On Sunday afternoon, I marched in downtown D.C. behind rows of black-hooded figures in orange jumpsuits, holding a sign that read, “Torture is always wrong.” I was part of a procession commemorating the “National Week of Action Against Torture, Guantanamo, and the NDAA,” and the mock-prisoners walking ahead of me represented the many victims of …
Hassan Al-Deeyafeh (“Peeling Oranges” Series)
The green, stone-strewn hills beckoned us out of the city and welcomed us into their fields, bursting with yellow flowers and fed by a gushing stream. As two friends and I descended into the valley, passing homes and shops, children waved hello while washing their goats, and men took long strides to catch up with …
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Me and Mary Magdalene
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. (Mark 16:1) I press my face against the pink, veined marble slab, smeared with a fragrant oil that lingers on my neck and hands. As I push myself from the …
Midnight in Jerusalem (“Peeling Oranges” Series)
Jerusalem: Good Friday, and the first day of Passover. Just before midnight, beneath a full moon and the shadow of the Western Wall, pigeons and crumpled prayers snuggle between cracks in bricks. I sit nearly alone in the women’s section, except for a few Jewish ladies whose covered heads rest against the wall, their eyes …
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Kisses on Palm Sunday (“Peeling Oranges” series)
(My spring break spent in Jerusalem and Galilee provided me with many images that I hope to share through my Peeling Oranges series.) Outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, I sulk in a mix of frustration and guilt, wanting to participate in the centuries-old traditions and services that originated in this city. On Palm …
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JORDAN DENARI DUFFNER 