"I felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo." (Sylvia Plath - The Bell Jar)
Over the last three weeks my thoughts have been swirling as fast as the constant whirlwind of random terror attacks and flaming hate speech issued by all kinds of radicals in the social networks. After a time all this lurking evil and wicked ignorance around and even among us made me feel numb and bewildered. For many days I couldn’t bring myself to write about miracles and coexistence or do anything else constructive. Floating on 'auto-pilot' through the most important daily cores I had my doubts and worries about a peaceful and just future, although miracles happen even during these turbulent times.
Instead of writing I was worrying and figuring out the best way to keep our family and visitors from getting involved in a next unpredictable terror event, mainly by staying away from central public places and other sensitive areas whenever possible. We discussed the possible locations and scenarios of stabbings, stonings, explosions, being run over, hit by a petrol bomb or even accidently shot by mistake. Every of these variations of erratic terror has happend, everything seemed possible nearly anywhere.
We took detours and didn’t go out much in the dark. The superficial ‘normalcy’ of daily routine seemed treacherous to us Israelis, who are experienced in two previous intifadas and several rocket wars. One realized an eerie emptiness where there usually is a hustle and bustle, for instance in supermarkets employing Arab workers, although we were assured that kitchen knives were taken off the shelves, just in case.
During this inhospitable time I had my school friend from Berlin visiting for a few days and my cello playing son and his friends hosted a group of young musicians from Weimar, who came and played their joint concerts in front of nearly full houses despite of the frightening situation.
Parallel to the huge effort of the security forces, who daily risk their lives to prevent attacks from succeeding, we civilian Israelis equipped ourselves with rather weird and inventive means of defence and prophylaxis, mirroring the strange variety of weapons used by the juvenile Arab attackers. Pepper spray was completely sold out and in downtown Jerusalem you would notice random people with sticks, baseball clubs, nun-chukkas or rolling pins in their bags going to work or shopping! Restaurants, shops and public places staffed up with additional security guards searching through every bag and luggage. Parents were recruited to help monitoring educational institutions and even a friendly dog walker in Jerusalem proposed to accompany kids to school or kindergarten with his 6-pack of muscular dogs, although even one little pooch would probably already present some determent against possible Arab assault.
In especially sensitive areas known for riots and previous security incidents bullet proof vests came into fashion, guns were fetched from the attic, car windows secured against stones and psalms and prayers uttered. Everyone found their personal mode of action and protection while trying to lead a normal life as far as the ever nagging feeling of suspicion and looking around yourself allowed.
Calming activities, mostly at home with loved ones or walks in nature or on the beach and of course playing and listening to music helped us to stay balanced, the same way our family always copes best with pointless insanity that shakes your belief in human nature.
How did we get ourselves into this situation? Is this the state of Israel we had in mind, is this the future we imagine?
It depends on who you ask. Some people pretend they’re fine, others are critical (to say the least) about the face the country has adopted in recent years.
Most people blame the on-going incitement in mosques against Jews accompanied by promises of nearly all Palestinian leaders to free Palestine, ultimately without having to bear us hated Zionists around. Myths of Jews wanting to take over the Temple Mount and change the present status quo of prayer were spread in the Arab news channels and social networks, eagerly swallowed by radicalised youngsters, men and women alike.
Of course, the whole Middle East is now infected with racist slogans and religious delusion so that even individuals with university education or decent jobs are driven to become terrorists or join IS. In a society that doesn’t value or sanctify life, kids as young as 12, 15, or 16 are waging knives against Jews, risking martyr death and demolition of their family’s home.
Some ‘do-gooders’ here and abroad are apologetic of the new terror wave, even justifying these horrible deeds as a legitimate expression of the Palestinian’s despair over the dwindling perspective of a future Palestinian state in the face of the bull-headed, controversial settlement policy of Netanyahu’s government. But every terror act or rocket attack over the last decade has caused an additional shift to the right in Israeli elections, so that as a consequence we are now dealing with the most right wing government ever, even if we personally didn't elect it.It is a spiral of action and reaction. mixed with propaganda and traumatization.
The Israeli political centre and Zionist left call for renewed peace talks, the building stop on the territories, a two state solution, territorial compromise and fair coexistence between Jews and Arabs within Israel, as well as tightening cooperation with moderate Arab neighbour states.
Many are worried that if settlement policies are left unchanged and no clear line of two states between us the Palestinians is drawn in a peace agreement, our democratic society is in danger of being more and more eroded and undermined by the growing Arab population, soon leaving the Jews in the minority in a bi-national state of two hostile people who do not want to live together.
There are no instant and easy answers, but I personally have been always in favour of the two- state solution with territorial compromises and multi-faceted cooperation between Israel and Palestine. We were deeply shaken by the bigoted murder of Yitzhak Rabin two decades ago, whose death we commemorate this week so shamefully stuck in a deep mess of animosity, failed leadership and absent political vision. 20 years later nothing has been achieved, no ‘New Middle East’ or any other ray of hope. On the contrary, the peace movement has been blown away and we are drawn into a vicious spiral of becoming die-hard enemies forever.
There seems to be no real readiness for peace on either side, which would mean doing away with outworn concepts. Peace talks are once more on hold and no realistic solution is in sight. Previous talks have ended with the Arab leadership’s refusal to recognise the state of Israel and their unshakable claim for the ‘Right of Return’. Furthermore, the future status of Jerusalem is also a point of issue, as both sides claim it as their capital. Any unorthodox approach of creating an ‘international’ city of Jerusalem belonging to all religions is out of the question.
If the unity and freedom of the city could be guaranteed in such a way by international law, I personally do not require Jerusalem to be the ‘eternal Jewish capital’, as long as it is a free, human and peaceful place, whose inhabitants live side by side in tolerance. But it seems that the majority of people are not ready for any enlightened approach. It will obviously take many more deaths and co-destruction to change a mind-set of fundamentalist religion and zealous nationalism.
However, I’m here to write about miracles, even if I’m having a hard time right now. In the past many well-funded initiatives to reconcile the rights and ambitions of our two people were founded, but these coexistence groups obviously have not enough significance or permanent influence or are one-sided ‘pro-Palestinian’.
Actually, the most prominent and unshakable example of mainstream Jewish-Arab coexistence for decades is everyday life in Israeli hospitals, rescue teams and health services. Here you find Arab and Jewish medical and emergency personal of all levels caring in cooperation and mutual respect, patients of all ethnic origins and nationalities and their families are side by side waiting, worrying, healing and trying to practice restraint and human contact.
Here all worlds meet, people of all shades and convictions, the attacker is treated together with the victim, as for doctors and nurses patients just have human faces and resentment needs to be left at the door. The medical and rescue professions allow no favouritism, they are bound by oath to ethics of equality by international law and this works even in a country as fragmented as Israel.
For example, family members of prominent Palestinian leaders have received treatment in Israeli hospitals and over years Syrian refugees have had emergency care at the Northern Israeli border. On the other hand, righteous Palestinian civilians and police officers have helped in many instances Jews in danger after being attacked by extremists.
This is the miraculous human face of the conflict, the proof that Jews and Arabs will only profit from mutual assistance and acceptance of the other’s presence.
Of course there have been few instances of the conflict wanting to enter and destroy these last islands of sanity. Recent Jewish complaints about a terrorist receiving emergency care first in line before his victim due to his critical injuries, or the Palestinian mother whose son was nursed to health in Israel and still wished for him to become a ‘shahid’ and kill Jews. Some bad apples unfortunately always make the news and create new waves of hatred.
All said, I recommend visiting the Hadassah University Medical Centre in Jerusalem, founded and supported by the Women's Zionist Organization of America as one glorious example of coexistence and humanism. You can take a guided tour around its several campuses, which house two big university hospitals, a college and downtown clinic, as well as Marc Chagall’s famous stained glass windows installed in the hospital synagogue. In my student years I myself have taken many tourist groups and donors through Hadassah’s installations. You will learn about its history and philosophy and you will realise, that it is a place where human and medical miracles are a daily routine.
http://www.hadassah-med.com/
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7ba3e29d266a4b098b0e9503bec7e49e/jerusalem-hospital-copes-treating-victims-and-attackers
On a different, more culinary and cultural note, another example of long-lived organic coexistence between Arabs and Jews is the village of Abu Gosh in the Judean Hills, a destination of many hungry Israelis and tourists alike, famous for the typical Middle Eastern cuisine featuring authentic humus, soups, meat and salads combined with loud but friendly service around busy, populated tables. This Arab community, the only Muslim village located in the Jerusalem corridor that has continuously been on friendly terms since the time of the early Zionist leaders, has a long history of peaceful coexistence and friendship between Arabs and Jews and is famous for its flourishing restaurants, businesses and a yearly festival of choral music. Here is where we like to spend weekends in garden taverns and take out visitors from abroad for a treat of Levantine ambience. Foreign business men in suits and ties hang out with casually dressed Israeli families in t-shirts and sandals. It is an example that among people of different creeds and origins, who treasure and enjoy life more than fanatic delusions, life is good and worth living.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghosh
Now that I think of it, I can give you more examples of people having chosen coexistence and friendship over distrust and co-destruction, some on a very personal level, but it will be the topic of a future letter. Remembering the islands and miracles of coexistence has again opened up some perspective to live through the current period of worry, anger and hopelessness.
I wish so desperately that tolerance, justice and common sense will ultimately gain the upper hand against the ugly voices of merciless hatred and madness. And I hope I could inspire you to see our diversities and the melting-pot of very different people living in this tiny place with your own eyes, despite the news you are fed by biased reporters and ignorant followers of prejudices who organize boycotts and publish condemnation pamphlets in Europe and the US.
By the way, finally an encouraging message of support has been issued in Britain and signed last week by a long list of prominent cultural personalities, including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling (who I adore), claiming that Israel needs more bridges with the world instead of boycotts. So good to know Hogwarts is behind us! -"Let the magic begin!"