Jerusalem - Woke Up Alive Travel Notes, 2006
A collection of writing from the filmmakers

Yesterday we landed in Tel Aviv after a seriously long flight. I was
singled out by security for questioning. I’m not the typical visitor.
The authorities left Jesse Goldberg, the cinematographer, alone
but he hid the camera and all of the equipment anyway. We
have no film permits and don’t know what the rules are for
filming over here. The military is all over the place. Al Italia lost
my luggage. The line for lost luggage was disorganized. I still
don’t know what I’m supposed to do to get it back.

From the airport, we drove to Latrun - half-way to Jerusalem. Right
now we are at the International Center for the Study of Bird Migration.
Dr. Yossi Leshem’s place. We wouldn’t be in Israel if it wasn’t for Yossi.
Yossi’s our surrogate father. Latrun is our makeshift hotel. People in
uniforms are marching outside our window. It’s some kind of military
base/museum/environmental education center. Never seen anything
like it. Our room flooded and then Yossi called. He was totally insane.
More energy than I’ve ever heard in one man. Spoke so fast I could
hardly understand him. I caught this much: we’re meeting him
tomorrow in Jerusalem at a big windmill, whatever that means. The
14th Dalai Lama is lecturing to the social change community of Israel.
Yossi doesn’t know if we’ll get in. It’s a full house.

* * *

We spent the day in Jerusalem. The holiest city in the Holy Land.
More like what I thought Israel would be. Though it‘s colder than
I thought Israel would be. The temperature is much closer to
Pennsylvania. Apparently it even snowed last week. Traffic and crazy
drivers are here but it is way different than Tel Aviv. There are a lot
of religious people in traditional clothing. Cemeteries are everywhere
you look. This is as much a city of the dead as it is a city of the living.
It’s both invigorating and depressing. Ancient buildings like the Tower
of David are very accessible and right off the road. I really thought
there’d be armed guards all over the place but we are free to move
about the city. We heard the Muslim call to prayer a few times. It
definitely adds to the aura of the place. The Old City Market was really
cool. Everyone you can imagine was in the market, from Monks to
rabbis to clerics to tourists from Chicago. We went to the Whaling
Wall. The Dome of the Rock was right above. The Church of the Holy
Sepulchre was there too. This place means a lot to so many people
and you feel it whether you believe it or not.

Everyone seemed to get along well enough but apparently there
was a little trouble in Jerusalem not that long ago. I talked to some
Palestinian store-owners in the market. Interesting perspectives but
I had a feeling they weren’t saying everything they really wanted to
say. They’re businessmen, after all. They wanted to sell me tourist
trinkets but genuinely were interested in why we came to Israel.
“Nature” isn’t the usual answer they get. A couple of soldiers in full
battle gear moseyed on by. We drank Turkish coffee by the gallon but
I was pretty sure it was the soldiers and not the coffee that gave them
the jitters. The soldiers reminded me of the smug kid that questioned
me at the airport. My heart raced, and a little seed was planted in my
mind. The merchants saw kids like that come and go over the years. I
bought a couple of sweaters because I needed warmer clothes. The
merchants thanked me in three or four different languages. I
should’ve bartered harder with them.

After getting lost for an hour, we met Yossi near the Montefiore
windmill in the New City, Jerusalem and had Nescafe instant coffee
just like my older relatives used to drink. Not that bad really. Highly
caffeinated, I sat in the Dalai Lama’s chair. We told security we
needed to get the right “light refraction,” whatever that meant.
Jesse was one of only two people filming the whole event. Should
be good footage.

-Mark Blacknell
director, executive producer

Photo by Eyal Bartov