The Streets of Hebron

Thursday afternoon I had to say goodbye to Milia. It was so sad and I cried the whole bus ride home. I knew living in Jerusalem was going to be hard without her. I realized I can't even remember a time when my friends I met here were not in my life. It is so weird to think we only met 7 months ago!

Thursday night was Lilah Laven in Tel Aviv, which means white night. The whole town stays up all night with concerts on the beach, museums open, street performers. I went with Ruthie my friend from work and her family. We saw a concert on the beach then headed toward a sing along of old Israeli tunes. It was so much fun seeing everyone out in the streets. Of course we had to get ice cream on our way out to top off the great night!

Friday afternoon I headed back to Tel Aviv with my roommate Rachel for Shabbat. We stayed at her friends apartment near the beach. I helped her cook on Friday and learned how to make koogle! We had Shabbat dinner and then the next day headed to the beach all day. I realized it would be my last time swimming in the Mediterranean Sea for awhile.

Sunday I slept in and tried to figure out all my flight information. I went into town to finish my final list of things I needed to buy before I went home. Sunday afternoon Rachel invited me to one of her friends son's birthday party. The little boy was turing 3 which means he would receive his kippa, have his first haircut and get his tzittzit. Tzittzit is bundles of string that are attached to the prayer shawl which is worn under clothes. Observant Jewish men wear tzit tzit but some tuck it into their pants. Also when a boy turns 3 his formal Jewish education starts. Since the boys family was observant, most of their friends were also. This means that most of the families at the party had lots of kids. The apartment was filled with tons of children celebrating while eating cake. The little boy received his kippa and his tzittzit. The little boy was so proud of his Tzittzit because on the front of his shirt that the tzittzit was attached to was Buzz Lightyear! This ancient and holy tradition had a Buzz lightyear across the front, now that is modernization. Everyone raced around to cut a piece of his hair. I was pushed to the front for my turn to cut his hair. So here I was a non Jewish girl cutting the hair of this Orthodox boy as he wore his Buzz Lightyear Tzitzit.

Monday I headed to the Knesset which is the Israeli Parliament building. Former Prime Minister, Yitzhak Shamir had passed away and his coffin was at the Knesset for everyone to pay their respects. I went late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds. The room was solemn and the two leaders of the military stood beside the coffin saying prayers while others watched or prayed along. The other areas of the building were closed off but I convinced a young solider to let me peak my head into the plenary room. The Knesset is not in session and so no one was speaking. The building is pretty plain, but that is how Israelis want it. They don't see the need for a fancy capital building, just a practical place to hold government operations.

Tuesday morning Rachel and I headed to the West Bank! I had yet to go to a settlement and I knew I needed to go before I left. Settlements are one of the main controversies in Israel and with the international community. The idea is that post the 1967 War, Israelis settled in Palestinian territory. I did my research this semester on the legality of the settlements. Everyone has an opinion about settlements. And even after visiting two I still am not sure exactly what I think. I know that settlements are nothing like they are portrayed in the media, but they do cause some problems. 

We started off the morning hitchhiking, except this was a much more organized way of hitchhiking. Unlike when Marissa and I hitchhiked, there was lots of other people trying to catch rides too. We found a ride into a small settlement. It seemed like any other place I have ever been in Israel except it had a gate at the entrance. It was indeed a gated community. Throughout the West Bank you can see settlements and Arab villages. Plus you can see the Security Fence that encompasses a lot of the area. It all seems very complicated but once you see a map and the place it starts to make sense. Then we found another ride into Hebron.

Hebron is known as one of the most extreme settlements. For starters it is a neighborhood inside an Arab town instead of like other ones that are totally stand alone. As we walked through the streets everything was quiet and the area was deserted. We found a group of soldiers dressed in full combat gear, my first reaction of course was asking for a picture. I feel so bad for the soldiers here because lots of activist groups come and ask them lots of questions. Most of the groups are very Pro-Palestine and so they always make the solider look bad. I was always raised that you can say whatever you want about the war but never about a solider. Most of the soldiers are young guys who are serving their country and people. They were so happy to talk to us because we were not mean! Also the soldiers are put in an odd position between the extreme Arab population and the extreme Jewish population, and there job is to keep everyone safe. Plus the soldiers are so bored, which they told us they would rather be bored than have a problem in the area. We walked all along the city each time the solider would phone his friend at the next checkpoint to tell them we were on our way. We even convinced a solider to let us see the base which was a dirty and filled with guys. We crossed a checkpoint that lead to the Arab section which had a sign at the front that said Jews were forbidden. Arabs are able to move throughout Hebron while the Jewish population can only go in certain parts. We walked about 100 yards into the Arab section and turned around. We saw the tombs of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Ruth and Leah. Hebron was a strange place but most settlements are less confrontational than Hebron. I was glad I went to the most extreme settlement so I could have an understanding of the craziest circumstances. I still have a lot to learn about settlements because they play such a major role in the conflict.

For the 4th of July I baked red velvet cupcakes for my office! Trying to find the ingredients in the grocery store was quite a challenge but I managed and the cupcakes were a big hit! I went to a BBQ hosted by a couple of Americans who live in Jerusalem. I was glad I got to celebrate the 4th in some way.

This time next week I will be home. It is so weird to think after 7 months I will be leaving the land of milk and honey and heading to the land of sweet tea and BBQ!

xoxo, 

Katy Ann