Holy, Holy, Holy

Jerusalem!  Famed city of three religions.  Four quarters here: Jewish Quarter, Muslim Quarter, Christian Quarter, and the Armenian quarter.  Buildings all in white stone, crooked alleyways, many languages and churches, Orthodox Jews with broad-brimmed black hats and long black coats and earlocks falling to their shoulders with a bevy of little earlocked Orthodox children, Muslims in skull caps, creepy Greek Orthodox priests in black with long white beards.  This is the place where Jesus was crucified and then resurrected, where Mohammed left the earth on his stallion, where the first temples of Judaism were raised (and razed).  I am on my own here and so winding my way through the streets--it's only a kilometer across (I have begun to think in metric, forgive me)--I find my comfort in the foods.

The first stop a falafel stand called Mr. Moustache--hot falafel and tomatoes, pickles, and onions with flat bread, all good, nothing special--but then the treat, the treasure--the hummus and fool (beans)--a bowl of fresh hummus with some pickled peppers ground in, the whole heap indented and in the middle olive oil, fresh lemon juice, chickpeas and beans, on top sprinkled is chili and parsley.  Divine.  Sharp, lemony, smooth, a perfect counterpoint to the falafel.  Then a lemonade in the streets--thick and pulpy.  Fresh walnuts--a bag for a dollar--creamy beyond compare.  Then a tea--hot tea over fresh spearmint, sitting in a crooked alleyway.  Then another falafel sandwich piled high with salads and pickles.  The next morning more hummus at Mr. Moustache's and then the best baklava of my life--buttery and not too sweet--and another pastry that is dripping in honey and covered in strands of pastry.  Then a coffee--always turkish coffee thick with grounds still swirling and the smell of cardamom heavy--then a fresh orange juice, then a stop at a little Palestinian place.  Oh the food there!  Excellent hummus, meat patties with tens of spices cooked in yogurt, stews of tomatoes and ground beef, of lamb and peas and carrots, saffron rice, more tomatoes and pickles.  Another coffee.

Blessed food

Oh yes, I toured the city.  Saw the important sights--the Western Wall and Church of the Holy Sepulcher and heard about all of the shifting occupations--from Harrod to the Ottomans to the Turks to the Jordanians, to the British, to the Israelis (not necessarily in that order)--felt where the cross was originally placed...an interesting aside: the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is built on the site of both the Crucifixion and tomb of Christ, and therefore is the most holy church for Christians, is controlled by multiple warring denominations.  The Catholics and Armenians can't agree on who gets to repair a balcony so a ladder's sat on that balcony for two hundred years.  The Greek Orthodox church walled off its area for a private church, never mind that it's the main alter.  So you get to see the splits in the Christian church.  I couldn't see the most holy Muslim sites because I'm not a Muslim.

I think the neatest thing about Jerusalem is that it is still a living city--private homes everywhere--quiet courtyards with grapes growing from terraces, intermingling with jasmine, under which Armenian women sit and drink coffee and eat lunch...crooked streets with skinned goats hanging from hooks, halal and ready for carving, fresh plums and peaches that are a touch sour but an excellent snack, boys who run with trays carrying tea or juice to a storekeeper who has shouted for their drink, grape leaves, ancient tombs, thousands of years old on a mountain across the way...rich in history and food and religion.

I've gotten views on both the Israel-Palestine issue and the Iraq war from Arabs, Jews, immigrants, and tourists.  A few observations.  Many people in the Arab world think that the Iraq War was about oil; I think oil was a secondary motivation.  When asked where I am from, I always reply California.  People who condemn the war in Iraq are also able to justify war against Israel.  The central question for me remains: could Israel have been a secular state?  One counter argument I encountered: then why have it here in the heart of the holy land?  A question for you: can Jerusalem survive shared sovereignty?  Settlements in the West Bank (the settlers themselves) are considered a problem.  Support trends toward Hamas when I talk to Palestinians--Fatah is weak and corrupt.  Olmert is said to be corrupt and weak.  Mixed views on last summer's war.  In my opinion the physical divide between the West Bank and Gaza is a serious issue for Palestinian unity.  Most of those who move to America consider it the best country in the world but still visit here.  A serious issue in the peace process: the belief that once Muslims have controlled a piece of territory it is a capital offense to return it to infidel hands.  An important consideration: how much does sexual tension play into problems?  If you can't date and you get seventy two virgins as a martyr, how much more likely are you to be suicidal?  A funny joke: should Catholic priests be allowed to marry?  Why not, if they love each other.  Sorry if you're Catholic and that was offensive.

So there is some to chew on.  It is now August 7.  I have four more days in Israel.  I was going to catch a bus to Haifa tonight but I'm tired.  I think I'll just spend another day here.

A quick note: this journey may seem fabled, it may seem charmed.  It is.  And nostalgia will even the dips and round the edges.  But I think I should throw in a cautionary note and self-justification for my occassional splurge--traveling for this long, with this style, takes a lot of energy, a lot of flexibility, and a forced-willingness to get out of your comfort zone.  It is a hard thing to do and it's not all peaches--it's worth it, doubtless, on the whole, but it's easy to forget that there are rough patches encountered when you're searching out hidden corners in the busy, rugged, sometimes dirty world.