Between a Wall and a Hard Place / August 17, 2015 by Sophie Schor

We were walking in the corridors of no-man’s land in the Northern corner of Jerusalem municipality at the edge where the Neve Ya'akov settlement ends and the grey concrete wall that separates Jerusalem from where the West Bank begins. Our professor pointed towards a flat concrete court that was overgrown with brush and prickly plants and mentioned, “Arabs and Jews used to play football there. But that was before they built the wall…”

We were standing in the corner of Neve Ya’akov, a neighborhood that is often classified as just a suburb of Jerusalem, which lies across the green line and hugs the curve of the separation barrier. The distinguishing characteristic between the houses on the left and the houses on the right were striking. One side was clearly Jewish, Jerusalem stones turned yellow with time, white water-boilers speckling the rooftops. The apartments on the right were Arab, bright new stories built up to house more families, black water-boilers dotted their roofs.

Ruins / July 22, 2015 by Sophie Schor

Once a week, my class goes on a tour of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. To begin, our professor took us to the "Corridor," or the narrow but important sliver that connects the route from Tel Aviv to the heart of West Jerusalem. (Demarcated by the narrow yellow area between the borders and the Occupied territories here.)

As we gathered on the bus to return to university, our professor challenged us. Both these locations carry a certain narrative, how do we take a step back to put it into historical context? My thoughts ran, but I couldn't find words to answer. The history is still unfolding around us daily, and the story of Motza and Lifta are not far enough removed to be stared at objectively. The schoolhouse of Lifta is surrounded by the shopping mall near the bus station which I see every time I take a bus back to Jerusalem from elsewhere. The red roof-tiles and old stones glare at the city which has developed around it. Jerusalem is city that is ever-evolving and never-forgetting.

Walls / July 13, 2015 by Sophie Schor

Welcome back to Israel and Palestine, where the coffee is strong and the conflict is never ending.

November 11, 2014
Palestinian groups on campus organized and received permits for a protest against the death of the 22 year old in Kfar Kana, an event that some likened to Palestine's Ferguson but with no results. The protest was met by a counter protest of a national Zionist group on campus. Plenty of security, plenty of security barriers, and plenty of students walking to and from classes were suddenly overwhelmed by chanting and crowds. I stood to the side with a Palestinian friend of mine; she translated the Arabic for me and I translated the Hebrew for her. The Palestinian side was chanting for freedom and against occupation. The Israeli side was yelling against terrorism and singing nationalistic songs. Signs shared similar tones: "They kill me because I'm Palestinian." Or "Terror has descended by foot." "End the occupation" and "We will overcome terror." The Palestinians held up pictures of the young man killed in Kfar Kana, the Israelis held pictures of the young man who died yesterday in the stabbing attack. I was struck by the fact that not only was each group singing and chanting and yelling in a different language, but they're not even talking about the same things. They both hold up images of their martyrs, but it's a different discussion entirely: Freedom and political rights versus terror and nationhood. The narratives are not on the same page, how do you expect anyone that is on the other "side" of the barrier to listen? No one can even agree on what's wrong.

And on that note, back to class...

For video of the protest click here.