This week, we took a trip up to the Golan Heights, a highly contested area north of the Sea of Galilee, where we spent a few days visiting crusader sites, beautiful national parks, and swimming in Lake Tiberias. Surprisingly, there wasn’t too much political conversation regarding the tense nature of the location, but we did have a little time to mull over the events of the past week and a half, which had–of course, due to the nature of our location and differing narratives–conjured a bit of tension within the group. I’ll admit that I have very heavy emotional reactions to much of the things that I experience here; of course, this is because of what have and have not been exposed to, etc. Regardless of the tension that this creates, I’d rather talk about it as a group and sometimes reach heated discussions (and even a few freak outs) than deny my reactions all together. This is, for me, a huge part of growing; I came to Jerusalem to challenge my beliefs and assumptions and form constructive opinions, even if the process of their construction is highly taxing and emotionally straining. For me, it is important to remember that political maneuvers and personal narratives are quite different. What one sees, hears, and grows up with will shape their understanding of political and social alignments, regardless of the actions and affairs of those engaging on a loftier political spectrum, ie, those who make political legislation.

This necessity to focus on the interpersonal has lead me to work with Sulha, an organization that strives to leave the poltical processes behind and focus on one-to-one contact. I’m really excited about this summer, as I have tended to stick to numbers, academia, and generally emotionless pursuits in the past. I admit that this is partly because of my fear of alienating myself due to my political beliefs, but I’m starting to realize (finally!) that one can relate to others with different opinions, even if those opinions seam to form the foundation of your self awareness. It’s also important for me to remember, as our class time and discussion shifts from the historical to the present, to remember that the Israeli-Palestinian question is not bi-faceted. This is not simply a question of right vs wrong, Zionism vs Palestinian nationalism, etc. There are an infinite number of narratives, alignments, and stories encompassed by the peace building process and attempts to distill narratives to a contained number undermines the future of both Israelis and Palestinians.

–Molly