Shai NaNa Overdose

Sup Pope.

I have not met one Jerusalemite who is happy the Pope is here. Even the Christians are pissed off about the flood of European tourists in yellow papal hats wearing their yellow scarves and pulling out shekels from their logoed fanny packs. In the great tradition of top-notch Israeli security, getting around the city is practically impossible, since they have shut down multiple major roads and walkways. Surprise, there is religious uproar about the former Hitler Youth Catholic Pope in a Jewish state, particularly after his speech at the Holocaust museum was heavily criticized for not apologizing from a Christian and German standpoint. (and on a random observation, two of the major articles in Haaretz today were about the Holocaust-(Facebook made this category by refusing to kick off their website Holocaust deniers), 4 about the Pope, 3 about the conflict, and around a bizillion on Iran and their desire to destroy Israel.) I'd be scared out of my wits on a constant basis if I were Israeli, too. I already feel a mindset developing of complete paranoia about everything, which I'm sure is not helped by the really big guns they carry here. Really, really big. It's a slightly odd sentiment, because at the same time I feel greater personal security walking around here than I did Egypt, in terms of being out at night, pick pockets, and traveling around the city alone as a female. Yet, the greater, general paranoia I feel here, exacerbated by the news and tension in the Old City that can be cut with a knife, was not something I felt in Egypt. I've only been here a few days, but through the news, other reading, and being in the epicenter of the Old City, I am starting to understand the dual-sense of security that defines Israel. Its' constant presence visualized with the soldiers on every street corner portrays safety here, but at the same time you feel a threat, whatever it is (or if anything at all), just lingering, waiting, looming. It's a little maddening.

I've had three whole days at the Domari Society of Gypsies Community Center, my reason for residing in the country for two months. Just a little background, I received a Burch Fellowship based on a self-designed proposal to work with the Domari (Middle Eastern gypsy) community of Jerusalem, collecting oral histories based around their placement in Israeli society while volunteering at the community center, teaching English. I developed this project over the last year, after I came across a story about Amoun Sleem, the woman who founded the community center to improve the quality of life of this small community. Like many other gypsy communities, the Jerusalem one has faced severe econoimc, social, and cultural discrimination and limited opportunities, worsened by the average educational drop out age of 12. (I'll providea separate post on the detailed history, culture, and current situation of the community later on, but a brief introduction is helpful) Amoun, who is a rarity in a community where women are stictly homemakers, established this center after leaving her job, to advance and promote the education of the younger generation, while providing outlets of empowerment for the older generations by promoting tradecraft and economic independence. There are around 1,000 or so in Jerusalem, mostly in the Old City, and with family offshoots in the West Bank. There is a larger community in the Gaza Strip, with between 2,000-3,000. My overall goal was to look at this little known and unique community within one of the most diverse yet politically and culturally divided cities in the world. The Doms are peace-loving and have remained relatively outside of the conflict, but are still heavily affected by it. Further, they are the low of the low of Israeli society- the Israelis don't differentiate them from the Arab population (they have adopted Arabic as their language and Islam as their religion, coming to this part of the world during Saladin), and the Arab population sees them as inferior, even spitting on them in the street. Slightly ironic, yes?

As I interact and learn more about the community, my project goals are continually shifting- but the general idea of oral histories and examining their interactions within Israeli society remains the overall theme. My first few have been everything I could have asked for. When Amoun picked me up the first time, she said, 'welcome home.' I've gotten home-cooked Arabic and Gypsy food everyday, and the children are so much fun, even if insistent on driving me crazy by not doing their English homework. Amoun, well, she deserves a separate post on another day. She is one of the most interesting people, made even more colorful by her unending opinions on everything. She's a perfectionist, socialite, humanitarian, philosopher, makeshift mother, community leader, artist, and so much more all in one. Working with her for the next two months will be enlightening and quite the experience.

So far, Amoun has made it clear that as much as she wants me to help with teaching the kids English, she's going to put me to work with everything else, as well. I've been charged with organizing the products for an upcoming bazaar with the diplomatic ex-pats, cleaning and re-organizing the jewelry they have made, finding and developing contacts for fundraising in the United States, and other random projects she mentions flippantly throughout the day. I've got no problem doing it though, because her cooking is AMAZING. She is also going to let me tag along in meeting the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, about advancing Gypsy rights. So cool. She is slowly introducing me to everything gyspy, which hopefully within 4 weeks I can start having tangible results for the project. That is, if I don't die from a shai nana (Mint tea) overdose- I've had around 6 cups of tea everyday. I can't help it- Amoun makes pot after pot after pot, and the shopkeeper on the corner offers tea everytime I walk by his shop (two times a day)- and you just don't refuse it when its offered in this culture. Sigh, I guess I just have to keep drinking this utterly delicious tea.

This post is insanely long, and even though I could go on for hours, I'll spare you. Next post- the kids, more details on the Domaris, and some commentary on the racism that has blown me away.