I write from the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, after hours wandering around the Muslim, Christian, and Armenian Quarters. My previous visits here have been on group tours, the the freedom is quite frightening- I am almost entirely unable to navigate the alleys and streets, and many of the merchants and people on the streets are incredibly unfriendly. There is a sense of deep hostility and resentment in the Muslim Quarter, which I have not encountered before in Israel... it is disturbing, and after two hours I feel angry myself. Why was I not taken here on previous trips? In a sense, I have been completely shielded from an entire side of the place.
Walking down one of the narrow streets in the muslim quarter, I walk past a small military post, and onto a wide, clean, white plaza where people are moving slowly and deliberately. My curiosity is piqued- I have never seen this before. I move slowly and carefully, until I am stopped harshly by an arabic-speaking guard, who escorts me back to the soldiers.
I find my way into the Jewish Quarter, and am overwhelmed with relief and familiarity.
Loisaida is a term derived from the Latino (and especially Puerto Rican) pronunciation of "Lower East Side", a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. Loisaida Avenue is now an alternate name for Avenue C in the Alphabet City neighborhood of New York City, whose population has largely been Hispanic (mainly Puerto Rican) since the late 1960s.
1 comment:
When people say, "I love Jerusalem," it's helpful to ask, "Which one?"
If, ya know, you want to be a jerk about it.
Have fun.
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