Kati just told me that she was concerned about looking like an American tourist, thinking that we would be a target for crime, being taken advantage of, etc. Turns out, it’s just the opposite.
Radical Muslims target Israelis, not tourists. I actually had a jew ask me why I was not afraid to have my tattoo for fear of being mistaken as a jew and targeted!
Dress: Most of what you read about having to cover up and dress modestly is not true. There are a few places you cannot enter without being properly covered, the only ones we found were churches, the Western Wall, and the garden of gethsemane (because of the church there.)
Safety: The only place we did not feel safe was in and around the Old City of Jerusalem. Everywhere else, we felt safer than in the States (no joke). We saw no sign of theft or crime. Cars and doors are often left unlocked, people leave stuff on the beach no one touches any one else’s stuff (that was our experience). I mistakenly left my fannie-pack with my wallet, cards, phone and car keys on a beach lounger and freaked out thinking it was gone, but it was not.
Arabs: We met three arab men (at different times in Jerusalem) who expressed their disgust with the media, and the hype of division and violence, wanting to just be able to co-exist with Christians, Jews, and anyone. This, is NOT, however the standpoint of the Arab media, or the radical (religious) Muslims, of which there are MANY.
Arab owners of shops and restaurants are very friendly, hospitable, and a joy to deal with, but they cannot be trusted. Lots of folks don’t understand the cultural differences of how it is acceptable to them to lie if it benefits them. For this reason an Arab boy mis-led us to a dangerous part of the city during riots, and charged us money to do so! For this reason, cab drivers told us that places we wanted to see were closed when they were not, to entice us to have them drive us elsewhere.
Muslim Arab shop owners will gladly charge you 300% of the value of an item if they can. You will be told “No charge for looking!”, “You are my first customer”, “I will give you the best price”, and other forms of flattery, and they will make you feel loved while they love taking your money.
When an attraction is closed, they will occupy a site and pretend to be a guide. They may hand you a 3-inch section of olive branch, and then demand 10 NIS for it because “that is how they earn a living”.
Arabs in the Christian Quarter, however, seem to charge a fair price, discourage bargaining, and not be pushy as salesmen. For this reason, I recommend shopping in the Christian Quarter.
Jews: This was the most dis-heartening thing for me. The religious spirit and prideful demeanor of the native orthodox jews makes it darn near impossible to communicate with them, because they won’t even look you in the eye. I caught a glimpse of their worship, which is joyful, enthusiastic, and energetic, but only among themselves. I almost envied their ability to “let go” and worship with total abandon, until I remembered how we do it at Global River!
On the other hand, the nicest person we met was Michael, who was about 75 years old, and an orthodox jew from Florida. He had an amazing perspective of the grace of God in his own life, and was full of joy, and sung us songs as we walked with him through the old city because he was helping us find things for no charge!
Sabbaths, holidays, and outages: We managed to arrive, stay and leave Israel during more holidays than the law should allow (thank you, Neil!). The Muslims shut down on Fridays, the Jews on Saturdays, the Christians on Sundays, and the Jews on all the extra Sabbaths that go along with the high-holidays we were there for. I think there were about four work days during our two-week stay. This can make it very difficult to find things that you need, like people to check you in, food, and other things that you forgot to pack.
On the other hand, what a lesson we can learn about rest, celebration, family, priorities, and keeping work in it’s place. America is always open because it is the land of (economic) opportunity. I feel like we are missing a majorly beneficial component of life for not keeping the Sabbath.
Knowledge: Don’t assume that Jews and Muslims are well-educated about their belief systems. They have very strong opinions and beliefs, but when you get into an old-testament discussion with most Jews, you will find yourself on the teaching end, if you are a mature American Christian. (Just don’t make the same assumption about wisdom!)
Advice: So in hindsight (as I’m sitting in the airport going home), I say pack all your American T-Shirts, sharpen up your bargaining skills, be bold in your interactions with people. They are not a shy people. Leave your pride and opinions at home, and pray for the humility to not judge, and to honor everyone you speak to, Jew, Arab or Christian. Be willing to allow God to tweak your belief system and “raise you up above the systems of Religion in this world”.
