Echoes of an Experience
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks in a fraught part of the world. To most Americans, when we think of Israel, we think of the terrorist attacks, religious disputes and never-ending controversies. There’s no denying that Israel has had its fair share of conflicts over the years — over the centuries — over the millennia. Israel is a hallowed territory with a deep history that seems to pervade its every corner.
It’s difficult to walk around Israel without stumbling across historic battle sites and remnants of its complicated past. It’s hard even to miss the evidence of its complicated present; Israel is a scarred nation. Rusted barbed wire lines the tops of repurposed buildings and the more embattled neighborhoods appear to lie in wait for new conflicts to arise. Many of the houses and businesses have bomb shelters built on top of them. Bus stops and train stations have bomb shelters beside them. Some of them have murals painted onto them; they conceal an ugly truth. Terrorist attacks are a reality here.
Plaques commemorating historic events are scratched and vandalized. Between the people who live here, there’s little agreement about which history should be celebrated and which should be shamed.
A plaque found in Carmel Park, on one side, reads “Palestine’s Final Fortress,” atop an explanation for the trenches that had been built there in preparation…
