Every Friday at 4pm, the Franciscan monks walk the Via Dolorosa - the path Jesus supposedly walked carrying his cross to his crucifiction. Each monk read out the stations of the cross in different languages at each stop.
I began learning about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on a two week trip to Jerusalem in 2008. It was an overwhelming and enlightening experience - on my third day in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem, the apartment next door to mine was imploded by Israeli forces, leaving 60 people homeless. I jumped into activism for the cause during my first year of university, and was dying to go back to the region the next summer. A friend told me about FFIPP, Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, a program for university students to learn more about the conflict. This chronicles my five weeks with FFIPP and gives an honest recollection of my reactions to this very strange and confusing place - the Holy Land.
