News - April 2007
Volume 7

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Learning the Lay of the Land of Israel

Anne B. Shlay

If anyone several years ago had suggested that I would spend a semester in Jerusalem as a Fulbright Research Scholar, I would have called them mad. As an urban sociologist, and an applied one to boot, my focus was on domestic U.S. cities, typically whatever one I was living in at the time. A big field trip was a visit to a local homeless shelter or a public housing development. My public life was dedicated to doing research that would solve problems of poverty, discrimination and inequality.

At the same time, much of my private life focused on my synagogue community, particularly Jewish studies with my Rabbi Lenny Gordon at Germantown Jewish Centre. I would take any class he offered; the topic was unimportant. So when Lenny organized a congregational trip to Israel that he would lead, I decided to go. That I had little interest in Israel was not an issue.

Yet to my surprise, my visit to Israel opened my eyes to a place of sociological wonder, particularly for me, the dogged urbanist. The social, ethnic, and racial diversity of the population made the U.S. appear relatively homogeneous. The housing developments built at very high densities often right into the hills, were so refreshing after writing critically for decades about suburban sprawl and exclusivity.

So I made the decision to go live and study in Israel. I studied Hebrew and designed a research project that I submitted to the U.S. Fulbright Foundation. I was awarded a fellowship. In August, my 16 year old daughter and I moved to Jerusalem – her to an American school on a kibbutz and me to Hebrew University on Mount Scopus.

The four months that followed focused on studying, traveling, interviewing and just listening. Following my long standing tradition of local field trips, I made Jerusalem my laboratory, with side trips to Beer Sheva, Tel Aviv and Haifa. My main interest became the politics and planning associated with suburbanization, particularly around Jerusalem. I was fascinated with Israeli practice of building dense development, sometimes entire cities to house thousands of people.

Inside This Issue
Page 2 Learning the Lay of the Land of Israel continue
Page 3 Greetings from the chair & S.U.M.M.A.
Page 4 & 5 Faculty & Graduate student updates
Page 6 Student Conference