„Hi, my Name is Asaad J. and I’m from the Israeli Delegation.“ What has become a running gag in the course of the GIYLE 2008, today was the introduction to a most interesting journey into the life and experience of one of the group members. Asaad took us to Akko, his home town, where he lived until the age of 16, not only in a mixed Jewish, Muslim and Christian neighbourhood but even in a mixed apartment building.
Akko faced fierce riots in October this year after a Muslim man drove his car into a Jewish neighbourhood on Yom Kippur and provoced a violent response by Jewish inhabitants. Muslim youth then rioted in the area and demolished Jewish shops after false reports had been spread in the Muslim Old City of Akko that Arabs were being killed by Jews.
We discussed the matter with Zoher Bahloul, the famous Arab Israeli football commentator. Bahloul described how the incident made him loose faith in Arab-Jewish co-existence. He received much affection from the group but also staunch critique upon his report that, in the eyes of some participants, was biased and only judged the Jewish leadership for mishandling the situation. The discussion was going on while this blog was being written.
The conflict that erupted in Akko has a long history and Asaad gave us a first hand account on how his family coped during and after the foundation of the state of Israel until today. His grandfather left Palestine to Lebanon in 1947 but came back to Israel a year later and fortunately knew some people who know people. Therefore, he could stay and – with the help of the Red Cross – let his family come over five years later. His entire property was seized though and the family had to start from scratch.
Another family story caught our attention in Akko. A man who looks like the cheap version of Steven Segal told us in a video presentation about the life of his father, the last man to run the famous Turkish bath in Akko before it was closed. The would-be Segal somehow intertwined his father’s day job with the story of Akko and Muhammad el-Jazar, the builder of the Hamam and great parts of the Old City. Only few members of the group can remember the story though, as even fewer of us thoroughly followed the rather cheasy presentation. The municipality of Akko should reconsider their Museums’ showcases, observers said. Walla.
The conflict between Jews and Arabs also was the subject of a talk with Dan Diner, the well reknowned history professor, upon our arrival in Tel Aviv. The conflict couldn’t be solved, Diner told the group. One of the major obstacles in his eyes is that the Arab minority in Israel depicts itself as a majority due to the Arab neighbour countries. The Jewish majority in Israel in return sees itself as a minority for the same reason. Shaanan from the Israeli delegation came to the same conclusion, by the way – without being a history professor.
A long day ended with a delicious dinner at the Manta Ray and a fantastic belated birthday party given by two members of the group who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Benjamin
