Jerusalem: The City of Peace
Prior to our visit to the Holy City of Jerusalem, I did some research and what I found scrolling through newspaper and magazine articles shocked me. Here are some examples of recent articles written about Jerusalem: “Jerusalem attacks: Three killed as violence escalates”, “Living with violence in Jerusalem”, and “Religious conflict in Jerusalem may not have political solutions.” Having never traveled to Jerusalem, let alone the Middle East, I thought that on my visit I would bear first-hand witness to the chaos that appears to be swallowing Jerusalem. What I found was that Jerusalem does have some points of differences, but equally important, it is a city of peace.
The defining attractions of Jerusalem are the religious sites that date back thousands of years. On our visits to the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Dome of the Rock I found that even though these sites serve as a place of faith, they also serve as a bridge that brings many cultures together. Walking through these holy sites I was amazed at how many different groups of people I saw from all parts of the world coming together to experience the same wonder of Jerusalem. The diversity of Jerusalem makes it a city of peace.
Walking through the streets of Jerusalem on a food tour gave perspective to the wide range of culinary influence that has made its way to the city. We sampled foods native to Israel as well as dishes that have an international influence. What surprised me on the tour was how much Israeli food has evolved and continues to evolve. Tasting the many dishes in Jerusalem that tell an Israeli history makes it a city of peace.
Traveling with roughly 50 Harvard students was a great opportunity to share opinions and make new friendships. Having only known 2 students prior to the Trek I was looking forward to developing many new relationships. Even though at times it was a logistical nightmare coordinating and transporting 50 college students around Jerusalem, we always felt welcome wherever we visited. The hospitality of Jerusalem makes it a city of peace.
One of the great opportunities of Israel Trek is being able to speak with many Israelites regarding the state of their country. We were able to sit down and ask questions to many prominent Israelis such as Ilana Dayan, Ben Reis, and Tal Becker. My first impression of all the speakers from the trip was that they were extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to their jobs. But what I later learned was that even though we were discussing controversial topics, all of the speakers were interested in making Israel a safer and more equal place, albeit they seemed to have different visions on how to do so. Through fair and open discourse, Jerusalem is a city of peace.
Much of the Trek was dedicated to better understanding the history of Israel and discussing present challenges. Even though this is an impossible task to accomplish on an 8-day visit, we set out trying to make the most of the journey. By visiting the holy sites, walking the streets, making new friends, and speaking with many Israelites I think we all learned that Israel is working hard to become a country a peace. In trying to become better world citizens we all kept an open mind and listened to both sides of the debates. What we learned was that Israel is trying to make the best decisions possible with the options that are being presented to them, even when those decisions are difficult. Hopefully, Israel will always work to become a country that is more at peace.
