Final Course Evaluation

Throughout this course we spent time talking about not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but more broadly the cultures and people that make up each side and the state of Israel, mainly focusing on Jerusalem.  We used many different learning approaches including reading a novel by Karen Armstrong, also reading different articles from many authors and using a blog for responses and comments to each other’s reading responses.  We watched films and talked to many different people living in the conflict area or who are helping to change the situation in the conflict area.  We held whole class discussions where anyone could speak their mind on a reading or project we had studied or something they had learned on their own.  Overall I liked how the class focused on the conflict and the disputed area but in a way that gave hope to the situation and made it seem like a resolution could be found or at least that the people could learn to respect one another enough to live together in one area.  

            This semester we started off our class by reading the book One City: Three Faiths by Karen Armstrong.  In her book she discussed the history of the city and area surrounding Jerusalem.  By going into detail about all three religions I learned a lot of things about Judaism and Islam specifically, two faiths I have never studied much about.  While learning the history was incredibly important and helped me understand the main and deep seeded feelings each side has in the conflict, I felt the book was very tedious and often hard to follow.  I found myself constantly getting caught up in the small details of the book such as all of the names of people and places and their specific stories.  While these were all interesting I didn’t find them particularly helpful to the class or memorable.  For future classes I think that the time would be better spent reading specific chapters of the book that dealt with the necessary history needed for background information.  Another route could possibly be having students read the book ahead of time over summer or winter break in preparation for the course as to not have to spend so much time on the book. 

In order to keep track of reading responses and weblogs discussing more personal information about ourselves and our opinions to share with our fellow classmates we used blogs to write them out and post them online.  The blog was hard to adjust to at first but once used to the format it is a good place to put up reading responses and weblog journals.  It is definitely necessary to have reading responses to keep up and produce an individual opinion.  However I found that the blog comments were not as effective as when we held open dialogue class discussions about the readings and video conferences.  Last semester I took I-204 and I remember each class period we would meet in small groups, almost always with different people, and discuss the readings.  After that we would designate one person to tell our group opinion to the class.  This, in my opinion, was a much easier format to get everyone involved in discussion even those too intimidated to speak in larger class discussions.  It was also a good way to get to know fellow classmates on a more personal level.  A way to learn their ideas and opinions on certain topics.

This semester during our large class discussions, though I didn’t speak often, I found listening to my classmates share their knowledge and questions much more interesting than just reading it on the blog.  When in a group conversation it is easier to facilitate thought and bounce ideas off each other.  Often when someone says something it will remind someone else of something they wanted to bring up.  Other times it will create a healthy debate between two or more classmates over conflicting ideas or perhaps a hot topic in government policy.  I think in the future more class discussions about the blogs, rather than doing blog comments, would be a more effective way of getting more people involved and having more of a discussion.  Though this was hard for us to do with a larger class, I think smaller groups is always a great way to share ideas and a good chance to learn from at least a few of your classmates.

One thing I would have liked to have seen discussed more throughout the class would be the current news from the conflict going on today.  While we took a thorough look at the history of Jerusalem and of all three religions who have claimed the territory, I don’t feel enough time was spent on the history of the creation of Israel as a state and how the Palestinians originally became “displace” people.  I also would have liked to have gone over the different intifadas a little bit and discussed things that were happening today politically to end all of this.  I personally came into the class without much previous or even current knowledge on the conflict and would have really liked to have had a chance to hear more from classmates and possibly even politicians who were involved in making decisions about things like whether or not a two-state solution would be beneficial.   This could be something that could be done by possibly having someone each class or each week bring in a new news article about the conflict area or a current policy up for debate affecting the area.  Just a short discussion at the beginning of class I feel would really be a good way to keep students updated on the current issues in the area and keep the class discussion current as well.  While this would be something to maybe consider discussing in depth if time, I found the class focus of hope for the future and how to create peace a great way of going about discussion in the class as opposed to focusing on all of the hurt and conflict that has gone on.

The parts of the class we discussed what was happening today to create peace, such as Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, were incredibly influential and in my personal opinion one of my favorite parts about the class.  To see that kind of hope for the future in a situation that seems so messy there is no way out is very moving.  It is something you keep with you and that presses you to want to get involved, even in a small way to help a bigger project.  Because of this the film Knowledge is the Beginning is something I would definitely recommend keeping for the next classes. Along with Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim’s project, I thought the overall focus on music and children as a hope for the future were really good themes for the class.  The children being something of such a large focus really surprised me but in the end it makes perfect sense.  I really enjoyed the time and the focus we put into looking into these topics.   

We had many video conferences with different speakers throughout the semester.  While technology wasn’t always on our side, the speakers really helped to give us different perspectives from many different people affected by the conflict, or affecting the conflict, in many different ways.  Being as removed from the danger of the conflict as most of us are in America the times we got to sit and talk to people in the area dealing with the armies and the disarray everyday really gave one a new perspective and outlook on the conflict area.  It was also amazing to have a chance to ask questions to and really just listen to those talk who have spent their lives and are still spending their lives making a difference in the area.  I think it was very moving to hear so many different people talk about the goal to conflict resolution being through teaching the children.  

Throughout all our different assignments and speakers during the semester the thing I found most interesting and actually most conducive to learning were the group projects.  These projects were not only fun to partake in but very interesting to watch as well.  When bouncing around different ideas for our project we stumbled upon so many random websites and topics surrounding Jerusalem today.  Learning about different things like the culture of both sides of the conflict or the politics of the conflict through our classmates and their interesting presentations were possibly one of the most influential things during the semester.  By encouraging students to use videos in their presentations there were some very neat ones people found and even created on their own.  I also think letting the student groups pick their own topics created many very different and almost random discussions about Jerusalem that normally wouldn’t be taught in the classroom.  By sparking the students creativity and allowing them to take their project in any direction we had a lot of really exciting projects going in all different directions.  Getting to hear students talk about these very different topics for a class period was a great way to end the semester, and getting to have a final day at the end to discuss them all and raise questions really helped clear certain things up as well. 

One thing I was actually surprised about with this class was the ability for it to focus on the conflict and on the Israeli culture and the Palestinian culture while remaining very unbiased.  As we talked about at the beginning and with Karen Armstrong no one is going to be naturally unbiased in a conflict.  At one point I believe we even discussed how not talking about something can create a bias.  However, I felt the way in which the class topics and discussions were structured each side was able to be represented and discussed in an equally fair light.    I think that this had to do more so than anything with the structure of the class.  Who was chosen to be a guest speaker and the different articles we read throughout the semester were all chosen to give equal opportunity to learn about and discuss each side of the conflict.

My Position

Coming into this class I really didn't know much at all about the conflict, nor was it something I usually thought about. After learning about the history, what each side wants or feels they deserve and why, I'm not sure the Palestinians will ever be able to be treated fairly under a governing body made up of Israeli citizens who feel so strongly against them. As for my position, I believe that each side deserves equal rights and to be self-governing. I feel that the best way to be fair to each side would be to use a two state solution.  Though for the two states to live side by side together might be just as difficult for them and their governments, but I still feel it would be a better solution than keeping the Palestinians in the same country isolated by fences without citizenship or passports.  After things the Israeli government has put the Palestinian people I support them wanting a place of their own.

Response March 20: LGBTQ

These sites informing us on the LGBTQ organization in Jerusalem were neat to read about because it is easier to relate to something when the same thing is currently going on in our own country, and many other places globally.  Mostly when I think about Jerusalem I think about the Israeli Palestinian conflict.  I've never really put much thought into the other issues like the discrimination people face for being gay.  It's an issue many people face in many countries and can actually help link people across boarders.  It is also something that can help link some Palestinians and Israeli's, being that it's not based on religion or ethnicity.

Some people on the sites were talking about how this was a religious issue in Jerusalem, but it is actually a religious issue here as well.  Those opposed to things like gay marriage or gay rights will use things like the Bible to justify their opposition just as some in Jerusalem are doing with the Torah.  I found it interesting in the City of Borders documentary clip how he compared hiding their gay identity to Jews hiding their identity in Europe.  When he puts it this way I would expect that people who have been forced to hide their own identity would be more open to others sharing their true identities, but it is actually something most people around the world have trouble accepting. I also found it interesting that some thought Palestinians were more accepting of Israeli's than gays, while the opposite is true of Israelis.  I wondered why this was and couldn't seem to really find any definite answer, if there even is one. 

Reading Response for March 18

While these readings were pretty different from anything we've had in the past I think there were important lessons to be taken from each story, true or not.  The story about the gas masks seemed sort of unimportant to me at first until someone makes the comment about fear. It brought to mind that a lot of things groups of people do to those they hold power over are simply to incite fear into the masses so they won't know whats coming next and they will be afraid to rise up against.

The story about the dog and her passport definitely seemed ridiculous but brought around the point of just how hard it is for people to get passports.  Through a false story it shows how much of a hassle the boarder checks and stops all along the ways are for people just trying to do something as simple as take their dog to a decent vet.  The feminism aspect of this story also fit in with the last one about Jerusalem in general being a female.  I wasn't really sure what to make of this one and the main point I took out that was trying to be made was that Jerusalem is not owned by anyone.  She should welcome all and all visiting or living within her gates should respect all of her traditions.  They should respect those who have come and lived and ruled before them because they are a part of her past as well.

Weblog 4

For me personally I wouldn't say that music plays a significant role in my everyday life, it is more something I use as background noise when studying, driving, showering, etc.  I mostly listen to country music, old and new, and I suppose that genre carries a specific aspect of defining those who like that kind of music.  Whether its true for all fans or not country music mostly has a stigma of being particularly pro-American, small town U.S.A., and often right-winged.  For me it reminds me of home, it's what all my friends and family listen to and what I grew up around especially during summers at the lake. 

 I see music mostly used for communication through song lyrics.  Songs can help unit people behind a cause or help give them a strengthened voice to speak out against some type of injustice.  When people are in a bad situation its sometimes hard to find the right words to communicate how you feel you're being wronged, in that case its usually easy to find a song that will say it for you.  Often people will use some sort of a song as a rallying cry like "We Shall Overcome" was used during the civil rights movement.  During that time there was a whole group of "protest singers" like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, who performed at Civil Right marches.  Their songs gave people inspiration and showed in a non-violent way how people could rise up and tell their government and oppressors what they were doing was unjust.  I think that music also is used by many people as an outlet.  When feeling angry about something it can be used as a way of escape and I think this is one possible way people in conflict areas might use music as well as for protest. 

Reading Response 10

In her senior thesis, Noura Dabdoub talks about this emotional attachment Palestianians and Israelis have with their homeland and how it has created this sense of nationalism.  She talks a lot about how both sides use history to connect themselves to the land and both actually have legitimate claims to the land, but both see the others claim as threatening to their own.  After reading her sections on both sides I think the best solution would be the two-state solution.  She makes the claim, and I feel it is a very solid one, that both sides need a homeland and it should be one that both feel a historical connection with.  Everyone needs place where they can live freely and continue their familial history in connection with that of the past.  Each side here need a place to feel an emotional link to, something that will give them a sense of permanence.  Something especially important for the Jewish community after the threat of complete annihilation during and even after the holocaust.

Going along with this theme of needing a homeland Julie Peteet's article on Palestinian graffiti showed Palestinian resisitance to their homeland being occupied and controlled by Israelis.  In the same way that land binds people together in a community, the Palestinians used graffitti as a way of communication that could bind the people together and encourage them to stand up to occupying forces.  I thought the Palestinian persistance in this form of a non-violent protest was incredible.  She talks about how the drawings and murals would be blacked out everyday, how the Israeli forces would often make the very boys who did the drawings cover them up, but they always continued to redraw them at night and suffer the consequences if caught. I like how she said this gave them an "uncensored voice" because they could write anything, any type of political message or anti-Israeli drawings and once this got the attention of the international media, they suddenly had a voice on the international level through journalists and such.

Identity: Project Outline

So far our Identity group has decided we want to look at cultural identity in Jerusalem through sports, music, and children as the future generation.  As of right now I am going to be working with the topic of children as the future generation.  We mainly wanted to look at children who have been involved with group like the west-eastern divan and other projects and where they are at and what they are doing now in their lives.  We also wanted to take a look at the mixed schools we have seen in class so far and find other places that are bringing children of different cultural identities together early on in life and see how it changes the childrens outlook on the world, their culture, and the conflict.

Reading Resposne 9

I really enjoyed this reading, about Edward Saim and his conversations with Daniel and Ara.  I like how they addressed the issue of home not in a historical sense, but in a sense of where they feel the most at home.  As Daniel said anywhere he could really play and conduct music felt like home. I felt like he was describing home as anywhere he could truly express himself freely and be accepted and appreciated.   I also liked the way Edward called New York a chameleon city, because you could be anywhere there and not be 'of there'  which I felt was a really neat way to look at it.  With all that we have looked at in the conflict so far, I feel it has been mainly a conflict over homelands and I liked how they presented a different side to this argument, especially because one is an Israeli and the other a Palestinian.  The fact that both of them can look at the area and appreciate it for what it is was different in a good way.  Although I suppose their positions  on the issue may be different if they had only lived in Israel their whole lives.  I think it is this sense of travel from an earlier age that has allowed them to be more open to different cultures and through their openness allowed them to create a great project giving others, most importantly kids, a chance to grow and develop their own ideas about the world and other cultures.  I really liked how both men seemed to view identity.  The idea that it is best to belong to many different cultures or have multiple identities is something I strongly believe in as well.  I don't believe that any one person has only one identity, because we all play many roles, and no culture is truly pure in the sense of not being mixed with another at some point in time.

Questions for Mariam Said

For the Knowledge is the Beginning project, I was wonder where and what kind of places the West-Eastern divan orchastra plays?  And what kind of an effect you think this group has had on their audience and for those who have seen the film.

Being on the board for many different groups who promote Middle Eastern artists, what do you think is so important about expression art for areas of high contention like Israel and other parts of the Middle East?

Weblong 3

I think that the best way to describe myself and my family to the class would be in looking at some of my family traditions. I've found that most of them revolve around holidays, usually religious ones or ones celebrating my father's Macedonian heritage.  My mother was baptized and raised catholic, attending catholic schools and mass her whole life, while my father is Eastern Orthodox and spent his school years in a non-religious public school and most of his summers back in his parents village in Macedonia and traveling visiting relatives in Eastern Europe.  Since my parents couldn't exactly decide on a religious way to raise my sister and I, she was baptized into my father's Eastern Orthodox church and I was baptized Catholic, however we both attended the same Catholic schools throughout high school and sort of alternated churches, usually attending Catholic mass with our mother but all church and related Macedonian functions with my father and grandparents.   The two faiths are similar and therefore share many of the same holidays.  Every year we go to midnight mass at the Catholic church and then celebrate Christmas Day openning gifts, eating, and watching christams movies with most of our extended family on both sides, that is everyone that lives nearby.  The other main holiday we celebrate is Easter, which for our family comes twice a year:)  Easter never really has a set date but the Eastern Orthodox church generally celebrates Easter about 2-4 weeks after the Catholic church.  Therefore our family celebrates Catholic Easter at church and then has brunch with my mothers family.  Then a few weeks later we go to the Eastern Orthodox church for Easter again and spend the day with my grandmother and aunts making traditional Macedonian dishes for Easter dinner.  Other non-religious traditions our family has are a traditional Macedonian pita on New Years' Day, where one piece contains a quarter and whoever finds this quarter will have luck on their side throughout the year.  The only other family tradition I can really think of is the yearly Macedonian Ball.  It is put on by my father's church St. Nicholas, where majority of the population is of Macedonian or Greek descent. The evening basically consists of sharing a meal of some traditional dishes and then a band, consisting mostly of my extended family members, will play music from the old country and everyone will join in performing the required dances.  Throughout the years it is probably my favorite of our family traditions.  It is always fun seeing cousins who sometimes come from as far as New York and Florida once a year and a great way to keep the younger generations tied to their heritage in an interesting way.

Reading Response 8

The readings this week on Arab Jews in Palestine I found definitely confusing but also interesting.  The one about Ishaq Shami and the Arab Jew I thought raised some interesting points and even got me thinking about the name of the conflict, or I suppose more accurately the many names of the conflict and the problem since some of the Jews living in the area come from Arab countries, or just consider themselves culturally Arab, especially those who moved earlier in history when they considered Palestine to be part of the Arab world.  The more we read about the conflict and history of Jerusalem the more confused I am actually becoming and I can see why this conflict is so incredibly messy.  I liked the part of this article where he states "We are Arabic Jews just as there are American Jews- it's a historical fact." (156) clearly showing that they are all Jews just from different geographical and cultural locations.  He says people didn't use that distinction because the Israeli's didn't like it.  I understand now where the historical rift and difference comes from between the Arab Muslims and Israeli Jews, but I can't fully grasp why there is such an aversion to mixing the cultural aspects of these two areas, they are after all neighbors.  It may in a way come from the fear of losing identity as it could possibly be argued many have done here in the American melting pot, but in a way no culture is actually truly pure and without influence of another usually many, many others.

Reading Response 7

Although I've read about the Balfour Declaration and this period in history before it always amazes me how much power Britian and to a lesser degree America had over this region.  I suppose it can really be said for any of the major powers at different point in history and sometimes even still today.  They spent a lot of time appointing different councils and essentially playing the two sides against each other with promises, often at their own benefit.  Yet armstrong also says during the British occupation Jerusalem flourished. And it seems to have been a remotely peaceful time compared to previous occupations so I'm not really sure what to make of the power and control Britian exerted over the area.

I like when she compared the Exodus, journey through the desert, and final entrance into the Promised Land to the final State of Israel after the horrible catastrophe in concentration camps during World War II. And the experience of the Jewish soldiers again finally touching the wall feeling like they were in paradise after the six day war.  The power of the city and it's history overtook their reasons for taking Jerusalem illegally, and had their plan for letting each religion continue to run its own holy shrines sat better with the israeli people maybe there wouldn't have been so much continued conflict.

Reading Response 6

So far I liked this part if Armstongs book, chapters 11-13 the best.  Of the three religions Islam is the one I haven't really ever studied or learned anything about, so it was neat to hear about its origns and funny to think how their highest prophet Muhammad warned and taught them to respect the other monotheistic religions, especially Judaism, since they all worshiped the same God and how in some respects this has gone completely by the way side.  One thing that confused me was the belief that no location was holier than any other, however since the time of Muhammad Muslims were taught to pray facing Jerusalem and then Mecca.  Also the notion that Mecca in the center of the world where the gates of heaven stand above is a contradiction to this belief.  I also really liked how she explained how the three religions started to claim superiority and really began to split farther.

Reading Response 5

This next section of Armstrong's book, chapter 9 specifically, she talked about the partial split in Christianity.  Some believed that Jesus was divine like God but wasn't really God because God had created him.  While on the other hand the rest believed Jesus had to be truly God because only "one who created the world could save it."  This is a very big question because in my understand of Christianity and Judaism this is where they also split I believe, Christians believing Jesus was the Savior and Jews still waiting for the Savoir to come.  In going with the first belief she explains that this wasn't the only time God had revealed himself and that Jesus was another part in his ongoing revelation.  I like how Armstrong related this to Jesus coming as a reminder of what was really important and that they let their temples and Torah and other worldy things, like geographical location, get in the way of what really mattered.  This might be an idea to look back on today and see if all of the fighting over sacred land is really what should be the main focus today.

Weblog 2: the conflict

I my opinion the Pressman article was the easiest to follow of all the readings we have done so far.  He gave a good outline of past history and an explaination of the area but only what was really necessary to understand the conflict instead of adding all past confusing details.  He talked about the Balfour Declaration which pushed England into the conflict near its beginning.  While I am still not very knowledgable on the conflict it seems to me that the United States has kind of taken over this role in attempting to intervene and though it might be negatively looked upon by other nations I think some sort of outside influence is necessary in making negotiations in any conflict. Though it would maybe be better looked at if it was the UN attempting at peace instead of the US at the front.

I don't really know if this is a conflict that can be solved anytime soon.  Since it is over the Holy Land for both religions as well as a homeland for Palestinians and Israelies it doesn't really seem right to me to allow either to individual lay claim to Jerusalem.  Just at Washington D.C. is kind of its own state in the United States an approach like this might be best for this area.  Giving each side land around this area and sharing the Holy Land could either lead to worse conflict or a peaceful solution. While I think the US or UN or both need to help the conflict, Pressman's reading leads me to think some presidents have been bias toward one side which will not help the conflict.  Any outside parties need to remain neutral, which of course is easier said than done when you put in outside countries individual agendas or concerns.

Reading Resposne 4

In chapter 5 of Karen Armstrong's book she starts to talk about the Israelites time in Babylon and how they wanted to make themselves separate from their Babylonian neighbors.  From her point of view it seems this is where customs like circumcision and food laws really become important for the Jewish faith.  Another important thing that appears to have come out of this time period is the idea of god or Yahweh being mobile.  This idea is one we still carry around today believing that we can pray from basically any physical place that we are.  Something that was hard for me to grasp was after saying Yahweh was moblie, Armstrong states he left the Israelites who stated in Jerusalem.  While this isn't really factual and is passed down oral tradition, I would assume, this is just the interpretation of those who were exiled to Babylon.  I sometimes find it hard to keep in mind this book is simply peoples interpretation of history, whether through written accounts or oral tradition or however she found her sources. I constantly find myself thinking how does she really know that is what happened or what the people thought.  Though there are some obviously important changes made during this period to the religion of Judaism, the exact stories she gives of how they happened are often hard to follow and believe.

Reading Response 3

I found that the first few chapters of Karen Armstrong's book were very informative about the history of Jerusalem and the entire area, though at times were a bit confusing when I found myself focusing too much on the names and such.  It was neat how she brought in the archeological findings of people like Kathleen Kenyon and how she brought up the difference in what was actually found and things that were written about the time in the Bible.  The difference between whether the Isralites were really outsiders or if they actually conquered all of Canaan is interesting and at the same time almost seems irrelevant since it is something we will probably never actually know.  Yet the idea of who came first and why the city is holy and important to different religions and peoples today is so central to the conflict. I think that this all goes back to a previous reading we had that talked about the difference between the Bible and myths or religious beliefs and what we have found to be actually true archeologically and how some people believe things simply through tradition and that those beliefs will always be stronger than any "facts" which have been uncovered.

First impressions of class

After two weeks in this Living in Jerusalem I am really excited about the things we are going to be learning.  I like the smaller groups we have gotten into, it makes it much easier to share you opinions and learn what others think or feel on certain things.  I think the groups are split into some very different and very interesting categories and we will get to learn about all kinds of aspects of the city through group presentations.  One thing I do not particularly like is our own personal blog posts.  I do not mind reading responses but I don't like that they are public for the whole class and on the internet.  I also do not feel particularly comfortable commenting on other peoples blog posts about their opinions.

Reading Response 2

Of the three readings for this week I found the Rubin article on Jerusalem the most informative.  It seemed like a very unbiased representation of the past history this city.  It surprised me to learn just how many times Jerusalem has actually changed hands constantly being overrun by different leaders with very different cultures and beliefs.  It makes sense that there is so much turmoil nowadays over the city many different people consider sacred. It is amazing to me just how much of the city's history is able to be uncovered.

I also really enjoyed the Khalidi article.  Though it was more a one-sided perspective I liked how he brought up the fact that people will believe want they want to and what they have learned through their faiths over historical facts.  I thought he put this fact nicely that people will believe legends or myths that were born out of tradition simply because it's what they have always done.

Reading Response 1

With my limited knowledge of Jerusalem itself I liked how these first readings gave us some insight into the city and how it is divided basically into an Arab and Jewish city.  I thought it was interesting when Suad Amiry mentioned how some places such as the Israeli representation of the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter are in East Jerusalem and some past Arab neighborhoods were located in West Jerusalem, though East Jerusalem is considered the Arab side and Western Jewish.

I liked how Professor Horowitz's essay talked about the similarities and mixing of and between the two cultures that researchers found when conducting studies for the project.  She talks about things like the mutual concern for the environment and similarities between foods found in both Palestinian and Israeli kitchens. The most interesting thing I found was how she brought up the issue of what really is contemporary culture for the city in relation to a time frame of how many years.  It was brought up that now days clothing styles in Jerusalem are more cosmopolitan and contemporary but in nearby villages more traditional.  I'm not sure which were going to be represented in the festival but it would seem like the traditional style would be more effective though possibly incorrect. As with any major city Jerusalem has many visitors and that tourist culture has also left an impact on the city.  I think it is important to consider and remember that though it is most effective to represent cultures in a traditional almost historic way it may not be correct and it may be the more modern day changes that are the similarities which can bring different perspectives together.

It is unfortunate that the project failed for lack of funding caused by political concerns surrounding it.  In my opinion the project seemed like a great way to study and portray the two cultures by looking at everyday life in the city.  I believe that this project is a step in the right direction for the best way to end a conflict is to learn about and understand the other side and it's perspective. By having those native to the city perform at the festival and such each side would be given many human faces to show to the American's visiting the festival and also help them understand. 

Introduction

Hello! My name is Jennifer Bellio.  I am a senior studying communications and culture with an international studies minor.  I am a transfer to IU and began college studying architecture before switching to cultural studies.  I have very limited knowledge of Jerusalem and the only disputed region I have previously studied is Yugoslavia, but am excited to learn about the culture of such a complex city.