Ceci's Watson Journey

Ceci's Watson Journey http://www.cecisibony.com Through North Africa and the Middle East Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:09:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Final Report The Watson Fellowship requires its Fellows to submit a final report exlaining what we have gained from our fellowship year. I am reprinting the report I submitted to them below as an appropriate conclusion to all that I have learned and how I have changed over the last year. Enjoy ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/08/final-report/ Op-Ed on Obama’s Cairo Speech and My Response The following Op-ed was printed in the NYTimes last week and was sent to me by 2 friends as something that may be of interest. It was and I drafted and submitted a response to the Times last week. Because I have not heard back from them, I thought I ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/06/op-ed-on-obamas-cairo-speech-and-my-response/ Perspectives on Israel and Arab-Israeli Understandings During my first few weeks in Cairo, I realized that a different approach was necesssary to appropriately conduct research on its Jewish community. The differences from the Moroccan and Tunisian communities are plenty; the Egyptian Jewish community is smaller and more secular, regular synagogue services are not available, and they ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/05/perspectives-on-israel-and-arab-israeli-understandings/ A Passover Seder in Egypt On April 8th, 2009, the Jews of Cairo gathered for a Passover Seder, just as Jews were doing all across the globe. However, only at this seder was the story being told set in the same place as our seats- a somewhat surreal feeling. I was both nervous and ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/04/a-passover-seder-in-egypt/ Contemporary Egyptian Jewish Life Jewish life in Egypt, while in decline, still exists. Currently, the Adley Synagogue downtown and the Maadi Synagogue are opened alternately for Jewish holidays; while I was in Cairo, a Hannukah service and Passover Seder were held at Adley, and the Purim Megilah reading was held at Maadi. The Ben-Ezra ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/04/contemporary-egyptian-jewish-life/ The Recent History of the Egyptian Jewish Community I must first apologize for the inactivity on my blog for the last few months; I hope it serves as a sign that I have kept myself very busy. Currently, on the 8th day of Passover, I am on the beach at a Bedouin camp in Sinai, preparing for my ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/04/the-egyptian-jewish-community/ Interesting New York Times Article: Jews in Iran My friend Lydia sent me this interesting article about the Jewish community in Iran, and I thought it may be relevant to post here... February 23, 2009 Op-Ed Columnist What Iran’s Jews Say By ROGER COHEN Esfahan, Iran At Palestine Square, opposite a mosque called Al-Aqsa, is a synagogue where Jews of this ancient city gather ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/02/interesting-new-york-times-article-jews-in-iran/ The Bahariya Oasis and the Black and White Deserts http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/02/the-bahariya-oasis-and-the-black-and-white-deserts/ Falling from Greatness, After the Israeli Defeat of Gaza  To the Reader: I wrote this piece a few weeks ago, and it has recently ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/01/falling-from-greatness-after-the-israeli-defeat-of-gaza-2/ Gaza & Israel: When is Enough…Enough??? Through my website, I have been in contact with some very interesting people. Jerry Sorkin is the founder of TunisUSA, a cultural tour company whose foundation has ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2009/01/gaza-israel-when-is-enoughenough/