Opposition to the proposed Gay Rights Parade in Jerusalem has put to-gether strange bed-fellows. The Ultra-Orhodox Jewish Community in Jerusalem and its Palestinian Muslim counterpart fiercely oppose the Parade taking place in Jerusalem. Both groups view the parade as an abomination of Jerusalem as a city holy to both Jew and Muslim. What is interesting is this joint co-operation in opposing the parade. It would seem that in the face of a righty or wrongly perceived "external threat" to their way of life Palestinian Muslim and Israeli Jew cannot only co-exist but can actually cooperate - and that in a city which exemplifies more than any other the bitter Israeli-Palestinian divide.
A few years back I vacationed in London during Succot and sat on a bench in Regent's Park. I happened to see two fairly large family groups strolling near each other - one group consisted of Ultra Orhodox Jews and the other of religious Muslims - both enjoying the late autumn air and playing with children and grandchildren. What struck me observing these two groups was how similar they really were - and how an ignorant stranger looking at them would probably lump them together as probably belonging to the same religious group. I would even venture to suggest that the Ultra Orthodox Jews would, at least from a dietary and dress code point of view, have felt more at home with the Muslims than they would have with me a Secular Jew.
And as for me? Well, sitting as a lawyer in a Tel Aviv Court to-day, I looked over at an Israeli Jewish lawyer having a friendly conversation with an Israeli-Arab (Palestinian) lawyer. They chatted amiacably in Hebrew for several minutes. What struck me was how much the Arab lawyer was Israeli and how the two lawyers were part of the same people (at least in the eyes of my ignorant stranger looking in). From a cultural social point of view the two lawyers have more in common with each other than they might have with many co-religionists or fellow nationals from abroad - for example with a non-hebrew speaking Jew from Alaska or with a Magreb Arab or non-Arabic speaking English Muslim respectively.
The bottom line is that it is all a bit confusing - this overly strict division of ethnic groups just does not always stand up to the reality test - and perhaps we would be better off if we sometimes let reality take its course.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
ITALIAN FASHION AND ISRAELI REALITY
Last night (4.11.06), Israel's Channel Two screened a fun-type documentary entitled - let's see you instead of me. This apparently light hearted programme takes an Israeli with a specific profession and gets him to change places with a counterpart from abroad.
In last night's showing, an Italian fashion from Milan photographer exchanged places with a news photographer from Tel Aviv. The Israeli photographer went off to the glamorous world of fashion photography in Milan. He was given the envious task of photographing an exquisite young model in the arms of a less exquisite aging ex-basketball star. The photographer was given instructions by an uppity Italian magazine editor who poured scorn on the Israeli's lack of ability (in his opinion) to carry out his given task. After suffering several insults (delivered in a passive-agressive manner) the Israeli photographer decided, in despair, to show the Italian editor some of his work from back home in Israel. He proceeded to show lab top pictures of death Israeli style - grisly photographs from suicide attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists in Israel. This ever so cultured magazine editor was suddenly confronted with another reality far removed from his beautiful insulated Milanese existence. As the Israeli photographer showed him a picture of a blood drenched corpse of a little Israeli baby , the editor clammed up and decided to break up the meeting - this despite the Israeli's tongue in cheek protest that this was only the beginning of what he had to show!.
The Italian photographer who came to Tel Aviv was a far more sympathetic character than the Editor back in Milan. He too could not come to terms with Israeli reality particularly when he went to photograph the bereaved family and friends of a fallen Israeli soldier. Brought to tears he could not bring himself to photograph the mourners. Unlike the snotty magazine editor who could not even bring himself to say something about what he saw, the Italian photographer was refreshingly honest in his admission of how hard the Israeli reality was to confront.
Last week there was debate in Israel about marketing Israel's image abroad. The term in vogue these days is "nation branding". One view has it that Israeli should focus on an Israel not related to religion or to the conflict with the Palestinians. Others feel that Israel should show the world some hard truths about the reality of life in this country - just as the Israeli photographer did in Milan and just as the Italian photographer experienced in Israel.
What was interesting about the television programme was the reaction of a European audience (albeit a specific audience of two) to a glimpse of Israeli reality. One reaction (the photographer's) was of sympathy, sadness and understanding the other was (the editor's) of distaste and revulsion. One could say that the editor was revolted because reality suddenly confronted him, knocking him down a much needed peg or two or perhaps his reaction was one of refusal to deal with the fact that Israelis (not only Palestinians) suffer and bleed. Did he clam up because his mould of stereo-type thinking regarding Israel suddenly cracked? Or perhaps simply pictures of death and suffering were just too much to deal with for a person involved with the narrow world of photographing fashion nymphs? We will never know what the editor was really feeling on being exposed to Israeli reality - what is important that the pictures caused a reaction - and causing a reaction is a start if Israel is going to put forward its position to the world in a more telling manner.
In last night's showing, an Italian fashion from Milan photographer exchanged places with a news photographer from Tel Aviv. The Israeli photographer went off to the glamorous world of fashion photography in Milan. He was given the envious task of photographing an exquisite young model in the arms of a less exquisite aging ex-basketball star. The photographer was given instructions by an uppity Italian magazine editor who poured scorn on the Israeli's lack of ability (in his opinion) to carry out his given task. After suffering several insults (delivered in a passive-agressive manner) the Israeli photographer decided, in despair, to show the Italian editor some of his work from back home in Israel. He proceeded to show lab top pictures of death Israeli style - grisly photographs from suicide attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists in Israel. This ever so cultured magazine editor was suddenly confronted with another reality far removed from his beautiful insulated Milanese existence. As the Israeli photographer showed him a picture of a blood drenched corpse of a little Israeli baby , the editor clammed up and decided to break up the meeting - this despite the Israeli's tongue in cheek protest that this was only the beginning of what he had to show!.
The Italian photographer who came to Tel Aviv was a far more sympathetic character than the Editor back in Milan. He too could not come to terms with Israeli reality particularly when he went to photograph the bereaved family and friends of a fallen Israeli soldier. Brought to tears he could not bring himself to photograph the mourners. Unlike the snotty magazine editor who could not even bring himself to say something about what he saw, the Italian photographer was refreshingly honest in his admission of how hard the Israeli reality was to confront.
Last week there was debate in Israel about marketing Israel's image abroad. The term in vogue these days is "nation branding". One view has it that Israeli should focus on an Israel not related to religion or to the conflict with the Palestinians. Others feel that Israel should show the world some hard truths about the reality of life in this country - just as the Israeli photographer did in Milan and just as the Italian photographer experienced in Israel.
What was interesting about the television programme was the reaction of a European audience (albeit a specific audience of two) to a glimpse of Israeli reality. One reaction (the photographer's) was of sympathy, sadness and understanding the other was (the editor's) of distaste and revulsion. One could say that the editor was revolted because reality suddenly confronted him, knocking him down a much needed peg or two or perhaps his reaction was one of refusal to deal with the fact that Israelis (not only Palestinians) suffer and bleed. Did he clam up because his mould of stereo-type thinking regarding Israel suddenly cracked? Or perhaps simply pictures of death and suffering were just too much to deal with for a person involved with the narrow world of photographing fashion nymphs? We will never know what the editor was really feeling on being exposed to Israeli reality - what is important that the pictures caused a reaction - and causing a reaction is a start if Israel is going to put forward its position to the world in a more telling manner.
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