Pastor's Footprints

Takoma Park Presbyterian Church

2008-07-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

I was blessed in the morning to worship with the folks at the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, where my former colleague Rev. Mark Greiner is now the pastor. It was a wonderful morning of worship and song and a delight to be a congregant and not a worship leader. (Much as I enjoy being in the pulpit, simply participating as part of the community of faith is a welcome change every once in a while.)

I'm pleased to report that Mark (and his wife, Kolya and daughter, Sophia) seem to have found a home both at the church and in the community. After worship (which had a marvelous "coffee hour" sponsored by an Asian-American member of the church who had made Indian flat bread and chick pea salad with mint chutney), we went to the local farmers' market for fresh veggies and cheeses and fruit. Our lunch was delicious and the time together afterwards even better. Kolya (and Sophia) treated me to a mini-concert on the, oh, gee, what's it called, all I can think of is Zither and I know that's not right. Anyway, it was delightful and wondrous to see them all settled so beautifully in a place that seems just right for them.

On the Road Again

2008-07-21T05:02:00.000-07:00

The next morning after having breakfast with Carie, I was off again. Here we are right before I get in the car. As you can see, Carie's ready to have this baby! (Although her due date is August 22nd, so she's still got a ways to go.)

The road was pretty easy until I got to Jersey Shore traffic; then it slowed down considerably. I still managed to get to Bethesda in pretty good time and had a wonderful evening with Nina, Christophe and their two boys. Christophe cooked which is always a delight - and I requested ratatouille, that wonderful French specialty for Sunday night, which he had (coincidentally?! :) just bought all the ingredients for.

Carie and Co.

2008-07-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

My first stop was to see Rev. Carie and her husband, Jeff, and their two cats. Carie is about to have their first child and Jeff took some pictures of the two of us together which I've been waiting for him to email me, so that I could attach them to this post, but they've not arrived, so I decided to move ahead and write anyway.

The trip to NJ was long - I was fine across the Island and fine in NJ, but getting across Manhattan was a horror show. That's the tough thing about driving anywhere off the Island: you just never can tell about the traffic. When, where, or how it might be bad. I took my tried and true faster pathway along the Harlem River Drive and it took me an hour to go five miles. Ah, well...

Once I arrived, it was really good to see Carie. She's suffered a really difficult pregnancy, so prayers are most definitely in order to get her through the rest of it with a safe and healthy delivery. I was, however, pleased to see her happy in her home life and ready to be a mom. If/when I get the photos, I'll post even though it may not work with what's going on writing-wise :)...

Next Stop - Washington, D.C.

2008-07-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm on the road again, this time locally. I'm actually stopping first in New Jersey this evening to visit a clergy colleague (who's pregnant, yippee!), spending the night with her and her husband, then heading to the D.C. area on Saturday morning. There I'll visit friends, former colleagues and former parishioners as well as get in a little sightseeing, perhaps, and maybe a movie. (I confess the guilty pleasure of "Hellboy 2" is calling me. I'll let you know what I think. :)

Church & Synagogue - Not

2008-05-13T03:49:00.000-07:00

We were then taken to see the church built over where Joseph, Mary and Jesus supposedly lived while in Egypt followed by a local synagogue as well, but neither house of worship would let us take pictures. What I found far more interesting on this our last day was the plethora of satellite dishes atop even the poorest looking homes. You might also note the metal rods poking out of the top of all the buildings. We were told that if you are doing renovations or new building on your property, you are exempt from property taxes, so many, many, many homes, houses, buildings are intentionally left unfinished. Also these dishes that beam hundreds of channels from around the world cost only ~$80 U.S. A one time fee with no continuing cost like we have in America. The upside is that a broader worldview is entering Egyptian (and indeed Middle Eastern) homes on a daily basis, even those who are poorer and do not have access to quality education have t.v. The downside, I was told, is that over 300 of these channels are pornographic, thus giving the impression that Western society is decadent and corrupt. There is no understanding that we in the West do not have these channels on our television sets, nor do we watch them or allow our children to watch them. Their system is "pay once and get it all - good and bad". Ours is "pay monthly and only get what you pay for". But they don't know that...

The Mosque at the Citadel

2008-05-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

The Mosque at the Citadel was commissioned by Muhammad Ali in the mid 18oos. It was built in memory of his son and as a sort of de facto declaration of separation from the Ottoman empire. The architect was a Christian who had also designed the Yeni Mosque in Istanbul. Interestingly enough, this means that there are some Christian-like facets to the building: note the landscape scenes in the third picture. The clock was donated by King Louis Philippe of France in 1845. It was reciprocated by an obelisk from Luxor that now stands in the Place de la Concorde in Paris - unfortunately, despite repeated attempts from experts in numerous countries, the clock has never worked. I've added also a photo of what appears to be an anomaly to me - a woman in full black chador using a video camera. I assume she is a tourist like us, but from a country with a far different culture. An interesting site to my Western eyes.

Our Last Night on the Ship

2008-05-07T04:42:00.000-07:00

I take a moment to grant kudos to our group: our last night on the ship, we took this photo in remembrance of what was a lovely gathering of people from around the world, different in so many ways, but fun to meet and get to know. Back row (left to right): Peter, Bob, Maggie, Michael and Robert. Middle row (left to right): Rebecca, Gail, Carol, Ruby and Jean. Front row (left to right): Grace, Dale, Jane and Rose. And of course, seated: our tour guide, Mohammed.

Luxor Temple

2008-05-07T04:29:00.000-07:00

Next was the Temple at Luxor. This temple, like the one on Philae Island has been appropriated by others over the years. The first picture is of (who else) Ramses II keeping watch over his temple some 3400 years later. The arch you see in the middle picture was built by Alexander the Great and incorporates him into the friezes along with the Egyptian gods. The third picture is of the mosque that is still worshipping today - a wedding was occurring there the day we arrived and you see some of the children in attendance peering through the grates at us.

The Temple at Karnak

2008-05-07T03:51:00.000-07:00

This temple is actually not one alone, but the largest temple complex in all of Egypt encompassing 55 acres. You see here one of the entranceways flanked by an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes and the bathing pool of Hatshepsut, which was filled and emptied daily with fresh water from the Nile. There was a also a statue of a scarab beetle next to it that she used to circumnabulate 10 times after bathing to cleanse her heart as her body had just been cleansed. Grace and I didn't bathe, but we did walk around the statue 10 times in hopes that our hearts might be purer.

The Singing Statues

2008-05-04T04:40:00.000-07:00

These two reconstructed statues of Pharoah Amenhotep II - they were destroyed in an earthquake - are known as the Colossi of Memnon or the Singing Statues because in the morning, they make a whistling or singing noise, probably because of the rising temperatures and the evaporation of the dew within the rock.

Queen Hatshepsut's Temple

2008-05-04T04:34:00.001-07:00

This was a stunning temple built by Queen Hatshepsut - the one who had a Sphinx of herself at the Memphis site. She made herself Pharoah by killing off her husband and enlisting the aid of the High Priest and the Commander of the Military and one other person that I'm not remembering right now. Anyway, this is the Mortuary Temple she had built to prepare her body for interment in the Valley of the KINGS. Hmmm. She actually ruled for 33 years, too, so she was successful in her bid for power...

The Valley of the Kings

2008-05-04T04:31:00.001-07:00

There's not much for the outside observer to see here. Just a bunch of stone entrances to tunnels. They won't let you take pictures inside because they don't want the colors to be ruined by flash photography. Suffice it to say that the colors are gorgeous and it's hot, hot, hot deep under the ground in unventilated tombs. But also "cool" nonetheless.

Cruising on the Nile

2008-05-04T04:24:00.001-07:00

The Nile River looks just like you'd expect it to: gorgeous palm trees and green close to the river and sand dunes in the background. We were treated to all sorts of sights. Note here a man net fishing in a small boat, goats and other animals living in the greener areas, what looked like fog, but upon closer observation turned out to be farmers separating wheat from chaff.

Edfu Temple

2008-05-02T06:38:00.001-07:00

The next morning we visited the Edfu Temple. We got there via horse and buggy. It was an interesting trip: Grace and I got in the second the last carriage and arrived at the temple second. Our driver kept driving the horse into a canter and shouting, "Ferrari! Ferrari!" (Interestingly enough, Robert and Jean were the last couple to alight a carriage and the first to arrive!)

The temple at Edfu is the most complete temple still standing. It is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and there is also a complete statue of that god at the front (you see Mother and Grace standing before it). Even as crowded as it was, I managed to find long, narrow passages with no one in them. Mohammed told us some country (I forget who: the U.K.?) offered an exhorbitant amount of money for it last year, but the Egyptian government declined. I walked along for awhile imagining I was a servant girl in ancient Egyptian times. (My mother tells me that is the difference between us - she rode in her carriage imagining that she was Queen Cleopatra! :)

Kom Ombo

2008-05-02T06:09:00.001-07:00

Even though it was in far from the best shape, this was my favorite temple. Our guide, Mohammed, told us that this temple was dedicated to the crocodile-headed god, Sobek, because each year, five days before the Nile flooded, the crocodiles would gather here. After years of this, the people began noticing and built a temple in Sobek's honor. Each year they would capture a crocodile and basically starve it to death and then mummify it to worship.

He also showed us heiroglyphics that described the Egyptian calendar: 3 seasons each 4 months long, each month was 3 weeks long, each week was 10 days long, which adds up to 360 days with 5 left over - those were the 5 that the crocodiles gathered before the flooding.

There is also a well which served as a Nil-O-Meter: the leaders would note how full it was each year, and taxes would be assessed accordingly. In other words, it served as a gauge for how well the crops would be irrigated and how wealthy the community would be for the year. I've certainly heard worse methods!

Perfume and Oils Palace

2008-05-01T12:40:00.001-07:00

Next we were offered the opportunity to help the Egyptian economy at a Perfume and Oils Palace, where we were treated to a sampling of a wide variety of oils and extracts from which some of the world's best-known perfumes are made. One of the most interesting aspects of this was watching the glassblower make perfume bottles - he wasn't blowing glass, but plexiglas - an unbreakable alternative!

Philae Island

2008-05-01T11:51:00.001-07:00

The original sacred island of Philae is actually now under Lake Nasser. It was dismantled and reassembled on another island (now renamed Philae) to preserve the architectural treasures. Originally a temple dedicated to Isis, when the Christians came, they made it into a church of their own. Note the cross that has been carved into the column among the heiroglyphics and the altar.

Aswan's High Dam

2008-04-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Next we headed to the High Dam completed in 1971 with the aid of the Soviets after the U.S. and Britain backed out in 1958 in an effort to marginalize the then-President Nasser. The monument is to the friendship between the Egyptian and Russian peoples. The inside is absolutely stunning with with elevators that used to go to the top, but are now forbidden since a Belgian tourist fell several years ago. The other shot is of me with the high water dammed behind me.

The Unfinished Obelisk

2008-04-29T12:23:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, we arose early - 5:30 a.m. - and headed to the Unfinished Obelisk. This was an obelisk that was to be made, as they all were, out of a single piece of granite. It would have been the largest obelisk at over 41 meters (the largest is just over 39) and was commissioned by queen Hatshepsut, but it unfortunately cracked during the removal process, so it was never finished. The first thing we noticed upon arriving at the site, however, was not the quarry itself, but the numerous stray dogs living there. The other two photos are of 1) our new friends, Robert and Jean, standing above the obelisk to give you a sense of scale, and 2) a view of the obelisk still lying in its quarry bed.

Computer Problems -- AAACCCKKKK!!!

2008-04-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, friends. It's been a tough couple of days as far as trying to blog is concerned. (Or should I say a tough 10 days?) Yesterday we were so busy seeing sites and finishing our tour arrangements that I was too tired to head out into Luxor to the Internet Cafe to blog at 10:30 p.m. Then today we arrive back in Cairo and my laptop's monitor is not working -- so I can blog here in the hotel business center, but all my photos have been downloaded into my non-functioning computer, so I cannot engage you with any shots of my adventures. I will arrive home in the States tomorrow and backtrack my blog then, I promise. Meanwhile, dear reader, hold fast in anticipation...

The Botanical Gardens

2008-04-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

After Abu Simbel, we headed to our cruise ship, the lovely Lotus, where we had lunch. Then we headed out to "sea" again on a felucca boat ride to the Botanical Gardens. It was sweltering hot and there was no breeze, so our felucca was actually pulled along by a motor boat. The Botanical Gardens are on Kitchener Island, one of the 11 islands plus the mainland that make up Aswan. From the Botanical Gardens, you can look directly across the river to the hotel in which we had stayed the night before (note the tall structure behind Muzz). On the way, a couple of Nubian boys paddled up to our felucca using pieces of cardboard, hung onto the sides of the boat and sang us songs like "Frere Jacques" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" until we rustled up a little baksheesh and sent them happily on their way. The gardens were beautiful, but the signs were all in Arabic, so we didn't really know what we were looking at. I do, however, share a sign with you that you can figure out even without any Arabic in your lectionary :).

Abu Simbel

2008-04-24T12:12:00.001-07:00

We crossed the river again to get on the bus, go across the small dam built by the British and head back to the airport where we caught a puddle-jumper to Abu Simbel. I got this shot of Grace coming down the steps off the plane, which she was very enamored of, because she looks like a famous movie star :). In reality, all flights end this way - even at Cairo International Airport, you leave the plane on the steps and take a bus to the terminal.

We then took another bus up to the dual temples built by Ramses II in the 13th century B.C.E., one for himself and the other for his wife, Neferteri. You see the famous statues here which face Sudan intentially to intimidate his Nubian neighbors from any thought of invading. It was excrutiatingly hot and a very long walk from the bus to the temples and back again, but oh, so worth it.

Flying to Aswan

2008-04-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

After I left the seminary, I headed for the airport where I met up with my tour group. We set out on a plane that was supposed to leave at 5:45 p.m., but was on "Egyptian time" :), so it was later than that. Then we landed in Luxor - an unexpected and to the best of our knowledge unscheduled stop, which added another hour to the trip. So it was quite late before we arrived in Aswan. Then we had to take a bus from the airport to a boat across the Nile to the hotel, which you see well lit behind Grace in the picture. The good news is that when we got there, we had the best meal we've had since we've been in Egypt. It really was quite marvelous. Then we all too quickly went to bed, to sleep, to awake at 6:00 a.m. and load out by 6:30 to head to another plane to Abu Simbel.

Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo

2008-04-23T12:39:00.001-07:00

The rest of my group went to the Egyptian Museum - I went to ETSC. (When I planned this excursion, we had a free 1/2 day in Cairo; when I got to Egypt that had changed, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to meet my Presbyterian brothers and sisters here.) I was greeted warmly by the entire staff and got an amazing tour of the Seminary, which has 200 students from several countries as well as Egypt. I met a students from Sudan and Iraq and was told there is one from Korea.

It was such a pleasure to meet these folks. Here's a shot of me with the President, Rev. Dr. Atef Gendy, who was simply delightful. I was blessed to meet such faithful people striving to provide an authentic Christian witness in a predominantly Muslim country. This is not without challenges, but I have found Egyptians - Christians and Muslims - to be willing and able to share their views openly, which is a plus.

I spent quite a while with Wageeh Mikhail who is the Missional Theologian working on developing a center to promote Interfaith Relations. He is an Egyptian national who spent five years in the States before returning to work in Egypt. An articulate and interesting man, Wageeh was very clear about the challenges and blessings that exist in his society.

I'm sorry that I missed the Egyptian Museum, but I had a wonderful time and want to thank Dr. Atef and Wageeh and Rev. Dusty and Mariam and Rami (he's in the photo in the chapel and gave me the tour of the facility) for their hospitality!

Computer Up and Running Again

2008-04-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been tough the last couple of days getting computer accessibility - but here we are, yippee! This has been a wonderful adventure and I'll show you more of it in a minute, but first of all, you need to know, IT IS HOT HERE! Today it was 46 degrees Celsius - I just went and looked up the conversion and it's 115 degrees Fahrenheit! This has been very tough on Muzz and Grace, both of whom spent most of today in bed - Muzz made it to the first stop this morning, but was toast by the afternoon. Grace got a sty (sp?) in her eye and was not up to heading out at 6:30 a.m. to beat the heat. She got up and had dinner with us, which I was happy about. Mohammed, our tour guide, told us that Egypt has just skipped spring this year and gone straight into summer. I was told the same thing by Mariam on Monday - speaking of Miriam, check out the next post.

Our Final Stop for the Day: Memphis

2008-04-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

...and no, I don't mean Tennessee. This was where a 15 meter tall statue of Ramses is displayed, but it is lying on its side with the bottom of its legs missing. There were originally two, so the one that has survived intact has very recently been moved to Alexandria to stand at the front of the new museum. Also onsite were another statue of Ramses and a smaller Sphinx with Pharoah Hatshepsut's head - this one is really interesting because Hatshepsut was a woman who insisted on being known as Pharoah and led as a man, including wearing the ceremonial headdress and beard in religious ceremonies and being buried in the Valley of Kings, not the Valley of Queens - a way early feminist!

The Step Pyramid

2008-04-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

Next we went to Sakkara where we saw the first pyramid ever built. It was built for Pharoah Zoser in the 12th century B.C.E. and designed by the architect Imhotep (who was badly maligned as an evil priest in The Mummy, a movie starring Brendan Fraser). He also planned a whole complex which included a pyramid for Zoser's wife, the queen, an embalming temple and a beautiful entry hall open to the sky and the Sun God Ra. An interesting aside: we've seen numerous dogs in the various archeological sites, that don't seem to have owners, although this puppy was being fed saltines and given water by a local boy in the temple.

Lunch

2008-04-20T12:29:00.001-07:00

...which may not sound like a fascinating topic, but I had to share the bread baked in an outdoor oven. We walked over to watch the women baking the pita bread, which came out of the oven puffy and warm. They gave us a couple of hot, fresh pieces, one of which I was happy to see Grace gobble up as she had not been feeling too well this morning and it was the first thing that she ate all day. (And she had a couple more at lunch - or should I say in lieu of lunch. :)

Papyrus Factory

2008-04-20T12:15:00.001-07:00

We went to a papyrus factory - a place where papyrus is made. We were shown the basics: the papyrus water lily stem is stripped of its outer skin, then cut into thin strips. The strips are pressed with a rolling pin to squeeze out all the water. They are laid alongside one another slightly overlapping, then a second layer is laid atop the first one at a 90 degree angle. The two layers are pressed together with a vise (or in ancient times between two heavy stones) until the pressure makes them bind into being an incredibly strong paper. Even after the papyrus gets wet, it does not fall apart. After that the pages can be written on, painted on, decorated in a variety of ways.

After the demonstration of the making of papyrus, we were offered an opportunity to purchase paintings on them. I must confess, I bought a gorgeous painting on papyrus that I look forward to having hang over my living room couch - a long-lasting memory of an already wonderful trip!

The Sphinkus :)

2008-04-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

..was not as small as everyone who's ever been here has told me that it is - indeed it is quite impressive still. Our guide told us that one of Napeoleon's soldiers accidentally shot off its beard and nose. The Sphinx actually has the head of Pharoah Cheops and the body of a lion. This is far from the only Sphinx in Egypt, just the most famous one. It seems that to have a statue built of oneself with the body of lion symbolized strength and power.

The Other Two Pyramids

2008-04-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

Next we drove a short way to between the other two pyramids built by Cheops' son and grandson. The white cap on the top of the one pyramid is actually a limestone coating that was scraped off (it used to cover all three pyramids). This occurred as well as the looting of the stones from the top of the Cheops' pyramid when the Muslims came into Egypt in the late 7th century. There seem to have been duel motivations: 1) the limestone had carvings all over it that were viewed as against their religion as images and 2) they needed the materials to build their own homes. The stones themselves are not indigenous to the area, but were cut 500 miles south in Aswan and then brought in some unknown manner (up the Nile, perhaps?) to Cairo. The final photo is - believe it or not - Anwar Sadat's summer home. (Obviously not any longer, since he was assassinated in 1981.) While it looks pretty hideous to my American eyes, it afforded him an "in-your-face" view of all three pyramids, and after what's more important than Location, Location, Location?

The Pyramid of Cheops

2008-04-20T11:40:00.001-07:00

We met early this morning after breakfast in order to avoid the heat of the day and the crowds and headed for the Pyramids of Giza. The first stop was the Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the three with over 1,300,000 stones, each weighing 2 1/2 tons. Note the size of the stones by the size of Grace standing next to them. One of the best parts of the morning was riding a camel. I had talked Muzz into doing it (I didn't need to talk Grace into it) - but it came as a surprise to me when I ended up on one too. We had a great ride in the morning breeze before heading to the other two pyramids and the Sphinx.

A Trip to Felfela's

2008-04-19T12:24:00.001-07:00

For dinner, Mother and I decided to walk to the take-away joint, Felfela's, for falafel and fuul. After a meeting regarding our tour schedule, Grace was fading, so she went back to room to rest. Meanwhile, Muzz and I discovered that two women out walking alone after dark in Cairo is a rather interesting proposition. With the exception of two women and their children (also heading to Felfela's), we were the only women on the street. We had men beg us to enter their stores, take their taxis, buy their goods, whistle at us, catcall, shout and follow us. One offered to take us to "see the Sphinkus" (yes, pronounced just that way) for $2. We were a little unsure about which direction to walk and tried to ask directions, but no one was speaking English, only Arabic. Finally, I asked a policeman and he couldn't speak English either, but about 2-3 blocks further on, we met another policement, who asked, "You are looking for Felfela's?" We were surprised he knew and then he introduced us to his "dispatcher" who was walking with him out of uniform, but with a radio. They took us on as their protectorate and walked us to the takeaway counter, waited for us there and walked us about 1/2-way back to the hotel, until we were in a well-lighted area again. It was an adventure!

Muzz said she was glad she had the experience, but she wouldn't do it again, and I have to admit that I was glad Grace had stayed back at the hotel. All's well that ends well, though, because the falafels and fuul were yummy and the rice pudding worth the walk.

A Welcome Drink

2008-04-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

After taking our bags to the room, we gathered at the bar for a welcome drink. It was a delightful concoction of mango, guava and strawberry juices layered in an enticing way. And yes, we did have an amazing view of the pyramids from where we sat. :)

The Mena House Oberoi

2008-04-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

We traveled to the hotel, which is simply gorgeous. I've never seen such ceilings and marble and fresh flowers and the VIEW. Jimmy Carter stayed here this past week while he was in Egypt meeting with leaders from Hamas, which gives you an idea of the caliber of the accommodations. Here's a shot of Grace standing in front of the hotel and the view from our room's balcony.

The Trip from JFK

2008-04-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

We left NY JFK yesterday a little bit late - the flight was supposed to take off at 6:30 p.m. and we didn't leave until 7:30 p.m., but it was safe; all was well, if a little lengthy. I remembered such a short time ago when I took my first ten hour flight and how painful it was. This one was a bit better for me because I knew what to expect, but it was a little tough on Grace and Mother. Here's a couple of photos - of our arrival in Cairo and our exit from the plane onto the tarmac where we were driven to the terminal via bus.

Cairo, Here I Come

2008-04-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe what a travelin' person I am, but it's almost time to head East again. This time I'm going to Egypt for 10 days with my mother and daughter. A pleasure trip (literally part of it "a pleasure cruise"), but I will also hopefully be meeting with some Presbyterians at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo and possibly with a friend of friend's parents who are Muslim and live in Alexandra. Once again, opportunities about to broaden my horizons, and I am soooo grateful for them. More later...

Resurrection Time

2008-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

It is now post-Easter Sunday, and even though we continue to liturgically honor Eastertide for the next seven Sundays until Pentecost, our culture considers it "over". As I consider Easter, the meaning of resurrection and the deep and abiding need that we have for it, I am amazed that we are in such a hurry to celebrate and then forget it.

I am pondering death a lot lately - not the large and impending death that we all will know, and perhaps to some degree fear (at least the prospect of oblivion, of our lives being over and not having mattered, that sort of fear) - but the little deaths that we experience every day. Stephen Sondheim wrote a song for the play A Little Night Music that goes: "Every day a little death, in the parlor, in the bed, in the curtains, in the silver..." etc. and so on. Little deaths: of hope, of self-esteem, of dreams come true. And the more we invest in them, the less we are able to live in the good news of Jesus Christ, in the resurrection, in a life that is supported by a God of second chances.

I need the resurrection, new life, new beginnings - not just Jesus', but the knowledge that every day there's the opposite of a "little death", there's a little LIFE, there's hope, there's a reason to keep on keeping on. So this is where I'm going to focus in these days and weeks ahead. As I continue to enlarge my world-view, reading and writing about what's going on in my neighborhood and around the globe, I am also going to enlarge my resurrection view, my ability to see and perceive the new life and new possibilities around me.

Post-Easter Musings

2008-03-24T08:08:00.001-07:00

I've now been back from the Holy Land for exactly two weeks - today is day fourteen, and I continue to wrestle with what is right and what is righteous.

I have also just finished reading Asne Seierstad's A Hundred & One Days about the days before, during and immediately after the "liberation" of Iraq, and I feel torn in a hundred and one different directions about the situation in the Middle and Near East. There are cultural differences, it is true, but do not all people deserve to live in dignity?

I also wrestle with the nature vs. nurture issue here. It seems to me that when one grows up in a society in which children play "Israelis vs. Palestinians", what can they do but grow up to hate and hurt one another?

Also clearly we as Americans are seen in very specific but varying ways: as saviors, as devils, as an undeniable part of the peace process, as an undeniable hindrance to the same. We are imbedded in the situation, yet seemingly unable to effect positive change.

Now is a time in the Christian tradition when we celebrate resurrection - Jesus' and the resurrections we experience in our own lives, large and small. Yet it is difficult to believe in resurrection in the midst of anger, hatred, hopelessness and despair, much less be a part of the positive process towards peace and reconciliation.

This is my post-Easter prayer. That God shows me the ways in which I am to experience and express resurrection power - in my congregation, my community, my country, my world. That sounds huge. I guess it is. I long, however, to make a meaningful difference; perhaps that is all anyone wishes to do.

The Last Supper

2008-03-17T03:31:00.000-07:00

I guess I do write this title a bit "tongue in cheek", especially as at this moment, we are in Holy Week only a few days from the date we celebrate Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples. Certainly, there was not the import to this one that there is to that one, but it was nonetheless a poignant evening. We took a moment to share our thoughts with one another about moving moments during the week; this was a treasured time for me. Here you see photos of Pat leading the reflection time and our wonderful leaders, AJC Program Coordinator Jael, and Tour Guide Aharon.

The meal, like all our meals, was wonderful - we ate at a Moroccan restaurant called Darna. The tiles and decorations had come from Morocco and it was a beautifully appointed place. Of course, the final photo is of one of our waiters "performing for us" the amazing feat of pouring out end of supper tea from a height.

Free Time (part 2)

2008-03-17T03:23:00.001-07:00

We have just a bit of time left before we go to our closing dinner together and some of us decided to head back to the Old City for a teensy bit more shopping. It truly was a teensy bit more - we only made it into one store. The owner was a salesman extraordinaire and basically got all the money each of us had, in exchange for wonderful necklaces, scarves and earrings.

As we headed home, I literally had one shekel to my name. Kimberly, Brenda, Steve and Greg were pretty much in the same shape as I, so we followed our original plan and walked home. This wasn't as easy as you might think, because Jerusalem streets wind about the hills and valleys in very confusing ways. We asked eight people - yes, really 8 - before we were able to find someone to give us directions "home". It wasn't difficult, but it was a little bit of a walk. Anyway, it was wonderful, as this whole experience has been.

Our Final Program

2008-03-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

Our last meeting was held at the Israel government office of Foreign Affairs. Here we are standing outside shivering while we await approval of official entry. We had to turn in our passports in order to be given Visitors' passes and were not allowed to take our cameras into the meeting. Once inside, however, the meeting was truly amazing.

We met with Daniel Taub, Head of the Legislative Department of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our last speaker, Mr. Taub was as well-informed, articulate and responsive as anyone we've met on this tour. He spoke of wishing to be (and imagining that indeed they would be) in a very different place at this point than the one at which the country is. The spiral that has occurred since the breakdown of talks with Arafat in 2000, through the unexpected violence following the unilateral disengagement from Gaza in the summer 2006 after the Hamas takeover in that region, up to the Israeli incursion into the Gaza strip this past week, is disappointing, but not stopping the attempt at negotiations.

Taub made several statements, among them that while there is no partner on the Palestinian side that can ensure an agreement is positively implemented, that will not stop their attempt to work toward peace; that the current Israeli policy is one of distinction - that is, they are trying to identify and work with those in the Palestinian government that are moderate; that their approach is to continue the process begun with Roadmap to Peace; and to conduct negotiations now rather than wait until a government is in place that can implement decisions. He also argued that the conflict is not territory-based, as is shown in what happened when Israel unilaterally left Gaza and gave the territory back, but is instead a moderate/extremist conflict.
It would logically be in Israel's best interests for the Palestinians to have a positive national identity. But all attempts by Israel (and indeed the world community - Palestine has received more international aid per capita than any other nation in the world) have been thwarted by extremists.

This does not leave a lot of hope for either side, but I guess if I can find some, it is in the individuals we have met and in Daniel Taub himself and others like him, working against all odds for all to have a decent way of life in his country.

Immigration and Absorption

2008-03-16T11:25:00.001-07:00

That afternoon, we visited an Ulpan - one of 33 centers nationwide whose purpose is to help young immigrants to Israel integrate into society. For the nominal fee of 1400 shekels (~$400 U.S.), they are housed and fed for 5 months, during which they study Hebrew five hours a day, five days a week. They also build relationships with other young immigrants from all over the world. We met five of the students currently at Ulpon Etzion - Max from Westchester County in NY, Fernanda from Brazil, Aurelie from Paris, France, Izel from Istanbul, Turkey and Talia from the Ukraine. These young people without exception felt that Israel is their home in a way that they didn't connect with their country of birth, and were looking forward to their new lives in Israel.

I thought the concept of the Ulpan - helping those who come from other native countries and cultures to immigrate and enter into their society of choice was fascinating. Imagine what a boon it would be if were able to figure a way out to do something similar in the U.S.? Then the people arriving would bring not only their own language and culture, but would become invested in the "American Culture and Way" in their first months here. How much more valuable they would be in the workforce to start out with a minimum of two languages and relationships built across cultural lines... Obviously, this is a much more manageable proposition with a nation the size of Rhode Island, but it's still a great idea.

Sabeel

2008-03-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was Sabeel, an organization whose stated mission, according to its official website, is "to develop a spirituality based on love, justice, peace, nonviolence, liberation and reconciliation for the different national and faith communities." We met with the founder, a Palestinian-Anglican priest, Naim Ateek, who spoke about his longing for justice in Palestine. The PC(USA) supports Sabeel and many of our members were looking forward to this meeting, which we had specially requested. I confess, however, that I was very disappointed with Rev. Ateek's presentation, which used the right words, but was so angry in tone and unwilling to hear any viewpoint other than his own. We've met so many people during this trip who are looking for a win/win situation, but Rev. Ateek did not strike me as one of them. He seemed only able to hear about "justice" in relation to his side of the story and unable to see or hear anyone else's point of view. He is the only person that I've met in my time here (including those not on the official docket) that is still imagining a "one-state solution" - an answer whose time, I believe, is past. I kept remembering one of our presenters during the past week remarking that the Israelis and the Palestinians are both peoples who are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. While I do not have credentials to make a diagnosis, this certainly seems to me to be the case with Rev. Ateek's perspective.

Our Last Morning

2008-03-13T03:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a whirlwind trip that just didn't stop - we've gotten a lot to eat and not as much sleep as I'd like, but there just wasn't anything I would have wanted to miss. Our last morning was just as full as every one previous. First we went to the Augusta Victoria Hospital located in East Jerusalem, where we met Drs. Tawfiq Nasser and Jacob Assaf. Dr. Nasser is a Palestinian-Christian and Dr. Assaf an Israeli-Jew (whose actual hospital affiliation is with Hadassah in West Jerusalem). These two men were without a doubt the most inspiring of all that we've met. Dr. Nasser is the CEO of Augusta Victoria and in addition to running the hospital itself, he is committed (along with Dr. Assaf) to bringing quality health care to the Palestinians in the occupied territories. In addition to bringing mammograms and other important screenings to the Palestinian people (actually, bringing the Palestinian people to AV to be screened - including making bus arrangements that allow them dignity in the midst of the difficult border issues), they are training Palestinian doctors and sending them back into the territories to work with the people, thus providing them with both skills and opportunities for leadership. Their whole goal is to develop a win/win strategy, something that they do not see happening with the American political leadership. They agreed that what they are doing with and through the AV Hospital is not only providing great health benefits to the people, but perhaps the personal connections forged are even more important. It was a wonderful meeting, particularly after spending more than a week seeing and hearing about all the difficult aspects of the situation - and living in and through the developments along and within the Gaza Strip.

The Wailing Wall

2008-03-11T13:51:00.001-07:00

When we had finished the tour beneath the wall, we came back out and had the opportunity to pray at the wall. The wall is separated into a Women's Side and a Men's Side, so I went to the Women's. First I wrote on a piece of paper all the people that Iwanted to pray for: Anna Gross and Les & Galda Gallagher and Edna Dein and Ruth Ulrich who are homebound and I send a sermon CD to every week and of course, my daughter, Grace and the Presbyterian Church of Sweet Hollow and Rose Spatarella and Bill Wansor who've both just come out of the hospital and Sara Verma who's going off to college and more. Then I went down and laid my head and hands upon the stones and prayed and prayed and prayed for everyone on the list and more and most of all for peace, peace, peace, peace, peace.

When you walk away from the wall, you walk backwards, so as not to turn your back on God and it was the most incredible thing to be walking backwards slowly at first, but then faster and to trust that everyone who is coming in to pray will look out for you and you won't run into anything, but will be safe and cared for. If only every person in the Middle East could take as much care with each other as they do in their holy places, there would be no problems here.

Underneath the Western Wall

2008-03-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

After shopping, we all met at the Western Wall to go beneath the city where there is a current archeological dig going on. It was one of the best parts of the trip - and the closest that I felt to a "holy" place in all our travels. We were so blessed to have our amazing Aharon guiding us through the site as he shared stories of how Herod had the stones finished and which stone was the closest that we can get to where the Holy of Holies was (Marc is touching the stone in the picture shown here).

Free Time in the Old City

2008-03-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Finally, it was Sunday and we were to have an hour or two free in the Old City to shop. Because of the bombing that is going on between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Christian and Muslim quarters of the City were closed for shopping - like a protest. And the city was FULL of soldiers, I mean FULL. They all were about 20 years old and had machine guns hanging over their backs. I saw at least 8 platoons (I think that's what you call a group of 12-15 soldiers) in and around the city as we went in to go shopping. The Jewish quarter was still open and that's where everybody else went to shop, but not I. I wanted to buy Christian stuff (a new home communion set and a stole from Jerusalem) and I wanted to buy it from Christians and so I went by myself to the Christian quarter to see if I could find any shops open. It was deserted. I mean TOTALLY. The streets which are really like covered cobblestoned alleys, were completely shut up, like wide lockers and no one was in them except I turned one corner and saw two soldiers keeping watch. Eventually I got into the center of the Christian quarter and there was one street vendor - a young boy really - who was open and I bought a little sesame candy-type brick from him. And then I found one shop where the owner was doing repairs inside and I went in and had a long talk with him about the situation and the two-state solution and why he doesn't emigrate and all sorts of stuff. His name was George Maizer and he was really nice, if a bit frustrated and angry about how he is treated as an Arab and on behalf of his predominantly Muslim friends. Here are shots of soldiers and the empty, empty streets and George and me in his shop.

Worship in Jerusalem correction

2008-03-08T05:38:00.000-08:00

I've tried to edit the post, but I'm not being let into the edit program, so I take a moment to correct myself here - the Interim Pastor at the Church of Scotland in Jerusalem is Rev. Colin Anderson, not Collin Andrews. Sorry, Colin! All the best for your ministry there!

The Haredi Community

2008-03-08T05:25:00.000-08:00

After lunch, our next stop was Meir Panim (which means "to light up the face"), an organization conceived and run by Rabbi David Zilbershlag, an Ultra Orthodox Jew who, after the death of his beloved son, decided to make a positive difference in the lives of those in his community. Meir Panim runs many relief centers in Israel, including soup kitchens which are run more like restaurants, where people are waited on by servers, so that they maintain dignity even in straitened circumstances, furniture "stores" where people can purchase couches and chairs and beds and the like for nominal fees thus be engaged in ownership of these items, and after-school education centers for children. "Doodie" was very unusual in his willingness to meet and interact with those not in his faith tradition, especially women. The woman to his right in the first photo is Sara Augenbraun, the USA Projects Director and translator for our meeting. Clearly, he is different from most of his colleagues in the relationship that he has with her and the trust he gives her that she will translate his comments correctly. It was inspiring to meet both of them - it gave hope that our differences do not have to divide us. The other shot is of the whole group with Doodie and Sara in front of the "restaurant" where we met.

Worship in Jerusalem

2008-03-08T05:18:00.000-08:00

The rest of our group went to the Anglican Cathedral for worship, but my deep Presbyterian roots longed for home, so I went to St. Andrews Church of Scotland (Presbyterian). My Presbyterian brothers on the trip felt the same, for they joined me. It felt wonderful to sing hymns that I know and follow a liturgy so close to what we do at Sweet Hollow. Here is a shot of the Interim Pastor there - he had just arrived in Jerusalem three weeks before - Rev. Collin Andrews, Rev. Christian Kim of Long Island, myself, a minister who was leading a group from Canada (I did not catch his name) and Rev. Steve Yamaguchi of Orange County, California.

The Role of Religion in the Jewish State

2008-03-08T05:01:00.000-08:00

We met Sunday morning with Prof. Menachem Lorberbaum, senior lecturer at the Shalom Hartman Institute, an organization that self-describes as "a pluralistic research and leadership institute at the forefront of Jewish thought and education". Prof. Lorberbaum was raised Orthodox, but stated that praxis moved him into liberal theology. His purported topic was "The Role of Religion in the Jewish State: Can it be a Jewish State and a Democracy?", but his presentation raised more questions for me than it answered. He is certainly wrestling with the social and political ills that have occurred during the last 60 years and made many controversial comments such as: "what is experienced by Jews as a return home is experienced by the Palestinians as rape" and "Israel is a victim of its own success, including the economy, the army and the Six Day War as the undoing of everything". He also believed that religion must not be high-jacked by the extremist groups, as "religious people have the greatest capacity for introspection" and therefore "have more in common with each other than with secular society" especially regarding "the question of Divinity and how it operates in our lives". Clearly, a violent response in the name of religion corrupts this understanding. His hope is that religion can be a Balm rather than make Bombs, but the question is obviously still out.

Lenten Morning Musings

2008-03-07T03:44:00.000-08:00

We're beginning our fourth day back from Israel and I woke this morning with my head filled with thoughts, prayers, musings about that war-torn country. My first thought was of the students in the yeshiva in Jerusalem that were killed and that will suffer the trauma as a result of the killings - we visited several Israeli schools while there, and I wondered if it could have been one that we had seen.

I read the article in the Times and of course, it wasn't. Of course, it was one of the Ultra-Orthodox schools, a school that promotes a religiously zealot Zionism in favor of the settlements - altogether a different sort of institution than the ones that we were able to enter. Do you get it? Do you see? The blatantly militant Islamist enters the religiously extreme Zionist school and opens fire. The pain of the situation for both Israel and the Palestinian territories is their own extreme factions. The majority of the people in both lands would be content/able/relieved, if not happy, to live in peace, but the extremists on both sides are condemning their brothers and sisters to war.

I find myself sitting at my laptop with tears on my cheeks this morning for those who are suffering on all sides in that little piece of God's land. We Christians are traveling the Lenten journey right now - we are in the season that recognizes wilderness, that remembers times where God feels absent even if S/He is not, but my heart cried out - why does wilderness have to be so painful? Moses was lost in the wilderness for 40 years. This year Israel will celebrate its 60th year as a nation. When will it end? Can it reach the Promised Land?

Dr. Nazmi Amin Al-Ju'beh

2008-03-06T12:52:00.001-08:00

After traveling to Bethlehem and Masada in the same day, we finished with dinner at the hotel. But far from our educational experiences being over, we were graced with Dr. Nazmi Amin Al-Ju'beh as our guest speaker. While archeology and architecture are Dr. Al-Ju'beh's love and profession, and he claimed not to be directly involved in politics, he was one of the three Palestinians to negotiate the Geneva Accords and was directly briefed by Arafat following the Camp David talks in 2000. It was very interesting to hear his perspective and especially to note how closely it aligned with much of what we were hearing from the Jewish-Israelis that we've been meeting. There was also strong sense, though, that the U.S. needs to be a part of brokering a FAIR peace between these two nations and that if it doesn't happen soon, it may be too late.

Masada

2008-03-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

Here we are at Masada, the site where King Herod built a palace fortress. The first shot is the view from Masada, you can see how it would be really tough to attack. The second is the mosaic tiles in the bathhouse. It's hard to believe in the middle of the dessert at the turn of the first millenia that the technology was there for water galore, but it's true - it's one of the reasons that the Zealots fled to Masada in 66 C.E. to escape the Romans. The final shot is me amidst the ruins. It was an incredible complex - the cisterns alone held enough to provide water for 1,000 citizens for ten years!

Church of the Nativity / Shepherds' Field

2008-03-06T03:36:00.000-08:00

In Bethelehem, we were so very blessed to be led by Prof. Qustandi Shomali of Bethlehem University. He is a Christian Palestinian whose family has lived in the area since the time of Jesus, born and raised in Shepherds' Field, where you see him lecturing us. The other picture is of Kevin entering the Church of the Nativity (built in 326 C.E.; it's one of the oldest churches still standing in the area) through the Door of Humility. In a larger shot, you would be able to see that the original door was much larger with a curved arch, but when the Muslims came into power during the Crusades, they lowered it to prevent horses from entering during battles.

In Palestinian Territory

2008-03-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Territories are divided into zones A, B, and C. In A zones, all control, civil and military is in the Palestinian hands. Here you see an example of that with the Bethlehem Police officer (I tried to turn the photo, but it won't work - I thought this was important enough to put in even sideways - sort of a metaphor for the whole situation there anyway). In zones B, there is a combination of civil Palestinian rule, but Israeli military control. I zones C, it is all Israeli controlled. Bethlehem is one of the all Palestinian areas.

Back to Day 6 - Bethlehem

2008-03-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Bethlehem on Saturday, which meant losing our beloved Aharon and Jamal and going into occupied territory. We drove to the Wall and had to enter via the checkpoint first, followed by a walk through the fence that you see here. The wall is probably at least 12 feet high here and there is the metal grid that separates those going in from those going out. When we went in, it was about 9:00 a.m., so there was pretty much no one entering or exiting. The wall was covered with graffiti such as you see here - a painful reminder of what difficult lives those in the West Bank lead.

Leaving Israel

2008-03-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

We're sitting in Ben Gurion airport waiting to board our flight home. We just finished a wonderful meal at a Moroccan restaurant - note the gorgeous table laid for us in front of Chuck and Pat - where we shared stories and reflections on our experiences this last week. It's hard to believe it's only been eight days (including the opening night dinner and orientation) on the ground. After logging this post, I will go back to day 6 where I left off and share our experiences moving forward from there - from Bethlehem to Massada, interviews with a rabbi from the Ultra Orthodox Haredi community and a pair of doctors Jewish and Christian working to make health care a reality in the Palestinian community, and more. But for now, I just want to take a moment and say what a treasure this trip has been and officially publicly thank the AJC for gifting me and thirteen other Protestant pastors the opportunity to see Israel in so many different ways over as many days. It has been transformative - and I will be processing the information, the variety of opinions, and the experience for some time to come. But now it is time to get on the plane and sleep for as many hours out of the twelve in the air that I can. Good night, dear readers!

End of Day 5

2008-03-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

We spent the last of day 5 celebrating Shabbat at Rabbi David Levin-Kruss and his wife, Ayala Levin-Kruss's home, along with their lovely three young sons and several students from the Pardes Institute. It was a wonderful meal with a Moroccan flair, but more important was the time that we spent together. We learned a song that one student's father had taught her to sing as they prepared for the Sabbath - it had an Appalachian feel to it, which was both lovely and haunting. Another student shared a small homily on the daily Torah passage, while still others led the prayers and broke the bread. At the end of the evening, Rabbi Levin-Kruss graciously allowed me to bring home a copy of the book that the prayers and readings are from - it's like a Haggadah, but is called something different - the name is not on the book itself, or I would take it from there. At any rate, it is a lovely ritual, the sharing of the Sabbath meal and one that I'm glad we had the opportunity to participate in together.

Church of the ?

2008-03-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

I don't actually remember which church this one was - I'll ask Aharon tomorrow - but this Arabic inscription is what saved it from being destroyed by Saladin in the late 12th century, when he conquered these lands and destroyed all the churches.

The Pools of Bethesda

2008-03-02T13:08:00.001-08:00

One of our first stops in the Old City was the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the man who had never been able to make it into the water. Clearly there's not a lot of water left. Here is a shot of Aharon ably re-telling the story and another of a group of Muslim boys whose backyards abutted the site and climbed down into and past the guardrails to play below.

Entering the Muslim Quarter

2008-03-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

We entered the Old City of Jerusalem through the Lions' Gate which leads into the Muslim Quarter. Interestingly enough, the Via Dolorosa begins here. Very shortly after you enter, you see the "birthplace of Mary", which my colleagues enjoined me to pose in front of, since they all knew the struggles I've been having with the authenticity of the holy sites.

The View from the Mount of Olives

2008-03-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

To begin our tour of Jerusalem, Aharon took us up to the Mount of Olives, where we could see the city from across the Kidron Valley. Here you see a small sample of the hill from which Jesus made his triumphal entry on what celebrate now as Palm Sunday (which is mostly covered over with buildings, parking lots and graveyards now) and the view of Jerusalem over which he wept.

At Yad Vashem

2008-03-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

We left Yaacov and headed to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. I've been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. and I've been to Dachau. I was really not looking forward to this experience. Here you see pictured the front of the museum and me as I've come out the other side. It's always an excrutiatingly painful thing to see what we human beings can do to one another. The insight or the realization that was particularly palpable to me on this trip was the sheer numbers of people whose lives were lost or brutalized through the horror of the Shoah. May we never forget and may we always work to stop injustice such as this no matter what the cost to ourselves.

On to Day 5

2008-03-01T13:04:00.001-08:00

This morning we met with Dr. Yaacov Lozowick, former director of the Yad Vashem Archives, at the hotel. Dr. Lozowick was extremely articulate, knowledgeable and engaging - we have definitely not lacked for high-caliber intelligent well-spoken program leaders. Dr. Lozowick (who asked us to call him Yaacov, so I will from now on in this blog)

spoke a lot about the institutional memory of the Jewish people, how it is developed and what it means. He posited that memory is a central component of Judaism and that their ritual process teaches them from a young age to bear a collective memory. He also shared that he believes that Israelis take four insights from the Holocaust as a result: 1) when people say that they hate and want to kill you, they mean it. 2) Not only do they mean it, it is possible for them to do it. 3) As a result of what has happened to them, they are very aware of the inhumanity that humankind can perpetrate upon itself and are fiendishly scrupulous about examining and debating their own behavior in the world arena. 4) Being a victim cannot and does not give people the right to engage in immoral behavior. Suffering gives you the obligation to stop suffering, not to impose it upon others. Debatable points? Perhaps some. Certainly thoughtful ones.

Backing up to Day 4

2008-03-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

We ended yesterday by having dinner with Rabbi David Rosen, the International Director of Interreligious Affairs for the AJC at Beit Moses, their Middle East office. It's hard to imagine when I have met a more articulate diplomatic individual. He works with numerous interfaith and interreligious organizations in a variety of ways, sitting on boards, acting as one of the advisors to the Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem (I think I have that right - If I don't, sorry David!), as a member of IJCIC, etc. One of his points that resonated with me was that we must make sure that religious entities participate in the peace process, are visible actors within it, if we don't want the religious extremists to highjack the role from us and win the day as acting on behalf of religion. Here he is at dinner with Kevin to his immediate right and Kimberly beyond Kevin.

Day 5

2008-03-01T12:23:00.001-08:00

I woke up this morning so tired. I got enough sleep, but my body is on overload. The pace is just grueling. As wonderful an experience as this is, at this moment I just want to be home with my daughter and my community of faith. I feel especially for those on this tour that are older than I and that have physical issues (e.g. knee or hip problems) that make it tough.

Today we go to Bethlehem. I wouldn’t want to miss it for all the world, but I surely would like a day of rest!

Ma'ale Gilboa Yeshiva

2008-03-01T08:24:00.001-08:00

We spent the afternoon at a Yeshiva where young men are trained for 1 year in Torah and religious studies, then spend 1 and a half years in the army, then return to the Yeshiva for another year before finishing their final year and a half in the military. The aim is so that the soldiers they become might be as invested in a moral code as they are in enforcing military might. The kids were thoughtful and engaged, the rabbis were wonderful models of humility and learning; it is a program that has been in existence for over 30 years, although I believe I remember about 15-20 at this site. If nothing else, to be engaged in study of Bible while working in the military would keep a human face on the job to be done. An admirable effort.

Lunch with Soldiers

2008-02-29T12:45:00.000-08:00

We had lunch with several Israeli soldiers who graciously took a break from patrolling the northern border to join us. We were so close to Lebanon we could have practically touched the border fence. We could also see a lot of new construction on the Lebanese side after the battle between Israel and Hezbollah last year. Here's a shot of Sgt. Almog Reshef, a tank gunner, flanked by Kimberly and Brenda. (He didn't quite know what to make of us, but we had a good time anyway!)

Psalm 133

2008-02-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity,
It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

The view of Mount Hermon as we stand on a hilltop at Kfar Gil'adi overlooking the border of Lebanon on the one hand and toward Syria (on the other side of the mount) on the other. How ironic that this Psalm speaks of the unity of humankind while we stand at borders that have been in deep and desperate conflict for thousands of years.

The Mount of the Sermon

2008-02-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

This is a view near the church built at the spot the Sermon on the Mount was purported to be preached. I confess that I am finding myself quite resistant to the "holy" spots, which seem to me to be little more than giant churches built around biblical stories with little or no archeological evidence to support their existence. They are also heavily crowded with tourists (who knew that I would hear so many accents from America in Israel? Kevin even met a minister from a church near his in Pennsylvania, whose wife used to attend his church until she married the aforementioned pastor.) So we've got big crowds, big predominantly Catholic churches and not a whole lot of the sense of "where Jesus walked" anywhere. I finally sat myself down as far away from the madding crowd as I could get and still be near enough that our tour guide, Aharon, wouldn't get nervous and tried to see the scenery, listen to the birdsong, notice the breeze and connect with the God I was so hoping to feel while here. I wasn't totally successful, but it was better than it had been before.

The Loaves and Fishes

2008-02-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

We visited the church built over the spot where it is said that Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Although I am personally dubious that this site is the actual location (how could we possibly know?), certainly the pilgrims who come here believe it to be so. While we were there, there was also a group of Indian Dalit Christians present. A woman in full sari with the red dot on her forehead sneaked beneath the guard ropes and laid her body across the mosaic you see pictured here, and placed her face upon the stones above them in prayerful attitude. Perhaps she needed healing? At any rate, my skepticism did not affect her devotion nor vice versa. Perhaps that is as it should be...

Next Stop: Capernaum

2008-02-29T08:43:00.000-08:00

Capernaum was the home of Peter and a place out of which Jesus based his ministry early on. We saw the synagogue there, which was made out of limestone - a substance that was not immediately handy, but had to be brought from quite a distance. The other building pictured is modern and made of basalt, the local option that most all other buildings in the archeological remains are made of. The other photo also has items from early times including an early olive press at the front right.

Visiting Christian Sites in Galilee

2008-02-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

We spent the morning touring the area of Nazareth, beginning with the Galilean Sea. You see here a photo of a beautiful mosaic bench where one could rest near the water. Below it is a shot of the sea itself with a No Swimming sign posted along the dock. It was a gorgeous spot, somewhat reduced by the many "Jesus Boats" with tourists tramping up and down the way.

Cooperation and Challenges to Interfaith Relations in Israel

2008-02-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

Christian Elias Jabbour, Director of the "House of Hope", Sufi Sheikh Ghassan Manasra and Rabbi Yehuda Gilad share their experiences of working on interfaith relations in Israel. The challenge is huge, but the hope is high. It was good to meet with people of different faiths in the state of Israel trying to work together - and succeeding. This is the kind of thing the media never reports!

Scenes from the streets of Nazareth

2008-02-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

An outdoor market next to which we drank delicious high-test coffee and the dome of the Synagogue Church, which is built above the synagogue where Jesus challenged his Nazarene friends and family to understand him as the one who came to fulfill the prophetic scriptures. Unfortunately, it was not open, so we were unable to go inside.

The Church of the Annunciation

2008-02-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

This church is built over the spot where the angel supposedly came to Mary and told her she was to bear the Son of God named Jesus. The center photo is the outside of the church. The photo below is a grotto in the physical basement of the church that holds the archeological remains of the house (whether or not it was truly Mary's or not, it is still interesting to see these remains that are from Jesus' time). The photo above is is of the interior of the cathedral that is built above the grotto. It is a very interesting design. (Note the strangely angled and pock-marked columns.)

Well Fed

2008-02-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

We are soooo well fed on this journey. At Al-Qessemi College we enjoyed a veritable feast (the chef even sent me home with some fabulous mushrooms) with the beautiful, amazing, intelligent young women students. I think they enjoyed our company as much as we were grateful for theirs.

Al-Qessemi College

2008-02-27T12:40:00.000-08:00

This morning's second program was a visit to Al-Qessemi College, an Islamic Teachers' College in Bacha that was established in 1989. Its vision as stated by English Literature professor Dr. Ali is to promote a culture of respect for the individual and collective narratives of all who live in Israel - Jews and Arabs. We met several of the students as well as Dr. Ali, all of whom were women. The college itself has 1600 students, 92% of whom are women. It is an accredited college in Israel offering among its degrees a B.Ed.

The whole program was awesome, the young women were inspiring and it is my hope that the aim of individuals such as these are met in the coming years.

The Security Fence (part 2)

2008-02-27T12:27:00.001-08:00

Ops Officer Hoch by the jeep (Brenda and I got to ride inside) and pointing out the Wall near Kalkilya.

The Security Fence

2008-02-27T12:09:00.001-08:00

We traveled to the "narrow waist" of Israel today and stood along the "balcony of Israel", the spot where Ariel Sharon made the decision to build the "Security Fence" that has caused so much outcry in my own faith tradition as well as around the world. The fence itself is 800 kilometers long, 97% of which is chain link - actually it's barbed wire next to a ditch next to a road next to the chain link fence next to more barbed wire, so it's wide, but not high. Then 3% in the most "critical" areas is actually a wall and a very tall one at that.

We met with soldiers who showed us a portion of the Wall near Kalkilya and we viewed the fence as we drove along the way. The soldiers were quite young (but maybe everyone is when you get to be my age), but also very articulate and compassionate about their dual duty to the Israelis and the Palestinians they serve. Operations Officer Eran Hoch was the primary spokesperson and seemed to understand that it is in the best interests of the Israelis for the Palestines to also be secure with a strong economy, good schools and quality of life.

Wednesday Morning

2008-02-27T12:00:00.001-08:00

We met this morning with Jonathan Rynhold who spoke on Israel in the International Arena. He posited that Israel is being demonized, delegitimized, and being held to double standards compared to the rest of the world community. He brought many pertinent points to the fore including a reduction of context in the discussion of Israel in the world community. His remarks were quite well-spoken especially as he was willing to debate and accept the possibility of human rights violations. His argument was not about the issues, but rather the disproportionate negative press as compared to other countries with human rights violations. In other words, the discussion is not about the morality of Israel's behavior, which he was willing to debate and negotiate, but about the desire, request and requirement that values about normative behavior be equally applied across the world. This seems to me to be viable argument and a reasonable request. The irony of the upshot of this situation in his opinion is that Israelis are probably more willing to compromise in the situation than ever before, but are less trusting of any compromise that comes to the table in practice.

Dinner at Forelin

2008-02-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

AJC representative Eran Lerman gives his opinion of Israel's Strategic situation. Some concerted wrestling occurred after this presentation as we considered all that we had seen and heard so far.

I love this picture...

2008-02-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

Kimberly and I try to charm a precious dog in Jaffa's main square.

Walking the Old Town

2008-02-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

Walking along the narrow cobblestoned streets of Jaffa. It's filled with antique shops (guaranteed ancient!) and at the end is the supposed house of Simon the Tanner where Peter had his vision of the sheet filled with all the animals and he is given permission to eat that which is not considered clean by Jewish dietary law.

Archeological Remains in Jaffa

2008-02-27T08:52:00.000-08:00

Ruins in the old city region of Jaffa.

Morning Two

2008-02-26T21:47:00.000-08:00

We're are about to leave the Carlton Hotel in Tel Aviv and head north. Today's agenda includes a trip to the "Security Fence" - what we Presbyterians are more used to thinking of as The Wall - and then on to Nazareth in Galilee followed by a night at a Kibbutz.

Last night was very interesting. We met with Eran Lerman, who is the Director of the AJC Israel/Middle East office. I found him fascinating, very cagey, rather like meeting a character from a John LeCarre cold war spy novel. Several of the guys in the group got their backs up with his demeanor, which was an interesting response. It appeared to me to be about power and power-sharing - certainly a dynamic not unfamiliar to the Middle East.

There were two things that Eran said that resonated with me. One was that his youngest daughter, who is a teenager and adopted from a home where she was living in an abusive situation, when pressed in an argument to do her homework or complete some other obligation, will say: "What does it matter? Ahmedinejad is going to kill me anyway!"

The other was a comment that perhaps we need to reframe the relationship that Israel has with its neighbors - rather than considering it a part of the Middle East, perhaps it should relate as a neighbor to the Mediterranean States, thereby giving it a means to move forward, rather than remaining stuck in the same old place.

All for now...

An Afternoon in Tel Aviv

2008-02-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

First we enjoyed falafels from a streetside cafe, eating as the Israelis do, then our tour guide Aharon explains the history of modern Tel Aviv outside the front of Independence Hall. The plaque behind him names the sixty-six founding families of the city.

The Parents' Circle - Family Forum

2008-02-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

Rare and beautiful smiles from Shireen and Aaron as they so generously share their painful stories with us.

Challenges to Israeli Society

2008-02-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

The very articulate and engaging Miri Eisen shares her point of view.

Amazing Beginnings

2008-02-26T09:00:00.001-08:00

I have been in Israel for barely 24 hours at this point and have already met a wide variety of people and experienced a broad diversity of opinion. This morning, we heard from Col. (res.) Miri Eisen, a very dynamic, articulate former Foreign Press Advisor to the Prime Minister. She laid out the three major challenges to the state of Israel now in its 60th year as: 1) domestic with growing gaps between rich and poor, 2) the Iranian relationship (or lack thereof considering that country's refusal to acknowledge Israel and the threat of nuclear armament) and 3) Palestine and the resolution of the 2-state solution. Her perspective was a bit hawkish, but she was very clear and engaging. I confess I could have listened to her for quite a bit longer and was surprised by my response to her opinions.

Then we heard from a Palestinian woman, Shireen Essawi and a Jewish man, Aaron Barnea, who have both lost loved ones to the violence here and are committed to furthering peace and reconciliation through education in classrooms, doing summer camps for youth, and media-oriented responses such as art installations and documentary film. Their stories were so poignant and they both were honestly involved in the reconciliation process. Aaron stated: "A peace agreement is not peace. It is a piece of paper." He was very clear that any governmental policy making had to be reinforced through active education and reconciliation processes.

This afternoon we spent touring the old city of Jaffa/Joppa and the modern city of Tel Aviv, learning about its history including a trip to Independence Hall. More on that later. Now it's time for dinner! (We're nothing if not well fed here...)

More at Magando

2008-02-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

Our host stands before a picture of him and his sister in younger days; Program Coordinator Yael Gamon shares her thoughts (she is flanked by our driver on the left and our tour guide, Aharon, on the right); and Kevin and Christian manage to have french fries, ketchup and Coca-Cola as a part of their first authentic Israeli meal.

Dinner at Maganda Restaurant

2008-02-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

What an amazing meal! Wine is poured, the table is filled with wonderful food. You can see plates laden with all sorts of salad: tabouli, humus, spicy carrot, picked beets, olives and pickles, and much more. The platter has stuffed pepper and eggplant. We were filled to the eyeballs, given and Orientation talk by Yael Gamon, our program coordinator, ready to go home and hit the hay and then told it was time for the main course!

Waking Up

2008-02-25T21:25:00.000-08:00

It's morning, the second day (or actually the full first, if you want to count it that way). We had a fabulous evening with a marvelous Israeli dinner at the Magado restaurant, owned by a Yemeni Jew who has lived his whole life in Tel Aviv. His parents immigrated in 1948 when Israel became a state. I've got pictures that I'll post now, but I'm also adding some of Dan Bryant's later. (His are much better than mine, but I can't seem to copy them from my email account yet, so we'll do some fiddling and add them in later.)

This day promises to be huge: our program topics include "Challenges to Israeli Society", "Arab-Jewish Coexistence in the face of terror" and "Israel and Its Strategic Environment" plus we've got a walking tour of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and visit to Independence Hall (Tel Aviv is Israel's answer to our Philadelphia!). Anyway, our time is jam packed with fascinating stuff, as you can see. More later...

2008-02-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

Dan (the other one) and Steve in front of our "Project Interchange" bus and Christian beside the Hebrew lettering that literally transposes as "tur bus" (pronounced more like "toor boos").

The Eagle Has Landed...

2008-02-25T13:46:00.001-08:00

Or should I say the Dove? A shot of the incredibly lovely sandstone (?) columns in the brand new Tel Aviv Airport. We whisked through customs and are officially off on our adventure!

Five Hours Into the Flight

2008-02-25T13:45:00.000-08:00

We got on the plane at 11:00 p.m. and took off before midnight. While the flight attendants were serving dinner, I went straight to sleep. Can’t say that I slept deeply or well, but I did sleep, which was good considering it is now 5:30 a.m. New York time and a little bit after noon in Israel. When I awoke, I got up to move my body around a bit. I feel all tight and puffy. The cabin had men in huge white prayer shawls with blue stripes covering them pretty much from head to toe surrounding each little uncovered window davening and praying toward the light. As I walked up and down the aisles of this very large airplane (I’m in seat 56K), I noted more people reading little Torahs than I’ve ever seen reading Bibles in airplanes in America. For all the talk about us being a “Christian nation”, it’s clear that Israel is far more actively in touch with its “Jewish” identity.

In the El Al Lounge

2008-02-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the group: Brenda and Kevin connecting one more time with family, Jim smiling (despite the fact that his luggage didn't make it to NYC, much less Israel) while Bonnie reads the paper and Dan takes pictures - all from the lovely El Al lounge. We're being treated awfully well so far on this trip!

Second Impressions

2008-02-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

We just had a marvelous Israeli dinner (heavy on the garlic, vegetarian) and moved on to the Orientation speaker, Rabbi Noam Marans, who was tasked with exhorting us on the connection of the Jewish people to the land on which lies the state of Israel. It was not an easy charge, and I confess some reservations as to his rationale. I did think, however, that it was an interesting place to begin.