My friend Annalie and I visited our Arab friends in Nazareth for a weekend. The trip turned out to be a detour into another universe – a universe full of contrasts and conflicting emotions. We strolled through a deserted old town, rumbled along battered streets, visited welcoming Christian communities and got caught up in a violent conflict – all in just 48 hours. Nazareth and its inhabitants left us fascinated and thoughtful as we traveled home to Jerusalem.
Sudden outbreak of violence
“This looks nice, let’s have a coffee here!” my friend Annalie and I agreed as we strolled past a lovingly decorated café in the otherwise very deserted old town of Nazareth. The tables outside were full, but just as we entered, a place for two became free. A young man left the café and kicked the garbage can at the entrance as he walked past. Annalie and I didn’t think anything of it and wanted to have a look inside. And then chaos broke out outside. Thank God we got into the café in time.
Suddenly voices were raised in the outside area until a good ten young men were shouting at each other in Arabic. In between, the young café owner and her mother tried to keep the brawlers apart, which hardly made an impression on the men. When one of them started throwing a wooden chair at another, which then smashed on the floor, my peace of mind was shattered. Another grabbed a chair with metal legs and I prayed to God that the chair would stay where it was. The mother reappeared in the picture with a gaping wound on her head and a T-shirt covered in blood. There were a few other young women sitting in the café, all shocked and not understanding what was going on.
My friend and I waited until the angry voices sounded a little more distant and, together with two other café visitors, left the place in a hurry. We took refuge in a nearby café that we had been to the day before. To our surprise, two friends from Nazareth, Tia and Mai,[1] entered shortly afterwards and sat down with us. They were worried and wanted to know what was going on. The police had been called and had briefly poked their heads into the café. Tia was visibly worried and repeatedly asked Mai if it was safe. Mai was of the opinion that nothing would happen to us in this café. The owner was well known in the town and respected by everyone.
[1] Because of the sensitive political situation in the city Nazareth and the country Israel I changed the names of my local friends.
Nazareth – mountains of serious problems
This incident was of course the number one topic when we met up with our friends later that day. We were told again and again that such incidents were not normal and that we were unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the same time, the numerous serious problems that Nazareth is currently facing were addressed once again: corruption, lack of security, organized crime, decay due to a lack of necessary maintenance and investment, and the dying out of the historic old town.
As soon as we arrived in Nazareth by bus, we could see that the city was in a bad shape. The streets were in an incredibly bad state and garbage was piled up on the sides. Our friend Elias,[1] who picked us up from the bus stop, explained in the car right away that this cityscape, the hills of garbage, were not normal either. A mayor was currently in office who, due to mismanagement and corruption, was not paying for the basic tasks of the city administration, in this case garbage collection. The waste disposal companies had continued to work for months without being paid, but had been on strike for a good six months, which had affected the entire city. One evening, when a bin lorry suddenly turned up at the friend’s family house, there was great joy and this was also passed on excitedly.
[1] Name changed.
Nazareth – wasted potential
Elias is a great host who often took us from one place to another by car and explained the situation in his town. It was unmistakably clear how attached he and his friends are to their city and how much it pains him to see it run down and neglected. “Nazareth could be the biggest tourist destination in Israel after Jerusalem,” he enthused.
“This city has huge potential that is completely wasted!” When asked if he could imagine going into politics to revive his city, the answer was: “I’d love to, but then I’d be shot.” All of his friends sitting at the table and listening to the conversation were unanimous in their opinion that it was too dangerous to go into politics here.
Nazareth – violence is part of everyday life
According to the stories of this group of friends, who all grew up in Nazareth and even as young adults come back every free weekend to be with their family and visit their local church, Nazareth, like most other predominantly Arab towns in Israel, is plagued by mafia families. In many conversations with different people, it emerged that armed clan families have the town in their grip, demanding protection money from shopkeepers and otherwise threatening them. This reality is known to all of my Jewish friends with whom I talked about this topic.
Targeted murders, in which innocent people are sometimes in the line of fire, are not uncommon. From the experience of the local population, the police would hardly intervene, but let the clans have their way. This is interpreted to mean that the Israeli government has no interest in the security of Arab communities. On the contrary, it would be in their interest for it to be visible from the outside how run-down these places are. Growth is to be prevented.
In conversation with Jewish friends, to whom I described these impressions and perspectives, it was in turn pointed out that such clan structures are very complex and cannot be dissolved within a few years. Furthermore, such a process requires cooperation with the local authorities and the population, and this is not easy to find or establish. As with all issues related to the conflicts in and around Israel, this situation is also multi-layered and not easy to fully grasp. Simple and quick answers are illusory and in some contexts downright dangerous.
Nazareth Illit connects seamlessly to Nazareth and offers an absolute contrasting program. It is the predominantly Jewish neighboring town, which has a Jewish mayor, where there are no garbage or clan problems, and where wealthier Arabs move to escape the circumstances of Nazareth while staying connected to their home community.
Nazareth – a city of contrasts
Somewhere in between is the small Evangelical church where most of our friends grew up and which they still attend regularly. Annalie and I had the opportunity to attend the church service and also the youth group and were warmly welcomed into their midst despite the language barrier. Every single Arabic word I could identify made me very excited.
After the service, we were invited to a young adult’s birthday party, which once again drastically highlighted the contrast in these people’s everyday lives. This family has a high standard of living and owns a beautiful house. However, the street it is built on in no way reflects these circumstances. Even when we traveled through Nazareth by bus, we were able to marvel at numerous impressive city villas and spotted expensive cars on the streets. But the infrastructure is nowhere near up to this standard, even if you ignore the piles of garbage.
Nazareth – an unyielding beauty
Our friends looked after us very well, took us to culinary highlights and walked with us through the old town. Family ties and Christian communities are central to their relationships. They know café and restaurant owners, car workshops, and fishmongers personally or are related to them.
We found the beauty of the city in families and friendships that stick together through thick and thin, in hospitality and the delicious local cuisine, in how attached our friends are to their hometown and how they mourn the state of Nazareth, convinced of its potential and not giving up in the face of circumstances.
Psychisch erkrankt: Soll ich mich outen? – Wenn ja, wie?
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