I initially thought that Mick Dumper’s “Jerusalem Then and Now” would be a brief read, but I quickly found out the contrary.  It was my least favorite of the three readings due in anticipation of Monday’s class.  I didn’t think the timelines were necessary.  In my opinion they were more harmful than helpful.  I believe the previous article referred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as three Abrahamic religions.  However Dumper referred to them as the three monotheistic faiths.  Can someone please explain the difference to me please? I found interesting on page 5 “Jerusalem was the first qibla  in Islam”.  I would like to learn more about this and the Muslim faith.

“Jerusalem: The Holy City Through The Ages” had some distinctly interesting points.  On page 119, “ in 63 B.C.E. the kingdom was overrun by Pompeii, commander of Rome I s Eastern Army.”  I’d like to know who this Pompeii guy was, I thought that Pompeii was a city with a famous volcanic explosion.  Any relation I wonder?  I thought that page 120 went a little too fast.  We are learning about Jewish history and its relation to Israel, then all of sudden a new religion is born (Christianity).  I was thinking to myself, wait a second a little more explanation is needed.  I found it fascinating that the major expansion of Jerusalem’s Jewish community was during modernization 1800c. (Rubin 124).  I know little about the 1967 war as mentioned on page 126 and I would hope to learn more about it during the next weeks.

Rashid Khalidi’s account was strong as noted indeed!  I enjoyed the explanation of Palestinian general beliefs at the end of page 44 continuing onto to the top of page 45.  This is was something that I did not know.  Included in that was the part of the Jebusites, Amorites, Cannanites, and Philistines.  Are these just different names for the same people or are they different people with each a different title?  I would hope to read a full-length article on The Dome of the Rock as mentioned on page 47.  I thought that Khalidi was far too brief on explaining the history of Israel from 1900-1948.  I would like to learn more about this especially the Ottoman to British transition in 1917 and the British occupation itself.  I mean this is great to create a land for the landless Jewish people, but people already lived here.  What was the initial thinking of where to relocate the Palestinian people?  If someone moved into my neighborhood tomorrow and took my land as their own I would be more than mad.