Beauty and Naivaté

by John McAdams

One of the things that stood out to me the most when watching Jerusalem was just how beautiful the city seemed to be. I have had the privilege of spending some time in Jerusalem and the Old City, and I can say that I found it to be just as beautiful in person and it is in this film. Looking down on Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives to the contrasting images between the Dome of the Rock and the Old City and the more modern “downtown” Jerusalem is something that I will never forget being able to experience in person.

While it is certainly true that Jerusalem is a physically gorgeous place, the film we watched also depicts the cultural beauty that Jerusalem boasts and fosters. Having a part of town as ancient as the Old City is impressive enough, but having four cultures that so desperately love this place is unmatched anywhere in the world. That cultural diversity is beautiful, and the film absolutely focusses on that beauty; however, this aspect of Jerusalem also causes such intense strife and conflict that is not touched on in Jerusalem. The film, if it were to be someone’s only source of the city, expresses adequately how beautiful the city is, but could easily cause a viewer to have a naive view of this place.

One thing I loved hearing from the three girls in the film was how passionately they loved not only Jerusalem, but also their particular faith. As I’m sure we have all experienced personally, when one loves something so deeply, it is extremely hard to share. At the 4:58 mark of the film, Farah Ammouri says, “Jerusalem to me is more than just a city. It’s beauty, it’s spirit, and it’s also my religion, but most importantly it’s my family.” Farah is Muslim, and when she refers to Jerusalem being her “family,” I gather that she means the Muslim part of the city. She feels so strongly about a place being like family to her, and yet she has to share that place with three other groups that feel just as strongly as she does.

No wonder this passion and love has led to such conflict for so long! It is so beautiful how much these people love this place, but it is naive to believe that it is all beauty in Jerusalem as the video seems to indicate. This shared love has caused deep pain for Christians, Jews, Armenians, and Muslims. To me, it doesn’t seem to make sense to look at the beauty of Jerusalem without looking at the painful jealousy there too.



Citation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLW6vO-7rFk