The importance of land to twenty-first century Americans often does not extend beyond our backyard. While we may love our hometown, most of us do not share the passionate zeal many Israeli and Palestinians have for Jerusalem.
While I was aware of this on a superficial level, reading the article by Shlomo Hassan helped me to develop this understanding on a whole new level. Territory is not just a piece of earth in one's ownership; rather, it symbolizes of thousands of years of history and religious pride, making it a point of high contention. It also separates and segregates-- once established in a place, it is often easier to turn inwards, thereby ostracizing those on the outside. It was fascinating to read about the way the city as separated itself by race, economic class, and religious sect.
Through our readings and class discussions, I have learned much about the wall and and separation of Israelis and Palestinians, but I did not realize the extent of the divide between secular and Haredi Jews before this week's reading. It seems counterintuitive to me that the most religious Jews would be anti-Zionist: against the formation of a Jewish state in the homeland. There are also many more ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel than anywhere else, and, for the most part, they live off a stipend from the government... if the State of Israel disintegrated, what would they do? If anyone knows more about this and would like to explain or point me in the right direction, please do!
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