“Once I sat on the steps by agate at David's Tower,
I placed my two heavy baskets at my side. A group of tourists
was standing around their guide and I became their target marker. "You see
that man with the baskets? Just right of his head there's an arch
from the Roman period. Just right of his head." "But he's moving, he's moving!"
I said to myself: redemption will come only if their guide tells them,
"You see that arch from the Roman period? It's not important: but next to it,
left and down a bit, there sits a man who's bought fruit and vegetables for his family."
(Yehuda Amichai, Toursits)
There we were, on the rooftops of Jerusalem, reading Yehuda Amichai and discussing the many borders that divide and connect our city, debating different approaches to the existence of diverse communities in such a small space. Looking down at the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem from the picturesque rooftop of Notre Dame of Sion, our literary and pedagogical discussions came to life. This was part of my course “Contemporary Hebrew Literature”, which focuses on the pedagogical aspect of Hebrew literature and its centrality to the practice of Jewish education. As the spatial aspect of the city of Jerusalem was becoming more accessible, we were able to unpack its representation in modern day Hebrew literature, which serves as the predominant vehicle to connect to Israeli culture.
Literature is indeed a tapestry of perspectives weaved into one, a cultural fabric that represents a multifaceted artistic production. When one reads a poem or a novel, one is transposed into the time and place of its production, taking part in a never-ending discourse with the literary piece itself. For this reason, literature enables us as educators to bring forth voices, experiences, and points of view of a multitude of different sources, all this by simply engaging with a text. Whether we sit in an actual or virtual classroom, there is no doubt as to the importance of reading as part of the formation of young and adult learners alike. Enhancing the learning experience by encountering different representations of thought serves teachers and students, and is, one should note, simply enjoyable. More so, Jewish education should utilize these literary perspectives to bridge perceived cultural distance between distant (or near) spaces. It is through discussing contemporary Hebrew literature that we can establish and enhance connections with our united Jewish culture, allow for a meeting ground where we can find commonalities.
Amid current conflict, and especially in the wake of October 7th attacks, we see a growing need for Jewish community, for a shared metaphorical space where we can all exchange reactions, feelings, and thoughts on the situation. Local cultural production is dealing with heightened sensitivity and a necessity for positive representation, which will no doubt produce a change in literary and artistic production as usually happens in times of great socio-historical change. As we know, Jewish communities all over the world encounter a shift in attitude, massive public demonstrations, and a rise in antisemitism, resulting in tension and distress shared by Jewish people all over the world. Facing these challenging times I go back to Amichai’s words, on the experiences of this one man, sitting in the hectic old city of Jerusalem, resting from the troubles of his daily routine. Redemption, suggests Amichai, will come from our shared ability to look at these mundane experiences, to encounter meeting points even in the multicultural old city of Jerusalem. In my view, Jewish education must be the common ground where we all meet, and what a better way of doing so than discussing literature. In this way, contemporary Hebrew literature becomes a bridge that connects recent past and present, and a pedagogical site for developing our thoughts on Jewish education.
Dafna is a lecturer of the MA in Jewish Education. She teaches the course "Contemporary Hebrew Literature" in the Spanish and Portuguese program.