Annoying as Neighbor J(ew) Jones

Recently, a columnist wrote in a Finnish newspaper about the growing disagreements between Jews and [choose correct alternative]:

(a) Arabs

(b) Muslims

(c) other Jews.

Yes, I know that (a) and (b) are pretty safe guesses but this time the correct answer is actually (c).

Jerusalem has always been a territory to cause quarrels and heated debates between different people, but now the variety Jewish residents of the city is taking measures to defend their own view on things. A guerilla-defender of the secular views, Noam Pinchasi, wants to preserve the tolerant, multilateral Jerusalem he is familiar with, while the growing population of the extreme Orthodox Jews have other plans for the city.

The Orthodox wish the swipe the city clean of anything they consider sin. In their neighborhoods, you might see traffic signs forbidding men and women walking on the same side of the street. Or the buses headed to those neighborhoods are packed with women – but only sitting in the back of the bus. Swimming pools can't be unisex anymore – men and women are to swim separately. If they catch you doing something they consider sinful, you might see a stone flying at your direction.

Not many secular Jews appreciate these acts and have moved away to avoid confrontation. But Pinchasi is staying in Jerusalem and sticking to his guns: whether it be glueing Botticelli's Birth of Venus posters on synagogue doors or grilling pork meat on shabbat to the annoyance of his new black & white outfitted neighbors. That's why, the columnist nicknames Pinchasi as the Neighbor J. Jones of Jerusalem – the guy-next-door that intentionally ticks off Donald Duck in Duckburg.

cbarks.dk

As if there wasn't enough conflict in the region, it is saddening to hear that the descendants of Abraham don't seem to get along anymore. Usually when a country is at war with external offenders, it unites the people of the country to stand strong for common good – no matter what your background is. What is going on in Jerusalem then? Why to pick a fight with a fellow Jew?

Pork meat and provocative posters may not sound much now, but these could easily be little things that eventually cause a snowball effect to something worse. I am left to wonder, if there is a time-bomb ticking for something bigger happening within the Israeli society? Without wanting to sound too sinister, I hope the government interferes and clears things out before it is too late. I want this for selfish reasons too. Jerusalem is a special city for me, and I hope to enjoy a visit there in the future the same way as I have before.

artinthepicture.com

 Now you know why this blond shiksa might
appear in unexpected places in Jerusalem.