Arrived home yesterday afternoon with all travel arrangements going as planned. Suffering from a little jet lag this morning but so much to be thankful for: safety while we traveled, great hosts, the opportunity to visit the Holy Land, to hear from many and to personally witness what it is like to live in a land where there is so much hated and conflict, to be able to live in a land which is quite peaceful . . . And yet this morning I am struggling more than ever to answer the question "what does it mean to be a peacemaker?" for Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the sons (and daughters) of God." And as I was traveling home I thought to myself that just maybe we are expecting too much. Can peoples, governments, nations that don't have Christ be changed? Real transformation in people's lives only comes through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And it starts within me/us. The only one I can really change is myself. Real peace starts within myself and within the community which I am most directly connected with; my family, my church family, the community I reside in. Real and lasting peace only comes through Christ, "the Prince of Peace."
Sharing the Love and Peace of Christ in our own community and around the world,
Dick
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Other Side
On Sunday we entered a large Jewish settlement located between Bethlehem & Hebron. What seemed very similar to a rather affluent gated community in America. Quite different from many of the areas we had visited so far. We visited with David & Rivka Moriah who graciously welcomed us into their home, served us water and juice, and shared some family photos before sharing their story. They both have been married once before, been married to one another now for 21 years, and have nine children between them. Interestingly, Rivka grew up in the United States, in a small New England town, was raised Quaker, and went to Oberlin College before converting to Judaism. We have learned throughout the trip that many who live in the Jewish settlements have immigrated from America and other countries. David grew up in Israel and is a minister in the local synagogue as well as a school teacher. They consider themselves "moderate Orthodox Jews."
They said they have chosen to live in the settlement in the Holy Land because they are God's chosen people and for them it really isn't a choice. "We live in the land because of the holiness of the land and what it means to be the Jewish people . . .Our job is to create a state in the land showing that a Jewish community can occupy the land and live in it the way God calls us to live." Rivka went on, "for us it is not a choice, we are obligated to live on the land." They know of many who have been killed in the conflict including Rivka's own 21-year-old son who was killed a few years ago when a Palestinian gunman entered a gathering at a post high school seminary and opened fire killing 12 in attendance. Sadly, Rivka shared that story with very little emotion.
While admitting that some Palestinians are good, especially those who they have had personal contact with in a nearby community, they seemed to generalize and demonize most, saying "it is hard to believe just how capable some people are of committing evil." For many in the group, after meeting with many Palestinians over the past two weeks, there were some rather uncomfortable moments during our visit. Rivka did acknowledge that there have been lots of people, on both sides of the conflict, who have been raised to hate those on the other side. They do not see a two state solution as a viable option at this point in time. Rivka quoted an Israeli journalist, "what is needed at this point in time is conflict management vs. conflict resolution because there is so much hatred within us . . .we can't achieve peace staying in the same place." By staying in the same place she meant both ideologically and location. A good visit which left us with the knowledge of the complexity of just some of the the issues involved in the conflict and the great divide in how the two sides see one another.
As we left the Moriah's, returning from the occupied West Bank to the Israeli side, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, we went through what is perhaps the largest checkpoint in the region, which almost all Palestinians must go through when leaving Bethlehem. Due to the day and time (Sunday afternoon) and the fact that we were Americans, while somewhat irritating, the delay was minimal. For Palestinians, on most days, the checkpoint takes hours, for which many are denied access and for which many just don't bother. A clear sign that we were leaving "occupied territory."
Returning to Jerusalem on Sunday evening, we stayed in a different hotel in the Old City, which we could sit out on the roof which overlooked the entire city and the Mount of Olives. We shared the blessings that each member of the delegation had been to one another over the past two weeks and then celebrated communion. A very moving moment, to think that Jesus celebrated communion with his disciples somewhere in the Old City, in the Upper Room, some 2,000 years ago, on the night before he went to the cross to save mankind from our sins. And to think back to Jesus' words, "if you, even you, had only known what would bring you peace."
They said they have chosen to live in the settlement in the Holy Land because they are God's chosen people and for them it really isn't a choice. "We live in the land because of the holiness of the land and what it means to be the Jewish people . . .Our job is to create a state in the land showing that a Jewish community can occupy the land and live in it the way God calls us to live." Rivka went on, "for us it is not a choice, we are obligated to live on the land." They know of many who have been killed in the conflict including Rivka's own 21-year-old son who was killed a few years ago when a Palestinian gunman entered a gathering at a post high school seminary and opened fire killing 12 in attendance. Sadly, Rivka shared that story with very little emotion.
While admitting that some Palestinians are good, especially those who they have had personal contact with in a nearby community, they seemed to generalize and demonize most, saying "it is hard to believe just how capable some people are of committing evil." For many in the group, after meeting with many Palestinians over the past two weeks, there were some rather uncomfortable moments during our visit. Rivka did acknowledge that there have been lots of people, on both sides of the conflict, who have been raised to hate those on the other side. They do not see a two state solution as a viable option at this point in time. Rivka quoted an Israeli journalist, "what is needed at this point in time is conflict management vs. conflict resolution because there is so much hatred within us . . .we can't achieve peace staying in the same place." By staying in the same place she meant both ideologically and location. A good visit which left us with the knowledge of the complexity of just some of the the issues involved in the conflict and the great divide in how the two sides see one another.
As we left the Moriah's, returning from the occupied West Bank to the Israeli side, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, we went through what is perhaps the largest checkpoint in the region, which almost all Palestinians must go through when leaving Bethlehem. Due to the day and time (Sunday afternoon) and the fact that we were Americans, while somewhat irritating, the delay was minimal. For Palestinians, on most days, the checkpoint takes hours, for which many are denied access and for which many just don't bother. A clear sign that we were leaving "occupied territory."
Returning to Jerusalem on Sunday evening, we stayed in a different hotel in the Old City, which we could sit out on the roof which overlooked the entire city and the Mount of Olives. We shared the blessings that each member of the delegation had been to one another over the past two weeks and then celebrated communion. A very moving moment, to think that Jesus celebrated communion with his disciples somewhere in the Old City, in the Upper Room, some 2,000 years ago, on the night before he went to the cross to save mankind from our sins. And to think back to Jesus' words, "if you, even you, had only known what would bring you peace."
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