Final Presentations Continued

    Third Day of Presentations!  
    These presentations were particularly interesting because they covered topics not specifically addressed in class. Alex talked about the role of sport, particularly "football," in the Israeli/Palestinian relations.  I had no idea that teams had specific rules on racial composition or that some violence within Israel stems directly from sport competitions.  Chris's presentation (a wonderfully designed PREZI!) was on the Underground, a subculture or counterculture existing outside of pop culture.  It was enlightening to see how groups within the conflict use rap and parkour as a means of expressing themselves and their feelings about the conflict without actually protesting or using violence.
  Wonderful information! 

Final Presentations Continued

   Continuing with final presentations, Ben gave an informative presentation on the interactions between  groups in Israel and Palestine.  From our class, I had gathered that most interactions were limited, so learning about the Hand in Hand Schools, which have Israeli and Palestinian children in school together, was particularly interesting.
    Amber had a wonderful idea to make an interactive presentation that people can use in the future to help become involved in activism.  The presentation combines general information on activism as well as specific examples from our class, including using video conferences. 
   Good job Ben and Amber!

Final Projects - Allison, Lila, and Kete

     These projects were a wonderful start to the presentation of the class' final projects. 
     Allison and Lila provided unique insight into the knowledge and thoughts of I.U. students through video footage.  I was surprised at the amount of people who did not know about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - I though this was one international conflict that everyone knew about!  The final product was well worth the huge amount of time I am sure you girls spent - Good job!
    Kete showed how food can be an aspect of life which serves to connect people.  I was happy to learn that someone (Chefs for Peace) is capitalizing on that connection.  Thank you, Kete, for letting us taste a little of Jerusalem!

Leaving Jerusalem

   This course has been wonderfully informative and thought-provoking and I think the evaluations should, therefore, reflect that.  Possible topics to cover in the evaluation could be:

• Lessons learned from readings
• Lessons learned from video chats
• Lessons learned from others’ blogs
• Lessons learned from class discussion
• Questions we still have
• How the class changed/or did not change how we thought about the conflict
• The impact of the course (Are we motivated to continue learning?  Do we feel the need to be involved in the peace process, etc.)
• Final impressions (Is there hope for peace?)

    Even as I write the ideas for evaluation topics, I can think of so much that I have learned.  I know that when the time comes it will be hard to say goodbye...

Solidarity against Violence

     A movement of solidarity as a means to end violence can be seen from the websites of Sheikh Jarrah and B'Tselem.  Both organizations condemn violence from Palestinians and Isrealis in the conflict and use public condemnations and protests to make their stance evident.  Sheikh Jarrah, which holds weekly protests, is currently working to expose the police systems as allowing violent behavior to spread, particularly violence by settlers toward Palestinians in Anatot and is holding a peace vigil there on November 11, 2011.
    This idea of solidarity first is interesting.  I can understand the thought that violence and the conflict can not be ended until Jews and Palestinians recognize the other adn have some solidarity, but I also wonder if solidarity is possible as long as violence is present...
   

Questions for Eitan Grossman:
Are you pursuing an end to the violence as a part of the peace process or must violence be stopped before peace can even be considered?
Have vigils like the one to be held on Novemer 11 been effective in the past?  Are the demands of the group actually recognized?

Identity Conflicts

In the City of Borders film trailer, one girl said that an Israeli mother would rather her daughter be gay than to marry an Arab.   I think the fact that she compares these two identities shows how conflicted people are when it comes to these identities.  Whether wrong or right, certain groups are more easily identified with.  For Americans, a predominantly Christian country (at least at its founding), it is easier to relate to the Jews than the Arabs because Jews are found in the Christian Bible and are the heritage of Christ.  Presumably from this quote, it is easier for Jews to identify with homosexuals than with Arabs because the Arab identity is so connected with the turmoil of the past seventy or so years.  For acceptance of any group which is connected with such long and deep conflict, great change in ideology, culture practices, and religious beliefs would have to occur.

Question for Elinor: What role do you think activism for gay and lesbian rights has in the peace process? Does peace come first or do gay and lesbian rights come first? Or are the two movements separate?

Beyond the Music

   The Sabreen Center, The Jerusalem Music Center, The Heartbeat Project, the Qud Festival, and the rappers all essentially believe that music has the capability of functioning at a deeper level than just the notes or words that we hear.  The Jerusalem Music Project explains it as a belief that "music is about inter-human communication and cooperation, social involvement and cultural relevance."  It is through music that people have the opportunity to connect on a musical level, an ideological level, and even a spiritual level.  These groups also seem to present the idea that through this connection, there can be at least a discussion of, if not a movement towards, peace.
    I am excited to hear from Aaron of the Heartbeat Project on what his motivations were initally and if he has seen his goals and plans reach success or some level of success.