Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Reading Response For Nov 1, 2011

Sharon and My Mother-In-Law is the most moving of all of the articles we have read to this point.  This article scared me, enlightened me, and made me feel for the victims of this terrible conflict.  In her writing, you can feel her fear as she goes to retrieve the "gas masks" as well as her frustration upon being constantly told to stand in a line and behave in an orderly fashion. It must get old to be told to do the things you had already intended to do, as if you were incapable of coming up with these notions on your own. Does anyone care to enlighten me as to what the older neighbor meant when he said "If you can't beat them, join them?" Was he an Israeli?
In the chapter about the dogs, it is hard to imagine ethnic restrictions so severe that even a dog vaccination must be accounted for.  It is almost comical to consider that a dog would have to get a Jerusalem ID in order to receive its necessary vaccinations. When the author talks of how she was so jealous of the ID and almost considered putting her own picture on the ID for Nura, it became much clearer for me as to just how intense the divide is for the residents of these communities.  It is also interesting to read that the car needs a form of identification as well as its driver.

Not the Mother of All Cities is an interesting article.  The best part of this article is how she mentions that most of the inhabitants feel the need to be "her master." This so easily applies to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and how the need for communication and cooperation is so vital in this situation.  She writes of how "women (speaking of the city) deserve to be loved with less posessiveness and more equality." This is an article I wish all of the current residents of Jerusalem would read and understand because I honestly believe it would inspire them to make an honest attempt at communicating with each other in an efficient and reasonable way.

Questions for Hasan-Rokem:
In your opinion, what is the best option to end the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?
Can you tell us what it is like to wake up each morning and be greeted by the wall?
Would it make sense for the country to remain as one, or is separation the only alternative?

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