Shavuah Tov from Jerusalem
Exploring Jerusalem in times of tension...
It's been an awfully short week in Israel, spending most of it in Jerusalem.
I would love to get back to regularly discussing films again but my life is substantially different as a result of October 7. There has been a global rise in Jew-hatred since October, leading to a number of Jews no longer feeling safe in the diaspora. The worst part is the silence or betrayal from people we thought were friends and allies. The very people who claim to be anti-racist are strangely racist towards Jews. All that is to say that I felt far safer in Jerusalem than anywhere else in the past few months.
I'm making the most of my time here even as my trip is not the trip that was initially planned earlier this year. You see, I was supposed to go on a writers solidarity trip but they didn't have enough interest to make it happen. At that point, it becomes wait and see if they can get enough interest later this year or go on my own. I chose the latter--the main downside is that I was not able to get down to the Nova memorial site. What I've been hearing since arriving is that people in the south don't want to be treated like they are some sort of tourist attraction. I can't say that I blame them because I would feel the same way if I were in their shoes. I can understand why people would want to go to the Nova site to pay their respects as I was hoping to do the same. Alas, next time.
My last trip to Israel was in June 2007 so coming back here was long overdue. I only wish it was under different circumstances. With so many people having been called up into the reserves, it's had a devastating impact on the economy. Businesses are not having enough employees able to work or there isn't enough tourism to justify keeping a business open. A number of museums and tourist attractions are offering displaced Israelis free admission. For businesses that do stay open, there isn't enough tourism to make any money--the best thing for people to do is just travel to Israel and spend money. Even if they can't volunteer, it'll help the economy. For instance, I was entered through the Jaffa Gate on my way to the Kotel and the frequent phrase that I heard was "Do you speak English?" One of them nearly swindled me out of all the money that I had on hand. I'd have lost more money if I didn't start arguing with them--where I come from, when someone says that they want to give you something, it doesn't mean that they want to give you something and then rob you blind. Because of this, I'm coming back to the US with way less than I anticipated but it could have been much, much worse--I'm still waiting on a freelance outlet to pay me but that's another story.
I'd have come in through a different gate altogether had my flight arrived on time. Because it was an hour later than originally scheduled and the wait for luggage, I didn't get to Jerusalem until later than expected. As such, I rearranged my schedule so that I could find Oskar Schindler's grave. I decided to walk but then I got lost with the walking directions that Google Maps gave me. I tried again on Thursday morning but couldn't find the entrance--my mistake is that I turned left rather than right. Next time.
The big highlight for me on Wednesday morning was making it back to the Kotel. Because I was running late, I went straight to the Tunnel site. The classic Great Stone Route was not an option so I opted for The Great Bridge Route. This wasn't an option when I was on Birthright. Anyway, it takes visitors to a level lower than the classic tour and allows us to see what remains of the Great Bridge that led up to the Temple Mount. King Herod had built a building with a banquet hall, a few mikvahs, reservoir, and a fountain room. One of the mikvahs still has water flowing in and is definitely kosher. What's very fascinating about the tour is getting to see levels of the Kotel that has only recently been exposed but not impacted by the elements.
When Herod expanded the Second Temple, the new measurements were 1600 feet wide by 900 feet broad by 9 stories high. The walls were 15 feet thick, which helps explain why the walls have managed to survive all these years. The Northern Wall and northern portion of the Western Wall are covered up by residential buildings. You really don't get a sense of just how high the mount is until taking the tour and looking down.
I'll be writing about the trip over the course of the next several days. After the Kotel tunnel tour, I made my way back to the Wall to daven Mincah. It was a very different experience coming back and being on the women's side this time around. I always have a fear of getting clocked for being trans and that someone would say something but none of that happened. Maybe it's the fact that I am wearing skirts or skorts every day of this trip but nobody said anything--I was always gendered correctly, BH.
I'll be back in the US on Monday and jetlagged for a few days thereafter. In the meantime, here's what went online during the past few days:
Film reviews:
Home Entertainment Releases:
Interview: