i want to preface this post with a note that i am safe and sound- my city has not seen any acts of terror, and there have been very few in the area. that said, both myself and my group are taking extra precautions just in case.
the past few weeks have been intense- extremely so. we have seen seven israelis murdered and over twenty wounded in terrorist attacks. retaliation by the israeli army has spurred violent protests in Gaza and the West Bank, resulting in over 40 arabs dead. the terrorists are young and old, male and female, and hail from all over israel. they wield knives, screwdrivers, and even objects as harmless as a potato peeler. and indeed, the scariest thing about these attacks is their unpredictability. the fact that one day, a man or woman with no history of violence can pick up a kitchen knife and in a split second take the life of an non-suspecting, non-threatening citizen is, quite frankly, terrifying.
i came to this country with an understanding of its unique risks and challenges. but no one signs up for this: constantly checking over your shoulder, tense looks across bus aisles, the sinking feeling when your phone pings with an announcement of more terror and violence. daily life is a constant weighing of risk- am i being paranoid? naive? dramatic? blase? i have spoken to israelis who have lived here their whole lives, and even they are plagued with this battle.
i cannot understand these killings. i condemn them outright, as should anyone who values human life. but still i must ask, how did we get to a point where suicide stabbings are perceived as not only an option, but the only choice available? where a 13-year-old boy stabs another of the same age but different religion, and be celebrated for it?
i have not been in this country long enough to know these answers (has anyone?). most of what i see from news media, both israeli and american, suggests that they DO have these answers. but while the WSJ writes about Palestinian bloodlust and Haaretz writes about failed politics and Al Jazeera writes about the brutal Jewish occupation, i can assure you that there are stories in between that are not getting written at all. i know because i've seen them.
there was our day in haifa, where we heard about a petition posted on a bus stop that both jews and arabs, declaring that they refused to be enemies (see picture below). there was the march through jerusalem a few days ago, when jews and arabs combined in support of peace (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israelis-and-Palestinians-come-together-for-Jerusalem-solidarity-march-426245). and there is life in lod, a mixed city, where just last night i spent the evening at an arab community center in the old city watching little girls in dance class and young teen boys play soccer as their elderly israeli neighbors strolled by. the truth is that the vast majority of jews and arabs just want to live their lives in peace. and in my opinion, this is the real story that we should be hearing, talking, tweeting, and posting about.
this is the inspiration for a new project that will shape my blog posts in coming months. don't let popular media fool you- there are incredible things happening in israel, especially in Lod, centered around peace and coexistence and equality. as a resident of this community, i feel that i have a unique opportunity to shed light on these happenings. in short, i hope to combat the danger of a single story by diversifying the information that is available about israel.
every week, i will post about a new individual or organization that is pursuing social change in Lod and beyond. the posts will represent the diversity in israel, including arabs and jews, young and old, rich and poor, and more. here is what i need from you: if you are particularly taken with a story, SHARE IT via whatever social media you prefer (or all of them!) i feel very strongly that the american public deserve to know more than the yarn that is spun by their news outlets. if you feel the same, please contribute to this project by making sure as many people see it as possible.
look back next week for my first post (and subscribe so you don't forget!) about an individual who is singlehandedly pursuing remarkable change among young people in Lod. and until then, continue to seek out multiple narratives and perspectives to challenge the pervasive "single story".
