminism movement in the US in which white women were still racist against black women, the latter of which deals with an entirely set of problems that the former does not experience. There was also a distinction drawn between Haredi women and other Jewish women in general. I was glad that we read a variety of readings that noted that the many different experiences that women deal with depending upon their ethnic or religious group, and I'm sure we've only hit the tip of the iceberg.

The plight of Palestinian women in Israel was an issue in itself. Saar explains that Palestinian women must deal with multiple patriarchal regimes: the family, the state, national community, and others. Palestinian-Israeli as an identity in itself is oxymoronic, as the author notes. She also notes that while Palestinians in Israel are better off than their brethren under the Palestinian Authority, their quality of life is much lower--for both men and women. The identity is so complex and the state treats Palestinian-Israelis so much differently than Jewish-Israelis, as is highlighted by Samira, even if individuals do not discriminate. The complexity of this issue is fascinating to me and I'd love to talk about it more in class (as I'm sure we will).

On a related note that slightly strays from feminism, at the end of Galit Hasan-Rokem's article, she said that she hoped for an undivided city, which is to be the capital of two states of two nations. I have never really heard anyone discuss the idea of Jerusalem being the capital of both states in an undivided way. I just think that this idea is interesting and hope we get the chance to talk about it more in class.

Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think it's possible for Galit Hasan-Rokem's idea about Jerusalem being an undivided city, but the capital for both states?
2. In reading about Palestinian women's experiences in Israel, did you see their struggle as more politically motivated, gender-related, or a bit of both? In other words, do you think that if these women weren't Palestinian in a political sense, would they have the same struggles as Jewish women in Israel?

Music!

Sorry for the last post, everyone! I got stuck at work until late tonight... bleh. But here I am, ready to talk about one of my passions in life--music!

Music has played a massive role in my life, as I'm sure it has for many of you. I grew up playing piano (and still love it to this day!), and eventually began learning drums and guitar. I also took voice lessons for a period of time and have enjoyed studying the creation of music as an intellectual pursuit. I love the universality of music. Even if you don't like the same music as someone else, everyone, in general, can all say that music is something that they enjoy.

I associate music very much with memory. The sound of a certain song or album will bring back memories from specific moments, people, seasons, and life situations. The way music is so ingrained into the brain is phenomenal and never ceases to amaze me. It provokes such strong emotion that's inexplicable until you experience the emotion itself. I get a similar feeling with other sensory experiences as well, especially smell. But music is a very special experience for me. It has been something that has allowed me to escape from what's going on around me, enhance great experiences, and quell moments of overwhelming anxiety. It is with me when I'm sick or sad. It has also started many conversations that have blossomed into beautiful friendships. It also transcends language barriers depending on what it is. I have been able to connect with non-English speakers through music, which is an incredible experience.

I have many musical favorites that provoke different emotions for me, or I prefer to listen to during different activities or seasons. I am a huge r&b fan, but also really enjoy screamy/shouty post-hardcore. I've posted some of my favorites below (and noted if they have language that may offend some). I hope you enjoy listening to them and I'm excited to look at other people's posts, as I really love talking about music. I like to know why people like what they like, as music opens an entirely new door for conversation.

Let's let the music do the talking!

Bjork: Undo
If I'm ever feeling anxious or need to study, she's my go-to girl (along with St. Vincent/Annie Clark... you should find her if you don't love her already)

The Weeknd: Heaven or Las Vegas (Warning: language!)
The Weeknd is one of my all-time favorite artists. I listen to him every single day and often fall asleep to Abel's sweet, sweet voice. You may know him via Drake promoting him, but listen to him without Drake and you'll probably want to kiss his face.

Sunny Day Real Estate: In Circles
Sunny Day encompasses many of the things that I love musically. It's gritty, loud, shouty, and intricate.

Death Cab for Cutie: Two Cars
But really, who doesn't love Death Cab?

Kendrick Lamar: M.A.A.D. City (Warning: language!)
This entire album is about Kendrick growing up in Compton. He explains that he was born to be a very peaceful soul, but the life he lived there forced him into gang violence and he hates that that's what he became, as it isn't who he is. It's seriously one of the most thought-provoking albums, even if it doesn't seem to be on the surface. He's one of the most moving rap artists, along with Immortal Technique (but I won't rehash that obsession).

The Goo Goo Dolls: Iris
This has been my favorite song since I was in Kindergarten. It's one of the most comforting songs for me to hear since I've loved it my entire life.

Young Magic: Sparkly
If this doesn't calm you, I don't know what will.

Sun Kil Moon: Moorestown
This entire album, "April," was written about the artist's (Mark Kozelek) long-term girlfriend who died in April. It's probably the most excruciatingly painful albums I've ever heard, but also hauntingly beautiful. Every single song is just perfect. If you want to have a good cry fest by yourself, take this with you. Or just listen to it anyway and try not to cry.

Saosin: Lost Symphonies
Because anything that Anthony Green has ever touched brings me back to really great times in my life.

Owen: Playing Possum for a Peak
If you enjoy acoustic at all, you will freak out at how great this song is.

Interpol: Obstacle 1
It's just phenomenal. All of it. I'm sure someone else in here MUST be an Interpol fan.

Week 8 Reading Response

This week's readings all warrant separate responses, so I'm going to go through each one individually to give it the attention it deserves.

"You're So Pretty--You Don't Look Moroccan"
Henriette's experience as a Moroccan Jew in Israel was surprising in one way and not at all surprising in another. After collectively experiencing the tragedies of the Holocaust and attempting to create a solidified Jewish state, the Jews of Israel were still not united for a common goal. After experiencing such intense discrimination in Europe, they still discriminated against each other. This is not to ignore the pluralism found in Israel that we've been studying. It makes sense that there would be tension among a population of Europeans, Moroccans, Arabs, and others, as there are huge social, cultural, and class gaps. However, it's still surprising that there was not more unity and such dehumanization of Moroccan Jews by other Jews. It was incredibly disheartening to read the essay. Hearing about someone suppress who they are in order to appease others is inexplicably depressing. But I also found that I wasn't too surprised about this type of behavior in light of how many Arabs describe their experiences in Jerusalem today.

"A Dog's Life"
Everyone loves a story with a dog in it. But this story unveiled a sad truth. Suad's use of her dog's passport to get into Jerusalem was strange for several reasons: (1) why does a a dog have a passport... and (2) why can a dog cross a border (WITH A PASSPORT), but a human cannot? Humans should be able to fairly easily pass through one border to another. While obviously the situation between Israel and Palestine is different than, for example, the US and Canada, Palestinians should still be able to cross a border with more simplicity than Suad experienced. Border crossings are definitely different stories than checkpoints or outposts in occupied territories. The beginning of the Ramallah Diaries was very uncomfortable to think about, as people were being forced to stand in straight lines and board buses when told. It reminded me of the countless stories I've read over the years of people being lined up and put onto trains to concentration camps, and the irony of the story was incredibly striking. Again, this is clearly a very different situation, but the similarities makes one think a lot about the hypocrisy in the actions of the IDF, at least in these types of situations.

"Palestinian Christians in Jerusalem"
When we talk about the issue of Jerusalem in terms of religion, in general we are talking about Jews and Muslims. Thinking about the Palestinian Christians as a minority group also made me think more about how Christians as a whole feel about Jerusalem and the sense of belonging that they feel to the city. As a Catholic, I recognize that the hierarchy of my religion as control over its own territory and, arguably, much of the state of Italy. While Catholics also feel an attachment to Jerusalem as a holy city, they don't feel kicked out of any area, or that they cannot travel to other places due to their religion. But the issue within the essay was a mixture of religion and ethnicity, of Christianity and the Palestinian identity, as it connects to Jerusalem. Many Christians travel to Jerusalem from all over the world during Holy Week and Christmas without an issue, but Palestinians that live right next to the holy city have difficulty traveling to their holy sites. This is heartbreaking for many people, and for me to even hear about. Not only are they denied a religious experience, but their identities are being denied not just as Christians, but as Palestinians. No other word but "sad" really sums up my reaction to the essay, despite it not really being new news. But the reminder is always a disappointment.

"Parallels and Paradoxes"
I'll just start by saying that I love Edward Said and that he is one of my favorite authors/intellectuals; so this reading was great for me and I would talk about it all day. But I'm going to focus on one specific point of the reading that made me think more about the idea of courage. When they are talking about the "art of compromise," Barenboim describes the method of a cowardly statesperson versus a courageous one within the analogy of a musical composition. He says that a coward will write in a more physically simple way; in other words, at the end of a crescendo, notes will remain louder and then eventually make a decrescendo into softer notes. A courageous person will write in a more difficult way, making a crescendo and then shifting into piano notes as opposed to forte notes. As a pianist, I can tell you that this is an art that's difficult to master and actually do well. It's definitely a more courageous way to write if your goal is to create something that's appeasing to the ear. However, I had a hard time agreeing with that in the context of diplomacy. Is it courageous to be unyielding, or is it more courageous to pick battles to satisfy all involved? Or maybe he was referring to it being courageous to not allow anyone to stop you from reaching a solution agreeable to everyone? I interpreted it to be the former, but it was strange to me that Said wouldn't argue with this idea more if that were the case. I'd like to know everyone else's thoughts on that, as it was quite thought-provoking.

Discussion Questions:
1. Did you find any parallels between the behavior towards Jews in Europe and the behavior towards Arabs in Palestine/Israel?
2. What did you think about the courage-coward idea that Barenboim discussed? What do you think he meant, and how would you define courageous and/or cowardly behavior on the part of statespeople?

Week 8 Discussion Response

This week was an awesome learning experience for me. I didn't know much about Orthodox Jews, so our discussions and readings really caught my interest and caused me to do more research on my own. I wish we could have gotten more "inside" information about Jerusalem Open House, but our speakers this week were still engaging and interesting. I also really want to partake in Shabbat of a Lifetime now... I'm hungry just thinking about it.

I would like to know more about the LGBTQ community in Palestine. From our speaker today, it sounded like it isn't a very public community due to cultural oppression. I would be interested to know if there are organizations in other parts of Palestine that promote LGBTQ rights. The speaker today suggested that that is unlikely, but I'm sure there's one somewhere. After reflecting on today's conversation, I feel like I'm left with a lot of questions, which should make for a fun weekend on the Internet.

I am acquainted with mandatory IDF service, but am unfamiliar with the alternatives that we talked about today. I really like the idea of mandatory service to one's country, as it requires direct engagement with community and allows one to become aware of something other than their own lives, which is really lacking the US (from my observations and experiences). I attended a school that required community service every year, so we were forced to actually go out and do something for someone else. While many Americans volunteer at different places, there are a painful number of people who never do and only focus on themselves. Just scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook reminds me how absorbed we all are in our own lives. So I am interested in learning more about people's experiences doing mandatory service in Israel.