Unknown to most of my friends is the fact that, in addition to Computer Science, I also majored in Political Science while at U.C. Berkeley. I was never interested in pursuing a career in the field, but I just loved politics — and still do — so much that I wanted to take in all I could about the subject. I think that all good stories teach people something about the world around them, and politics is an obvious way to do that, if you can do it well.
Fridays in Jerusalem looks at the obscure, untold stories of the Arab-Israeli conflict in a new way: by asking “What if?” Fridays will be a collection of short stories — written by me and illustrated by professional comic artists — each of which takes place in different alternate history universes where the history of the Middle East has deviated from our current history at some branching off point. The purpose of each story is to illuminate the conflict by changing an obscure or seemingly minor detail of our current history, then explore its impact by examining how things could have been different. The compelling dramas are intended to reveal the hopes, desires, emotions and concerns behind the simple labels which for too many represent the entire depth of their understanding of this conflict.
My hope is that through reading these stories readers will be connected, and in some cases reconnected, to the humanity of the people caught on both sides of the conflict. In a conflict such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, the highest stakes are at risk for the people involved, and too often this means that perspectives become polarized and immovable. Nothing is a bigger impediment to resolution than having people sitting around with their arms folded, each insisting that the other side see their point before any concessions can be made. My purpose in writing Fridays in Jerusalem is to give honest brokers on both sides some leverage in breaking that deadlock.
Tower of David, Jerusalem (Old City). Image © 2009 Flickr user lapidim
The first story, currently being written, explores the significance of the Golan Heights battle in the Yom Kippur war by asking what would have changed if the Israelis had both evacuated Nafekh and lost the battle at the Valley of Tears. The main protagonist is a conscript manning the Bar Lev line in the Sinai, on the opposite end of the war. At the outset of the war, he is forced to withdraw his position in the face of an overwhelming Egyptian advance. As news of the Syrian advance in the Golan reaches him, his concern turns away from his country to his family at home, situated on Israel’s northern border. I intend for this story to be a suspenseful drama and an intense political thriller, about the size of one comic book issue.
A key challenge in this project will be getting the illustration done. I want the art to be of the highest quality, and from what I can tell at the moment, this means upward of $150 per page. The entire project will have 5 stories, each about 22-28 pages, raising the production costs above $20,000. At the moment I don’t have this kind of funding, so I am focused on writing, which only costs me time.
Keep watching this space for updates and releases.
Update
Friday 29 January 2010I spent an incredible amount of time doing research about the Arab-Israeli conflict in 2009. It was great and I learned a great deal about military tactics, nuclear weapons programmes, espionage, foreign relations and the Roman Empire. At this point I’ve decided that it would be an interesting project to do, but it’s not my top priority. I wrote a few rough and final drafts, but again, finding a suitable artist is too expensive.
Creator.