Hunter Bonner/Contributing writer
The title of this article really is not “current” in any sense considering the topic. For thousands of years, there has been conflict over the holy city of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). Today, May 10, 2021, is Jerusalem Day, which on the Hebrew calendar is the 28th of Iyyar. This marks the historic event, when at the end of the Six Day War in 1967, the divided city of Jerusalem was once again in the control of Israel (Jews).
As a Jew, Jerusalem is literally the center of the universe for me. I have ascended the Temple Mount (on Yom Kippur no doubt) and am quite aware of the current situation on the Temple Mount, which Arabs also claim as their holy site. To get certain things out of the way, let me just state that Jerusalem, from a historic and religious perspective, always has been, and always will be the eternal capitol of Israel. Now that there are no doubts as to my views on the Temple Mount, and Israel at large, let’s get to the point of this op-ed.
The point is, the current news cycle about what is happening on the Temple Mount, is not an accurate portrayal of daily life in Israel. Yes, currently there is violence, and I might add, much of which started by a small faction of terrorists that called for violence. However, this is not how Jews and Arabs live daily in this small Middle Eastern country.
On the contrary, Jews and Arabs live in tolerance of one another. You will see IDF (Israel Defense Forces) helping Arab women carry their groceries, or even see soldiers push an old Arab man in a wheelchair up to the Temple Mount for Friday prayers. You will find Arabs who serve honorably in the IDF, and do not see Jews as their enemy. Instead, they see themselves as Israeli citizens, and part of a larger melting pot of people that call Israel home. In the hospitals, you will find that Jewish doctors and nurses, attend to Arab patients, and vice versa.
When I spent time in Israel several years ago, I noticed that most of the vendors in the city of Jerusalem are Arabs. They sell everything, from menorahs, to seder plates, or even IDF themed t-shirts. So, you may wonder why, given what you see on the nightly news, which portrays this conflict of hatred between two peoples, would a vendor want to sell anything Jewish related?
The simple fact is, many Arabs, religious or not, care about the same things that you and I care about. That is, go to work, earn some money, and put food on the table, roof over the head, and clothing for their families. They choose to live in peace with Jews, and Jews even said as much on the day that the city was reunified in 1967.
I distinctly remember the time I entered the mass transit office in Jerusalem, seeking out a transit pass. I noticed that all the workers were Arab women, and the manager of the office an Arab woman. As I sat there trying to fill out the forms, while wearing my kippah (yarmulke) on my head, she very pleasantly asked if I needed assistance. There were visible indications that she was a Muslim, and I Jewish, and that did not affect the transaction of business, nor the treatment of one another. Israel respects all peoples, and the conflict of the Temple Mount does not change this fact.
I encourage those reading this article, to visit online some of the Jewish newspapers from the region, like the Times of Israel, or the Jerusalem Post, and see for yourself what life is like in modern Israel. While the current conflict in Jerusalem is troubling, life for Jews and Arabs is one of peace and coexistence.
Hunter Bonner is a Messianic Jew, IT Administrator, and is politically active in Marion County. He can be reached at his email address hunterbonner@outlook.com. His opinions are his own and do not reflect those of the Jefferson Jimplecute.