Municipal plans were just approved for a "Museum of Tolerance" to be built atop a historic Muslim cemetery in West Jerusalem.
I shall now pause to allow for the collective sigh. [ ]
Below, I will expound on this story and explain the opportunity it presents.
(I would also like to state, at the outset here, that this diary is in no way an anti-Israel diary, nor is it a pro-Palestinian diary. It is a diary that intends to champion the rights of all, a diary that intends to present a narrative which represents the need for the rights of all to be socially and politically realized.)
– First, the Story –
This is how Haaretz begins:
After a two-year delay, the Jerusalem municipal planning committee approved on Monday the plan to build the Museum of Tolerance in the city center.
The controversial project by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, based on a similar museum in Los Angeles, is located on a medieval Muslim cemetery. During the construction work, as Haaretz reported, hundreds of ancient skeletons were evacuated from the area.
This project created an uproar two years ago when, while excavating for the proposed museum, workers unearthed and removed the above-mentioned remains. The project was eventually halted, but not by municipal officials due to concerns about the nature of the endeavor. No, it was the financial crisis and the Simon Wiesenthal Center's inability to afford its original building plan.
Now, two years later, with a less expensive plan in place, the center has received approval (for the second time) to begin work on a Museum of Tolerance situated atop an ancient graveyard.
There is, of course, intense opposition to the museum, opposition which is being led by a combination of Israeli political figures and Israeli Jewish and Palestinian activists:
Opponents say there is a need for a debate on the entire plan and the museum in general. Municipal opposition head Yosef Alalu, of the Meretz faction, says the original building was approved because it was designed by Gehry and it would not be fair to take advantage of that to construct another building on such a sensitive site.
"The Museum of Tolerance should have been a model of understanding and coexistence among all religions. It should have sent a message of tolerance and patience to all populations. But building it on the site of a Muslim cemetery defeats that goal," says Alalu.
While the museum in Los Angeles has received praise, and incorporates exhibits both on the Holocaust and on global human rights issues, the content/purpose of the proposed museum in Jerusalem in not particularly clear, given the existence of Yad Vashem and a lack of transparency from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. What does seem to be clear, according to Haaretz, is that the museum will not be allowed to touch either the Holocaust or the Jewish-Muslim relations.
So here we have the tragic comedy in a nutshell: a Museum of Tolerance will be built upon a Muslim graveyard, further damaging relations between Israeli Jews and Palestinians, and as it does so, the museum will not address the fractured relations it is helping to splinter.
– The Opportunity –
The idea of a museum dedicated to tolerance in Jerusalem is – on the surface – a laudable one. Sure, the resources for such a museum, if invested in actual dialogue and tolerance between peoples rather than in the building of a structure, could go much farther in realizing the museum's supposed mission. Regardless, the idea on its face is positive.
There are many, both inside and outside of Israel, opposed to the proposed location of this museum, which is in an area just West of the Old City near the Jaffa Gate. And these people are currently working to petition the courts as well as pressure the Planning and Construction Committee of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem to reconsider the approved plans.
One of those heading the opposition is a familiar figure in Jerusalem, Yoseph "Pepe" Alalu, who has, for years, been a leading voice, both within and outside the government, in fighting for the rights of citizens in Jerusalem to have a say in planning processes, particularly with regard to those projects demanding the demolition of Palestinian homes or the acquisition of land.
And there are many within Jerusalem, Palestinians and Jewish Israelis, who are working together to fight for a sustainable, equitable and shared Jerusalem – fighting for dignity and coexistence – such as Ir Amim (A City of Peoples) and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
And this moment, this initiative with the "Museum of Tolerance," presents a high-profile opportunity for these organizations – for all of us – to highlight the dire need for there to be greater efforts within Israel and Jerusalem to ensure, at the city and state level, that the civil and human rights of all residents are taken into account. For such recognition – the recognition of the rights of both Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem and in Israel – can go far toward realizing the need for a politically-achieved coexistence at all levels, for the creation of two states for two peoples based upon the needs and rights of each.
This is one reason why efforts against such proposals as the location of the Museum of Tolerance are important, for not only are the immediate rights of individuals essential to protect, but the narratives generated by such efforts go a long way toward showing English-speaking audiences the need and rights for citizens on both sides, and the need for politically-realized solutions to be reached on both sides.
Stories are powerful. Stories of meaning are powerful.
If you agree that a tolerance museum is a fine idea, but disagree with the organization's bizarre choice to construct the museum upon a historic Muslim cemetery, you can help those working in Israel to have construction stopped, and help to further the narrative that the rights of all are important to protect.
You can contact the Simon Wiesenthal Center and voice your respectful opinion. (Sure, this U.S. organization is privately-funded. However, its standing in America and, particularly, within the Jewish American community, is what it relies upon to remain viable and relevant.)
You can forward this diary far and wide, or write letters to the editor if you live in any of the cities where the Simon Wiesenthal Center has an office.
And, thanks to another American's suggestion, you could also donate to organizations such as the New Israel Fund.
I'll close by saying this: in my work, and in my view, the rights of Jewish Israelis, Palestinians and all minorities living in Jerusalem/Israel are equally important to protect. This is not, in any way, shape or form, and anti-Israel diary. Nor a pro-Palestinian diary. It is a diary written with both peoples in mind, with all peoples in mind, and with the need for a politically-determined two-state solution in mind.
Author's note: Here are examples of work ACRI has done recently in working against violence perpetrated against women, LGBT rights, and for the rights of citizens in Israel to have access to equal education:
______
Examples of LGBT rights initiatives.
________