A Storm Over Nazareth

Storm over Nazareth

Last week in Nazareth, Israel, stormy weather approaching, an Arab Israeli citizen, Sheikh Nazem Abu Salim, the Imam of Nazareth, was arrested for inciting violence. In the backdrop a historical reconstruction of the town reminds us that Nazareth was once a Jewish city in the heart of a Roman province.

Nazareth, 1st Century AD
In those turbulent times the governing power was Rome, and the Jewish people were the ones in conflict with their government. Some Jews argued then, as this Israeli citizen argues today, that one must take arms against injustices and fight for his belief with force.
Meanwhile a Jewish boy grew up in Nazareth, and became a preacher. He preached of tolerance, of benevolence and of turning the other cheek. His name was Jesus. His crucifixion would mark the beginning of the Christian faith. Soon after, the faith was adopted by a regional empire: The Armenian Empire. The Armenian people stood fast to their faith for 18 centuries even when they were conquered by the Mongols and under Arab rule in the 13th century.
Nazareth, 19 hundreds
By World War I, the Ottoman Empire was the dominant Muslim power and it was set on destroying these ancient people. Genocide followed.
Many Armenians fled from turkey and ended up in Israel, some in Nazareth. A small community of Armenians still lives here till this day. The underground Jewish organizations, living in Palestine under Ottuman rule heard their stories of mass killings and coupled with the new laws issued for Jewish deportation they realized that the Jews might be next. This contributed to their decision to change sides and assist the British as they conquered the Middle East.
After the Second World War and the genocide perpetrated against European Jews, many Jews came to Israel.  The British, attempted to prevent the influx and fell out of favor with both Jewish and Arab residents. At the end they divided the land in accordance to its population. As Nazareth was mostly Arab it was supposed to be under Arab rule. However war broke and Israel conquered the town.

Nazareth, Today
Nazareth is a prominently Arab city and many Arab citizens don't approve of Israel. Salim is one. Salim called for a Jihad (Muslim holy war) against the state of Israel and called it Satan. He gave sermons and circulated leaflets to the worshipers at his mosque telling them to act against the state. 
There it is, a full circle. History is a storm. You may be basking in the sun one minute and shattered on the rocks the next. The question is what you do when that storm arrives.  The winds of change have put the Jewish people in power and Salim chose to fight this change with violent conviction.
The question we must ask ourselves is where history will carry Nazareth tomorrow. Where will our hometown be tomorrow? We must remember that our place may change and that our actions of violence as well as those of benevolence will become our legacy for better or worse.
What legacy do you want to leave behind ?