The name "Jerusalem", as the city is known in English, comes from the Hebrew word "Yerushalaim", meaning the city of peace. In Arabic, this same city is called "al-Quds al-Sharif", or the noble holy place. Despite such majestic names, Jerusalem is a city that has been in conflict practically since it began as a small village thousands of years ago.
Before beginning this class, I was only knowledgeable about the most basic facts of the Israel-Palestine conflict. While reading the essays for this week, I felt that my eyes were opened to a more thorough history of the place, the people, and the cultures, and I was able to understand the divide through the eyes of both Israelis and the Palestinians instead of as a disconnected, faraway outsider.
In this city known internationally for violence and political debacles, the beautiful meanings of the names the local people gave their home centuries ago stood out to me. Jerusalem is both a divided city and one rich in many religions and cultures. Yerushalaim and al-Quds al-Sharif represent what Israelis and Palestinians love so much about this place, the same things that are lost when Jerusalem is placed on the international political stage. When the wonders of the city, everything from the al-Asqa Mosque and the Western Wall to the favorite local bakery in a small neighborhood, are brought the forefront of the city's image, the people will be that much closer to a solution to their differences.
Questions:
1. Could the names Yerushalaim and al-Quds al-Sharif one day represent united peace and united holiness for the whole city to its residents, or are they inherently applicable to only the religion and culture the names come from? How the locals currently view this?
2. Does a place's name affect one's perception of it, even when the name is so familiar is loses meaning in daily use?
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