Welcome to My Neighborhood

I don't see anything here that would indicate an Arab-Israeli conflict.  The presence of Arabs does not mean there is a conflict.  I live in NYC and I frequent Arab nabes and restaurants. As a Jew I feel right at home with my Arab cousins.

The only conflict I see is whether Nasser is Muslim and is selling liquor and thats between him and G-d. 

-Matt

 P.S. It isn't even clear if Nasser is middle-eastern, Australian, or the name of the street the market is located on.   

I'm living in a town in Israel where Arab and Jewish families live side by side.  There are some uncomfortable moments, but if Israel can try this then I would think it might work in San Francisco too.  Mind you, I've never been to San Francisco.

Thanks for your comment, Hannah, as well as those made by the previous folks. I think there's a tendency to see things like the Al-Aqsa graffiti on the SF Chronicle box as being somehow negative or indicative of conflict. I was personally glad to see it. Its a conversation, however it might be framed.

I feel more at home in my neighborhood precisely because it so Middle Eastern, as broadly construed as my photos and captions describe it. When I go into a local cafe or a restaurant, or talk to my neighbors, its all about experiencing familiarity and how deeply reassuring that can feel at such a dramatic geographic remove.

Up until recently, I hadn't experienced that in the US before. It reminds me of growing up in Israel the '70s, in a far less charged environment.

Joel 

Yes, Joel, the 70's and early 80's.

So many younger Israelis find it hard to believe that when the border with Egypt was open and free to cross for Israelis, Egyptians and tourists of all nations, that there were bus loads of us who shared seats, drinks and good conversation on our way to the Sinai and further to Cairo.  The euphoria we felt in cross-border travels should never have ended, at least not as quickly as it did.  Sadly, there is no longer a cross-border bus route to Egypt.  The prospects of security are much too costly. In the beginning we never even had an armed guard aboard! 

 On the brighter side, we now can travel to Jordan for day trips (both Jordanians and Israelis) and even Syria is discussing the prospect of talks with Israel.  The glass is perhaps not yet half full, but it certainly looks as if the half empty part has a few air bubbles drifting upwards. 

Shalom

Hannah

I, too, am a Bernal Heights Jewish resident and would like to add a few notes here.

The Waqf is located on Crescent Avenue (not Street - BTW, it's very SF to correct our neighbors on Ave vs St ), which is where the graffitied Chronicle box is located: makes sense, nu?

Also wanted to mention that the National Guard / Arabic language recruitment billboard was quickly (and artfully) defaced with the addition of the words "To Die" so that it read "The Army National Guard Wants You To Die." - also very SF!

Bernal Heights (we refer to it as "The Land of Aging Bohemians") is one of SF's greatest neighborhoods, but sshhhhh! don't tell anybody, better the masses should flock to Noe Valley. 

See you walking the dog up on the Hill, neighbor!