Marissa Young, third from the left wearing an Israeli flag on her back, in front of the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City for Jerusalem Day, May, 8 2013. (Allison Deger/Mondoweiss)
Editor’s Note: Marissa Young sent us the following response to Allison Deger’s report Jerusalem Day’s unforgiving mix of nationalism and Judaism. Young was pictured in one of the photos that accompanied the article.
Had I read your article as an outsider, my impression would have been that the Jerusalem Day celebrations were a facade for a racist vendetta against the Arabs in Jerusalem. Fortunately, I am not an outsider – I am one of the girls in the picture.
I am an American Jew currently living in the Old City for the year. But contrary to your point, the diversity of Jews from all over the world and country on that day only shows the enormity that this city has for the entire Jewish people. To me, this represents unity, the force that can bring us together at least this one time a year, to express the love for the city we all have in common.
In every group there are extremists and in no way do I condone them or any violence. But I speak for myself and for many others when I say that the only statement we make on Jerusalem Day is our thanks for the freedom to live and pray in our holiest city.
I am not disputing your facts. I am a Zionist who knows that every country has flaws. Discrimination exists, no doubt. In fact, the thousands of Jews you witnessed in the Kotel Plaza probably had thousands of different opinions about the contemporary conflict. Those opinions are essential to another discussion, but that is not what Jerusalem Day is about. At that moment when you took my picture, I wasn’t rejoicing in the division of the city or the “fall” of the Arabs. I was celebrating the incredible fact that I, as a proud Jew AND Zionist was able to stand exactly where I was.
Am Yisrael Chai means that after thousands of years of exile and persecution, the Jewish nation is still living, not that we are the only ones allowed to live.
I sing Am Yisrael Chai completely aware of a complicated history, but focused on the joys of the present and determined to create an even better future
Wow! Like a breath of fresh air here. Kudos to editors for allowing this response.
And thank you Marissa!!
Marissa,
I’m not an outsider either. I grew up in Jerusalem, and participated in many Jerusalem Days as a teenager. I remember the feeling of dancing from Merkaz Harav in Kiryat Moshe to the Kotel, celebrating divine Providence and the “beginning of Redemption”. I did not bang on the closed shutters in the Arab market in the middle of the night or shout racist slogans, and was upset by those who did, but that was not how I understood the holiday.
Nevertheless, we had something in common. We were both basking in religious-nationalism, treating hundreds of thousands of the city’s residents as if they didn’t belong. I chose to ignore them, while the more “extreme” preferred to taunt and provoke them (mostly just showing off or whistling in the dark, as there were no Palestinians in sight), but in the end we were doing the same thing. We were so busy feeling good about ourselves, our holiday, our religion, our history, that we refused to see the other.
You write that for you, the Jerusalem Day celebrations represent “unity, the force that can bring us together at least this one time a year, to express the love for the city we all have in common.” Your “unity”, “us”, “love”, “we” and “in common” are at least as exclusive as they are inclusive. Where are the Palestinians? Do they not have the city “in common”? Do they not “love” the city? The answer is that they are there (whether present or absent, or “present-absent”) as “them”, as the others whose exclusion lies at the very heart of the day — whether it feels like a “racist vendetta” or not.
“exile”
False mythology, to attempt to “justify” ethnic cleansing and oppression of the indigenous Palestinian people, at every turn even from “Zionism-lite”.
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/ckn/v012/12.1yuval.html
“The Myth of the Jewish Exile from the Land of Israel: A Demonstration of Irenic Scholarship”
http://gbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/5/1/61 “The Missing Link of Jewish European Ancestry: Contrasting the Rhineland and the Khazarian Hypotheses” Dr. Eran Elhaik
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iJN90t2gN6hxGiFQuBv-gYQE060w?docId=CNG.52483183e4e0f60d963361c17572c848.81
Gene study settles debate over origin of European Jews
(AFP) – Jan 16, 2013
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december302012/jewish-gene-oa.php
Johns Hopkins University geneticist Dr. Eran Elhaik “The various groups of Jews in the world today do not share a common genetic origin. We are talking here about groups that are very heterogeneous and which are connected solely by religion.” (Haaretz, December 28, 2012)
It must be tough living in the Old City, seeing the native population being ethnically cleansed while you walk to college. We are not talking about ‘flaws’ here (as you seem to think), but about organized, institutional crimes that take place each day on behalf of ‘proud Jews’ like yourself. Your behavior puts you on the side of the criminals. Face it.
As for the ‘enormity’ that Jerusalem has for the ‘entire Jewish people’. No, Jerusalem is a Wall of Shame for every Jew in the world. The crimes committed there have absolutely nothing to do with jewish standards. On the contrary. Speak for yourself, but not for me!
The “complication” is that, so far, Am Yisrael Chai entails Nakba.
Can that be repaired?
I hope you continue to seek out what-is, every difficult bit of it, and to work for justice.
I wish you every strength (and joy) as you continue on your way.