Bethleham and Hebron
We drove to the far side of Hebron, deep into the southwest sector of the West Bank, an area where extremists on both sides make their home. The Jewish settlements are outposts and Hamas has many members in the region. We visited an Israeli Jew from America- an artist, a hippie from the 60s, a recent widow. She lived in a small home on the edge of the settlement with a view of a military base and a big security fence. She spoke about using her art for healing work, to make the world a better place, to bring people together through art.
She told stories about near misses for her family where they had been exposed to suicide bombers and could have been killed. She spoke about the tension of life in Israel, a constant cloud of concern and fear. She told us that it was almost a vacation, almost like relief, to be with her daughter in a cancer treatment center in the middle of winter in New England, just to have a break from Israel! But it is her home, she loves it, she has family here, and it is the best place to do her art. She moved to the settlement originally for cheap housing, not for ideological reasons. She travels the long road to Jerusalem frequently to visit her family. She used to wear a bulletproof vest. She won’t stop at the wonderful fruit stands for fear of a bombing. We listened and listened as she shared her biggest grief, the loss of her husband and partner to cancer. www.judithmargolis.com
We went to Hope Flower’s School in the morning and what an inspiring uplifting experience. It was started years ago by a man who became a close friend of the Earth Steward’s Network, an organization based in Bainbridge Island. The school is dedicated to the educating kids about peace. They have developed a peace curriculum, which they are finding ways to share with other schools around the world. Ibrahim, the son, now directs the school, along with his sister. A soft-spoken man trained as an engineer in Holland- that he spent a year in an Israeli prison seems such an absurdity as he is so obviously so sweet and gentle. The school works with whole families as well as with children and also does outreach in the community. At this time they have about 300 students, Muslims, Christians and other faiths, and they hope someday to include Jewish students. They focus on teaching the many aspects of peace building, so needed in this society. We left feeling so hopeful and inspired, in awe of the dedication of the directors and staff. Visit their website: www.hopeflowersschool.org
Everywhere we go we leave donations and support as well as giving people the certainty that they are cared about, that their work is appreciated, and that there is support for them. I am spreading around the contributions that I received.
Our visit to Hebron was interesting. It is a place often in the news- there is ongoing conflict there. As a city it is more religious and conservative. Although firmly in the West Bank, there is a settlement of about 400 Jews in the center of the Old City and a big Israeli military presence. There are abandoned Arab homes in and around this Jewish sector. There are places that Palestinians are forbidden to go and other areas where a divider separates the road and the Palestinians must walk on one side. The checkpoint to get in and out of the Jewish sector was intense as we had our lovely Bonnie with us on her scooter. We had to break the scooter down into pieces and carry it through the turnstile. Then Bonnie came walking through with her canes- to our big cheers. Our own challenges are nothing compared with what the Palestinians face daily. Before leaving the Jewish sector we viewed the tomb of Abraham, a hugely important religious site to both Jews and Muslims. We went to the settler’s museum, commemorating the Jewish massacre of 1929. For ages Jews and Arabs had lived peacefully side-by-side as neighbors in Hebron. 60 Jews were killed in the terrible massacre and many wounded. The survivors were moved away. Jews did not return until Hebron was liberated (as it was described at the museum) in 1967. The reality of anti-Semitism is an ever present specter haunting the Jewish mentality, and affecting all of us.
There is no longer a sense of neighborliness. The remaining Arabs in the Jewish sector have built cages around their terraces to protect themselves from stones. Soldiers will kick open doors and come into the houses of Arabs living in the old city, threatening the inhabitants. We visited a family in their home, on the edge of the road that the settlers and military use, which is forbidden to Palestinian cars. The family owns the whole apartment building, maybe 6 stories tall. All the other tenants have fled, as there has been rock throwing and shooting into their apartments by the Israeli military. The army occupied the top floor to take advantage of the view over the entire city. They trashed it so totally, smashing everything and turning all the valuable possessions into rubble. It is riddled with bullet holes and broken glass and trash. My stomach turned. The elderly mom can’t bear to leave her home. Two of her daughters, a dentist and a teacher, and two grandchildren won’t leave her. And so they live on in a war zone. Her husband died of a broken heart. So sad!!!!
We all spent the night in groups of two, sleeping in Palestinian homes. What a wonderful experience! Everyone came back with stories to tell. My time was delightful. I was with young Cathy, 24, who is so sweet. The children of our family fell in love with her and we all hung out, played, danced and relaxed. The teenage girl watched Desperate Housewives and has learned excellent English from watching movies. It was so darn normal, just a family wanting a life. The Dad likes to watch CNN and was so loving to his kids, the wife so sweet and hospitable, and the children so intrigued with us. We really felt at home. The Dad had spent 10 years in jail, where he learned English, Hebrew and German, after which he started a family.
All these people, ordinary in so many ways, caught up in this conflict that has lasted for so many years… We woke up in the morning to the news of Obamas’s election. What joy! Everyone we have seen all day is excited. There is renewed hope. Yes, we can!!!!
Congratulations to us!!!! Perhaps we all have a future that we can look forward to.