For those of you following the story of the provocation directed at Joe Biden by the Israeli government in approving 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo AKA occupied East Jerusalem during his visit, it will tickle you to learn precisely why the state of Israel is ‘saving’ this particular sacred ground for the Jewish people. You can see in this image (the brown brick building) one of hundreds of perfect replicas of 770 Eastern Parkway, Chabad‘s world headquarters, which grace sites around the world wherever Chabad has planted its flag. So it will undoubtedly be a comfort to you, especially if you are Jewish, to know that ‘your’ Israeli government is preserving sacred Jerusalem for you…and Lubavitch Judaism.
Another architectural oddity is that Jerusalem building code prescribes that all residential exteriors must be made of Jerusalem stone, which is why all the homes in this picture are white, except Chabad, which is apparently given a special divine dispensation/exemption from the municipal code. The Jewish God works in strange and mysterious ways…
A current ultra-Orthodox resident of the neighborhood made light of the controversy over the construction:
“Who else is going to build down there? Even dogs don’t go down there…
The fellow conveniently forgets that dogs, er Palestinians would love to build there but that the Israeli government refuses them building permits. Which is what leaves the vacant land for dogs, and ultimately Israeli developers.
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RE: "it will tickle you to learn…" – R.S.
MY COMMENT: Consider me 'tickled pink'. You're a good tickler!
P.S. As to the Ramat Shlomo replica of '770 Eastern Parkway', the phrase 'sore thumb' comes to mind. Can't they at least paint the brick a nice color like Eggshell, Seashell or Moccasin?
List of colors – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colors
P.S. I'm certain the dark-colored brick looks quite nice there at 770 Eastern Parkway, but…. Might there be room in Ramat Shlomo for that Museum of Tolerance with all of its bright primary colors? I think that might just tie it all together rather nicely.
When one goes to Ramat Shlomo, you don't have the feeling that you are in "the Arab section." In fact, if I hadn't read this article I would have never known it was considered "East Jerusalem!"
When I have been in Ramat Shlomo, I don't have the impression that I am in the territories at all. If I hadn't read this article I wouldn't have known that it is East Jerusalem at all. Thanks for telling me this.
Just before reading the article, I read the Jerusalem Post article that Richard Silverstein referenced. The quote In the Post from the local "elderly resident" was greatly changed in meaning by Richard here. Read it yourselves. In the original, the older man is talking about the terrain. Only squirrels can get around there, it is too awkward for dogs. On top of that Richard immediately writes that Arabs are considered dogs, an inflammation that he made up.
So then I considerd that all the article does is complain about the out-of-place look of the Lubuvich "770" copy and then wrongly implies Arab hatred. The article actually indicates this man has a sense of humor, and that he and other residents want more local homes. Disagreement with this is no excuse to effectively post an inflamatory lie.
Richard Slverstone, for shame.
You're out of yr gourd. I quoted the JPost w/o changing a word of what the Ramat Shlomo resident said. The resident said that even dogs couldn't live where they intended to put in new housing. In truth, Palestinians would love to build there but can't because Israel refuses to allow to build on their own land.
You know as well as I that it is extremely common to hear among settlers that Arabs are dogs. YOu can see such graffiti relatively regularly in Hebron & other such settlements.
Yes, they certainly do. They want to steal Arab land & make more homes for Jews, something to which I object.
What's yr address btw? Ramat Shlomo, Hebron, Yitzhar, Kfar Tapuach?
Sorry for the delay. No, I’m not a settler. My point is journalistic fairness: no matter what some others express, and how angry you feel towards those others, you took the leap and implied something that this particular person simply did not say. It suited the drama of the article, but I stand by my point that in this way it was journalistically and blog-wise not the best thing to do.
We all get carried away at times.
I wasn’t “carried away” in the least & the interpretation I drew fr. the speaker’s words were entirely appropriate. The problem is yours entirely my friend.