Complicated, Messy, Confusing. These are some of the words I kept hearing over and over throughout the week. I could add sad, unjust, frightening, depressing, inspiring, and hopeful. All of these descriptions and more are certainly true of The Holy Land.
Before going there myself, I viewed the situation just like most Americans. I was ambivalent, leaning toward the Israeli side of the argument and away from the Palestinian community. But my perception wasn’t based on any particular knowledge or research. It was just the default setting for an American, Bible-believing Christian.
My view has changed a bit since visiting the Holy Land in person. I’ve visited the sites, and most importantly, talked with people from both sides of the conflict. I’ve returned with a much more nuanced view of the situation and greater interest in the area than I had before.
My wife and I attended a missional trip to the Holy Land with a local church in our area. The Telos Group, a non-profit organization based out of Washington D. C., coordinated the trip. The Telos Group’s core belief is “Pro-Israeli, Pro-Palestinian, Pro-American, Pro-Peace. All at the same time.” Their stated agenda is “Security, Dignity, Freedom; for all Israelis and all Palestinians.” Their mission is to “form and equip communities of peacemakers to heal intractable conflict.”
Pro-Israeli, Pro-Palestinian, Pro-American, Pro-Peace. All at the same time.
The Telos Group
The trip consisted of 6 days in The Holy Land, visiting a variety of people and places. We visited both Israel and Palestinian Territories, including an Israeli Settlement in Palestinian territory, a Palestinian Refugee Camp, a Palestinian-owned farm in Israel, and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum. While the places we visited were educational, it was the people that we met that made this a transformational experience.
Nadia
We met a woman named Nadia, an atheist Arab woman who works with Sindyanna of Galilee. Sindyanna is an organization that makes world-renowned olive oil. They are also a non-profit that exists to further the economic and employment interests of Arab women in the area.
Sindyanna has a visitor’s center that doubles as a studio. They use the studio as a basket weaving classroom where they build relationships between Arab, Israeli, and sometimes Christian, women. Sindyanna’s basket weaving workshops are a place where all women are welcome to gather, learn new skills, and form new friendships.
Diversity and inclusion come naturally to Nadia. Her family history and current family dynamic combine elements from all three of the major faiths in the region. Nadia believes everyone in the Holy Land can live together and share their lives in rich and meaningful ways, despite their theological differences. She believes it’s possible because she watches her family do it every day.
Rabbi Wolicki
On a rainy morning at an Israeli Settlement within the West Bank, we met Rabbi Pesach Wolicki from The Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation. The CJCUC is dedicated to religious dialogue, mutual understanding, and active cooperation between Jews and Christians. CJCUC holds lectures, Bible studies, and seminars, and its staff members write articles published all over the world. They also provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian Christians living in Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem.
Rabbi Wolicki talked to us about the history and traditions of the Jewish people and how unique they are in the world. He also talked to us about Prophecy and how that impacts their current circumstances. Jews sincerely believe that the migration of their people back into the land of Israel is the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy (Deuteronomy 30:1-10, Isaiah 11:11-12, Jeremiah 29:14, Ezekiel 11:17, Ezekiel 20:41, Ezekiel 28:25-26).
The rabbi talked to us about the Jewish people’s need to have a common home. Jews need somewhere that they can be together and celebrate and live out their common culture and beliefs. He also spoke about their deep need to feel safe and secure after the horrors of their exiles, persecutions, the Holocaust and the various pogroms in their history. But Rabbi Wolicki also spoke about the need for peace in Israel and Palestine. He spoke about the need to do more to further the progress of the Palestinian Christians.
Mohammad
We visited the Aida Refugee Camp near Beit Jala and Bethlehem, where we met Mohammad. Mohammad is a journalist who lives at the camp and works at their community center. While having lunch at the Lajee Center, we heard stories about Mohammad’s life in the camp. We heard about the friends and relatives that have been injured or killed by patrolling Israeli soldiers.
We learned that Aida camp residents have more exposure to tear gas than any other community in the world. As Mohammad told a story about one particular incident right there in the community center, a lingering scent of tear gas and chest tightness overwhelmed my senses. I still don’t know whether that sensation was real or just my imagination, but it made an impact on me.
While we were there, Mohammad was having a hard time getting a Visa to leave the Palestinian Territory. Mohammad was involved in the creation of a documentary called Hurdle about parkour in Palestinian Territories. Parkour has gained a lot of popularity among the Palestinians. There’s a symbolism in Parkour that resonates with the Palestinians. The idea of being able to overcome obstacles with nothing more than determination and momentum.
The documentary premiered in Dallas in April 2019, and Mohammad really wanted to be there. Getting a Visa to leave Aida Camp is difficult for anyone, but it’s especially challenging for Mohammad. A few years ago the Israel Defense Forces detained Mohammad as part of an investigation into one of his relatives. Once the Israel Defense Forces have detained a Palestinian for any reason, they’re placed on a no-travel list from that point forward. My wife found out a few months later while on a second trip that Mohammad did not get his Visa and wasn’t able to make it to the premier.
Michel
One of the highlights of the trip for me was getting to share a Shabbat dinner with a Jewish family. Michel, a father of three daughters and one son, opened up his small apartment to the nineteen people in our group so we could have a chance to experience Shabbat Shalom or Sabbath of Peace.
The term Shabbat Shalom, the common Sabbath greeting for observant Jews, carries a bit of a dual meaning. You are wishing someone a peaceful Sabbath, as well as implying that they will experience the peace that a Sabbath can bring if they honor it. While the message of the Shabbat is peace, that wasn’t the emotion that hit me as I drank in the experience. The current of emotion that ran through the room was joy.
This small family (plus an additional friend that the father had invited over as well) led us through an evening full of praying, singing, and eating together. Oh, the eating! Delicious food just kept coming to the table over and over. But as plentiful and delicious as it was, the food was not the main point of the evening. The food was actually a bit of a distraction from the real point of the night: worship.
Most Christians tend to approach worship as solemn, boring, or routine. That’s not how this family did it. They joked, they laughed, and the entire family participated, reciting the prayers and singing along to the operatic voice of Michel’s friend, with smiles on their faces (and ours) the entire time.
As an American, I can’t imagine convincing my children to sing along with us at the dinner table. Even with the song playing on the radio in the background that my kids know by heart, it would still be a challenge.
Michel’s children, ranging from around 10 to close to 18, had no radio in the background to sing along to, they had no cell phones or television to distract them, no iPad or tablet to help get them through the long meal in peace. They just had each other (plus 19 new friends) and a lifetime of tradition that told them that this is how one should spend the Sabbath. Not every once in a while, but every single week. The Sabbath for them was about worshipping God, building their family relationships, and enjoying the process of doing both.
Daoud
We met Daoud Nassar and his brother on a hilltop farm called the Tent of Nations overlooking a beautiful valley just outside of Bethlehem. Daoud and his family are Palestinian Christians. In 1991 Israel declared the 100 acres of land that the Nassars have lived on for over 100 years a part of Israel. That was the beginning of the Nassar family’s legal battle to hold on to their land and their home.
There’s only one reason why the Nassars are still living there today. The family still has the deeds of sale on the property going back to the original purchase in 1916 during the time of the Ottoman Empire. They also have evidence that the family kept the registration updated through Ottoman, British, Jordanian, and now Israeli governance. Even with loads of evidence they still face significant challenges.
The Israeli Government constantly threatens the Nassars with further confiscation orders, they aren’t able to get permits to do any building or get access to water or electricity, Israeli Settlements are slowly but surely surrounding their land, and their main access road to Bethlehem has been closed since 2001. Both Israeli forces and vandals from the nearby settlements occasionally destroy large crops as well, further threatening their survival.
And yet, the Nassars refuse to lose hope. Written on a large stone at the entrance to the property is the phrase “WE REFUSE TO BE ENEMIES”. This is the principle that the Nassar family clings to. They believe in peace among all people, including themselves and the Israeli government that threatens them.
The Nassars love having visitors at the Tent of Nations, and they offer activities to help spread their message of hope and peace. They offer work camps, volunteer opportunities, children’s summer camps, and women’s empowerment projects. All of these activities further their mission “to build bridges between people, and between people and the land.”
One of the things I noticed most during this visit was the smile on Daoud’s brother’s face as he showed us around the farm and the caves they continue to live in. Although their circumstances couldn’t be more different, these Palestinian Christians were living with the same joy and eagerness for life as the Jewish family we joined for Shabbat dinner.
It was inspiring to spend time with these people who have so many reasons to hate, not much reason to hope, yet insist on clinging to the promises of God. The Nassars have fully accepted Jesus’ mission to love their neighbors, so much so that they refuse to call them enemies, even when the rest of us would.
Worshippers at the Western Wall
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed our visit to The Western Wall. The wall is the most sacred physical site for the Jewish religion. The wall is the only remaining part of the second Jewish Temple that the Romans destroyed in the year 70 A.D. We had the opportunity to go to this popular Jewish worship destination just before sundown on a Friday, which marks the beginning of the Sabbath.
It was amazing to watch the fervent worship taking place there. Some worshipped alone, although most were within large groups. They were reciting prayers, singing, dancing, and reading from the Torah. At one point, what looked like a Conga line erupted with random people who likely didn’t even know each other joining together in a celebratory dance.
And this was by no means limited to grown-up, orthodox men. The women and men have separate areas of the wall in which to pray and worship. According to my wife, there was an area on the women’s side that allowed them to peek over the barricade and observe the men worshipping.
There were also groups of school-age children gathering together. Some of them were taking part in active worship, but many looked as if they were just hanging out, spending time with their friends on a Friday night before the Sabbath. No cell phones, no televisions, no distractions. Just groups of kids spending time together.
What I saw at the Western Wall was a group of people who are deeply connected to their God, to this land where so much of their history has taken place, and to each other, being united by their common faith, history, traditions, and devotions.
The Parent’s Circle
We ended our week with a visit by two members of an organization called The Parent’s Circle. They claim that they are the only organization in the world that doesn’t want any additional members. The group was created for parents who had lost children to the conflict in the region. The Parent’s Circle now welcomes anyone who has lost an immediate family member.
Our visit was with a Jewish man named Gili, who lost his brother during the Yom Kippur War, and an Arab woman named Aisha, who lost her brother to complications of being shot during one of the intifadas (Palestinian uprisings). Two people from different sides of the argument, both with very good, perfectly understandable reasons to hate. Yet what they share is far more important to them than how they differ. They have both lost someone dear to them, and they have both chosen to pursue peace rather than vengeance. The two are now devoted friends who work together often.
All Human, All Important
Despite their obvious differences, there are deep parallels between the Jews and the Palestinians. We also visited Yad Vashem, the Jewish Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Our guide started our tour with a simple question that he wanted us to ponder:
If you had just a few minutes to pack a small suitcase and leave the rest of your life behind, what would you choose to put into that suitcase?
It was a reference to the thousands of such suitcases that have been recovered from the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It was also a small way of putting us in their shoes for just a brief moment.
30 minutes away from Yad Vashem, in the West Bank, sitting in the museum of The Walled Off Hotel, is an open suitcase. A sign in the lid of the suitcase reads “If you had 30 minutes before your home was demolished, what would you save?” This was a reference to what the Palestinians call the Nakba (catastrophe or disaster) of 1948 when Israel declared themselves a nation and drove the Palestinians from their homes. It was eerie to see that bit of deja vu on the opposite side of the conflict.
When thinking about the refugee camps and the forced migration of Palestinians to the West Bank and Gaza, it’s hard not to draw parallels to the Native Americans. I can’t help but wonder if there will come a time in the distant future when we’ll look back on this period of Israel’s history with the same sense of sadness and heartbreak.
Who is in the worse position, the young Israeli soldier, or the Palestinian refugee? The soldier is running drills in the refugee camps, doing the things that he or she believes are vital to keeping themselves and their families safe. The refugee is trying to live some semblance of a normal life without worrying about being woken up at night by a tear gas canister coming through their window and looking for ways to fight for justice that don’t end up with anyone dead.
Hope
Real people.
Real events.
Real emotions.
Real struggles.
Real Complicated.
I haven’t even touched on the political, religious, historical, or nationalist implications of this conflict. It’s complex enough to consider the people themselves. It gets even worse as you start to dig into all of these other variables.
Messy.
People have died, continue to die, and it doesn’t seem like the end is coming any time soon. People are still afraid. People on both sides yearn for safety and security for themselves and their families.
Confusing.
According to the leaders of our trip, if you return more confused than when you left, then you probably have a fairly accurate view of the situation.
In meeting with people on both sides of the conflict, it’s clear that there is common ground to work with. Many, maybe even most of the people in the middle of this conflict, want peace. The vast majority of the people that we spoke with certainly did. Not only did they want peace, but they were all taking some sort of action to create it.
With organizations like Telos, The Parent’s Circle, and others that we interacted with on our trip gaining more exposure, it sure seems like the idea of peace is starting to gain momentum. All of them seem to believe that connecting more and more people with varied backgrounds and stories is one of the most effective ways to spread that idea.
Conclusion
After 6 days in the Holy Land, all I know is that there are real people on both sides of the argument. People who deserve to be heard. People who have real emotions, real fears, and real dreams. And no matter whether they are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Arab, Israeli, or Palestinian, they’re all people. And for those of us who call ourselves Christian, we must remember Jesus’ final commandment to his disciples (which includes us) before going to the cross:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this the world will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:34-35
So how do we begin to help the Palestinian refugees? How do we support the Israelis who are returning to what they believe is their God-ordained homeland? What can we do to help the Palestinian Christians? What about Hamas and the Israeli desire for safety and security?
Unfortunately, I don’t have any answers to those questions. I do think there’s a reason for optimism. I hope that those of you reading this article would consider going on a Telos trip yourselves. Ask your church if they would be willing to host a Telos trip. Do your own research into both sides of the conflict. Read some books on the factual history of the region. Be wary of the mainstream media messages on the subject.
But no matter what, always remember that there are real people on both sides of the discussion. Be willing to listen to all of their stories, and try to keep an open mind about how we can best love all of them. That’s the best way I know to further Jesus’ call to be peacemakers. I am confident that all of us can listen better, and that’s enough to make a huge difference.
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:18 NIV
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:8-9 NIV
