Sounds from Jerusalem: Hymns and Muezzins’ Calls from the Mount of Olives
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor, and Chris Heagle, producer
(photo: Trent Gilliss)
We happened upon the most magnificent soundscape today while viewing the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. It’s a serendipitous few minutes of audio that gives you a feel of the magic of this sacred land and the way religions, people, and cultures continually bump up against one another.
What you first start hearing is a group of Evangelical Christians from South Korea singing a classic hymn. But, within a minute, just as these pilgrims finish, a new wave laps up the side of the ridge. A muezzin calls Muslims to prayer. Then, in stagger-start style, the muezzin’s call from Al-Aqsa Mosque summons another group of Muslims. The recitations float freely and nimbly, almost as if you could waft the layers of sound at your choosing.
We hope you enjoy! I’d appreciate hearing your reactions.
Yossi Klein Halevi Responds to West Bank Killings
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor, and Chris Heagle, producer
Tonight, during dinner at a vegetarian restaurant in Little Jerusalem, Yossi Klein Halevi, a journalist and fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, opened his speech to a group of journalism students with the jarring news that five Israeli family members were stabbed to death while asleep in their home in Itamar, a Jewish settlement camp near Nablus in the West Bank.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
“A grisly trail of toys and blood led paramedics to the first three bodies: a mother, father and their 4-month-old infant, stabbed to death in their bed. In the next room, medics say they found the body of an 11-year-old sibling. Finally, with growing dread, they reached the last bedroom, where a 4-year-old boy with knife wounds and a faint pulse was fighting for his life, ambulance workers said Saturday on Israel Radio. The medics worked frantically, but unsuccessfully, to resuscitate the toddler.”
According to The Jerusalem Post, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah movement, has claimed responsibility for the killing.
In the clip above, we share Klein Halevi’s response to this attack and his analysis of its impact on relations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Correction
This post has been revised to reflect the following correction on March 21, 2011: an earlier version of this article linked to a Haaretz article as the source of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claim. It no longer contains that statement so we have linked to The Jersulem Post, which confirms this claim.
"Prayers Fly via Twitter to Old City of Jerusalem"
Trent Gilliss, online editor
Through the Twitter vine, a follower of ours (@SOFtweets) turned us on to this brief article in USA Today. During this economic climate, I particularly appreciate the good will of this 25-year-old economist who’s printing out the petitions and physically wedging them in.
Thanks for the heads-up, Lisa (@Lisamol1)!
