I went to Shira Hadasha Jerusalem. Shani Berrin kindly gave me an aliyah. I reflected on the Torah portion of the week and the hatred of the brothers towards Joseph that eventuated in them selling him. Ever since we’ve had relationship it’s been a challenge to stay out of strife. There has also been lots of opportunities for growth and peacebuilding starting from the hearts of our families.
I felt the passing of time seeing teenagers who had been kids when we left Jerusalem seven years ago. It was wonderful to see people and already feel part of the community. At the Kiddush I connected with a friend and we had a heart connection in the tepee set up in the grounds of the synagogue. I was grateful for the perfection of the day.
I went to Leeora and David’s for lunch and it was wonderful to be there, and feel just like at home. And then on the way back to the hotel I popped in to connect with Izhak which was lovely after so long. He’s been looking at the works of the Nazir, father of Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Shear Yashuv Hacohen, including a collection on peace and war. For some time he has been composing jazz music to the poetry of Rav Kook.
Soon after Shabbat came out we met with Daniel Roth. We were in his first class at Pardes about 10 years ago. He now runs the conflict resolution track there.
Rabbi Daniel Roth as a child moved here from the US when he was 15. He felt like he was part of a messianic process. At the same time he had a lot of fear. Three people were stabbed in his neighborhood. He used to have a strange recurring dream- perhaps his peacebuilding work was starting to manifest itself- that someone would throw a stone and he would get out of the car and connect to the people. Created a lot of fear. He went to joint army and Yeshiva service. It was his first exposure to people who took their Judaism seriously but didn’t believe in messianic vision of Zionism. He described tension in the yeshiva. On one floor a teacher gave a class supporting the peace process, and on other floor, at the same time another teacher was saying that no way, under no circumstances can we give away any land.
He argued that people within the religious traditions need to be able to engage in peacemaking and described the strong sense of identity that is required to be able to lead peacebuilding with the other from within the heartof one’s own community. How do you engage your family and community? How do you explain a sense of both pride and responsibility?
We then met with a representative from Machsom Watch www.machsomwatch.org/ - women who monitor human rights violations at the checkpoints, twice a day every day of the week. . The other aspect of what they do is make a political statement against the occupation. (See documentary by Eric Scott called ‘The Other Zionists”)is a political statement saying we are opposed to occupation and the checkpoints. She understands what you see at the checkpoints as not the main thing but rather a symptom of the occupation. Restriction of freedom of movement has dire consequences for Palestinians emotionally, economically, socially and politically. She described how she has lost intimacy with her children because of the divergence of their political opinions. They both serve in the army, one of them is a commander. She describes herself as having her face to the Israeli society, reflecting back to them how much the occupation is hurting them.
She thinks the average Israeli does not want to know about the evils of the occupation: “All we know is that the other is evil and we are under threat.” To make peace, each one thinks that the other just has to stop being evil. The Jewish Israeli narrative is legitimate and the Palestinian narrative is legitimate and we have to accept and respect it, despite the discomfort, and that is a prerequisite for peace despite how far away it seems. Even the media is not exposed to what the occupation does to the big part of the Palestinian population. Reporters from the occupied territories go there when something happens with an army jeep, removed from the situation. They try to get them to come and see what is happening at the checkpoints. Palestinian children don’t need textbooks to hate Israelis. It is crazy that these children have to wait at checkpoints for one hour with a soldier with a gun. What kind of education for peace is that on the part of Israel?
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