Israel 19.12.
woah. so many thoughts.. the gig - what a connection. people were open. some mad disorganization regarding many aspects of the club, but it all worked out in the end. (not without a significant amount of effort..) the land – woah. there’s something immediately humbling about stepping onto ground pulsing with history, a place where people have lived, built, and died for thousands of years. i don’t get this feeling in berlin because everything was destroyed and rebuilt new in ww2… and i DEFINITELY never got it growing up in the usa, where 100 years is considered ancient history. in old city jerusalem we walked the streets of the souk, stones worn smooth by thousands of years’ foot traffic, crumbling roman columns, a spot on a wall jesus supposedly touched, its stone worn smooth by two thousand years of pilgrims also touching it. the western wall… regardless of your personal beliefs, you can’t escape a feeling of quiet reverence… the people – first off – being jewish anywhere else around the world, you feel like a weirdo. nothing fits, nothing is built for your weirdo frame or complexion, you gradually learn that the rules of the christian west don’t apply to you. i’d never seen a group of jews larger than a few hundred and that was only at temple. in IL, it felt like coming home. the women are dark & beautiful, the food tastes unreal delicious like it’s custom tailored for your taste buds… even dreadlocks aren’t so unusual. people on the street look at you in an accepting neutral way, not a “woah who’s that” way. subtle differences. i can see how it’s easy to fall into the trap of becoming one of those obnoxious and dangerous american zionists. i harbor no illusions of goodness – i know israel is guilty of some of the worst atrocities – i walked the streets in sabra, lebanon a few years ago… the west bank separation barrier is visible from mount zion. ak47s all around, with spare clips dangling, the bullets neatly packed and visible… everyone gets along – for now – but you’re filled with the sense that at any moment it could all go up in flames. a country the size of new jersey surrounded by enemies. the immediacy of death makes people treat each other well though – eye contact and love – but a constant feeling of “oh shit” pervades. what a cool place, i can’t wait to go back. we met the grandson of jacobo timerman (1, 2), he’s totally into ragga jungle and spins all the tunes. a lot of kids have absolutely amazing tattoos – if i get work done thinking of going there. (not germany, plahhh…) big up and massive respect to the sensi sound crew, big thx to friends for showing us around jerusalem. music connections mean even more in such a place.