News Tips from Central Jerusalem

 It is an interesting juxtaposition - I recently became immersed again in politics and then I moved apartments and now live right at the center of the action. I feel like a lot of the news and politics worldwide either centers on or comes back to Israel. There has been a fight for academia and sanity on college campus for years now that involve many topics and yet it all came to a head with the displays of antisemitism following the October 7 attacks. With President Trump conservative students finally found a warrior for their values, rights and freedoms. Yet the issue that was highlighted in his social media posts was the treatment of Jewish students and the displays of anti -. Of all the wasteful government spending, unnecessary wars, military funding, overseas aid, human rights abuses and warring factions worldwide - Israel is uniquely highlighted time and again and is the focus of the criticism on both the left and the right. I am in a unique position to share what is really happening on the ground. 

I live across the street from Bibi's residence and one block over is the American embassy. A group of families of the hostages whose loved ones are still in Gaza started an organization to ensure their relatives remain a national focus and their rescue and return be a top priority for the country. There is a kabalat Shabbat event Friday afternoon every week and a huge protest every Saturday night when Shabbat is over. The Mom of a hostage said that these gatherings are so crucial not just for her child but to keep her spirits up as well, when she struggles to get out of bed, knowing how many people stand beside her in this fight gives her the resilience to keep moving forward and living her life. Last week there was an extra mid-week protest on Sunday in solidarity with the protests nationwide that day in a push to raise awareness and convince the government to do whatever it takes to bring the hostages home immediately. Sadly that has not yet happened and the fight continues but during that protest I had the chance to speak with some of the participants. They told me about a comedian who participates and tries to use humor to engage the public on this issue. 

What is interesting as well are all the ancillary groups that join with the primary organization sometimes amplifying the message other times adding their own agenda to the conversation. One organization is "Standing Together" and while they join in the call to bring the hostages home they also have a larger anti war agenda and a long term populist/socialist leaning agenda for the country moving forward. There was also some scouts style youth movement participating as well. One Saturday night there was anit-protest protesters on the periphery sort of coopting the attention and sharing the space of the first protest. These more radical left-leaning idealists were obviously not advocating for continued harm to the hostages but they wanted to highlight the suffering of the Palestinian children caught in the crossfire of this terrible war. They reacted with patience to the hecklers, understandably many Israelis feel that this message being expressed in the center of Jerusalem is a betrayal: criticizing our government for stepping, defending us, rescuing our fellow countrymen an fighting back when we were targeted for annihilation - that is the opposite of standing with your people. They were courteous and willing to engage in a dialogue when I spoke to them but a little narrow minded in so far as they had no answer to my question on how to react to pure evil and do they recognize that evil exists in the world. For example when I asked about the murderer of the Idaho four, even once I explained the story an its relevance to the topic, all he could say was that he is against the death penalty but he could not defend his position that strife and war only exist in reaction to subjugation. 

I first noticed the protests - they were hard to miss, but it was only after several weeks of living here that a friend informed me that Bibi lives on this block and that is precisely why this spot was chosen. I am forunate to live near the Western Wall and am able to go pray every morning. On day I decided to ask these security guards what building they were protecting and that is how I found out that the American government is also my neighbor. There is a huge synogogue around the corner from me that hosted the ambassador for Friday night prayers two weeks ago. A parishioner shared his amazement that there was no extra security, actually no security at all. He wasn't checked for a weapon and did not pass through any metal detector. I guess Mike Huckabee trusts that Israelis love him and wish him no harm. 

I had a more intriguing experience the first Friday evening in my new apartment, actually it was my first day there altogether, having moved in that Friday morning. I was walking to a Shabbat meal and passing Shechem Gate, an area heavily populated by Muslims and Arabs, and because I was slightly dehydrated and fighting the tail end of a severe depression I was lost in my head and didn't notice two young women walking behind me until they nearly bumped into me. I was startled and then I was frightened when they jumped to the side and just stood at the edge of the pathway staring at me. I vaguely noticed a man walking his dog but didn't register the connection and just shrugged and said "I don't know" when he asked if the girls were afraid of his dog. Turns out they were and it was a huge and ugly dog, so I don't blame them. But I did not know the heck what was going on - all I knew was that these Arab girls almost bumped into me and now they were staring at me, standing at a distance. I am usually very open minded and feel very positively towards Arab Israeli but suddenly I felt the weight of the war and in the confusion of the moment a terrible fear gripped my heart. The girls meanwhile noticed me eyeing them and approached and so I asked them if they needed something, and when we realized we all speak English they asked me if I was judging them. Let me tell you - it was a real awkward conversation trying to explain that yes I was scared of them and then a meeting of the minds when the misunderstanding was clarified, especially considering the role the dog played in all of it. They were so sweet offering to help me find a place to sit an rest when they saw how red I was and I told them I was dizzy from having spent the day in the sun. But as soon as I asked to engage in a diologue and hear their perspective of the political upheaval the tone changed drastically. "We dont talk about the conflict" was all they said and then hurried away, almost running, no way I could keep up or even have the chance to explain myself and apologize. I id not intend to offend them or put them in jeopardy, I feel that there are so many conflicting reports in the media and while I live here where it is happening I also exist in my bubble. Conflict can only be resolved through conversation and the truth can be revealed through discussion and sharing of experiences. I understand these girls all to well because I would never dare ask my Arab dentist or his secretary of their perspective, I have to feel comfortable going back there for my next cleaning and for my upcoming tooth implant. Instead I asked her for her hair stylists number, which unsurprisingly was an Arab owned salon. What was surprising is that they werent Muslim, it is a Christian owned family store. However, they were just as reticent to talk politics with me - even a conversation regarding taxes, licensing and economic freedom from the perspective of a fellow bussiness owner, he made it very clear that all this was a no go zone. It is good that we avoid contensious subjects and I love living in  country where Muslims, Arabs Christians, Druzes and Jews can live together, but there has to be the space where we can also work through the thorny issues that do affect us, try as we may to push them under the rug. I have Arab friends as well, coworkers from a previous employment, and when the war started we discussed our feelings an how it affects us, but I would not feel comfortable reaching out to them either. Definitely I would not broach this topic with my primary physician. So I am left with the question of how can I get involved with furthering the peace efforts and engaging in a productive dialogue of our similarities, our differences and how we can have a meeting of the mind to push our country forward. 

I did recently meet a journalist from a Swiss outlet at a coffee shop in Mamila mall but he wasn't interested in helping facilitate a conversation between on the ground citizens who live with the reality and effects of the war in our day to day lives. Sitting near him was the head of security for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. He was very proud of their efforts to bring food to Palestinians, "we are defeating Hamas with food." His team wore bullet proof vests and he showed me a video of the drop-off. Traders, as he called them, on motorbikes came first, and then civilians on foot. The traders take the aid first and then bring it to residents who live farther away and cannot get to the aid site easily. I wasn't able to catch his name and he claimed he did not know who founded this organization or who is the CEO at this time, claims I question because if he is the head of security he should know these things. He said they do bring journalists along but only from registered and well recognized news organizations.