Monday, July 15, 2013

Thanks Google Maps for the Adventure!


Carly, one of Daniel’s classmate’s wives and also ironically Daniel’s senior prom date, and I attempted to go to the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens Thursday afternoon to practice using our insanely complicated cameras. We mapped it out on our iPhones and it seemed like a pretty easy trek. Halfway through our walk we approached the entrance sign to Me’a She’arim, an ultra orthodox Haredi neighborhood and also the second settlement outside the walls of the Old City. I was wearing jean shorts and a loose fitting top with sleeves that hit right above my elbow. Carly was wearing jeans, flip-flops and a short-sleeved shirt. I knew there was no way we could enter Me’a She’arim dressed like this out of respect for the inhabitants and for our own safety and that we would have to go around.

The "modesty" sign at the entrance of Me'a She'arim. It says: "Groups passing through our neighborhoods severely offend the residents. Please stop this. To women & girls who pass through our neighborhood. We beg you with all our hearts. Please do not pass through our neighborhood in immodest clothes. Modest clothes include: closed blouse, with long sleeves, long skirt - no trousers, no tight-fitting clothes. Please do not disturb the sanctity of our neighborhood, and our way of life as Jews committed to G-D and his torah." When we showed Eric, Carly's husband,  this photo, he noticed how someone covered up the Hebrew spelling of Me'a She'arim in such a way that it spells the word "marrim", meaning bitterness in Hebrew. Coincidence? I think not.

I had been to Me’a She’arim before with Daniel about two and half years ago. I was simply curious at how these people could live without being influenced by modern society. Despite my floor length skirt and long-sleeved shirt, I remember still feeling extremely uncomfortable traveling through the streets of this time warp.

To avoid Me’a She’arim, Carly and I walked away from the “modesty” sign until we felt that we could safely avoid the neighborhood entirely. I was under the impression (and Wikipedia seems to agree with me) that all of the entrances to Me’a She’arim had signs like the one pictured so there is no mistakenly entering their grounds. We both assumed that because a similar sign was nowhere in site, we were ok to make our way down one of the streets. Within seconds, Carly and I were stopped by an orthodox woman who, I would guess, was in her early 30’s. After we got passed the awkward “Do you speak English” moment, she asked us where we were headed and if we had any additional clothing in our bags. Of course we didn’t. The two of us were hot enough in what we were wearing and the thought of bringing a sweater in 95-degree weather never even crossed our minds. This woman was very kind and advised us not to continue walking through this orthodox neighborhood dressed the way we were. It was now clear that we had failed to avoid Me’a She’arim. This woman explained that she was headed home and would check and see if she had extra clothes for us to wear on our journey to the Botanical Gardens. Of course, Carly and I were very happy to turn around and kept insisting that she really did not need to give us clothes. Like many Jewish women, she was very persistent and wouldn’t take no for answer.

Coming from Los Angeles, I would have never ever even considered going into a strangers home. I weighed my options and decided that this woman definitely wasn’t a threat: she was an orthodox Jew living not only in Israel, but also in one of the oldest, most conservative neighborhoods in all of Jerusalem, pregnant and pushing a double stroller. The thought did cross my mind that a group of men could be waiting in her home to kidnap me and sell me on the black market. When I told this story to mom, she said the exact same thing. I wonder where I got it from? Anyways, despite my trepidations, Carly and I went into this women’s home, which was literally one door up from where she approached us. Immediately, this woman locked and then bolted her door and closed all of the drapes behind us. Her actions reiterated that we, as regular civilians, were not welcome here and that there could be dire consequences for her and her family if someone were to see us in her home.

My disguise
She then gave us water and left us in the living room while she went to go find us some clothes. Feeling super uncomfortable, I started entertaining her baby and toddler. She came back with long skirts for each of us to wear and then mentioned that she didn’t know what her husband would do if he saw us there. After her comment, every voice Carly and I heard outside made us jump. We definitely didn’t want to be standing in the living room when her husband came home. After she came back with a long-sleeved shirt for Carly, we rushed out of there! The woman told us we could now enjoy Me’a She’arim and even do some shopping. We would fit right in! She then mentioned that she wished she had a camera to take a before and after photo of us! Carly and I asked if we could please bring the clothes back after we had reached our destination and she insisted they were under her bed waiting to be given away so to please just donate them to someone else when we were done. I felt a little awkward that we never got this women’s name, however I got the feeling she wanted to keep that way.

Carly's disguise
Disguised, Carly and I were on our way! We continued to use our iPhones to navigate to the Botanical Gardens, however tried to keep them hidden in our purses. I had heard that the people of Me’a She’arim don’t like the use of outside technology in their neighborhood. I do know they create their own video games and it is all the children are allowed to play. Talk about censorship! As we continued to walk we realized that the “safe” street we had originally chosen to walk down fed directly into the main street in Me’a She’arim. Oops! At this point we just wanted to get to our destination and didn’t feel like shopping much. The chances that the shopkeepers in Me’a She’arim knew English were slim to none and we were ready to see some flowers! No one really acknowledged us in Me’a She’arim however I still felt like it was obvious we didn’t belong. Who knows, maybe my red Toms were a giveaway or maybe it was all in my head!? After about an hour or so of walking, we finally approached our destination…a dirty, old building on the corner of a highway and the main road in Me’a She’arim. There were definitely no botanical gardens. I guess we have Google maps blame/thank for our adventure.



Tuesday, July 2, 2013

A Different Perspective of the Old CIty


We will be using this blog to record our adventures over the course of the year!

Instead of backtracking (we will save that for another time), we want to tell you all about the adventure we went on last week!

Udi, the Israeli intern at Daniel’s school, took us on a tour of the Muslim Quarter on Tuesday afternoon. We visited the Muslim quarter on our last trip to Israel – Jen insisted we go to the Via Dolorosa and follow the path that Jesus walked on his way to his crucifixion, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We hadn’t planned on returning to the Muslim Quarter (one “Christian pilgrimage” was enough for us), however we were intrigued to see what an Israeli-native had to show us!
The Damascus Gate

We entered the Muslim quarter through the Damascus Gate. Udi advised us to speak English as opposed to Hebrew while in the Muslim Quarter. He explained that language is very political here and it is better to be visiting as an American as opposed to an Israeli. It was up to us whether or not to remove any Judaic symbols. Jen didn’t have any on, however she did go in not wearing a jacket, felt uncomfortable and quickly decided to cover her shoulders.

First stop was the tahini plant. I of course was the first to volunteer to try the stuff. It is not really my thing (tasted like gross sesame-butter) and Daniel was not a huge fan either. Daniel bought some anyways from the old man because he allowed all 15 of us cram backstage into his tahini operation, interrupting his work. You would think with modern technology there would be a better/more efficient way to make tahini, but I guess not! Old stones are used to grind the sesame seeds. There are obviously no health codes to adhere to in the Old City. Tahini was all over the walls and the ground was covered in sesame seeds, making it really slippery to walk on.


A Jewish home in the Muslim Quarter
We also checked out an Austrian Hospice, which I think is one of the Old City’s best-kept secrets. If you go on the roof, it has one of the most beautiful views. It is pretty funny seeing century-old buildings with satellite dishes placed on top. One of the things our group discussed on the rooftop of the Austrian Hospice was how we feel about Jews living in the Muslim Quarter and obtrusively hanging Israeli flags out their window (this is done mainly for political reasons) and also about buying things in the Muslim Quarter (as opposed to only purchasing from Israelis). Some felt that everyone is just trying to make an honest living and you are simply contributing to the conflict by refusing to buy from Muslims. Others simply would rather spend their hard earned shekels on Israeli goods. Something to also think about is that on our way to the Austrian Hospice, there was a group of small children that started throwing rocks at us. Our Israeli tour guide was shocked by this. It is difficult to decipher whether these kids were just being kids or if they have been brought up to truly hate our people. Daniel and I don’t think they were trying to hurt us. There were definitely much bigger things they could have thrown. What do you think?
View from the top of Austrian Hospice
We did find some delicious things in the Muslim Quarter. We shared some homemade baklava and Daniel bought some fresh Turkish coffee. Whether or not we are planning to continue to shop here – we are not sure.

One thing I do want to go back there for is for the hummus. This place Udi showed us makes a huge vat of it in the morning and when it’s gone, they close down shop. Unfortunately, since we stopped by in the evening, they were already closed for the day!

Our last stop was Notre Dame, which is a new hotel right outside the Muslim Quarter. Regardless, on the top floor of this church turned hotel, they have an amazing wine and cheese restaurant that overlooks all of Jerusalem. You can even see Jen’s school, Hebrew University, on the top of Mount Scopus! Udi said he would kill us if this place started getting crowded; so don’t go spreading the word! Daniel handpicked all of the cheeses that we ate. We felt right at home here! It was also nice getting to know a few of the other students in Daniel’s program.
The view from Notre Dame
We essentially just took you on our tour of the Muslim quarter. Hope you enjoyed the adventure. Many more to come!

-Jen and Daniel