There Are Many Opinions

...about the state of Israel, about the Palestinian people, about U.S. involvement in the Middle East. In response to my Ani Po b'Yerushalayim post someone who elected to remain anonymous submitted a comment, which I did not publish, criticizing my right as an American to come live in Jerusalem. They voiced particular disapproval of my residence in East Jerusalem, an area relatively close to Arab villages and Palestinian settlements (Grandma--don't get nervous--it's fine).

It is true that the absence of peace, that the lack of equality in terms of human rights, is a problem not just in Jerusalem but throughout Israel, and of course by extension throughout the Middle East and even around the world. I recognize that when I wait for the bus outside my apartment building and the green-and-white Palestinian bus drives by, taking its passengers somewhere far different than the places I might be going. I am aware of that when I walk back from the market and find a white Land Rover idling in the street outside my house, the large black letters UN emblazoned across both sides. I know I have privileges here that others do not, I am cognizant of the fact that the amount of money in my bank account right now to finance this year's journey, while meager in comparison to my standard of living the past few years in San Francisco and a constant source of worry for me, is greater than a year's salary for many people who live in my diverse East Jerusalem neighborhood.

All this is true, and yet living in Jerusalem is still a choice I freely make for myself right now--not as a political statement, although others would consider it one. Everyone is free to have their opinions and to share them, to inquire of others about their possibly differing points of view and ask questions to clarify or make statements to respectfully disagree. I myself do everything I can not to make assumptions about other people's choices: professional, personal, relational, financial, political, spiritual or beyond. To the commenter who made the assumption that I have chosen to come to Israel in celebration of my American privilege and in disrespect of those whose history is here and whose rights are more limited than mine, I encourage you to hold your own opinions and allow others to hold theirs. Replying to my post with an assertive comment that leaves no room for dialogue does not give you the opportunity to learn from me and the personal choice I have made to live here, and at the same time does not give me the opportunity to learn from you either.