Here are some of my photo albums on facebook with a select few (out of many, many) pictures from the delegation.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20967&id=1013829573&l=50ca19596a
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20971&id=1013829573&l=2387624bfb
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
You're Invited
A presentation on my experiences in Jerusalem and the West Bank:
Thursday, April 30
7:00 pm
College Church of the Nazarene, Room 100
200 University Ave, Bourbonnais IL
Thursday, April 30
7:00 pm
College Church of the Nazarene, Room 100
200 University Ave, Bourbonnais IL
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Hearing Israeli Perspectives
While we didn't meet with very many Israeli groups on our trip, our team recognizes the importance of listening to both "sides". My team member Karen, who stayed a few days after the delegation (and visited the village of Sderot in Israel), was able to speak with some Israeli citizens. She shares what she heard from them:
"I spoke with quite a few people, from a moderate point of view to a very religious point of view. All were fascinating and honest. This is a little of what I heard. To respect their privacy, I am referring to each as person 1, 2 etc.
Person 1: Person 1 explained to me that Israel was God's land, promised to His people, the Jews. This land was prayed for day and night to be returned to them, and now that is has been returned, it is theirs to care for. Person 1 was very honest in saying that they did not really recognize Palestine, because it was only 100 or so years old. Israel, as a land, has belonged to the Jews for thousands of years, and they have been displaced time and time again. Person 1 also did not recognize the terms "settlements," or "outposts," viewing them more as neighborhoods that rightfully belong to the Jewish people. In Person One's eyes, Palestinians are tribes that have come together, have worked the land for centuries, but are not part of the promised people, so, in turn, are not part of what God has promised to the Jewish people. Person 1 very much respected the Palestinians work of the land, but at the same time pointed out to me that in the Jewish tradition, life is held at the highest level-it is revered and it is most holy. What Person 1 struggles with and the view coming from the Palestinians, is that a suicide bomber or any Palestinian who commits an act of violence against an Israeli, and is supported by their people, does not hold life with such high value. This seemed to be one of the most important aspects to Person 1 and their view. When referring to the security wall, Person 1 actually found it to be a good thing in terms of protection, but also understood that it has caused great suffering among many Palestinians and was thoughtful in the sense of that realization.
Person 2: On the more, "moderate" view, Person 2 called the settlers in Hebron, "Crazy," and although Person 2 knows that most settlers are not extreme in their views, Person 2 understands that many have an ideological mind set that is detrimental to the religion of Judaism. This was also made clear to me when I met a man from the UK who was working with the organization called Sabeel and he told me that his Jewish friends were touring Hebron and the settlers in Hebron were calling his friends, "Nazi Jews." Yes, the settlers who are Jewish are calling their fellow Jews, "Nazis." There is much more to this, but in general, you can get the sense from this that again, some settlements have radical people, and some don't. Person 2 also believed that Israel was the promised land, but greatly disagreed with many things that the Israeli govt does to the Palestinians. Person 2 feels that the Palestinians have a right to the land, but Person 2 also questioned a lot of what the people, such as Arafat, have done for their people. Person 2 questioned about all the money given to Arafat and why that didn't go to the people, as well as why Arafat walked away from a peace deal that gave him 90% of what he was asking for. Person 2 does not agree nor like that Palestinians are made to drive on different roads than Israelis, however, agreed that the security wall was working since suicide bombings have dropped dramatically since the wall went up."
"I spoke with quite a few people, from a moderate point of view to a very religious point of view. All were fascinating and honest. This is a little of what I heard. To respect their privacy, I am referring to each as person 1, 2 etc.
Person 1: Person 1 explained to me that Israel was God's land, promised to His people, the Jews. This land was prayed for day and night to be returned to them, and now that is has been returned, it is theirs to care for. Person 1 was very honest in saying that they did not really recognize Palestine, because it was only 100 or so years old. Israel, as a land, has belonged to the Jews for thousands of years, and they have been displaced time and time again. Person 1 also did not recognize the terms "settlements," or "outposts," viewing them more as neighborhoods that rightfully belong to the Jewish people. In Person One's eyes, Palestinians are tribes that have come together, have worked the land for centuries, but are not part of the promised people, so, in turn, are not part of what God has promised to the Jewish people. Person 1 very much respected the Palestinians work of the land, but at the same time pointed out to me that in the Jewish tradition, life is held at the highest level-it is revered and it is most holy. What Person 1 struggles with and the view coming from the Palestinians, is that a suicide bomber or any Palestinian who commits an act of violence against an Israeli, and is supported by their people, does not hold life with such high value. This seemed to be one of the most important aspects to Person 1 and their view. When referring to the security wall, Person 1 actually found it to be a good thing in terms of protection, but also understood that it has caused great suffering among many Palestinians and was thoughtful in the sense of that realization.
Person 2: On the more, "moderate" view, Person 2 called the settlers in Hebron, "Crazy," and although Person 2 knows that most settlers are not extreme in their views, Person 2 understands that many have an ideological mind set that is detrimental to the religion of Judaism. This was also made clear to me when I met a man from the UK who was working with the organization called Sabeel and he told me that his Jewish friends were touring Hebron and the settlers in Hebron were calling his friends, "Nazi Jews." Yes, the settlers who are Jewish are calling their fellow Jews, "Nazis." There is much more to this, but in general, you can get the sense from this that again, some settlements have radical people, and some don't. Person 2 also believed that Israel was the promised land, but greatly disagreed with many things that the Israeli govt does to the Palestinians. Person 2 feels that the Palestinians have a right to the land, but Person 2 also questioned a lot of what the people, such as Arafat, have done for their people. Person 2 questioned about all the money given to Arafat and why that didn't go to the people, as well as why Arafat walked away from a peace deal that gave him 90% of what he was asking for. Person 2 does not agree nor like that Palestinians are made to drive on different roads than Israelis, however, agreed that the security wall was working since suicide bombings have dropped dramatically since the wall went up."
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