Nadia and I arrived in Israel two days ago and I celebrated my birthday and international women's day with my family in Givat Ada, Israel. From where I am it seemed like a non-event. The day seemed to have been reduced to special supplements in the daily newspapers dedicated to special diets and celebrity women who manage to combine career and motherhood. The word feminist appeared in one article in reference to the feminist revolution, which according to the author failed :-(
This evening, however, I found an article on the back page of the Israeli daily Haaretz (which has an English edition as well), an article about the US based feminist group Code Pink, which has a delegation in Gaza that includes Alice Walker. I am going to check and see if the English version has the story and include a link here.
The weather has been great. It was actually too hot when we landed...Glad we left our heavy coats in Plattsburgh. We've been hanging out with my mom and my sister and her kids. It's been fun to see everyone dressed up as this is Purim, the Jewish Halloween.
Nadia continues to be fascinated by alley cats, an interest that started a few years ago and has become a central theme in our travels. I think that part of her photo essay, will be once again dedicated to cats in the Middle East.
I am going to upload a few pictures as I et ready for our travels to Haifa and Nazareth to see friends and give a talk to a group of Palestinian women activists and intellectual who hold Israeli citizenship.

I will try and provide updates on Facebook as well.

I came down with a bad cold as we left Haifa. I am trying a combination of naturale remedies and over-the-counter medications to get rid of the congestion before we have to get on the plane tomorrow evening.
I have no doubt that my exhaustion made me more volunerable to this cold, not to mention the cold weather and a few sick folks we hang out with... I just hope that Nadia won't get my cold before we get to Olympia.

It's nice to have this down time with my family. Nadia has been playing lots of board games with her cousin Noa and with my mom.

There is so much I was planning to write before I leave here -- I have piles of notes I took in Haifa when I didn't have regular access to the web -- but my body hurts, so I willpost some photos and the more in-depth analysis will have to wait until I feel better.

We held a small memorial service on a veery cold day in the cemetry in Nazareth-Elit, overlooking the Palestinian village Ikssal, whose lands have no doubt been confiscated to build the cemetry.
As my nephew said "Kadish" (the prayer that boys/men say in Judaism), the Muslim call for prayer sounded in the background...
Nadia was very sweet. She wanted me to take a picture of the grave, so she could bring her kids to see where her grandfather is burried.
I did write quite a bit about my relationship to Nazareth Elit in the blog I kept last year. If you are interested, check out the article titled "compassionate resistance in Israel and Palestine" on my webpage.

I always enjoyed traveling the road from Nazareth to Haifa. As a child this journey was to my beloved grandmother who lived there. Later, when I moved to haifa (I lived there for 8 years) the journey symbolized my personal and political transformation.
I am excited about spending a few days here and sharing Haifa with Nadia. I will write more tomorrow as I don't have my laptop with me and I am using a computer in the lobby and someone is waiting to use it. Pardon the typos.

The apartment I grew up in Nazareth Elit

Nadia and I left the Jerusalem Hotel yesterday. It was so nice to spend time with Raed. We were always so busy in the past and this time we did get to talk and not only about politics. I wish the weather was better and I could see the project Raed is working on at Bitzeit University. It is something to do with preserving the history of the village of Birzeit.

I am posting some photos Nadia and I took of the hotel. THIS IS THE PLACE TO STAY IF YOU ARE TRAVELING TO PALESTINE!!! You can email Raed at: raed@jrhotel.com









We are in Givat Ada now and tomorrow we head to Nazareth Elit for a memorial service for my dad who passed away 3 years ago. In Judaism, you go up to the cemetary every year on the anniversary. From there, we will continue to Haifa for a few days, both for site-seeing and to re-connect with friends.

Raed has been insisting on taking Nadia to Jericho, so she could ride the new cable cars. Because he is building a house there he had to go anyway and suggested that Nadia and I come along. By the time we got there it was getting dark and it seemed as though the cable cars where not in operation, most likely because it was Christmas Day. But we did get a special tour of the house, which looks more like a palace. We drank tea and ate organges, which Nadia picked from the tree in the garden.

The house is being built on the land where Raed's grandmma's house once stood. I learned from Raed that before the Israeli occupation, when the West Bank was under Jordanian rule, Palestinians who could afford it had winter homes in Jericho, which is located in the Jordan Valley.



The trip was intense for me as I reaclled my military service in that area. In fact, the refugee camp we passed at the entrance of the city is the first refugee camp I saw and became aware of. It is that camp that set me off on my personal and political journey to unpack the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and to understand how I am implicated in it. It is hard to believe that I am writing about events that took place 27 years ago, during my military service. I rememebr visiting Josh in military prison and hitch-hiking, against military regulations. I remember the stark contrast between the desert and the lush green of Jericho, the Oasis. I remember my friend Anat who run away from her shift at the Alenbi Bridge (the crossing point between Palestine and Jordan) because she couldn't stomach the de-humanization (both of Palestinians and of herself) that characterized the body searches she had to conduct. I remember the young men I served with and the stories they shared about their patrols along the Jordanian-Israeli border. It was during that period that I began to question everything, especially Zionism and militarization. It was also during that time that I became aware of how prevasive sexism is in Israeli culture and especially in the military.

I didn't share this story with Raed. I am not comfortable talking about my military service with Palestinians. I am uneasy mentioning it when Nadia is around. I hate the fact that to enter his house Raed had to go through a checkpoint... I noticed that Nadia, like me, gets tense everytime we stop at a checkpoint. Unlike Palestinians, we didn't have any problems so far. Nadia keeps asking why they build the checkpoints. I am glad that their existence doesn't make sense to her!

Yesterday we walked (with Michael, Michelle, and David) along the Old City's walls. It was our last morning to spend together as they were leaving in the afternoon. The weather was nice and the view from the walls was great. It was the most exercise I had since the beginning of the trip 2 weeks ago. The walk was very pleasant despite a minor incident of stone throwing. It was a tiny rock that hit the wall next to Nadia and startled her a bit. I immediately let the boys know (in Arabic) that we were not settlers. They apologized right away and welcomed us warmly to their neighborhood. Witnessing the behavior of settlers in the Old City, it is hard to blame these kids for their anger and frustration.

We arrived in Bethlehem as the march of kids band was heading to Manger Square. It was nice to hear loud drum beats and join the celebratory mood. People in Palestine don't have many reasons to celebrate these days. Quite a few little kids were dressed up in Santa costumes, the streets were decorated and people seemed cheerful. The Bethlehem Peace Center had people distributing an excellent brochure carrying the title: Let us pray for peace in the Holy Land. Light a candle in Bethlehem, where Jesus, the Prince of Peace was born. Inside the brochure, the authors did a very good job situating Christmas in Bethlehem in the context of the Israeli occupation.



Here are some excerpts, please share them with friends and family, if you feel that it is appropriate:

"The Nativity Church in Bethlehem, perhaps the most important of Christian Holy places throughout the world, is located in the West Bank and part of the Palestinian lan occupied by Israel since 1967. The cradle of biblical history, Bethlehem, is located five and a half miles from Jerusalem. Throughout history the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem have been mutually interconnected, economically dependent and culturally inseparable, until recently. When both communities found their movement effectively severed by Israel's military checkpoints. Then, soon after, Bethlehem became completely surrounded and strangled by the Wall! This means that the people of occupied Bethlehem and East Jerusalem are forced to carry different Israeli-issued ID cards which restrict freedom of movement and religion in both cities. Approximately 240,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites, for example, are often prevented from visiting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem for prayer, family baptisms, weddings, etc. Although the communities of the two towns are intimately connected through family, education and religion, they are divided by a wall which triggers forced displacement and poverty and makes people leave the country."




I am trying to see if the text is anywhere in the web because almost everything is stuff that people should know.

I will also look for some pictures of the Apartheid Wall as I didn't get a chance to snap new ones yesterday.

The main event in Bethlehem yesterday was waiting for the Partiarch to arrive from Jerusalem and enter the Nativity Church. The scene was crowded and noisy but it was nice to be part of this, although the irony of a feminist waiting for the Partiarch didn't escape me. There were other contradictions I witnessed, some are captured in the photos.





Blond girl attracts attention...

We had originally planned to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Bethlehem but we decided to change our plans because Nadia met a new friend, I was too tired to pack and move to another hotel and people here told us that Christmas Day is very quiet in Bethlehem.

Nadia's new friend Michael is a few days younger than her (she insists I write that she is exactly 23 days older). Michael and his mom live in Prtland, OR but they live in Israel at the moment as Michelle teaches 2nd grade at the American International School in Kfar Shmaryahu. Michelle's boyfriend, David, who is visiting from the States and is also an Elementary School teacher was traveling with them. We met them at the Jerusalem Hotel the night before last and the kids became the best of friends, while I enjoyed being in he company of two very delightful people, committed to social justice and progressive education and very eager to learn anything they can about Palestine during their first visit to East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Nadia and Michael developed a very strong and special bond. They walked in Bethlehem hand in hand all of yesterday and have become inseparable. It is quite moving to witness how easy kids open up their world to connect with others. I have also marveled over the parts of Nadia that I get a glimpse into when she is in the company of another kid. I am reminded than that she is only 6!




The trip to and our day in Bethlehem was quite intense. We took a taxi from the Jerusalem Hotel and I was worried that they won't let me in because I was forced to use my Israeli passport to get into Israel and they don't allow Israeli citizen to go into the West ank and Gaza... I decided to use my American passport and had no problem. But the soldiers at the checkpoint decided to change the rules for Palestinians yesterday (something they do very often here) and not allow Palestinians who don't reside in Bethlehem to get through the checkpoint. Our driver, Walid has a Jerusalem ID card and has been shuttling tourists to and from Bethlehem for years. This is why the hotel suggested we use him. Otherwise, the only option is to take a taxi to the checkpoint, stand in line, go through the checkpoint and then get another taxi on the Bethlehem side. That's what Palestinians have to do every day and that's what the soldiers suggested we'll do. Walid's prodding with them didn't get us far. Lucky for us, an officer walked by to see what the commotion was and I decided to take over the negotiation. I used the kids to argue that it doesn't make sense to make us get off the taxi and go through the process of crossing the checkpoint. I was so aware of my privilege and of the fact that Palestinian families with kids younger than ours, will not get far even if they tried to negotiate. He did overrule the decision and let us through wishing us Merry Christmas and we used the opportunity to explain to the kids what checpoints do to kids their age in Palestine.


Nadia just woke up, so I am going to post this and write another entry with more pictures later.

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate the holiday.

It is so nice to be back in East Jerusalem. We are staying at the Jerusalem Hotel, a beautiful authentic place, which I have stayed at since 1990. Raed Saadeh, the owner has done an amazing job renovating an old Palestinian house. We stayed here with Nadia in the summer of 2001 when she was 6 months old and the staff here was so happy to see us again. They have been treating us like guests of honor. In addition to some of the photos below, you should check the webpage at: www.jrhotel.com

Also pasted below are some pictures from the market in the old city. Nadia and I spent a few hours there yesterday morning. It was a rainy and cold day here (the first real winter day) but we had a great time. The market was busy due to the fact that it was Saturday but also the day before Christmas. People are more desperate than I remember for business. There are hardly any tourists around and the shopkeepers we spoke with expressed a mixture of hopelessness and despair.

One of the highlights of the trip to Eilat was a 2 hour sail on a boat with a glass bottom, which included a view of the most amazing coral reef and fish in the dead sea as well as a view of both the Jordanian and the Egyptian borders with Israel. It would be so easy and make so much sense to sail between the tree cities (Eilat in Israel, Aqaba in Jordan and Taba in Egypt). This would make a very exciting tourism package, which would benefit everyone.

I am looking for some up-to-date demographic information about Eilat. While there is a thriving tourist industry around the marina and beach, the town itself is quite depressed (and has always been) with high level of unemployment and poverty. We were very moved when on our first afternoon in Eilat as we were having lunch a little boy who must have been 5 and his little sister, who was no more than 3 approached us begging for food. Nadia and my 10 year niece insisted on us sharing our meal with them, which we did. In the process we found out that the little girl's name was Nadia. That made the connection much more special and at the girls insistance we went back looking for the kids every single day but couldn't find them. This encounter was the pretext for some very thoughtful conversations about poverty and privilege with the girls and my mom.
Nadia continues to pay careful attention to camouflage clothing and brings those to my attention every single time. I am particulalry struck by how many grown women, including women my age,"grace" their appearance with camoflage pants, shirts, hats or bags. I am thrilled that this fashion statement doesn't appear normal to Nadia.

When we stopped by a jewelry stand and her cousin chose a heart necklace, Nadia chose the peace sign and explained its meaning to her Israeli cousin who had no idea what it was. I wonder why Israeli kids are not familiar with this sign?!
Also today on the train, we chatted with a British family (Parents and an 8 year old girl) who were on their way to Jerusalem. They said they were staying with friends and I asked intentionally of course, "Are they Palestinians?" "Oh no," the father replied. "I wouldn't stay with Palestinians." Then Nadia asked him in total innocence: "Why not?" and he just laughed embarassed. I then explained that we are actually staying in East Jerusalem with Palestinians. After that they seemed less eager to continue the lively and friendly conversation we were having.
There is so much more to write. I am going to post some images from Eilat and see how much energy I have to keep writing.

Keeping an up to date blog can be a challenge when you travel with a 6 year old and cannot count on a solid DSL or wireless connection...
We arrived back in the center of Israel (Givat Ada where my sister and mom live) after a nice vacation in Eilat.
I re-packed Nadia and my bags and we took a train to Jerusalem. My old friend Raed, who owns the Jerusalem Hotel where we are staying came to pick us up at the train station and it was lovely to be at the Jerusalem Hotel again. I've stayed here almost every time I came to Palestine since 1990.
But before I write more about East Jerusalem. I am going to post more photos from Hanukah in Israel. I will post photos from Eilat in a separate message and will try to figure out how to operate the scrap book here. Also, coutesy of the talented Mike McKay, you would be able to view a slide show of some photos on my webpage in a few days.

I haven't had time to write as much but I wanted to comment on the coverage I was able to see of the escalation in the internal Palestinian divisions. There is no mention of the fact that Israel created Hamas and played a key role in igniting divisions between various political factions in Palestine. While the images from Gaza are alarming (first and foremost to Palestinians!), I have no doubt that an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza and a recognition of the international community of Palestine as an independent country would de-escalate the situation. At the moment Israel (and the US) seem to be celebrating the escalation in a manner that is characteristic of the old colonial strategy of divide and rule.

Spending time in Israel with my family in the past few days has been filled with many contradictions and little time to reflect mostly because Nadia is still dealing with jer-lag and waking up in the middle of the night.

It felt goot to speak on the phone with Palestinian friends in East Jerusalem and Beit Lehem today. Nadia and I will be heading in that direction after we spend a few days in Eilat by the Red Sea -- a Hanuka present from my mom, who will be coming with us.

Nadia and I are still trying to get over our jet lag. We have been getting up around 4am hungry. It makes sense as this is dinner time in Olympia... so we have a light snack and hang out, watch the sunrise, write notes to friends (which we email later) and wait for my mom to wake up...
The weather has been beautiful: clear blue skies, very sunny and warm. Nadia was so happy today as we found a playground that had monkeybars. We also started our photo essay on cats, which is a ocntinuation of a project we started in summer 2005 (for details see "compassionate resistance in Israel and Palestine." on my webpage).

Tonight we celebrated the first night of Hanukah at my sister's house. Although it is nice to be in a place where what Nadia has experienced as a minority tradition is the norm. At the same time, the celebration is far from being multicultural. I much prefer the alternative celebration Nadia and I hosted last year in Olympia. I had the text on my computer and am attaching it below, in case people wish to add this to their holiday celebrations.

I haven't had much time yet to dive into the political situation and I am eager to do so. Traveling with Nadia, my priority has been on making her feel safe and get over jet lag. I am hoping to finish the essay on Israel & Palestine for kids tonight.

warmly,
Simona
___________________


Text of our last year's Hanukah celebration

We light and blessed 8 candles on the same night, even though traditionally one lights a candle on teh first night of holiday and add one every night for 8 nights.

1. The candle of Peace
We light this candle to affirm our commitment to Peace and to honor peace activists throughout history and within our community.
We remember that as we celebrate, people around the world who struggle to survive amidst war. In particular, we note with compassion the suffering and resilience of the peoples of Iraq and Palestine. Chanukah is a celebration of victory and freedom. About 2400 years ago, Judah Macaabee led the Jewish fight against the Greeks who were occupying the Holy Land. At the time Antiochus of Greece was forcing the Jews to adopt Greek practices. In the end Jewish resistance won. Now Israel and the US are occupying Iraq and Palestine. They too deserve their freedom and self-determination.

2. The candle of Love
We light this candle to affirm our belief in the power of love to nurture bonds between individuals and within families and communities. We remember as we celebrate that at the present day, we live in a homophobic, sexually-repressed society where for some people, the act of loving, has become difficult and at times dangerous. We celebrate love as the freedom of people to be and to love whoever and how ever they desire. We also recognize the courage and daily struggles of lesbians, gays, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning people as well as the important contributions of non-queer allies

3. The candle of Shelter and Home
We light this candle to affirm our belief in the right of all people to shelter – a safe place that we can call home, permanently or temporarily. We remember with compassion the people who will spend tonight on the streets, under bridges or in unsafe homes as we recognize that homelessness is a societal problem, not an individual one. We honor and celebrate the tireless work of homeless advocates as well as those amongst us who have struggled to create a safe place for themselves and their families.

4. The candle of Sustainability
We light this candle to affirm our connection with mother earth and our obligation to nurture its resources. We note with concern the threats to the environment and the lives it sustains from plants to animals to humans and other organisms. We honor and celebrate the efforts of individuals and groups to live in harmony rather than to control nature and all that it offers us.

5. The candle of Equality
We light this candle to affirm our belief that all people deserve equal rights. We note especially the differences in power and privilege allotted to men and women in our society, to the unequal division of power and labor between the sexes and to the different ways in which boys and girls are treated. We honor and celebrate the girls and women that have long fought for equal rights as well as boys and men who understand that they too would benefit, when discrimination based on sex becomes a matter of the past.
6. The candle of Diversity
We light this candle to affirm the principle of unity in diversity and to challenge the structure of racism that enables the unequal discriminatory treatment of people of color, immigrants and people with disabilities. We celebrate the people who have long resisted racism and pledge to interrupt racism wherever we encounter it.

7. The candle of Simplicity
We light this candle to celebrate the beauty of simple life and simple pleasures and to challenge the pervasive force of capitalism and consumer culture. We celebrate those who manage to reduce their involvement with the capitalist system and pledge to share what we have with others.

8. The candle of Community
We light this candle to celebrate the importance of communities and the important work that is required to nurture them. While we recognize the binding ties some of us have with the families we were born to, we affirm the importance of families of friends, like the one gathered here tonight.


9. The candle of Creativity
We light this candle to celebrate the power of art and music and the importance of cultural celebrations. We recognize that by celebrating many traditions, especially those that are new to us, we broaden our horizons and enrich our lives. We celebrate other cultures with the intent of appreciation, not appropriation. We seek to share in the traditions not to compare them to the ones we are accustomed to.

Entering Israel was rather uneventful this time as I used my Israeli passport and the privileges that come with it. Nadia’s charm and bubbly personality have no played a role in the clerk’s decision not to check her “black list,” which includes peace activists from Israel and from around the world, especially those affiliated with the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine. Although I was required by law to fill an “entry card” for Nadia, the woman behind the counter told me that I shouldn’t “waist my time” with the form. Also, unlike in past visits, no immigration official complained over the fact that Nadia doesn’t have an Israeli passport. No one even complained yet over the fact that Nadia doesn’t speak Hebrew. These veiled, or not so veiled complaints, are often directed at me and are as political as personal: my decision to nurture my daughter’s global citizenship at the expense of state nationalisms, both Israeli and American, are treated as deliberate acts of treason.

*For those who want to read more about past visit, please check my recently published piece titled “Compassionate Resistance in Israel and Palestine,” which is based on the blog I kept in the summer of 2005, the last time I traveled in the region with Nadia. That piece, published in the International Feminist Journal of Politics,” is available both as a pdf file and as a quicktime video clip on my webpage (www.simonasharoni.com).

As I write this, Nadia is playing memory with her cousins, Noa who is 10 and Amit 16.


Coming soom: A kids’ synopsis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Aware that some of Nadia’s and my kid friends are reading this blog and that for some parents this is an opportunity to talk to kids about politics, I want to write a brief synopsis of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for kids. I hope to finish that tonight and have it posted tomorrow. In the meantime, please encourage your kids to ask questions and feel free to do so yourself.

If you are reading this, you were able to figure out livejournal and create an account, so you could log on. The main reason I am trying this approach is because last year when using blogspot, I got some hostile comments but mostly too much spam.
I will post all entries on our livejournal but the community is an opportunity for people to ask questions and engage in discussion.
Our trip to the region is not simply a personal trip and given the mainstream dominant representations of Palestine and Israel, I feel an obligation to use my trip as an educational tool. The purpose of my analysis and reflections is not only to put a human face on the situation in Israel and Palestine but also to share some of my experiences as a parent who is embarking on this journey with a curious six year old girl.

I look forward forward to hearing from you!

Warmly,

Simona

Nadia and I are leaving for Israel and Palestine on Tuesday December 12. Between packing and making "do not forget" lists, I am taking time to create a new blog. The one I used on our last trip in the summer of 2005 has generated too much spam, so I am giving this one a shot as it comes highly recommended by my former students in the MIT program at Evergreen.

We are going to spend the first part of the trip with my mom, who turned 70 a few weeks ago and moved into a new home around the same time! After a large family gathering, we will fly to Eilat, a resort town in the southern part of Israel for a few days (a holiday gift from my mom -- she and my 10 year old niece will be with us on this part of the trip). Upon our return, my plan is to head to Jerusalem and spend a few days in East Jerusalem before traveling to Beit Lehem for Christmas. I wanted Nadia to experience Christmas in Palestine,so she knows that there are Palestinian Christians but mostly so we can share with others in the States (and in Israel) what it's like to celebrate Christmas under occupation.
At this point, the plan is to return to Israel towards the end of December and travel to Haifa and Tel-Aviv, to reconnect with friends, and do some research and fact-checking for the 2nd edition of Gender and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (my book, which was originally published in 1995).
I hope to write more about my state of mind before we leave but things are quite crazy. Have to finish getting presents for my family, finish packing and prepare a stimulating "curriculum" for Nadia... I actually really look forward to traveling with her and look at things that I thought I knew through her curious eyes!
Thanks for checking this. Please check back and stay in touch.