Sarah Casman - Blog Post #2

Yesterday was packed with so many new cultural experiences and each one was incredible.  The most interesting part for me was when we visited Wafa Alkrenawi in Rahat.  I was actually surprised that what I witnessed was almost exactly what I had previously learned about Bedouin communities.  From reading “The Israelis,” I was expecting “overwhelming hospitality” which is exactly what I saw (279).  Even though it was Ramadan, a holiday where one is required to fast during the day, the family still made us a beautiful meal and was content to watch us eat it.  Professor Aronoff mentioned how she tried to compensate them for their graciousness and how they refused to take any money from her – even though we were a group of over 20.  For a family that has eleven children, fifty-two grandchildren and is living in one of the poorest towns in Israel (according to Wafa), I was astounded at this extreme generosity.

On the bus, Wafa explained to us that, because of her father’s construction company, her family was privileged to have a lot of money.  But, she said, times in Israel are hard and with taxes set at 18%, her family was not as well off as they used to be.  From being in the presence of her father, however, I would have never guessed that these were especially hard times for her family.  Wafa’s father boasted about his large family and how every one of his nine children who expressed interest was able to go to University.  He also bragged about how he built ten houses by himself, has married only one wife, and his people have roots in this land that date back to the time of Abraham.  His pride was obvious.

            Compared to her father, Wafa was much less sure of herself.  She expressed a lot of confusion about her identity.  When she lived in the United States and explained that she was from Israel, people automatically assumed she was Jewish.  Wafa said she felt that she couldn’t find a response that fit her circumstance.  She doesn’t directly identify as Jewish, Palestinian, or Arab.  In some ways, she is even disconnected to her Bedouin background.  The fact that she studied in America and is unmarried at the age of 32 give her a postitionality that most of her Bedouin community is unfamiliar to.

This was an interesting phenomenon to witness because from my time spent studying Israeli society, it seems to me like everyone has a place.  There are many political parties, many religions, many sects within religions, many heritages and many cultures.  Also, it seems as if these groups split all the time (especially political parties) when they feel there is division in that specific society.  So, seeing Wafa confused about where her place in Israel stood was new to me.  Although she is confused now, I have a feeling that she will find where she fits in in this diverse Israeli society.