I have come to believe there is nothing about Biblical History you could ask her that she would not know. Graduate degrees aplenty, including a doctorate from Harvard. A very intelligent academic who is down to earth and a great guide to have along for her running commentary. She can tell you about every hill in the country, every street, every battle, every king, and what Old or New Testament event happened there. History, Geography, Culture, Religion…..she pretty much has it all down.
She prays for peace in the Middle East.
This is Rabbi David Sandmel, the Professor of Judaism at the Catholic Theological Union and our other lead guide on our trip.
Hi is also, a very intelligent man who can tell you about Jewish history in detail going back thousands of years, and knows the Old Testament inside and out. How many people can pull quotes out of memory from the Book of Judges, or the Book of Ruth, and quote it verbatim in English OR Hebrew. Also, can explain almost anything about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict you’d want to know. He is our unofficial “official” Hebrew Translator.
He hopes for peace between all people, and a homeland for everyone.
This is Ruven, our bus driver. He is with us day and night.
Ruven is an excellent driver, and he doesn’t need a map. He seemingly knows how to get everywhere without ever referencing a map. Ruven was once an IDF soldier (the Jewish Army). He fought in the Yom Kippur battle in 1973 and was wounded by shrapnel.
He hopes all the Palestinians will either soon leave or die. He’d just as much prefer the latter. He is more than happy to tell you about it. (And he is not alone in the slightest. On his “side”, or the other side. It is a conflict of two deeply held positions.)
The first day, Ruven drove me by myself from Jerusalem to the airport to meet up with the group. After some pleasantries (his English can be understood for the most part, with a heavy accent), I briefly mentioned the current conflict….and for the next 45 minutes, I got a vocal defense of the Israeli-Jewish side of the entire conflict that was unparalleled in passion and stridency. By the time we were pulling into the airport, he was pounding on the steering column making his points while talking at a level only slightly below a shout. It was…..ummmm……how should I say.......quite the experience. I know deep down he really wished we could have taken a left at the ocean and joined in the battle down at Gaza about half-an-hour south.
His points are well-informed, and he can make his case quite well. Do not picture him as some ignorant, uninformed, poorly spoken hick with a backwoods racist streak. Unh,unh. He outlines and defends his points with a clarity and persuasiveness so compelling, that you start wondering if it’s maybe a tragedy Israel hasn’t bombed Gaza more heavily into oblivion by now. Then you collect your thoughts, realize some of his points, while with understanding and merit, lead to conclusions that are debatable, questionable, and completely irresponsible. But then…..it’s important to remember there are his mirror fanatical images on the Palestinian side. Maybe more of them.
All of which is part of the problem over here.
Articles and books and volumes have been written about the subject, and I won’t add to it now, even for those of you that have a limited understanding and might appreciate a “101 Primer” Maybe later, but too big of a job for now. Each side has a history, a belief, a passion, a commitment. All based on history, ethnicity, religious values, culture, economic interests. etc. For too many, it simply means they hate each other and don’t want a dialogue, but just a fight.
Tonight, I think they are all out of their mind. Crazy. This has to be one of the most hostile face-offs imaginable. There are excellent merits to each side. And evil, sub-human ones as well. The divisions I constantly come into contact with here are so deep, so cemented, so intransigent, so long-standing I wonder if there will ever be a solution to any of it. Ever. Wild-eyed irrationality and intransigence are trumping dialogue by far, it appears.
I’m pessimistic. Deeply. In the grand scheme of things, I think the two sides would prefer to fight to the bitter end, to death, rather than ever find peace. Historically, that is what has always happenned here in this land. There are few signs the trend will be reversing, and today, more and more parties have an interest in the fight.
If so…………that is going to bring horrific implications not just for these folks.....
...... but for the entire world.
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