Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Real Bedouin Life in Israel by Sarah Friedman


Real Bedouin Life in Israel

The orientation trip for my Masters program took us to the south of Israel, where we saw many sites that are typical tourist stops: the colored sands of the Negev, Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, the Dead Sea. Next, of course, was a Bedouin village. But when we arrived in Qasr-a-Sir, near Dimona, it was a surprise – not a stand-alone tent clearly made for tourists where Bedouins claiming to have no formal education speak in perfect English about their four wives and the camels that are their only form of transport (we slept in one of those!), but a town where actual Bedouins live.

Qasr-a-Sir is a pre-state settlement where 4,500 Bedouins live on 10 percent of their original land, holding on to some traditions while adapting to the changed reality of their surroundings. We started with cups of tea: coffee, apparently, is the authentic drink of hospitality and giving us that would symbolize a whole host of mutual obligations our hosts for the afternoon weren’t ready to extend to a group of international graduate students, including defense by sword. Then a local man took us up a hill to give us a view over the town and, through a translator, narrated his community’s history. Ramshackle buildings, piles of rubble (including one that was his grandmother’s house until the Israel Defense Forces demolished it), a big modern school building, and an access road to the highway spread out before us, and as the sun set we noticed that the town has no electricity. The lights of nearby Dimona, the site of Israel’s nuclear reactor and the city that took over this village’s land, competed with the highway’s brightness as the village grew darker.

Our guide told us that after years of a community effort led by his father, the village was finally recognized by Israel in 2001. (You can read more about the difficulties of obtaining recognition here, from the Israeli organization Bustan, which works for fair resource allocation and sustainable development for Bedouin and Jewish communities in the Negev.) Since recognition, the modern school and the access road were built and the village was hooked up to Mekorot, the Israeli national water provider. Our guide said the water equipment is functional, though not kept up to date. Homes are not yet connected to electricity, and the individual solar panels most have do not store adequate power for family use.

When the muezzin called out for evening prayers, our guide said he wanted to tell us something about Islam. He said that Islam is not terrorism; it is a religion in line with modernity that is supposed to build lives and create connections, not be a force for destruction. He said the people in the news may be Arab, but they are not Muslim. I imagine that most of my fellow students did not need to be told that not all Muslims are terrorists, and I wish that his simple, sincere statement could have gone directly to the ears of the many people worldwide – including, unfortunately, some American Jews – who basically distrust Muslims. I have heard some claim that the majority of Muslims must sympathize if not support terrorism, or it would be their first and constant priority to speak out against the misuse of their religion. As a Reform Jew, I’ve always found these accusations deeply troubling. I live my life according to the values that my specific Jewish education and my personal understanding of Jewish tradition and texts have instilled in me. I would be infuriated if anyone suggested that I must disavow Baruch Goldstein (the Jewish extremist who murdered dozens of praying Palestinians at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron) or Psalm 137:9 (which advocates smashing Babylonian babies’ heads against rocks) every time I reveal my religious background. The way I live my life is a constant disavowal of extremism and of the literal meanings of some archaic texts from a very different time in my people’s history. I’m sure the same goes for every WRT member, most American Jews, and most Muslims worldwide. Not every member of a group is called upon to be the spokesperson for all other members – and Islam is a group of more than 1.6 billion. I was sorry that this man felt the need to defend his religion to strangers, but moved that he did so with passion and without anger.

I respect Tel Aviv University’s decision to include in our orientation to the country a glimpse into the reality of modern Bedouin life. It wasn’t as inspiring as the rest of our trip, which showcased the natural beauty of the ancient land of our ancestors and the amazing successes of the start-up nation, but acknowledging challenges and trying to address them is a mark of a strong society. Our afternoon in Qasr-a-Sir added valuable depth to the trip.

Then, of course, we boarded the bus and headed to a tourist-friendly Bedouin-themed resort, replete with camel rides, ornate tents full of fruit baskets and colorful pillows, and low tables supporting overloaded platters of “traditional” food that included (lucky for me) soy balls for the vegetarians.

4 comments:

  1. Hey Sarah, why not take a tour now into Saudia Arabia? It would be unfortunate if you distrust them, however.

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  2. Sarah - you know well that politics is quite dirty and what you hear from politicians one day is, on another day, the opposite. Take the case of "settlers", for example. Once settling the land was considered a duty, as when Sharon requested jews to settle the Gaza Strip. Then came the time when Sharon did a 180 degree turn and said settlers should be evicted, now impugning the value of "settlers". The very same thing happened with Baruch Goldstein, whom you call an extremist. It behooves you to look into why he did what he did - but not from the liberal media news outlets that cater to the politicians instead of catering to the truth. This man was a top doctor, who healed many Arabs during his tenure. Don't just glibly write him off and accept the propaganda they had to spin to prop up a political front. In fact, Baruch prevented a massacre he well knew of coming down the pike. Such massacres have always happened to Jews living within reach of Arabs, and to this day we must take care to be on the alert for such events.

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  3. As for your quoting King David (Psalm 137), why just mention out of context what the Jew says when the verses specifically suggest the Jews simply wished to avenge the horrible oppression that lead them to this awful mental state? Why is the miserable enemy always admired by you and the jewish victim always at fault? So much so that what the enemy does or plans to do you always remain silent about. Have a little humility with King David's sacred words and regard them more than just shallow phrases.

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  4. Jeffrey; Sarah says 'I respect Tel Aviv University’s decision to include in our orientation to the country a glimpse into the reality of modern Bedouin life.' What she can't say is 'I respect Jordan (or Egypt or Saudi Arabia or ...) University’s decision to include in our orientation to the country a glimpse into the reality of modern Jewish life.' Sarah nevertheless believes the Muslims to say they 'are not a force for destruction' but all she has is their nice words. What country that's Muslim tolerates any other religion or people? You're right, she can't show one person or link that wasn't happy at the suicide bombings in israel or the 9-11 thing.

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