Government and Legal Studies

Eleanor Connolly ‘08

I snapped this shot of the separation barrier that divides Jerusalem and the West Bank. I found the street art in the West Bank to be completely fascinating - it was absolutely everywhere and captured the emotions and struggles of the Palestinian people. That morning we toured a Palestinian refugee camp and spent the afternoon visiting a Jewish settlement community. This is only one of many examples on our trip of being presented with multiple outlooks and perspectives. As a result, I feel like I left Israel with a more nuanced and knowledgeable understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and hope that future Bowdoin students would have the opportunity to travel to the Middle East with professors.

Ben Roberts-Pierel ‘10

This photo was taken on a wall in Jerusalem. I thought that it would be interesting to show a photo that was not something picturesque or that didn’t depict some of the world’s most famous religious sites. It is refreshing to see little sparks of hope while walking down the street in a place that has seen so much violence and which seems to be a long way from a definitive peace. I felt that this photo was sort of sad but at the same time very positive, that somebody still felt strongly enough to take the time to paint "make the world better" on this wall.

Jessica Weaver ‘10

I took this photo in front of the Austrian Hospice in the Arab quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. I guess I just thought it captured an interesting sense of gaze, both direct and indirect.

Sascha Chiniara ‘10

Standing on the rooftop of the Austrian Hospice-- a Christian institution in the heart of the Muslim Quarter-- a bird’s-eye view confirmed my impressions from our first few days in Jerusalem. I looked out on both Haram a-Sharif and the hospice’s dome, built centuries apart and with legacies of two very different eras. Both were surrounded by homes. As a History major, I approached the city skeptically, thinking it was a political quandary and that there was no place for me there. From the rooftop, I saw a conflict of historical claims. Centuries of divisions have created a city so intertwined that no simple boundaries can satisfy everyone; the distant and recent pasts are surrounded by present and future in a web of history that needs to be considered if the situation is to be untangled.

Kathleen Yaworsky ‘09

Although many other pictures were more aesthetically pleasing, this image represents one of the most pressing obstacles to any potential peace and resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was taken near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a city where there are many political signs.

Joelinda Coichy ‘11

I went to theater camp with an Israeli boy who seemed to have an obsession with guns. One day, I expressed my contempt for his gun-craze, and he turned to me and said, “If you knew where I came from, you would understand why I want a gun.”

Fast-forward five years and I find myself on a bus inside the West Bank, facing this wall, littered with graffiti begging angrily for the end of the occupation. I understood that, like my Israeli friend’s desire for a gun, the wall embodies the fear, the misunderstanding and the anger that are central to the conflict. I could grasp the humanity of all the factions involved.

I thought, if the Palestinians and Israelis could tear down the wall of fear separating them, and if my Israeli camp-mate could feel the empathy that I felt, maybe he would see that the guns he craves are not so necessary…

Alexandra Locke ‘10

Many Israeli families have their sons' bar mitzvahs at the Western Wall; as Ophir, our tour guide, explained, it's a popular destination for secular families who don't have a temple that they attend regularly but still want their sons to have the coming of age ceremony. Despite the fact that the families themselves might be liberal or secular, they still have to follow the rules set by the Orthodox rabbis who run the holy site, including the separation of men and women during prayer. The result is all these women standing on plastic chairs to look over the gender barrier to see their sons' bar mitzvahs. I thought it was an interesting result of the interaction between religion and secularism in Israel.

Hobart Kropp ‘08

This picture, of a Roman road alongside the Wailing Wall, really drove home the point of how long this area has been important in history.  In the background, the several stories between the contemporary ground level and the Roman one demonstrated the many layers of the city of Jerusalem, and the country in general.

Catherine Chin ‘08

Within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem stands the compound Temple Mount/Al-Haram al-Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary), site of the former First Temple and Second Temple. I was overpowered by the numerous religious and ethnic groups that were represented within an eye’s view. This location illustrates the years of struggle over power, territory and religious rights. The Al-Aqsa Mosque was to my left, further to my left the Western Wall, behind me the Russian Church of St. Mary Magdalene, and in front of me the Dome of the Rock. Although, I had learned about the historical implications of these sites, I could never comprehend the extent of the conflicts until I stood within the Old City. I found this feeling to be one that I carried with me for the remainder of the trip, whether I was in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Deheisha refugee camp in the West Bank, or the Golan Heights.

Nicole Fitzgerald ‘09

Walking through the Arab quarter of the Old City on the final day of the trip I was lucky enough to come across this bead store. Those inside focused only on the beads. Their colorful jewelry creations served as the central topic of conversation, while the traditional topic of politics circled around the periphery. I felt as though the store offered its visitors a momentary vacation from the outside chaos.

Matthew Ginther ‘09

This family of three sits on the streets of the Arab quarter in Old Jerusalem and finds no interest in the twenty American college students passing by them. It's as if they have seen it all. It's as if all they want now is each other.