Israel: Oh, the Spaces I Love and the People in Them

Oh, the Spaces I Love and the People in Them

Ken and I just returned from two weeks in Israel. Every time I return, I marvel at the many different things that make Israel so special, am realistic about her challenges and problems, and am often dumbfounded by people’s lack of understanding of Israel’s reality. I am there constantly as you know by now, and it just is my second home, so I do not think of it as going somewhere as a “vacation” as much as spending meaningful time in a place I love with people I love and with so much for the rest of the world to learn from if there was a willingness to do so.

In full disclosure, yes, Israel is being confronted by similar dynamics in terms of politics and frustrations with the government that we in America are now feeling the full weight of in our own daily lives. That being said, life goes on in both places, not perfect, but with many good people trying to do good things and often succeeding, Baruch HaShem. We were there as they are gearing up for elections recently called, but it will be a few months, not years, and for better or worse, it will occur and be sort of settled until the next time elections are called in this parliamentary democracy. It is fully a Jewish homeland and a democracy in which many groups live side by side. While there as always, we saw Jews, Muslims, Christians (actually there was a huge celebration in the middle of King David Street at the YMCA as we were there during the season appropriate for such), Bedouins, tourists from all over the world, and so many others.

On Friday night as we were walking to shul (synagogue), a special moment occurred which has happened in the past and I just love. We were walking on Keren HaYesod on our way to Shira Hadasha, a community of prayer that actually meets in an International Youth Center on Emek Refaim, and something wonderful happened, that I have experienced before if you catch it just right. At the same time, the Shabbat Siren sounded to indicate the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, Church bells were ringing and the Meuzzin sounded to call Muslims to prayer as well. I just stopped, closed my eyes and took it in. There was no yelling, no contention, just the peaceful calling of three faiths to worship God in the way that works for them. How beautiful and what a wonderful call to all of us to think about what it means to live peacefully together and how it does not hurt any of us to do so. And this happens all of the time in JERUSALEM, the city of peace!

This time in Israel was different in that it was planned by my wonderful husband so that each of us could do what we wanted and play where we want. My cousin said this was like the trip twenty somethings take their first time in Israel. In thirteen days, we were able to spend time in Jerusalem, Ginot Shomron, Tzfat, Netanya, Tel Aviv, Beit Meir, Be’er Sheva, the Dead Sea and Masada and then finally back to Jerusalem. We walked the beaches, said Boker Tov (good morning) and Salaam Aleikem to Muslim beach walkers, saw Jews of all sides and parts of the Jewish continuum just relaxing, going to work, looking at art (a wonderful part of this time there as well), hanging out at restaurants and of course groups of Christian celebrants of the season. We were able to spend time with family and friends which is always wonderful. Our second Shabbat we were also in Nachlaot, a lovely neighborhood that I think still believes we are in the 1960s, and a wonderful community where all are welcome and included. We noted at one of the shuls in the morning, there was a group of Birthright kids who clearly were not aware of what was going on, and one of the shul members ran an impromptu class for them. At lunch, we had a lovely conversation about the many different ways people are coming together to advocate for each other and shared concerns for all people who call this home.

One of the things we did that was really special was the snake path walk up Masada to the top where Jews held out in resistance for their right to believe so long ago. We went with a friend of ours from Be’er Sheva and were told to give ourselves two hours for the walk as the one hour or a bit less usually allotted is for people much younger was not realistic for us. Just for the record, we made the walk successfully, have pictures to prove it, went and came without injury and the walk up took us less that 75 minutes. So there, doubters! While there, we witnessed two of the twelve Bar/Bat Mitzvah groups that would be there that morning. The celebrations ranged from just taking pictures to taking out a Torah and singing some songs while standing around it to a more traditional service, according to the Sofer who writes Torah scrolls there, to insure that the ancient shul structure has an ongoing purpose as a place of worship and observance. So many Jews coming to a site with historical meaning to celebrate in their way, again, peacefully and without incident.

These are just a few scenes of the Israel I love. Spending Shabbat in Ginot Shomron where Jews who hold by a variety of levels of observance live together and have respect for each other, leaving the main roads carless during Shabbat and Yom Tovim so that those observing the days can do so, while others go to their cars outside of the designated roads to go where they will on those days. Beaches where people are dressed in all types of garb or lack thereof and no one is throwing anything at anyone else. Jerusalem where three different very visible religious groupings do co-exist and observe according to their beliefs, holding holy their respective special sites. Tzfat where so much art and beautiful scenery cause awe for us all and we thank God in our own ways. Be’er Sheva that is a wonderful community of shared living and where concern for various groups is palpable, where a recent article in The Jerusalem Report chronicled how Bedouin women are making amazing strides in their education and Ben Gurion University is so involved in their progress. On and on the list goes. THIS IS MY ISRAEL and this is the ISRAEL I am so proud of. While some people focus on how it may bring out the worst in people, I prefer to focus on the majority of cases in which this is simply not the case. That is the Israel I keep going back and forth from – my Jewish homeland and a beacon of so much to the world, if they would take off their predisposed lenses of contention and really look carefully. I will return to my Israel, God willing, soon!