The Yearning Eye
I was very pleased with my poem despite my random choice because not only did it speak to my point in class during the discussion of "Tourists," but it also is inspired by one of my favorite prayers, Hatikvah.
"Jerusalem Is Full of Used Jews" is a short testimony for how difficult life as a Jew in Jerusalem can prove to be. I previously argued in class that Jews that live in Jerusalem feel overlooked as their city is populated and photographed by tourists that seem to be feigning sorrow (or even respect) for Jerusalem's historic and religious sites. "Jerusalem Is Full of Used Jews" is an inward look at how Jews really feel as representatives and inhabitants of Jerusalem: "like circus bears dancing on aching legs." I was moved by the disappointment and weariness of the poem, especially because I identify with it. Judaism (along with Islam) is often appropriated for popular culture in America, so I can only imagine the magnitude of exploitation Jews in Jerusalem must feel as their already crowded city is disrupted by walking tours and photo ops.
The "Hatikvah," or "hope," is the national song of Israel (originally a prayer) that tells of true Jewish hearts and souls looking to Zion and Jerusalem for the profound hope that is a central feature of Judaism. Amichai in his poem quotes the Hatikvah when he repeats "the eye yearns towards Zion." He is summoning in the reader what he wishes to be summoning in the tourists: the original religious value that so many groups and individuals hold in Jerusalem. Amichai likens the people and places of Jerusalem to used circus animals, all having to continuously perform "bold, risky formations" just to appease their visitors. In doing so, they are forced to participate in the desecration of their beloved and holy Jerusalem. He ends the poem with "and the eye yearns towards Zion, and weeps." The weeping is in direct reference to the words of the Hatikvah, but are also reminiscent of how the Jews of Jerusalem feel as they are forced into the degeneration of their city.
Amichai's appropriation of such a prominent and often-adapted prayer reflects the appropriation of Judaism and Jerusalem.
"Jerusalem Is Full of Used Jews" is a short testimony for how difficult life as a Jew in Jerusalem can prove to be. I previously argued in class that Jews that live in Jerusalem feel overlooked as their city is populated and photographed by tourists that seem to be feigning sorrow (or even respect) for Jerusalem's historic and religious sites. "Jerusalem Is Full of Used Jews" is an inward look at how Jews really feel as representatives and inhabitants of Jerusalem: "like circus bears dancing on aching legs." I was moved by the disappointment and weariness of the poem, especially because I identify with it. Judaism (along with Islam) is often appropriated for popular culture in America, so I can only imagine the magnitude of exploitation Jews in Jerusalem must feel as their already crowded city is disrupted by walking tours and photo ops.
The "Hatikvah," or "hope," is the national song of Israel (originally a prayer) that tells of true Jewish hearts and souls looking to Zion and Jerusalem for the profound hope that is a central feature of Judaism. Amichai in his poem quotes the Hatikvah when he repeats "the eye yearns towards Zion." He is summoning in the reader what he wishes to be summoning in the tourists: the original religious value that so many groups and individuals hold in Jerusalem. Amichai likens the people and places of Jerusalem to used circus animals, all having to continuously perform "bold, risky formations" just to appease their visitors. In doing so, they are forced to participate in the desecration of their beloved and holy Jerusalem. He ends the poem with "and the eye yearns towards Zion, and weeps." The weeping is in direct reference to the words of the Hatikvah, but are also reminiscent of how the Jews of Jerusalem feel as they are forced into the degeneration of their city.
Amichai's appropriation of such a prominent and often-adapted prayer reflects the appropriation of Judaism and Jerusalem.
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