The Sabbath Clock and the Prayer Rug

In my hotel room, there coexist a sabbath clock and a prayer rug--a very concrete and tangible reminder that coexistence is possible. Last night we had dinner at a restaurant that several years ago had been blown up by a suicide bomber--a woman headed to a hospital to do the deed. She got as far as the restaurant and blew up herself and others, including the daughter of the owners. They had been involved with Hands of Peace and were committed to the approach espoused to work toward peaceful resolution of the conflict. Their resolve was shaken by their loss and in their great grief, but the outpouring of love and support and compassion of the Hands alums and their families led them to the same perspective and commitment that Aziz shared with us in Jerusalem: hate and fear and violence and retaliation solve not a thing and only make a bad situation worse. So last night in a rebuilt restaurant close to the sea the Hands of Peace alums and their parents and our delegation which includes host families broke bread together and gathered in small groups after dinner to converse with each other and build or build on relationships.

It was such a hope-in-our-hearts filled evening--even as rocket fire increases from the Gaza into Siderot where we visited only days ago; when the Israel government is strengthening its nuclear capability and saber rattling at Iran; and when our own country cut off funding from UNESCO because Palestine was admitted to membership and is considering imposing sanctions on the Palestinian Authority--an action that would cause even more pain and suffering to people who have endured for so many years. I keep hearing in my mind the psalmist's words, "how long, O Lord, how long?"

Room with a view. . . and a balcony to make it better

This is a beautiful city and the photos attached are a view from my balcony overlooking the bay of the port of Haifa....abounding with cruise ships as the streets of this very hilly, San Francisco-like place abound with tour bus packed vehicles.

Haifa, Day One

I am sitting on the balcony of my room overlooking the Port of Haifa--a gorgeous bay at one end of the Mediterranean. From this vantage point I can see the mountains whose other side I can't see is Lebanon. I can hear the call to prayer. The day has been beautiful, warm, and sunny though the breeze picking up and the sun setting has made it a little chilly in the air.

Today we began our journey with a stop at the Bahai Temple. Both the Bab and the prophet who followed him are revered in this city. The gardens of the temple are exquisite and we spent about an hour walking through the gardens and visiting the shrine.

From there we went on to the Druze village near the top of Carmel where we heard from Druze man who was also an English teacher some of the history of Druze culture and religion. We also had what was likely the best meal (among many good ones) of this trip--at the home of a family. The women prepared all of the food from locally grown produce and locally developed menus. We sat around tables on their patio and watched the pita/flat bread dough shaped and put on the wood fired grill.

The hospitality of the family, and the woman who actually runs a catering business and is known to our Palestinian tour guide, Husam, was extraordinary.

Monday Morning in Haifa

I am sitting on my balcony in a hotel at the top of MT Carmel overlooking the port of Haifa. It is a spectacular view of the elbow of the Mediterranean. The weather is warm but not hot. This is the third to last day of a trip that has been an intense experience in every way.

I have a number of posts yet unfinished and unsent. I am going to try my best to take a couple of hours before I close my eyes tonight to catch up and post the rest on facebook and then, I think, on the blog as well....

Today we are going to a Druze village and on a visit to the nearby Bahai gardens. Tonight we have dinner with the local Hands of Peace kids and their families.

It is scheduled to be a much lighter day after one packed program after another. Yesterday morning we went on a political tour of Jerusalem--with maps in hand and expert guides who explained to us the current politics of polarization in the city of Jerusalem. We visited with a Palestinian citizen of the City of David/Zalwan and observed and heard about the living conditions that he and his family experience. Two of his sons are in different prisons; his eleven year old son has been arrested 8 times--for alleged throwing stones--taken from his house in the middle of the night.

It was very interesting, then, to go to lunch at the Petra Restaurant and hear from an orthodox rabbi (from Brookline, Ma!) in his mid to late 30's who told us of the benevolent democracy with education and health care and great freedom of speech that is Israel. It was such a different narrative, given what we had seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, only hours earlier.

Thankfully the presentation after-lunch concluded with Asiz on behalf of the Circle of Bereaved Families and the work they do to encourage and demonstrate that violence is not an answer and retaliation solves nothing. From the rabbi's perspective, and in that narrative, SECURITY trumps everything. In Asiz's narrative, compassion and relationship building is the only way. Asiz mentioned that he has been told that Gandhi and his way have little appeal to the Israeli government. The wall, the check points, the omnipresence of fingers-on-the-trigger IDF is juxtaposed to the work of Asiz and other peace-making and reconciliation advocates who have gone so far as to donate blood, Jew to Palestinian and Palestinian to Jew. In response to someone who asked how an individual could do such a thing, the response was--it is better to give blood to give life than to spill it on the ground.
Alas--it is only with such courage can hope be sustained and peace not eluded forever.

In the Wilderness: Qumran

Our adventures on this day began with Masada and ended with the Dead Sea soak. In between was a visit to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrols were discovered in the mid- twentieth century. We walked through the remains of the Essene community. The landscape comports with the description of wilderness-- think of John the Baptist described as a voice crying in the wilderness. The remains suggest that there was a community that observed an ascetic lifestyle. The finding of the scrolls was of great significance. The story is that the first of the scrolls was found in one of the many caves by a shepherd who stumbled upon the structure after throwing a stone that didn't bounce back. It took a while for scholars to understand the significance of the discovery--after small pieces of scrolls were torn off and sold as little remnants of antiquity. It was another one of those other worldly landscapes. Someone mentioned that they were reminded of DUNE. . .

We made a stop in the gift store and were able to purchase products from the nearby Dead Sea. Our next stop was to that place where we changed into bathing suits and tried without sinking or slipping in mud at the shore and under foot in the water to manuever to the floating position. It is a very strange feeling to be so buoyant. It is also a little perilous as it is mighty uncomfortable to get any of the water into eyes or mouth.

The ritual is to soak for not more than 15 minutes and then to cover yourself with the mud from the bottom or thw shore then go back into the Dead Sea to wash off. Then it is up to the shower to get any remaining mud and all the sea salt and minerals off. There is supposed to be a tranquilizing effect also in the air as a result of the evaporating minerals, bromides in the atmosphere.

Most of us agreed we were glad to have had the experience of being at the lowest place on this planet and of floating in the Dead Sea.

Moonscape? No, Masada

More rocks. More walls. Maybe the ultimate in rocks high atop mountains and cliffs in the middle of the desert. Synonymous with resistance, Masada towers not only in the desert but in the Israeli imagination. Whichever version of the end of the narrative you choose to believe, the meaning is impossible to miss--making choices and resisting to the finish. Some interesting discussions and observations as we trekked through under sun that was scorching and parching. Two of our number got bragging rights for hiking up the thousand steps while the rest of us crammed into the cable lift both ways.

Before we ascended, we saw clips of the movie with commentary on the resisters and the conquerors. Once at the top, we toured the structures and observed the palace and its fortifications and the way in which the Romans structured and sustained their siege.

The yellowish rock of the fortress contrasted with the dark browns of the surrounding cliffs. It really did remind me of a moonscape or something out of science fiction.

Echoes of demonstrations past

Among the highlights of this Friday in Jerusalem was going to a demonstration. After lunch and dialogue with alumns from Hands of Peace, most of us walked less than a mile from our hotel to a demonstration that has happened every Friday at 3:00 pm for more than two years. The demonstrators are Palestinians who have been evicted from their homes and/ or had their homes destroyed by fiat of some branch of the government of Israel. We talked with many of the people--at least two had or were in imminent danger of losing their homes.

The little boy in the black shirt was leading the chants on the bull horn--accompanied by a great diversity of supporters. I spoke with an older man from Provence who was with a group who came specifically to join the protest and another woman from a World Council of Churches' group dedicated to peace-making and peace-keeping. Several little children undercthe age of 10 were waving flags and keeping time to the drumbeat that for many reverberated up through their feet.

The pottery pictures were taken at a workshop just across from the Legacy Hotel in Jerusalem. The potter is a woman so highly regarded that her work has a greater presence than that of any other middle easterner at the Smithsonian; so great that she was invited to do restoration work in the mosque at the Dome of the Rock.