Answered Question

This post is in response to a question asked by Theresa. She asked, "With the two different holidays, and the two different religions in the same town,, do you ever see fights break out? Or is everyone pretty peaceable?" My response is based mainly on my own observations and opinions; so take it for what it's worth.
Jerusalem is a city known for it's history of hostility and sometimes violence. Only a few years ago there were still people getting onto city buses and blowing themselves up. But over the last few years it has been pretty peaceable, as far as I understand it. Although I don't see any outward signs of violence, I do sense an underlying tension. I have had a couple of Arabic people tell me that they feel hostility towards them when they go to the Jewish parts of town. There is even an imaginary line drawn down the city; West side is Jewish, East side is Arabic. It really reminds me of the racial tension in the United States several decades ago. The kind of tension where outward violence is frowned upon, but there are still plenty of jokes and slanderous things said. Where people have in their mind that they are better than someone else. Where you are not treated as kindly if you are not "one of them". We all know that words can cut deeper than actions, so I think this would be considered a form of violence.
We have been warned of a potential violence in a certain part of the city. The community where the Ultra Orthodox Jews live is open to anyone, but that doesn't make them exactly welcome. Our pastor warned us about going there because they are known for stoning anyone that they don't approve of; and they have pretty high standards to meet their approval. We have been told that if a woman is wearing sleeves that aren't below her elbow, it is enough reason for this punishment. Every time I think of this it reminds me of Jesus' words, "...He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." John 8:7 Too bad they didn't learn their lesson all those years ago and teach future generations. (There's a lesson in there for us too!)
Overall, I feel very safe here. We do take precautions so as not to draw too much attention to ourselves. For example, we go to church in an Arabic business district. We have to park several blocks away from our church and walk through the busy streets to get there. We have decided that it would not be a good idea to wear our Sunday finest; our suits and pretty dresses. This would draw a lot of attention to ourselves. We draw enough attention as it is by having bright blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin in a sea of browned skin and veiled women. So, we try to wear nice clothes while still looking fairly casual----a strange adjustment for us! But, we don't get as many strange looks this way. You can never be too careful.
I hope this answers your questions, Theresa!