The Incongruity of Jerusalem’s Equality
My entire week is framed by what I write for this post — no news, no politics, no religion. All week long, from Sunday through Friday, I am on the hunt for the good in #Jerusalem and it came to me today during a CreativeMornings/Jerusalem event at בית הנסן Hansen House. The topic for today? Equality. There is a certain amount of incongruity in talking about equality in Jerusalem, but 173 cities worldwide that participate in the CreativeMornings network debated the very same topic this month.
Perhaps in a paradoxical twist, CreativeMornings Johannesburg suggested the equality theme for this month and Jerusalem didn’t shy away from it. Despite all that surrounds us in Jerusalem, or perhaps because of it, more than 75 people showed up this morning to talk about what equality means to them.
We were graced by the presence of three inspiring people. Etzion Mizrahi, graphic designer and entrepreneur who happens to be ultra-Orthodox. Arnon Mor, a musician and municipality employee who also happens to be in a wheelchair. Tali Ysia, an educator who also happens to be Ethiopian.
Etzion’s “difference” is his brand and he embraces it. Arnon’s music is his life and he sees it as the great equalizer. Tali embraces her ethnicity, not as a ‘representative’ of the Ethiopian community but as one who brings her background to all aspects of her work.
No, we didn’t resolve the inequities of society, never mind in Jerusalem. We had no answers to employment discrimination, and in fact, there wasn’t even agreement on what constitutes workplace prejudice. We didn’t debate the great philosophical question: is equality about blindness to differences, or is it about embracing them without bigotry?
You will find no answers here, but it doesn’t really matter. The mere fact that so many gathered today to respectfully talk about equality in Jerusalem was enough for me, and for that, CreativeMornings JLM July Event — Equality is #MyJLMHeroes this week.
