Ramallah
Posted by Aaron - 15/12/05 at 07:12:00 amI am tired of waging war against my internet connection in my hotel room, so no post from yesterday.
I spent the past two days in Ramallah doing interviews with the Panorama Center and PASSIA. They went extremely well. Today, there are local elections in Ramallah and the Fatah list was published (or it should have been published last night) there. It is the hotbed of Palestinian politics. But it is not a tourist town. Its rough. There are destroyed buildings all over and Palestinian soliders and many street corners. I stayed in buildings and taxis as much as possible instead of my usual walking around.
I did go and see the tomb of Yassir Arafat. It is in his Muqata compound. Very simple, just a glass building over the grave and a Palestinian flag covering the grave. In the same compound, the Palestinian army was training. I couldn’t get very close but they weren’t very good, out of step, poor attentions, always fooling around, go figure.
I also went to the Dome of the Rock yesterday morning. It seems to be always closed to tourists so it was quite a treat. It is amazing. so beautiful. the sun was reflectin of the dome. I’ll have to show you pictures.
Anyway, my time is almost up at this internet cafe. Tomorrow I head to Ibilin to visit Rev. Chacour and the Mar Elias Educational Institute. I hope it is a nice change of pace from being in Jerusalem. I am not sure what sort of internet capabilities will be there but I will try to keep updating.
Hope all is well with the folks back home.
Back in Jerusalem
Posted by Aaron - 15/12/05 at 07:12:00 amI successfully made it back to Jerusalem. Checked back into the Metropol Hotel for a few more nights and all the stuff I left was there. Wow, Chuck is a great guy.
Looks like there is quite a bit of snow back home. Thanks for the video Dad, it was hilarious. (My dad made a video of what a foot of snow looks like in case anyone I meet out here wants to see. People are shocked when I tell them there is snow back home. One person told me that if it snows here, “we are in big trouble.”
My time is about the run out in this internet cafe but first, my cool trick: اثمخسس يمنالت خهثسشي
Yup, that’s arabic.
Take care
Chuck
Posted by Aaron - 13/12/05 at 06:12:00 amI just finished doing my laundry. It is a little skill I learned while traveling through Eastern Europe: how to wash clothes in sinks and bathtubs. Unfortunately, my shower head broke while rinsing. I hope Chuck can fix it.
Chuck is the man who owns the Metropol Hotel. He sits in the lobby all day long fussing with a small radio. Sometimes he finds a station and then his day is set. I asked him if many guests stay with him. “We have many guests,” he responded. Though he added that what happened recently in Jordan, the hotel bombings in Amman, keeps the guests away.
He also likes to go for walks. He says, “Walking is good for you and I want to live a long time.” Last night, we took a walk together. Every building came with a little remark from Chuck. “That’s St. George’s Catherdral. It looks like many of the buildings I saw in London.” “That’s the courthouse. You don’t want to have to go there.” “That’s a Pizza house (the shop was conviently called Pizza House), if you like pizza. Do you like pizza?”
Chuck became a bit emotional when we walked by the old theater. “That’s the theater,” he said. “Well, not anymore. We don’t have much use for theaters these days.”
I like Chuck. He really looks out for me. When he heard I was going near Bethlehem yesterday he warned me that it is the West Bank over there and to be careful. He gave me his special number and told me to call him if I ever needed anything. “Even if you are in trouble, call the special number.” I like Chuck.
I did go to the border between Jerusalem and Bethlehem yesterday to meet with the staff of the Israeli/Palestinian Center for Research and Information (IPCRI). The staff was very welcoming and I conducted three hours of interviews with three different staff members. Each expressed very different opinions concerning the future of the Palestinian Authority, the role of Hamas in Palestinian politics and the current leadership of Abbas (Abu Mazin). I was pleased, in fact, I was elated. And they invited me to lunch.
One of the scholars, Hanna Sinoira, studied at Wayne State for awhile. Somehow, he was then and is still a die hard Lions football fan. He tries never to miss a game, even waking up at absurd hours to watch the night games. He sadly reported that the Lions lost to Green Bay over the weekend. Go figure.
Mom, you have taught your son well.
Via Dolorosa
Posted by Aaron - 12/12/05 at 05:12:00 amI must applaud the people of East Jerusalem and their complex network of wireless networks. While none of them work extremely well, I can usually connect long enough to post and check emails.
I love my new hotel. The Metropol is cozy and simple. The man who owns it lived in the Toledo, Ohio for a bit, speaks pretty good English and has gone out of his way to help me. He walked me down the street and showed me where to buy sandwiches, fruit, drinks and get coffee. The roof gives some cool views of Jerusalem. He also gave me a front door key, so it can remain locked.
Yesterday I walked to Via Dolorosa. This is the path Jesus walked on his way to his fructification. There are 14 different Stations of the Cross (places where something happened) along the route. Stations include the place where the crown of thorns was placed on Jesus’ head, places where he feel, the place where Simon was forced to carry the cross, etc. The stations are marked by chapels or other holy monuments. And if you cannot find a specific station, there are about a million “tour guides” who will gladly show you where it is, for a price of course.
The last 5 stations are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built on top of Golgotha, the rock where Jesus was crucified. I cannot describe the power inside this church. Just outside the church is the Chapel of the Stripping of Jesus, where he was stripped of his belongings. When you walk in, a staircase to the right takes you to the top of Golgotha. There are two stations there, where Jesus is nailed to the cross, marked by a beautiful mosaic, and where Jesus died on the cross. Underneath this alter, you can catch a glimpse of the rock of Calvary. Down the stairs is the Stone of Anointment, where Jesus was laid after he was taken down from the cross. At any given moment the rock will be rimmed with pilgrims kneeing and kissing it, many crying. The last station is the tomb where Christ was laid to rest. The Crusaders built a separate chapel over the site. Inside the chapel you can see a piece of the stone that was “rolled away” and in another room is the place where Jesus was laid. The chapel is candle lit by the candles lit by pilgrims. While kneeling at the altar where Christ was laid to rest, an old Italian woman next to me was wailing. When we exited the chapel together, she grabbed my shirt and said something to me. I smiled and nodded my head. Powerful.
I could not leave the square outside the church. I sat there for awhile, reflecting on the experience. With all that has happened in the past few days, I needed the solace of the church and its square. Finally, I left and returned to my hotel.
Today, I visit the Israel/Palestinian Center for Research and Information. Dr. Gershon Baskin and Hanna Siniora, who write for the Jerusalem Post on Israeli and Palestinian issues, have agreed to talk to me. The center is at the checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Leaving the Holy Land
Posted by Aaron - 11/12/05 at 07:12:00 amNo, not the general region, but the Holy Land Hotel. I check out today at noon. It has been a nice place to stay, comfortable, friendly staff, the dinners leave a little to be desired. It has also been strange to be the only guest here. Except for an entire family “living” down the hall from me, I am the only person here. I eat alone in a gigantic dining room where three waiters stand around and do nothing. So I am slowly packing up my things and getting ready to move to my new home, The Metropol Hotel.
Slowly being the key word. Israelis will keep you out late. Last night I met up with Rebecca to see a bit of Israeli culture. She tried to teach me to hail a cab and get the Israeli fare, but my Hebrew (if you can call it that) failed me. We walked around kikarzion (Zion Square) just before sundown on the Sabbath. Things were completely shut down. Rebecca assured me this was not the normal state of what my guide book says is one of the few places full of life at all hours.
After awhile, and a possible few wrong turns, Rebecca and I ended up in a Orthodox community. She hurried me out of there, assuring me if we were seen, we would be mobbed and chased out. The best part of seeing Rebecca was the chance to talk. I have spent much of this trip in silence, eating in silence, walking in silence, sitting in my hotel room updating my blog in silence. So, unfortunately or not, Rebecca barred the grunt of a pent up mouth with a lot to say. I enjoyed it, as I normally do when I am talking, and I hope she did too.
We went back to her dorm for dinner, some little Israeli pizzas, hummus, veggies, pita, wine, these marshmallow-chocolate-good things and pumpkin pie. Oh yeah, and hookah! Some of here friends came over, with the pie, and, yes, we spoke English. They were both from the USA and one, who goes to Hillsdale, knows Mole. He will be in Bethlehem for the Christmas holiday as well and I look forward to meeting up with him.
Then it was off the bars with Rebecca, her Scottish roommate, Danny, and Sasha. Sasha was born in Estonia, moved to Canada and now serves in the Israeli military. He was a blast to talk to and his expert knowledge of Hebrew helped as well. He has served at checkpoints and as security forces in Palestinian towns. It was very interesting and eye-opening to get the perspective from someone who has been almost hit by Palestinian thrown rocks and lost friends in the conflict. Sasha and I had a great time together and I am really glad Rebecca introduced me to him. He also had a car so he could drive me back to my hotel at the un-godly hour which I returned.
Now I can say I am in love with falafel. It is like no other sandwich.
After I settle into the Metropol, I am going to call all the organizations I hope to set up appointments with and plan a busy week for myself. The check-point between Jerusalem and Ramallah is still closed, with good reason, and it looks less and less likely that I will be able to visit there. Such is life in the Palestinian territories.
A couple more pictures for ya’ll…
The Damascus Gate. I prefer to enter the Old City through this gate. It takes right into the heart of the Muslim quarter.
It was someone’s birthday at one of the bars we went to last night and we were brought into the foray. The cake had a fountain-type firework in the middle, think candle times 10, and we all got sparklers. They sang what I must believe was happy birthday in Hebrew.
slow down
Posted by Aaron - 10/12/05 at 07:12:00 amAt first I thought 20 days was a long time to spend here. Now I realize I may need all 20 just to get an appointment or interview. Things move at a much slower pace and I doubt people have their Franklin Planners on their desks or Lotus Notes on their desktops ready to make appointments at all hours of the work day. Such was my frustration yesterday as I spent another day here without conducting any research.
On a more positive note, I decided to push the limits of my comfort barriers and actually interact with the city around me. I went back into the Old City, determined not to be had by the scheming shopkeepers. It was a great success. I made it all the way to the Western Wall without buying trinkets, being dressed up in desert clothing or sharing tea with someone who is now my brother. My power converter for my laptop burned out yesterday and without hesitation, I went back into the Old City, found a place that sells converters and paid, what I believe to be, a reasonable price. Feeling a bit cocky, I decided to try my hand at ordering a cup of tea and a doener like sandwich at a cafe in East Jerusalem. There, I think I was ripped off but it was a nice to sit down and enjoy a sandwich in peace.
Probably the biggest accomplishment of yesterday was going out at night to get a drink. I could not stand being in my hotel room any longer and decided it was time to see what the city is like at night. I decided to go to the Cellar Bar at the American Colony Hotel about 500m from my hotel. According to my Let’s Go Israeli travel guide, this is the place for foreigners and international journalists. COOL!
After a bit unnerving walk there, I entered the bar. It is a dark, cellar-like establishment with many nooks and low tables to sit at. Contrary to the best case scenario I formed in my head, the whole bar did not welcome me in with open arms, sharing stories of Jerusalem and offering me assistance during my stay. No, instead I sat at the bar, drinking Johnny Walker on the rocks, eating some fantastic nuts and feeling pretty proud of myself for just going out. After a few drinks, I felt good, relaxed and ready to sleep. Instead of walking home, I had the reception desk call me a cab, which I think ripped me off but 20 Shekels is not a bad price for the piece of mind of getting home safely. I am glad I did as the streets were deserted on the ride back to the Holy Land Hotel.
Ah…so another day in Jerusalem. I hope to use the PASSIA library for a few hours today and then spend the afternoon with Rebecca. I just heard back from Dr. Baskin at IPCRI (the Israeli/Palestinian Center for Research and Information) inviting me to come interview his staff and use their library. To quote Taylor from the OC, “It’s happening.” And someone needs to update me on what happen this week. Unfortunately, CNN does not have an OCbar that runs at the bottom of the screen.
Finally, some pictures of the Western Wall 
the wall is divided into two sides, a large one for men (viewers left) and smaller section on the right for women
The gold dome behind the wall is the Dome of the Rock, considered the third holiest site in Islam. The dome was once made of solid gold.
Even in the desert heat, its been in the 70s and 80s everyday I’ve been here, but it gets much hotter in the summer, religious Jews wear black suits.
Lost in the Old City
Posted by Aaron - 09/12/05 at 06:12:00 amDay 1 was a moderate success. I stood in line forever to buy a phone card at the Post Office, but that is just the way things go. I was able to get in contact with PASSIA and stopped by to say hi.
On the way there, a group of Palestinian school children swarmed me, asking me various questions in Arabic and English. They were harmless though their avid interest in my watch influenced my decision not to wear it for the rest of the day.
After that, I went into the Old City to see some of the sights. While I did finally make it to the Western Wall, I spent most of my time finding off tour guides and shopkeepers. Once I learned their tricks, their ways of getting you into their shops, I was pretty good with the shopkeepers. Many offered me tea or coffee and some promised not to try to sell me anything and just wanted to chat. One such person, Ishak, proved very kind. We sat in his shop, sipping tea, and talking about our families. He is 33 years old with a wife of 11 years (meaning he was my age when he was married). They have 3 kids. He is Bedouin and told me he has traveled the world with Bedouin exhibits. We talked of Europe and the United States. He really likes Florida.
Not everyone was like Ishak. One man, who sells clothing, pulled me into his shop. When I told him I was not interested and had to be on my way, he lectured me about being polite and respecting people. I just stood there. Then he began to dress me in a white rob, called a Throbe and put a Ghutra and Agal on my head (the scarf and cord). I sort of looked like this:
I finally got him to take it all off me and he still tried to sell me it. So I walked away. Now I understand Rebecca’s saying, “We bargain with our backs.”
Today I am supposed to meet up with Rebecca. I am looking forward to that. Here as two pictures from yesterday.
This is looking East from atop the roofs of the Old City. You can see the hills of the desert in the distance.
the picture of the Western Wall is not uploading. I’ll try later.
Hope all is well in the USA.
setting the record straight…
Posted by Aaron - 09/12/05 at 06:12:00 amThis is not an Israel update. Though I am doing great!
After email correspondence with Sharat, I am obliged to offer a few corrections. Sharat is correct; one should not just report rumors but seek the truth from those involved. And all you who gave me wrong information about the incident, I know where you sleep and many of you sleep in the same house as me.
Thanks to an email from Sharat, new information has come to my attention.
First, Rita does not dip into the party fund at will. The incident in question involved Dan, Rita, Sharat and Emma. Dan actually took the money and it was paid back immediately but Rita. Sharat is correct to say it was legit.
Second, “Krister was not fighting my fight. We both walked into that one, and in fact I never even fought the kid,” wrote Sharat.
Third, the information regarding the hospital incident is incorrect according to Sharat. Krister wanted to leave the hospital and it was not a break out situation. In regard to the security guard, Sharat wrote that he was talking to him when the car took off.
I hope this helps clear up information about the incidents. Sharat is correct when he asserts, “That’s just bad journalism to write on something when you only have second hand information.” I meant the text of the blog in question to be a joke between friends, although it was not taken as such. For this, I apologize. Those parts of the blog which are incorrect will be removed.
Hello from the Holy Land
Posted by Aaron - 08/12/05 at 07:12:00 amI made it. I made. After almost missing my flight in Chicago, stupid international terminal and family with two sets of twins and the largest stroller I’ve ever seen. Honestly, it was the Titanic of strollers and they got to go to the front of the line. Meanwhile, my flight is leaving in 10 freakin’ minutes. I ran to the gate with my shoes in my hand. The gatekeeper or whatever she is called said I was a very smart boy with some good moves in that “I’m Polish speaking English” accent.
In Warsaw, I had to wait for the El Al (the Israel national airline) security to put me through my paces. They asked a thousand questions but it did help me further define my SIP topic. Questions like, why are studying leadership? What do you hope to ask you interviewees? What are the end goals of your project? I am not sure what this has to do with security but I answered them anyway. Also, every thought it was strange that I had a Jewish first name, Aaron, but wasn’t Jewish. They couldn’t figure it out. I attempted to explain the Christian significance of the name but decided that was a loss cause. Then the unpacked my bag and x-rayed every piece of underwear. I sat behind a curtain and only participated to screw the lens of my camera back on. The security guard thought he broke it. The upshot is I had a personal escort through the Warsaw airport and got to go to the front of all the lines. So what if he was a tough looking, serious security guard.
El Al is an awesome carrier though. So comfortable, really nice staff, amazing food, even though I didn’t know what half of it was. The chicken and rice dish I understood, but nothing else. I know I did eat my dish of hummus with a spoon because I hadn’t saved the PITA for it. No one told me. Luckily, the stewardess just smiled at the goofy American shovelling hummus with a spoon. It was good though.
Once in Tel Aviv, the fun started. I found the Sherut, a communal taxi van which doesn’t leave until all the seats are full. Luckily, I was the last one and we left right away. I told the driver to take me to the King David Hotel, one of the nicest hotels in Jerusalem. I was the last one in the taxi when the driver questioned me about the King David. Apparently, I did not look rich enough to be staying there. I think the backpack gave it away. I leveled, said I was staying at the Holy Land Hotel and I was going to take another taxi from the King David there. The cabbie was confused and that got him lost. Then we drove by Ariel Sharon’s house and there were protesters. This made cabbie really nervous but then he expressed his dissatisfaction with the recent disengagement.
After all this, I hailed a cab at the King David. He got lost in East Jerusalem and finally we found the Holy Land Hotel, actually the oly Land Hotel, the “H” is missing out front. Checked in, dropped my stuff off in my room, and dinner. I don’t know what I act, chicken on stick with other stuff. Beat, I went to bed.
Today is a full day. Now it is sinking in. I am here. I am in Jerusalem. I saw the Old City wall last night from the cab and many of the gates. It is amazing. While the nerves still kick in once and awhile, I am super excited to be here and can’t wait to start my research.
This the view outside my hotel room. I don’t know what exactly you are looking.
Netanya
Posted by Aaron - 06/12/05 at 04:12:00 amMy prayers and sympathies to those who were injured or lost love ones in the Netanya bombing today.
I leave for Israel, the Palestinian territories, the West Bank, Jerusalem, whatever I am supposed to call it, tomorrow and I wake up to this. Already uneasy about the trip, nervous, this does not help. So I read the Jerusalem Post online. And I read this: IDF preparing for an extensive operation in the West Bank. Good. They report closure of roads in the West Bank, strict travel restrictions and other ugly sounding “operations.” I do not say ugly because I think Israel is wrong in the reprisal attacks which we will probably wake up to tomorrow morning. No, Israel should retaliate. This was a cowardly act of terrorism on Israeli citizens.
It is disheartening. As a student of this conflict and idealist at heart, I believe in peace. I see progress made in the region. I see improvements. Then I see this and its like starting over. I decided to read the comments to this article, 5 killed in Netanya suicide bombing, and start to wonder if I am crazy to focus on the Palestinians, on Palestinian leadership. And then I just wish I never attempted to tackle this conflict, so large, imposing, how will it end.
And that’s exactly why I am working with the Palestinians, why I am tackling this conflict. Because I want to understand and I want to help. Like I said, I am an idealist and I’ll fight to the death for my idealism.
But that’s not all. I also woke up to an email from Rebecca Bornstein, a fellow Kalamazoo College student who is studying in Jerusalem. An excerpt…
my purpose in writing this was to make sure that you aren’t too freaked out about this in light of your departure tomorrow. please try not to be. the world is a scary place. some may say that israel is an especially dangerous place, but you can just as easily get hit by a bus in kalamazoo. you know the risks you’re taking, but i trust that you know what you’re doing. i wish i could tell you everything will be alright. i can say that it probably will be. i’m sure mahler’s given you the “if you are reasonably careful you will be reasonably safe” lecture many times. aaron, you know what you’re getting into and you know the choices you’re making. at the same time, you’re smart enough to look beyond the media images. as someone much more clever than i once said, you never see the headline “mayors in jerusalem decide on annual picnic day,” or “everyone is generally treating each other well in tel aviv.” israel is an amazing place, as you will find out. try not to focus on this news. keep your head clear, your wits about you while over here, and have a safe flight tomorrow
Israel is an amazing place and I cannot wait to find out. I cannot wait to land in Tel Aviv Wednesday afternoon. I cannot wait arrive in Jerusalem. I cannot wait to begin this experience. And I need to. It has consumed much of my recent life. I cannot talk about anything else. So, sorry to everyone I have bugged with this trip.
Yeah, there is nothing left to do but get on that flight tomorrow.
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