Comments on: Behind the Walls

By: ashley

ashley — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 05:14:48 +0000

wow that sounds like you had such a good eye opening experience. sometimes it’s hard to feel connected to events in other parts of the world if you haven’t been there or if there’s no connection. i took a history course entirely on the holocaust so remember everything you saw! hope you feel better!

By: nomi

nomi — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 06:03:46 +0000

sorry, for leaving that twice. the second comment is edited.

By: nomi

nomi — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 06:01:19 +0000

As a local i feel compelled to say that it is dangerous to view anything in the region as black and white. it is dangerous to view Palestinian grief through the lens of the Holocaust; to belittle what happened in the Holocaust by comparison, or belittle what is happening to the Palestinians because it doesnt compare to past Jewish grief. Pain and suffering stand on their own- in their own circumstances and should not be belittled by comparative games. Things here dont happen for no reason. if there are bullet holes in a building, it is likely that Palestinian militants chose that as a site from which they can shoot at Israeli neighbourhoods, and in response the Israeli army retaliated. who starts the ball rolling? Both sides. the one thing that is sure in this region is retaliation- from both sides. it comes either in the form of suicide bombers or militant action taken by the Israeli Defence force. Both see themselves as justified. but neither side is right, wrong, justified, victim, victimizer. it all meshes into one big gray scinerio where one is both victim and victimizer. One day in the Bethlahem doesnt give the full picture, and neither does one day in West Jerusalem. Please try not to form opinions. for those of us who have been here for a long time, we hardly know what the believe anymore- precisely because its never black and white, and the more you know and see, the less you understand.

By: nomi

nomi — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 05:57:06 +0000

As a local i feel compelled to say that it is dangerous to view anything in the region as black and white. it is dangerous to view Palestinian grief through the view of the Holocaust, to belittle what happened in the Holocaust by comparison, or belittle what is happening to the Palestinians. Things here dont happen for no reason. if there are bullet holes in a building, it is likely that militants chose that as a site from which they can shoot at Israeli neighbourhoods. the one thing that is sure in this region is retaliation- from both sides. it comes either in the form of suicide bombers or militant action taken by the Israeli Defence force. Both see themselves as justified. neither side is right, wrong, justified, victim, victimizer. it all meshes into one big gray scinerio where one is both victim and victimizer. One day in the Bethlahem doesnt give the full picture, and neither does one day in West Jerusalem. Please try not to form opinions. for those of us who have been here for a long time, we hardly know what the believe anymore- precisely because its never black and white.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 02:42:44 +0000

Jamie, So I spent some time this evening and I finally got caught up on all your blogs. You write a lot. Anyway, I will check more regularly for updates. However, reading this current post, it appears to me that the Palestines did not make claim to the land until the Jews had returned and made it arable (sp?). There is no people group called “Palestines”, their late leader was a KGB trained Egyptian terrorist and actively kept them in poverty to ensure that they would sucide bomb the Jews. When Israel was formed they invited the Arabs to stay, but they left because they could not live with the Jews. The current situation rests with them and their hatred of the Jews. Furthermore, Israel is what it is today because of the Jews who immigrated their after the Holocaust. I am sure this view cause the blood to boil in some of your loyal readers, but I do not care. I will stop ranting now. I look forward to seeing you whenever, I am supposed to pick you up.

By: Tracy Carter

Tracy Carter — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 02:00:07 +0000

Jay,
so sorry that I have not emailed you. I have been so busy…plus you heard about my “cool” trip to Chicago. Novak took care of me though. I finally caught up to date and have read all of your blog…I actually ready all the stories outloud to Dyl. It was so fun to read all of your adventures. I am excited to see you soon and hear about all of the stories in person. First of all I LOVE sangria and tapas but I bet they taste better in Spain. I find your experience in Morroco priceless. I have heard stories of tourists being taken advantage of there so I think you hit the jackpot. I am not suprised for you to find Palestine as you have. Now you have a broader view of the world and will be able to understand how someone from France can side with Palestine and maybe even see how they may not know the whole story about Israel either. There is always more than one story to tell. Well we are all moved in and LOVING it. Our new-old house completely rocks and we have done some excellent improvements. Oh, Jacob is “fixin” to walk. He is working on some new moves and it is cute. We are preparing to come to Kelowna. Dyl is going to build a new front porch first and then mom comes. Then we come. So soon..but it will feel longer to you since you are having many adventures. Plus time stands still when you are in a foreign land. Tell Bustons hello and I am glad that he is the one who is your travel partner and faithful friend. I am sure Dylan will see him at UMKC in the fall. We will be praying that your sickness leaves quickly and you can enjoy all your plans to the fullest. Love ya.
Tracy