April 1 ~ Weblog journal

From the beginning of this class to the end of it, my opinions and position hasn't necessarily changed but it has been formed. I think that the most significant change for me occurred when we read about Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said and following that, when we watched the movie about their orchestra project. The speech that Daniel gave when he received the award from Israel about the Israeli constitution was incredibly powerful for me. I think what struck me most was the way in which the Israeli treatment of Palestinians so directly challenges the principles their country was founded upon. Before taking this class, I didn't know much about the conflict and I didn't understand what it was like for the Palestinians, or the Israelis for that matter. I had a preconceived image in my head of bloody streets and hatred, and while that exists in some ways, what I was the most struck by is that there are real and successful efforts to find grounds for peace and understanding. Seeing the evolution of the orchestra from strangers who believed they had nothing in common, to friends who wept when they had to leave one another, was a powerful thing to watch. Most importantly, the friendship of Daniel and Edward was inspiring and encouraging. It gave me the opinion that peace is possible.

As far as political opinions and positions, I am still rather uninformed but I think that is because it wasn't the focus of this class. What has changed though is that now I have an interest in what is going on in Jerusalem and the Middle East in general and a desire to be better informed. Overall, I'm glad that I took this class because it opened my mind to a part of the world that I was largely ignorant about before.