New Year's has never been a big holiday for me - most years I am lucky if I make it till midnight, and this year was no exception. I was in a Tylenol PM-induced coma by 10pm on New Year's Eve. [In my defense, New Year's, like Christmas, is not big in Israel. Their new year begins in October.] But even though I do not partake in the festivities of the New Year, that does not mean I do not get excited about the start of a new year. I do not make resolutions, but I can't help but wonder what this new year will bring. This could be the year that I graduate with two masters degrees. This could be the year that Israel and Palestine finally decide to play nice (if only we could be so lucky!). This will be the year that I apply for PhD programs(!). This will be the year that I return from Israel, hopefully still in one piece(!), but a different person from when I arrived. I think I am especially pondering the possibilities because I am here in Israel, in a land where (as an NCIS episode said), tomorrow is never a guarantee. I do not fear for my safety or anything like that, but life seems much more dynamic over here (though, at the same time, it feels as if things today are like they have been for millennia).
At synagogue this past week, there were two American Jews who had been participating in workshops in Israel over the past couple of weeks. The organization (whose name I did not get) brings together 20 people in their early 20s - 5 American Jews, 5 American Muslims, 5 Israeli Jews and 5 Palestinian Muslims. The point of the workshops are to understand one another's faith and perspectives. It sounded interesting, but I couldn't help but wonder - where are the Christians? As I was telling Annie about this, I admitted that there aren't too many Christians living here and that the Christians aren't necessarily the ones who are fighting over the land (I think they are fighting more for the recognition that they do exist!). The battle between Israel and Palestine is almost always thought of and talked about in terms of Jew and Muslim, but there are Palestinian and Israeli Christians, even if they do compose less that 1% of the population. I went on to tease Annie and say that the Christians weren't fighting for the land because we were just waiting for the Jews and Muslims to kill each other so we would be the only ones left standing! Of course, that's not the solution I am hoping for, but I am constantly surprised by how little Christians seem to matter or count over here. There is a disproportionate number of Christians studying at Rothberg, but I am always amused how, in general, people assume that I am Jewish until I tell them my name (although the name "Christina" doesn't always tip them off that I am not in fact "one of them"). Sometimes I joke and say that I am going to start introducing myself as "Miriam" (the Hebrew form of my middle name, Marie). It is just strange to me that people make assumptions about the religious beliefs of others without even talking to them. In the US, I don't assume that everyone I meet is Christian or even religious. I guess it just demonstrates how entirely differently our countries were founded and structured.
Sorry if this post isn't entirely coherent. I woke up this morning not feeling very well, and I currently feel like I am in some sort of fog. Apparently it is my turn to get the bug that has been going around.
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