Jerusalem יְרוּשָׁלַיִם القُدس

While walking on King George street in Jerusalem, just outside of the Old City, I noticed a banner on the side of an apartment building with a picture of a Native American Chief that read, “Ask me about land for peace.” This is a particularly loaded statement and so I’ll do my best to interpret it from several angles. But I’ll get back to that in a moment and first go into my experience touring through Jerusalem.

The first thing that I noticed, as a Marketing student, was that upon arrival to Jerusalem there were very few non-invasive advertisements that you would generally find in most large cities around the world. There were many hills throughout Jerusalem but none of the buildings perched on them managed to eclipse the skyline. In other words, the integrity and sanctity of the city is in large part preserved to this day, even with the aggressive pervasiveness of western capitalism. Which is stunning considering that Jerusalem is old; I mean, really old. King David identified it as the Holy City 3,000 years ago in the Torah/Old Testament. The Christians identified it as the site of Jesus death and resurrection in 30 C.E. The Muslims identified it as the city where Muhammad ascended to heaven in the 7th century. Three of the worlds major religions intersect in a city that spans one square kilometer, the implications of which involve sovereignty. We’ll get to more on that in a bit.

יְרוּשָׁלַיִם

The Old City of Jerusalem is split into 4 respective quarters; Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian. For the sake of brevity I’ll omit discussion on the Armenian quarter and begin with the Jewish quarter. It was rather interesting to see the Tomb of David and revisit the many biblical accounts on his life. The most notable area was the Western Wall where Jews (Ultra Orthodox, Orthodox and Secular) come from all over to worship and pray. The Dome of the Rock now houses the area where the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem once stood. The Western Wall is the closest area in proximity to the former Temple and is now the sacred destination for Jewish worship. The wall is partioned off by gender and people typically read the book of Psalms, write a prayer on a piece of paper and place it in the wall for consideration. There is a great deal of joy involved in their worship since there is both song and dance, but I couldn’t help but notice there were clear divisions between the “types” of Jews within the Western Wall. For example, the Ultra Orthodox Jews wouldn’t even acknowledge anyone else at the site. Regardless, I was overwhelmed by the intensity of the scene that I witnessed, to the point that I was brought to tears. God and Religion have been a glaring void in my life for nearly ten years and I remembered the dedication and zeal that I once had. It is truly a site to witness in person.

القُدس

A group of us attempted to visit the Golden Dome of the Rock in the Muslim Quarter on a Saturday morning. The women had their scarves and modest clothing. I had my passport ready to help bypass security (what once hurt me upon entering into Israel should help me in Muslim circles, right?). My childhood friend who speaks Arabic was on hand to help translate. The last set of visitors were allowed in no later than 11am and it was already 10. We began to power walk, which evolved into a light jog at one point. We were weaving through crowds excited about our possible photo prospects of a lifetime. The final stretch approached as we were flanked by street vendors and a set of stairs. I felt like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark when he seemingly achieved success by replacing the Gold artifact with a bag of sand…only to get denied. The guards said it was closed to non-muslims and when my friend told them in Arabic that I had a “Muslim” name (actually, it’s a Persian name, non-islamic) they entertained me entering until they realized that I didn’t know a word of the prayer. It was quite deflating to say the least but the mere glimpse of it was breathtaking. The rest of the Muslim quarter, which is the largest, seems to overlap the Christian quarter and is bustling with a generous mix of historic religious sites and street merchants and stores. The demographic of people are different from the rest of Israel and include women in burkas. The military presence in the Muslim quarter is difficult to ignore as it is quite common to see groups of soldiers with automatic rifles in clear view.

Jerusalem

There is a certain charm to the Old City of Jerusalem. The streets and buildings are lined with stone, ecompassed by the majestic city walls. If you stop to listen carefully, you will hear hints of conversation in arabic and hebrew, children running and laughing through the streets and pigeons cooing and flapping their wings. Peace is maintained, for the most part and it’s quite refreshing to experience. The Christian quarter was highlighted by the Holy Sepulchre, which is widely believed to be the site of Jesus crucifiction. Next to it is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, a very colorful medley of green and red hues, with clerics reading the bible in quiet serenity. Once we passed through the Ethiopian church we came to the Holy Sepulchre (one of two sites that historians claim could be the site of Jesus crucifiction, the other is in East Jerusalem at the Garden of the Tomb…the side of the mount is said to be Golgotha, which has the look of a skull). Inside of the Sepulchre were several rooms and at least two floors where young clerics were led in singing holy hymns. All the while there was another who swung incense on a pendulum. You could tell that there was a great deal of money that went into this site as you could certainly feel the commercial presence of it all. The Aedicule was riddled with precious metals and stones. As I stood there amongst it all, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is truly how Jesus would have wanted to be remembered?

Implications of Jerusalem’s History on the Present Day Conflict

During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. These events have been precipitated in large part due to religious sovereignty over the city. The Jewish people claim a longstanding relationship with Jerusalem, as do the Christians and Muslims. The United States of America has only been in existence for a little over two centuries and so we have no way of truly understanding the cultural and religious implications of having ties to a region of the world for thousands of years. Furthermore, the age of technology that we live in encourages us to make hasty judgements (for better or for worse). But in the grand scheme of things, we all live in a world with limited resources, and with greed and selfish, self serving guidelines; a world that has been conquered, and will be conquered again. It’s prudent to consider that the U.S. at one point, with the ideology of Manifest Destiny, massacred the Native American in the name of civilization (hardly a noble cause, depending on who you talk to). This was the idea behind the banner that was hanging on King George street in Jerusalem. In other words they are saying, we (the Jews) have a cause that we are passionate about and will attempt to maintain sovereignty over this Holy Land at all costs; don’t be so quick to judge us when it was you who destroyed Native American tribes and enslaved African people in the name of your cause.

The Jewish recently celebrated a holiday of victory, which is known to the Arab world as Humiliation Day. There is a great deal of hatred and resentment for the Jews from the Arabs (specifically the Palestinians who are occupied by Israeli soldiers and live in abject poverty). The Palestian population is growing at a tremendous rate and with support from the rest of the Ummah, including the Iranians, there is no telling what the future holds for the Jewish state of Israel. It is for that reason that people are absolutely glued to the news and concerned with the turn of events, regardless of scale.

A Jewish Professor and Diplomat during the peace talks by the name of Reuven, spoke to us in length about the conflict, convinced that peace was hardly within reach since “the Palestinians refuse to acknowledge our right to exist.” He also said that many of Israel’s positioning is strictly for military purposes although “it’s only a matter of time…before we lose a war.” He cites possible economic incentives for neighbors of Israel, but he also made it clear, that if you felt you knew what the solution was, you were sadly mistaken. In the U.S., we live in a culture of winning and losing highlighted by the fact that none of our sports generally end in a Tie; we want a winner and loser…a decisive victory and victor. Throughout the rest of the world, this is simply not the case. Soccer and Cricket matches end in ties and people think nothing of it other than that was the outcome. Perhaps we should think of this conflict a bit differently: A sad and unfortunate territorial divide spurred by a fervent and unwavering dedication to one’s religion, tradition and culture; a conflict born centuries ago of which will never see a clear and decisive victor.

Racial Profiling, et. al on El Al.

It was mentioned in passing and seemingly in jest that due to my first and last names, I would encounter a heightened security screening prior to boarding my flight with El Al Airlines. With that said, I never thought it would happen quite as it did. I arrived at LAX around 11:10; 2 hours and 20 minutes before my scheduled departure. The El Al terminal is ripe with security guards carrying large guns in full view. As I joined my group to go through the standard interview of "Where are you going...who are you staying with...why do you want to come to israel, etc", everything appeared to go just fine until "Where is your father from?" I smiled and said "he is from Iran and came to the U.S. before the revolution..."

That was a mistake! In comes a supervisor: "Why did you feel it necessary to mention the revolution? Did he have knowledge of a revolution and was he a part of it?" Me: "um, no, um I meant nothing by it, that's the typical answer I give, um sorry." Supervisor: "Your father is Muslim? Does he attend Mosque? Pray?" Me: "He is more of a secular Muslim." (by this time I am keeping my answers as short as possible...don't want to volunteer info that can be further used against me) Supervisor: "So he is Muslim...hmmm ok so what church does he go to?" Me: "Church? oh, you mean is he Shi'ite or Sunni? Yes, well, um he is Shi'ite Muslim." Supervisor: "So he goes to church? Muslim's don't have church! So you see, you are making no sense." (takes notes) Me: "No, see, um, I realize they don't have church. That's only for Christians. I thought you were referring to a specific denomination within Isl..." Supervisor: "Wait right here sir."

Chief of Security approaches and asks me for all of my bags, including carry on. Chief: "We're going to inspect these, sir. Now come with me." We then go behind the area where bags are loaded into a small dimly lit room; lots of trash and one single chair. He wands me, asks me to drop my pants and asks me more questions to make sure everything added up with what I said before. At this point I'm thinking that I'm lucky not to go to jail, let alone make my flight. He leaves me in the room with a guard at the door for nearly 15 minutes. At least 4 of the El Al employees that I had dealt with ceased making eye contact and smiling...it almost appeared as if they were embarrassed that they had to take these measures to ensure security. I was then released to another employee who personally escorted me through security and all the way to my gate where I was quarantined from everyone else until the flight boarded, at which point I was escorted once again to the plane. The Chief of security told me that my bags were not fully inspected and at least one would not make the flight. Then, midway through my flight the flight attendant notified me that she received a fax stating that none of my bags were on the flight and I should expect them the following day. Once I arrived in Tel Aviv, at least two security members stopped me again. I noticed that they saw a sticker on the back of my passport with a "T" circled (presumably for Terrorist...regardless this was an alert that was branded me). I took it off as soon as I got on the bus. In the states I had been racially profiled for being black on several occasions, but this was the first time that I was profiled for being Iranian. Interestingly enough this is also the first time that I felt as if I was a jointly exhaustive dichotomy, of sorts. Two separate and mutually exclusive ethnicities ripe for racially profiling at the discretion of others.

T minus 9 days...

...until I take off for the journey of a lifetime! My destination is Tel a viv and I'll be interning as a Strategy Consultant at a company called Biological Signal Processes Ltd. This company is relatively new having gone public only a few years ago. They developed technology to successfully diagnose coronary artery disease using non invasive signaling. I'll be helping them expand their operation. While I'm in Israel, I plan on traveling throughout the country quite extensively. I remember reading about historic sites such as Jerusalem, Nazareth, The Sea of Galilee, The Dead Sea, etc. and now I have the opportunity to actually soak in the sites for myself. I also plan on visiting Turkey while I'm in the area. Istanbul is supposed to have some breathtaking views and is also quite rich in history. Stay tuned for multiple blog updates while there including pictures and video!

Mazel Tov!

In December I applied for a Summer Internship program through Pepperdine that takes place in Israel. The dates for the internship are from mid May through the end of July and will be in either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. If you'd have spoken to me after I interviewed for it, I probably would have told you there was no way I was considered as a serious candidate. In my opinion, the interview went poorly. However, no later than two days after my interview I was informed that I would be moving on to the final interview (which, as I understand it, is more of a formality to determine where I'd be placed).

I have yet to decide if I will take the internship since I have already committed to my Brazil study abroad. The reason being is that I will, in essence, be out of the country from May until December. I have some thinking to do but this is certainly great news and I'm grateful to be in a position ripe with options.

Jason Naraz

Jason, a Pepperdine alumnus, came and spoke to our class yesterday regarding the importance of forming genuine connections. What I thought was VERY interesting about his speech was that he openly suggested we spend considerably less time on our studies and far more time doing "meaningful work"...namely, networking. He made it a point to speak with at least 3 highly successful people every week, while asking if they would be his mentor. Jason barely went to class and was lucky to study even 1 hour per week. He then went on to form docstoc.com and become a millionare. Go figure.

Lebron needs a new Manager

This guy's story as of late continues to get worse and I attribute it to the poor advice he's been receiving from his friend and manager, Maverick Carter. Due to Lebron's star status I'm certain he feels as if he can trust a very select few, HOWEVER, Maverick is losing him millions upon millions of dollars this summer alone. First it was "The Decision", and while good on paper, he failed to acknowledge the people in Ohio that held on to him as the lone bright spot in an otherwise morbidly suppressed pit of the United States. Lebron made no mention of the fans in Cleveland rather opting to play the "I did what was important for my family" card. Now he's widening the gap with the fans by stating that he feels race played a significant role in the subsequent backlash he's received. Race has NOTHING to do with it. He handled a very sensitive situation with poor tact and failed to right the ship and instead dug a deeper hole in the process. Talented on the court, yes. But very immature and likely in need of a far more astute business manager. Lebron, I am available to start immediately.

BRAZIL IT IS!

So I just got the email a few hours ago and I'll be headed to Sao Paolo, Brazil in less than 11 months! This is great news. While I would have been happy going to either China or Argentina, Brazil was my first choice for a reason. By studying there, I'm positioning myself to possibly procure a full time job after graduation. In my case this is immediately following my study abroad trimester since I'll be graduating early. Hopefully I'll be able to work in Brazil for a year or two and return to the states as an ex-patriot with tremendous bargaining power. A powerful selling point in any interview is explaining how you prevailed in uncomfortable situations. This will certainly serve as my example due to the fact that I speak very little Portuguese and as of now have zero contacts there. But I plan on adapting quickly and forming a strong network. Maybe I'll even return for the World Cup in 2014 or the Olympics in 2016??