Remembering the Fallen
November 11 is known in various countries as Remembrance Day, Armistice Day and Veterans Day. Jerusalem was shaped by the world wars, particularly the First World War. The Levant and Hejaz, (including Palestine) were taken from the Ottoman Empire by the British, who enlisted the help of local Arabs and Zionist Jews. (They also promised both peoples their own autonomy without a clear plan, which, it turns out, has been problematic.) So for November 11th, one does not need to go far to commemorate the day. Jerusalem is home to a well-maintained Commonwealth Cemetery on Mount Scopus. Gaza also has one. Curiously, it was completely sealed off with construction fencing, which we breached to enter (If Israelis need to visit graves on Yom Kippur, why not us?). The cemetery was completely empty, save for a couple of locals enjoying a quiet moment. Via elementary math, we estimated over 2,000 graves and thousands more marked with no known resting place. Still, this is just a small reminder of t...