The research team ran into many issues as they worked to to represent the city of Jerusalem in Washington D.C. There where two sides to the research team, one led by Israelis, and the other by Palestinians. Both sides went throughout Jerusalem interviewing and looking for aspects of life to bring to the folk festival. However, the teams had a hard time finding people who were true artists in local crafts, as well as, some aspects found, like dance, did not fit into the Smithsonian's definition of folklore. A major obstacle that the team had to deal with was always the effort to stay neutral. One example was the map of Jerusalem. The Smithsonian did not want to illustrate the city as either united or divided for either way would cause argument. The ultimate conculsion was that the map should be one that showed how 'real life' looked. The map showed where the Arab and Israeli neighborhoods throughout Jerusalem were.
In the end, however, the festival was canceled. The reason was due to insufficient funds. The program did not draw sponsors to keep the project going. However, the lack of funds and ultimate cancelation of the project could have connections to the political life that was going on a the same time. The Oslo agreement was signed while the project was still working. One way in which this political event could have worked against the project, was that the agreement described a different picture of Jerusalem than that which the project was aiming for. The festival was to highlight the two different national cultures, but the Oslo agreement and the political dialogue was one of ambiguity and blurred lines.
Jerusalem is by no means a homogenous city, three religions call it home, it is divided into two sides, and even within the two sides there are subdivisions and even more variety. The wealth of history and cultural aspects of this city is what makes it a source of such contention as well as a place where people want to bring respect and mutual understanding across the divides. This is what will be the most difficult aspect of the class. There is no easy solution, but the effort to learn more and to create a dialogue is what will make this class successful. For understanding an communication are critical ways to bridge gaps, if not close them.
