Real World Jaffa Style

I land in Israel around 4:30 am, get my bags, find the “low long fountain-thingy” in the arrival room and wait for a girl with a shaved mohawk and a tall ginger guy from Cincinnati. As I pick out a good waiting spot, families are running up to each other with hugs, kisses, swooping up children in their arms and I start getting emotional. But, soon enough, Dayna steps through the glass doors wearing the bright neon green headband she said she’d be sporting.  I end up embracing her, probably a little too soon and a little too tight … but I was emotionally charged from all those families and I was excited to be greeting the first real human being on my program. Isaiah walks through the doors about 30 minutes later and he is easy to spot as well. Who could miss a single tall red head walking through a shorter crowd of loved ones?

Fast forward through the cab ride, where our suitcases were hoisted and roped down to the roof of the car. We arrive in Jaffa – 12 Ohev Israel to be exact, and our jaws are probably halfway to the ground as we peer out to our large home. Gilad, who is a staff member of Beit Daniel (http://www.beit-daniel.org.il/), greets us and opens up the door to what can only be described as a mini mansion. Jaws drop all the way to the ground as we take in the spiral staircase, chandelier, marble floors, courtyard, and rooftop. We are the first visitors to this new home that will be ours for the next 5-10 months. Wow.

So, where do I live? Let’s take a closer look, beyond our castle of a home. When you open the doors and walk around our neighborhood, which is Ajami Jaffa, you would never expect to find an enclave of 13 Americans living in the midst of this melting pot of Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, Jews, and other populations. To our left is a 3-4 story home to a large extended Arab Christian family. Two of the children actually go to a school that I might volunteer at! I’ve also been told that one of our neighbors is a Druid doctor, which is supposedly unusual in these parts! While we live in a pleasant courtyard of 6 or so large homes, there is also a scattering mix of shacks, abandoned-looking buildings, newly renovated homes, and the construction of modern luxury buildings closer to the beach, which is a 5 minute walk away from our place. Ajami is in the heart of Jaffa and at the heart of a lot of controversy and pained history. From what I can gather so far, it is generally viewed as an Arabic neighborhood, as it possesses a distinct look and feel from other parts of Israel, including Tel-Aviv and even the more touristy Old Jaffa City. We arrived towards the end of Ramadan and throughout the streets, Christmas lights (or should I say Ramadan lights?) in the shapes of moons, stars, and mosques, shone brightly in windows and on building walls. Walking along side Muslim women in hijab dress (head coverings) and Arab kids with their toy pellet guns while going grocery shopping or grabbing shawarma is a daily encounter for us. On the beach, Arab men ride horses barebacked and race one another by the edge of the water! Life here is certainly a marvel and I’m not even close to scratching the surface of its politics, religion, or social dynamics.

There is a film coming the theatres soon called, Ajami, which provides an intimate look at a number of clashing and violent narratives (e.g., a Pakistani refugee, a Jewish Israeli cop, an Arab Muslim community leader, etc.), and is able to provide a larger picture of the hostility that exists among these diverse groups. http://www.variety.com/index.asplayout=cannes2007&jump=review&reviewid=VE1117940351 It’s so interesting to me that they picked this neighborhood and also casted locals who are non-professional actors. If you have a chance to see it in the states, I highly recommend it! I hope to see it here somehow – with English subtitles.

I realize I’m probably cutting this post short. I plan on writing more about our time spent on Kibbutz Ketura, which is in the south of the Negev Desert, and about my experiences in Ulpan learning Hebrew, and attending a Rosh Hashana dinner with a host family of Jewish Zionists. Every day I encounter something new that helps broaden my mind – even if it is learning simple phrases like, “Ma Nishma?” (What’s Up?) or listening to opinions that sting at my heart. I feel like a kid, a tourist, and a student every minute. I hope to work my way towards being more of a community friend, without ever losing the student or kid in me. As Mira, a reformed rabbi and our program director, says … “It is important to keep in mind two key attributes: Patience and Humor.” And so I will try ...