Old City, Old-New Friends

Today I woke up and wanted to go directly to the Old City. I remembered that the last time I lived in this area, we walked to the Old City often, or I thought so, and I remembered that it wasn't a bad walk. I forgot that I hadn't lived here in the height of summer though. As I began my walk it all seemed good enough, but as it continued and I still didn't see familiar signs that told me I was getting close to the Old City I realized it was a much longer trek than I had thought. Lots of people in Israel love hiking, and the country is actually know for its trails, but I am not a hiker and I think the most I'll ever care to do is the hike I did today.

Along my walk I did get to see that the construction that is going on all over Jerusalem has spread up here as well. I was walking along the No. 1 Highway, also known as the Bar-Lev street. The Bar-Lev line had been the demarcation between the area of the Sinai that Israel had captured from Egypt during the 1967 war. The street I was walking on had been the no man's land between Israel and Jordan from 1967 to 1973, with Jordan in control of East Jerusalem and Israel the West. Even today the East side of the street is Arab and the West is Jewish, clearly defined by the architecture and water towers.

One of my favorite places in the world stands on this street; The Museum on the Seam. This art museum gets its name from being on the seam line of the two communities. The art inside explores topics related to many issues of coexistence in Israel; obviously the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as social and economic issues, globalization, and many others. The last time I was here they had a wonderful exhibit on graffitti found in the neighborhoods around the museum, anti-Arab and anti-Semitic, and how certain words were crossed out or substituted to change the messages. You can see past exhibits here; DeadEnd, Equal and Less Equal, and Bare Life. I was first introduced to the Museum by chance, when I was 16 and living in Jerusalem during the Second Intifada. My group had been volunteering at home for the elderly when a car bomb went off outside. We were told to run to the Old City, and as we appraoched the stone walls I saw huge posters, specifically one caught me, with the word COEXISTENCE using the three Abrahamic faiths' symbols. Was it mocking us? Was it pleading? Was it optimistic? I ound out later that the posters were part of a Coexistence exhibition touring the world and presented by the Museum on the Seam. I believe that experience has been, and continues to be, my inspiration in my work. There will be more on this museum after I tour its new ehibition which opens later in July.

I entered the Old City through the Damascus gate, having first walked through the shopping area just outside and buying more water (and proudly completeing the entire transaction completely in Arabic!). The Old City is divided into four Quarters (Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Armenian), each with at least one main gate to enter through (respectively; Dung Gate, Damscus Gate, New Gate, and Jaffa Gate) though you can travel between each quarter easily, and sometimes seamlessly, though the internal winding streets. When entering the Damascus Gate, the shuk is mostly for the community that lives in the area, and as a tourist I go mostly unnoticed and uninterested in the practical commodities offered there like socks and shoes. The shuk changes as you get into the Christian Quarter or near religious sites; the things being sold become tackier and the sellers more pushy. The Armenian Quarter is almost entirely closed off from the public, and only has a few stores open. The Jewish Quarter, which was rebuilt after being destroyed by Jordan after 1948, had a very American-Jewish touristy feel to me, with expensive shops, larger walkways, and an emphasis on archaeology.

I took my time today, wanting to go at my own pace and see specific sites. Looking for a rest, I sat in a sweet shop and had a piece of knaife for a bit before continuing on to the Via Dolorosa, the sreet of the Stations of the Cross. I slowly made my way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This large building houses several of the last Stations, and is made up of a dozen different churches under the one roof (and several out back as well). It is dark, and confusing, and the entrance has a number of "guides" offering different explanations of the different rooms for a fee. What they really need is to get organized and have a guide ine ach area explaining the significance of eahc point. I did it with a book years ago, but today I just soaked in the atmosphere.

I then headed towards the Kotel, the Western Wall. I have had really emotional experiences at the wall in the past, but today I did not. I was turned off by all the "religious" women begging for tzedakah, charity, while talking on their cell phones. At the Kotel itself one such woman was making a scene, practically licking the wall while beging for change and telling people what they could and could not do. I just sat and people watched for a bit, and got to see what I imagine was a consecration ceremony; a large group of young religious boys who stood in front of the Wall and then ran to recieve praise from their beaming parents.

I walked out through Jaffa Gate and towards the new shopping area, Mamilla. I did some research because I was so intrigued by this new space, and found out it's actually quite old. it was built in the 1800s under Ottoman rule as a mixed Arab and Jewish business area. It was then destroyed by shelling between 1948 and 1967. It has now been rebuilt as a beautiful thuroughfare which leads from the City Center to Jaffa Gate. The views are incredible. While it's under construction (and maybe even after) art has been hung between shops that reflect on the many ideas of Jerusalem. What I personally like most is that the archways echo the Cardo, an unearthed Roman shopping center which had been the lifeline of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Each shop is held in an arch, just as they had been on the Cardo.