A Geopolitical Tour and Via Dolorosa

I am starting by telling you all that I don't know where to start and I fear that is how it is going to shake out from this part forward as our days get longer and down in the heart of the city and the conflict.

It was chilly and a bit damp again today to stat and the foggiest it has been, which made our overlook and the "geo"graphical part of our geopolitical tour a bit more challenging than our guide from Ir Amin would have liked. But even in the face of fog we got experience some things that were amazing and delivered an extreme ounce of perspective. Where did we go today, the West Bank...yes that is right. In our geopolitical tour we drove many of the boarders, and boundaries and through different housing developments both Jewish and Palestinian. It is very hard to explain but here is a quick run down of the West Bank. It is split into 3 areas; Zone A administered by the Palestinian Authority, Zone B administered by the Palestinian Authority and secured by Israelis, Zone C is fully administered and secured by Israel. So today we were able to drive our bus (with Israeli guides, guard and driver) into the C area, though when we visit the city of Bethlehem and the Mayor they are unable to go with us (it is also in the West Bank) because it is fully in the Palestinian controlled area. This is very complicated, and even after talking it through and researching it my 3 friends and I don't fully understand it. What I do understand are a few things;

1) At no point today did I feel unsafe-The check point, the guards with large guns, and the large cement wall barriers that separates out the West Bank were an amazing site but aside from waving us through and asking our driver one question (in both directions) nothing else was done because we said we were American tourists. I am not sure that this is reaffirming or scary but either way I felt safe on our bus.

2) It was amazing to see the discrepancy in living conditions (at times right beside each other) between Jewish settlements/housing areas and Palestinian housing areas. Our Ir Armin guide referred to it as a 3rd world country, the Palestinian area and I have to say, I did look like it at many times.

3) Everyone has a political ideology driving their actions and at times it was clear that the geopolitical guide was saying things that our guide was not agreeing with, but both remained very appropriate (in language-maybe not in non-verbal expressions!). The Ir Armin guide stipulated that urban planning was not driving Israeli development decision but political expansion and a need to build up their presence in the land that they desire to control (the geography) was driving the decisions.

The second part of the afternoon was what you think of when you hear of a trip to Jerusalem and you are Christian, we walked the path that Jesus walked with the cross. This path is marked along the Via Dolorosa by large bronze metal circles with Roman numerals in them and with various churches along the way. We took some amazing pictures and at points read from the Gospels to hear the story as told in the New Testament. Yael (our fabulous guide) told her the story along the way, which was unique in that she is a Jew telling a Christian story (and carrying an tabbed King James version of the Bible). This had me thinking what it must be like for her, and the Jews on our trip to be spending such an amount of time doing this very Christian (specifically non-Protestant-as she explained the Protestant faiths believe that Jesus walked a path on the opposite side of the old city and ended in a different church, not the Holy Sepulcher (which we visited at the end). So what do I do? Consult the trusty Rabbi for the "Jewish" perspective.

This is where I was literally stuck for a good 20-30 minutes with my world just left in an non-understandable state. So I know things about Judaism and can explain a bit about it to those who know nothing but when I asked Seth what Jews think about this whole "stations of the cross" and crucification bit I was shocked by the answer and it left me feeling like it wasn't possible for two such opposite but overlapping realities to exist. From my interpretation of what Seth said about Judaism and Jesus it goes kind of like this....

1) Some Jews will say that he did live (most agree that there is a historical confirmation that Jesus the man did live) others may question it (but that isn't unique to Jews)

2) Jews only spend time on Jesus and think about the role he played in as prominent way as they do (which is minimal at best) because the Christians put such an emphasis on him that they are forced to think more about his role in scripture (well isn't that the true life of any less privileged group-knowing a ton more about how the privileged see things than the privileged know about them!)

3) Without the external Christian emphasis they wouldn't really spend time studying, dialoging, or praying about his existence, teachings or work. They would acknowledge that he died (but all humans do) but the how or what that happened would in no way be significant.

His example was let's say that all of Christianity is pretty much wiped out except for the Mormon faith (for a numbers sake). That is all that will be left of what is a version of Christianity, but not really what I was taught to believe, though there are some vague intersections or similarities (monotheism, some shared or agreed upon stories). I literally could not, end of story.

It was then visible to Carolina that I was stuck in a place that I couldn't understand and definitely wasn't making meaning of. I explained it to her like this...it would be like someone telling your parents that Cuba didn't really exist. What do you do with information like that?

Some would then immediately question their faith, religion, spirituality. Some would immediately denounce the statement by shear faith alone. Some would do nothing and move aimlessly along with no reflection or introspection at all. Here is what I did. I thought long and hard about it, throughout the walk. I kept coming back to it while we toured the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (which also had me questioning why Protestants didn't think Jesus walked to and was crucified on this particular mound), I thought a great deal about it before touching the slab of stone that is said to be the actual physical piece the Jesus was laid on and ascended from (while others were kissing it, crying on it, praying to it, and rubbing tokens on it to take home), and even more when we saw the Greek Orthodox priests doing "Ash Wednesday" type of services as they were bringing in Lent today in there faith. Oh and did I mention the fact that his tomb was in the middle of the church as well and there were rocks dug out that were to be where the cross was stuck into the ground when he was hoisted up to painfully hang from his hands and feet to die? Well we saw all that too and I reflected and I thought about it all.

And now for my change today, it has nothing to do with my professional life but everything to do with my personal and religious life. I think we are all right and we are all wrong at the same time. I think that is is ludicrous for a church to ask you to declare your statement of faith after going through a few classes about their history and that any person can know what that is by the time the are in high school. Well, at least it was for me, maybe not for some, but I know when I was that age I was just saying what I thought I had been told, but didn't know what I believed or why or if it was even my belief or someone else's. Below is what I believe, and I would like to say that it is a Christian belief, though I am sure some could argue that.

DISCLAIMER: This has been 33 years in the making and more clarity was brought today but this is not a result of only walking the Via Dolorosa today.

There is one God (monotheism is what makes the most personal sense for me) who created the heaven and the Earth and all things that are a part of it.
God knew it would be messy from the moment Adam bite the apple (well God actually probably knew before that but the action sealed the deal)
God had a greater hope for the world he created and he wanted to give all that he had created in his imagine a way to be absolved of the sin that had entered the world
God sent Jesus Christ to try and bring balance to this growing sinful world, knowing that the sin would never truly go away now that it had started
Jesus taught many people many things, and was able to help people in a way no other human could because he himself was divine and from God which allowed him to do many amazing things like curing and healing
He was persecuted for this amazing abilities by a government that wanted no one in power but those they put in power, they were threatened by his abilities
Because of this he was killed in a way that was in no way proportionate to his crime (that of impersonating a King according to Roman law)
From there the one true God worked his miracles and Jesus rose from his grave and took his place in heaven as the savior who died to bring salvation to a people that needed something beyond what was available to them, they needed divine guidance and acceptance

Why do I know this? Because I do. I don't need historical facts, carbon dating, validated DNA from shrouds, or written scrolls in a language I don't understand and can't read. I just believe. This too might be unique to Christians, this idea of faith (some would call it blind faith) but to me it is just faith and I believe it because this world is too miraculous and harsh of a place to have come out of no where and to not have a better place waiting somewhere in the wings.

This is alot, trust me I know. I am even thinking right now, do I really want to upload this and have it out there for the 10 folks who will probably read it....Yes. Why? Because it is better to stand for something than nothing at all and this is it for me. Take it or leave it, that is your choice but me today I am telling you that, "I choose Jesus. A divine Jesus to died on the cross to give me hope, faith and new life with God the Father."

That is it. End of my blog today, feel free to comment away. I am not saying this is the only right way or that by reading this you must agree with me. I am simply saying loud and clear, this is my belief...but it is me, so if you take me know that you get this belief in me, it is a package deal.

Shabbat Shalom & Museum Day

Well it was Shabbat and Seth did services for us to both bring in and out the Sabbath. We also had a great night of celebrating in the 7th floor elevantor lounge with TONS of rugala (chocolate filled crossaints) candy (specifically Kinder Bueno-Alissa Sperling has changed my life, and chcolate filled with pop rocks!) and fun stories. This was a great way to relax and enjoy each other's company in a typically Jewish tradition called, Oneg. Oh and tonight I got to hold the mulit-wicked candle...I was the Vanna White of Shabbat!

Today we had more chilly rain in the holy city and because of said rain we spent the day in doors at the Bible Lands Museum and the Islamic Art Museum. The day was topped off by an amazing dinner down town and dessert by the Waffle Lady!

For me today was another day, while I typically enjoy museums the museums we saw didn't feel indicative of the Israeli culture. The content seemed to be similar to that of any musesum who could find anywhere, perhaps even the Natural History Museum in NYC or the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Discovery Museum also in NYC. So this point of view brings me quickly to the change for today...

I AM IN ISRAEL, the holy city, where Jesus walked and preached, when civializations have been created and destroyed where some would say religion was born!!!!! DON'T WASTE THE TIME WITH DISCONTENTMENT! I want to be a more optomistic person, carpe diem, be in the moment and not be critical.

I think the turning point today came for me at dinner, we had an AMAZING dinner where I had the best salad, Mistress Salad with a blue cheese that I enjoyed (if you really know me you understand why that is shocking and worth noting) and a FABULOUS fetuccini with tomato basil cream sause and the same cheese on top (still enjoyed it). We then went to have waffles for dessert and mine was topped with butter scotch and pecans, Caro had chocolate sauce and bananas and Seth (aka Rabbi) had whipped cream and cookie pieces and cream cheese and cinnamon. As if that wasn't enough I then had a cup of the most wonderfully perfect hot chocolate-it might have been literally been melted chocolate in a cup. We also had great dinner conversation about religions and beliefs and were lucky enough ot have Seth's father (Mr. Goren) with us who toured us around the perimeter of the Old City before we came home, that is when it felt real. We saw the large walls enclosing the city, that up to this point we have only see in model replicas (though great replicas-they didn't make it seem real). This made me excited for tomorrow when we actuall get to go into the City of David, walk the stations of the cross and enter the Church of the Holy Sepluchar (clearly we are visiting the Christian and then the Armenia quarters of the city).

I am ready to really begin this Israel adventure tomorrow and get to be in the city and see things. It will likely still be raining but by now we are used to being cold and a bit damp so I say bring on the holy land, I have been blogging about being it in but feel like we aren't really there yet!

Want to know even more about our adevntures here in Jerusalem...then check out my friends too!

Shout out to my newest blog groupie, Alissa Sperling! You can read about her adventures at Alissaintheholyland.blogsot.com!

Don't forget about Carolina too at carointheholyland.blogspot.com

Snow in Jerusalem?!

That is right, the first time in 4 years that it has snowed in Jerusalem and you guessed it, it was the first full day the Lehigh contingent spent in the city. I mean it is the year of the extreme anomalies for Lehigh, so why not bring them with us to a foreign country! After it took us about 40 minutes to go 10 miles in the icy snow up Mount Hertzel we arrived at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. We spent the better part of the morning going through this amazing experience and for those of you who have been to the museum in DC this is equally as powerful of an experience, but in a very respectful way that honors the Jewish people while illuminating the horrific tragedy that they experienced, regardless of their direct connection to the massacre. I could literally write forever and not begin to hit the highlights from this morning so I think I will sum it up with the change to stay true to my blog's purpose. I want to live my life in a fashion that allows me to experience more totally bone chilling and awe inspiring moments. The moment today came for me in the Hall of Names at the end of the museum. Pages of testimonies were recorded in the Hall of Names, millions in fact to remember those that we slaughtered by the Reich. When you see something that well designed and executed, that is of the shear magnitude that it was, and knowing that at least 1/2 to 1/3 of it was left empty because whole communities were killed with no one to testify to them or remember them it gives you (or me at least) goose bumps for minutes on end. Y'varekh'kha Ad-nai v'yishm'rekha - God bless and keep your souls After lunch at Yad Vashem we moved onto the market in Jerusalem (no it was not snowing still but I believe is was colder in at the market than it was in December when I was in Denmark!). As today is Friday, meaning that the Sabbath starts as sundown, the shoppers come to do last minute Shabat shopping and the merchants close early to get home for their celebrations as well. This market makes the Allentown farmers market look like the produce section in Target. And I learned my Hebrew word of the day, "Shekit" which means shut up and listen (but a bit more strongly!) as many of the merchants would yell this across the walkway to each other in a mocking fashion, and Alissa Sperling had a Hebrew school teacher who would use this as the greeting to the announcements over the loud speaker each day (love ya Dottie). I am really glad that we get to go back later in the week because I am excited to try my hand at bartering again, I only got 5 Shekles off my purchase but I did get my picture take when the shop owner since it was my first try at haggling. I did breakdown and purchase 2 items for myself (THANK YOU CARO for talking me into it!) at a artists co-op that are perfect, I will post photos of them when I return, as they are both fragile pottery that are wrapped amazingly well right now!

An Opening Evening with Gershom Gorenberg

After our nap and dinner we had an amazing discussion with this author and journalist. Gorenberg has written a few books and covered a variety of charged situations about the conflict between Israel and Palestine much of which to summed up in an hour long lecture type of discussion with us. He posed questions to the group and then answered them as a way of conveying his perspective to us, which comes from his study of the interaction of religion and politics. Some of the most fascinating were, Why is Jerusalem here? How many times is Jerusalem referenced in the Torah or Quran and are we prisoners of stories and symbols? How would you answer these questions, or better yet do you feel like you have enough background to be able to answer them? I know I didn't feel like I could last night, but now I feel like as a part of my change mantra it is a duty to help others begin to explore them, and because I think a part of my constant change is to feel more capable and confident with religion and my ability to critique it and accept what I believe as a result of the education and critique. Why is Jerusalem here? In short because of the sanctity of the place. Specifically, rulers and kings conquer or take over (perhaps you could use the word supersede here, as in supersessionism of Christianity over Judiasm) holy places, things that are of value to others in order for them to loose hope or to make them follow the new regime. Temple 1 built by Solomon on a mound and destroyed by Babylonians, Temple 2 built and on the same mound then Herod expands the mound to give a larger space to worship and builds walls around the mound, all of which were destroyed (except for the Western Wall), by the Romans in the siege and the Jews were banned from being there, Muslims then built the Islamic shrine (mosque) on the site of temple known as the Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem is NOT mentioned in the Torah or the Quran. That doesn't mean that is isn't eluded to in other ways but it is never mentioned as Jerusalem. For instance is Genesis the binding of Issac is talked about and it happens on Mount Moriah. It is however mentioned in the New Testament as where the ultimate religious individual goes through the ultimate religious test (Jesus & the crucifixion). Finally we are prisoners of stories and symbols if we wish to be. People can be controlled by them and/or they can also use them. Stories and symbols are peoples facts and people need to own them and honor them. This does not necessarily make them historically factual. And thus brings me to the end of Gershom, which was also the same meaning of my blog from yesterday. You must recognize that people are telling their stores and their truth is factual for them, you however have to choose how you will interpret those stories.

Jet lagged but we have arrived!

Well you may have noticed my post from the plane was a bit hard to read, that was because the Blogger site was in Hebrew! After some quick translation by our trusty Rabbi we are back in English, better for you and me! When we arrived we were met by our IsraelExperts tour guide Yael and our guard Bachi (ba key) and then visited the Israel Museum. We were all exhausted after our 10 hour flight and the hour bus ride from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem but our guide is amazing and we have already learned so much. At the museum we were able to see an amazing model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period. I have some fabulous photos that I will annotate and upload a bit later in the week. Basically we were able to see what the with looked like with the full temple, enact Wailing (Western) Wall and the surrounding villages. Having this perspective going into the city tomorrow will be so helpful. We were also able to tour 3 different synagogues in the museum that had been reconstructed from places like Italy, India and the Carribean. And we were able to learn a bit about the life cycle of a Jew from birth and the Briss ceremony through death and preparation for burial. After about 3 hours in the museum we were all exhausted and able to check into our hotel, Park Hotel in Jerusalem. From there we slept for about 4 hours and just had dinner, an extremely yummy brisket, baby potatoes, rice and assorted salads. The food was amazing, and it makes me very excited to eat more whe I am actually hungry (we ate all day really). In a bit we get to meet with one of the NY Times best selling authors we will be reading later in the course, so that is very exciting, and then back to bed to be rested and ready for a full day tomorrow! So back to my angle, what has been changed as a result of today? I was confronted with a few personal thoughts today, many centering around cultural otherness and privilege. A few times I found myself looking for a more polite and customer service oriented perspective from cashiers or museum attendants. We were told that Israelis are a blunt people and I found myself judging that cultural bluntness in my head as rude or disrespectful. That is a very American perspective to take and one that I then found myself reflecting on as it would happen. I also thought a few times about the statistics or generalizations Yael, our guide, would make. I was crtically pondering in my head, how much of this is her individual interpretation as a secular Jew (as she disclosed) and an individual citizen of Israel versus the reality of all people. Yeal has been guiding tours for 15 years so I would imagine she is very knowledgeable though I do find myself using a critical lens to interpert the information she gives us. My Hebrew word of the day it, "Toda" which means thank you so "Toda for reading, more tomorrow!"

Many things can be done on a ten hour plane flight, most of which involve snacking, sleeping and watching old/new movies-I did some of all three but I also did some learning that is the focus of this entry. iTunesU came through and I want to highly recommend a few short videos. The first is a speech and Q&A done by Ehud Barak, former Israel Prime Minister and Minister of Defense from the 2001 Achievement Summit in San Antonio, TX. Hearing his life story and the amazing leadership philosophy that he has shaped truly emphasized for me that what I am teaching students about "social change" leadership is applicable beyond a "fuzzy" environment and is what is at the heart of how he has approached his view of peace between Israel and Palestine. The entire 15 minute speech is amazing but there are a few quotes I will share with you if you aren't able to watch the whole piece. "leadership is about changing reality it's not just about living through the experiences, that you need to use your courage, your conviction, your vision and your beliefs to act to change what happens around us." "I find what motivates leaders more than achievement is a profound search for meaning...what really connects us to those we lead beyond our physical bodies is what differentiates us from chimpanzees and microorganisms, it is our self awareness and our inner search for meaning." I don't think that the Social Change Model itself could say it better. The end of leadership is about making a positive social change in the community you are a part of and that is what Barak seems to be committed to from what I could tell from his speech. The foundation of the Social Change Model is self consciousness, or what I tell students is self awareness, just as Barak noted. Another iTunesU speech, also from the Achievement Summit, though a different year, is one given by Shimon Perez. More than direct quotes, from that I took a sense of what I will call inspirational intelligence. Perez, former Prime Minister after the Rabin assassination, and the President of Israel, shows a true world understanding of peace and terror and what propagates both. Just listening to his address gives you the sense that a peaceful solution is possible, though in light of terror and fanaticism it is often hard to see and harder to get others to commit to. Finally, for those of you have a more in depth understanding of Israeli politics I would suggests a podcast, "Kol Hadish Humanistic Congregation-Israel and Palestine from 2/10/12" or another iTunesU podcast, "A public talk by Arie M Dubanov, Acting Assistant Professor of History, Stanford University. The two explore what a single state solution could look like and the history of a prominent Zionist figure, Berlin. More than anything these both illustrate that there are so many ways to look at the history of Israel and Palestine and how possible solutions are often derived by the historical happenings, practices, and beliefs rather than the hope that could await the future. While the "change" in this entry is more of a feeling of global validation for more work on a professional level, I think personally I was inspired to be more open to seek out what can seems like a perspective that may be a world apart, but could actually be more aligned and eye opening that what you think.

Newark Here We Come

Well the adventure begins we are on our way to Newark! Shocking that someone overslept, but as always we have a trusty Head Gyphon on the trip who was able to "swipe" in and get our slightly sleepy student up and on our mini bus with us. I was asked what the angle for my blog would be, good question! I think I am going to stick with "to change a few things" as the angle. I am exploring how this trip will change me as a professional, as a Christian and as a citizen of this larger world. I am going to explore all those things, and probably go off on tangents just so all my readers are prepared! I am left with a quote from Wicked, "Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you I've been changed for good!" All I can say at this point as we begin, is that I am not sure how I will be changed by this trip, but I am positive I will be changed forever by this once in a lifetime experience. You can also check out my partner in crime's blog carointheholyland!