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This past Thursday, April 1st, two member of the Tree of Life group were able to meet with Rep. Joe Courtney (D), Congressman for the 2nd District of CT. Along with members of The Northeast CT. Coalition for Peace & Justice and the Israeli/Palestinian Peace, Education & Action Group of Northeast CT, Dan and Linda asked questions and discussed Middle East peace with the Congressman. Upon learning that he would be unable to follow up with the Congressman, Dan forwarded him two doccuments expressing some of his concerns. These doccuments are below:
TO: Representative Joe Courtney
FR: Dan, First Congregation Church Old Lyme, Tree of life Journey to Israel-Palestine 2010
participant
RE: Observations
Thank you again for taking the time to meet with us yesterday (4/1/10) in Storrs. As I stated, our group has recently returned from the Middle East. We traveled in Syria, Jordan, Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel & Palestine. As a collective commentary, we authored an “Open Letter to President Obama and the American People” which is attached separately. Since you are about to travel to the region, I am hoping to add a few impressions of my own regarding issues relating to the occupation as your group will spend most of its time on the Israeli side of the barrier.
Based on the rate of Israeli infrastructure development, resource redirection & the scope of the established and pending settlements, this observer saw no indication that the state of Israel intends to allow the Palestinians to create a viable independent country. We were able to observe, first hand, portions of the water distribution system, construction of settler roads, construction of a light rail system to link settlements with Jerusalem, Palestinian houses slated for demolition, Palestinian farmland slated for inclusion in an Israeli “green zone” and disputed land which the Israeli military had turned over to a Palestinian municipality now claimed in part by Israeli settlers. The systematic encroachment of the state of Israel and the settlements (supported by the Israeli military) on land and resources originally allocated to the Arabs by the 1949 Armistice (Green line) creates a defacto single-state and renders the current Palestinian position at the negotiating table non-tenable.
While you travel in Israel and the Occupied Territories, I would urge you to witness the scope of the Israeli investment – in terms of time and money, but also in terms of political capital expended – in their effort to establish “facts on the ground”. A few specific observations:
1. While you are in the region, note the size and permanence of the settlements. As of early 2009, over 400,000 Israelis resided in 140 settlements. Some, like the Har Homa settlement adjacent to Jerusalem, are small cities of their own with as many as 40,000 residents, schools, department stores, clinics and even a university.
(see attachments – A & B)
2. The road network and associated security barriers constructed to service Israeli settlements occupies Palestinian property and often hinders Palestinians movement within the region. Controlled by the Israeli military, access to these roads allows easy transit for Israelis, but creates a hardship for everyday life on the part of the Palestinians. The area occupied by the road-bed also provides for infrastructure (water, electrical, data) to be installed underground to support the settlements.
3. Following the 1967 occupation, the Israeli military assumed control of all water resources in the territories. Since then, no additional Palestinian wells have been permitted and few upgrades have been allowed to the Palestinian water network. Israel has leveraged its financial and technological superiority to construct a modern water distribution system to supply the settlements and West Jerusalem while restricting Palestinians access to the water which originates under their land. A similar process is underway in the Golan Heights, diverting water resources to irrigate Israeli kibbutz and settlements while limiting access to the native population.
(see attachment - C)
4. We witnessed the construction of light rail project Phase II in Jerusalem. Tracks are in place to link West Jerusalem with Pisgat Zeev, the largest settlement in the Palestinian sector. Additional rails are being laid to extend the system – directly on the Green Line. This construction is underway, despite international protest & potential lawsuits against the French firm contracting a portion of the work. The rail system may be in test mode while you are in the city – and despite its appearance as progress, this Israeli construction project only raises further obstacles to a future solution in Jerusalem.
(see attachment – D & E)
5. In 2005, the Israeli Ministry of Housing for the Jerusalem District published a Master Plan for the Silwan Palestinian neighborhood of Al-Bustan. The plan called for the demolition of 88 homes to make way for an Israeli archeological site – the historical City of David. The proposal envisions an urban park to celebrate the origin of the Jewish site of Siloam. In response to international criticism, the plan has been revised and the number of homes required to be demolished reduced, however demolition orders are still in place for the original 88 homes. Silwan is one of the disputed neighborhoods in Palestinian East Jerusalem that has been highlighted in international debate. We had the opportunity to tour the area and meet with some of the resistors.
(see attachment – F & G)
6. We toured, played soccer and had dinner with local residents at Ush Ghrab – a recreation and community center in the town of Beit Sahour built with the assistance of USAID on land formerly occupied by first a Jordanian and later an Israeli military base. Located directly southeast of Bethlehem in the Occupied Territories, Beit Sahour has been the scene of ongoing non-violent protests; the Israeli military withdrew from the site in 2006 and turned the site over to the municipality of Beit Sahour. Development plans included the community center, soccer fields, a playground and children’s health clinic; some aspects of the plan are built. As a result of Israeli settler protests, the clinic has not been built and the Israeli military re-occupied part of the site on March 15, 2010, erecting a watchtower for security purposes. Palestinian protests are ongoing.
(see attachment H)
Based on the observations noted above as well as other issues our group witnessed during our time in the Middle East, the conclusion one draws is that despite years of negotiation and failed diplomacy, the real conflict is being waged on the ground. The State of Israel continues to advance its agenda at the expense of the Palestinian people and of any hope for progress towards an independent Palestinian state. Posturing aside, Israel proceeds along a methodical, pre-meditated path towards control over the land it occupied in 1967 – in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and numerous UN resolutions. Construction and habitation of the settlements, exploitation of natural resources, ongoing development of infrastructure and transportation projects as well as removal of Palestinians from the land and homes is evidence that the intention of the State of Israel is to continue to occupy, annex and control these areas. The United States has supported Israel without question for far too long – the cold war paradigm that we need to support Israel as the only democracy in the area is now at odds with Israeli violations of human rights, international law and UN resolutions. As recently stated by General Petraeus, the lack of progress towards a comprehensive solution threatens our ability to advance our interests in the region and ferments hostility towards America.
To be clear, we are all trying to find ways to help guide the administration and the American people in direction that is beneficial for peace and justice – for all the people in the Middle East. There is no easy solution, no path forwards which will not require sacrifice from each of the parties. We need to urge the administration to use every means possible to bring the Israelis to a place where they will negotiate in good faith and in earnest.
I know based on our meeting yesterday that the time you spent in Gaza in July moved you deeply. Tragically, as we were meeting, Israel was preparing to launch another bombing assault on Gaza which was reported early this morning EDT by Reuters. Casualty reports at this point are “light”. This only underscores the urgency we already feel.
Please use your time in the region well. Keep your eyes open to see beyond the façade of prosperity and normalcy on the Israeli side of the barriers and hold in your mind the Palestinians you met on the Gaza side. I hope to have the opportunity to continue this dialogue upon your return – we would appreciate your guidance and suggestions regarding our mission in the area.
On behalf of our church and my Tree of Life colleagues I wish you safe travels
Thanks again for your time,
Dan
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Below is a wonderful letter that Jonathan and Deborah, two Tree of Life travelers wrote upon returning home from the trip. Please take a moment to read the letter. It can be used as the starting point for anyone to compose their own letter to friends, representatives, colleagues, and anyone who you think would benefit from reading about our experiences.
March 22, 2010
Palestine 2010 Dear Friends, Picture the home and setting you have most loved, and imagine the following happening to you: Your family was forced out of your home at gunpoint by Israeli forces in 1948. A week later a Jewish family was living in your house. You instantly became a refugee. Your older brother was shot and killed while walking home. The murderer, riding in an automobile, sped off. A sniper felled your younger brother while he was standing at his kitchen window. You watched your house being demolished by an Israeli driving a bulldozer. You were told to leave because your village existed no more. Your ancestral family farm and orchard sits on a prized hilltop surrounded by Israeli settlements. The government wants your land so that the settlements can be connected. Boulders are placed by the government on your road to prevent vehicular access. You own many acres, but are unable to obtain a building permit to improve your facilities, and you know that any new construction will invite government demolition. So your only alternative is to dig caves into the earth. In the middle of the night settlers cut down all your olive trees. Your water supply is cut off by the government and you have no electricity. Five military vehicles pull up in front of your house at 2am and make threatening noise at the door. Your wife and children are terrified. When you open the door the teenager soldiers laugh as if it’s a joke, and hand you a summons to appear at a nearby police station. On the specified date you are kept waiting for an hour and a half. Then your interviewer speaks soothingly. He professes fury at the people who kept you waiting, and then invites you to become an informer on your Palestinian community. Money and travel permits are offered as bribes. Equally as bad as these violent acts is the frustration and humiliation of daily life. Identity cards and colored license plates give Jewish Israelis rights to travel and visit denied to Palestinians. 18 year-old Israeli soldiers – many from the United States - man checkpoints and are taught to delay or obstruct passage to Palestinians at whim. A Palestinian traveling to work, a student going to school, a pregnant woman rushing to the hospital all face uncertainty, fear and delay as they approach their Israeli captors. THE WALL is the visible proof of the theft of prime Palestinian property for Israeli settlements, and the red tile roofs of the tidy settlements creep across the hills like molten lava. If any of these assaults had happened to either of us, we might have turned our hate into terrorism. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. You might have done the same. Deborah and I have just returned from a two week trip to the Middle East with a group from our Congregational Church in Old Lyme. We visited Syria, Jordan, Golan Heights, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the adjacent Christian community of Beit Sahour (See National Geographic June 2009). We met with many Palestinians and some Jews. We heard or saw all the episodes described above and more. Surprisingly, not one person advocated violence. We met many courageous people, such as a Jew and a Moslem, members of the Bereaved Parents’ Circle. Families of all faiths have here found strength through each other to survive the violent loss of their loved ones, and to work together for peace. We met a former Israeli soldier who has established a website to help his people understand the brutality of the Gaza war. A young Israeli lady described her refusal to join the military after she learned what is actually happening in the West Bank. She and others like her served a term in jail, and her family has disowned her. She believes that Jews as well as Moslems and Christians are imprisoned by Israeli policies, and that the only path to reconciliation is justice. Groups such as the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions is working to protect the remaining communities of Moslems and Christians from further loss. Most Israelis are ignorant of what is happening to Palestinians in their midst because their lives are totally segregated. But there are signs of hope, especially among the young – for example, those described above, and in the USA, organizations such as JStreet. Founded by Jeremy Ben-Ami (Princeton ’84!), Jstreet fosters an alternative approach to loving and supporting the State of Israel. Many people we met expressed the following: - The Government of Israel’s goal is to buy out, harass, or intimidate all Palestinians, so that all the land from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River will become a 100% Jewish state. The government uses “Security” as an excuse for an offensive land grab and ethnic cleansing.
- The governments of both sides do not want peace – either because of their fundamentalist beliefs or because they will lose their jobs if peace arrives.
- The hope which President Obama brought to the Arab world in his Cairo speech has largely evaporated. Obama is a weakling. The Government and media of the United States remain under the thumb of wealthy Jewish right wing groups such as AIPAC. (American Israel Public Affairs Committee)
- Peace needs to be forced on the Middle East. It will not happen on its own. And it’s up to the USA, together with other global powers, to make it happen.
Violence and intransigence have occurred on both sides, but the burden of responsibility, as the occupying power, rests with Israel. A Jewish death achieves publicity, but less is said about Palestinian suffering. From 2000 through 2008 there were approximately 9,700 Palestinian fatalities in the Occupied Territories and Israel, including 3,000 in Gaza. During the same period Israel suffered roughly 1,500 deaths due to the conflict. So more than 6 Palestinians were killed for every Israeli loss. In 1972 the total population of settlements was 10,600. By the end of 2007 settlement population had grown to nearly 485,000, including 190,000 in East Jerusalem. So this is a letter to encourage our friends of all religions to use whatever means and contacts they have to make the US Government acknowledge the racism and ethnic cleansing being perpetrated by the Israeli Government. Write President Obama (www.whitehouse.gov/contact). Let our congressmen and senators know your opinion. Support organizations such as jstreet that are pressuring for a win-win solution. And discuss it with your friends of varying faiths. Israel can no longer hide behind the Holocaust as an excuse for persecution of the Palestinians. Hitler’s evil is with us today in the mindset of the Israeli Government. Justice is for all people, not just the Jews. Not only does the loss of integrity of the United States contribute to our diminished status in the world, but by ignoring Judaism’s historical fight for justice, Israel may have lost her soul. Sincerely, Deborah & Jon For more information: www.jstreet.org Jstreet - Founded by Jeremy Ben-Ami, (Princeton ’84). Fosters and alternative approach to loving and supporting the State of Israel. www.btselem.org B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. Statistics, comment. www.fmep.org Foundation for Middle East Peace. Statistics, comment. Op-Ed Driving Drunk in Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman in Sunday March 14 2010 Ny Times at www.nytimes.org Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews and the search for Peace in the Holy Land by Mark Braverman. Synergy Books. The Holocaust is Over. We Must Rise from its Ashes. By Avraham Burg. Palgrave Macmillan. Both Fatal Embrace and Holocaust describe how the Eichmann trial was a negative turning point in the history of Israel. The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan. Describes the relationship that developed between a boy who lived in his ancestral home in an Arab village until 1948, and the Jewish girl whose family moved into it.
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One of the members of the Tree of Life 2010 Journey was Marilyn Nelson. Marilyn is a poet whose work has recieved many honors.
Below is a poem Marilyn has written in response to the trip. Psalm 137
By the army checkpoints we sit and weep when we remember Palestine. There near pushed over olive groves we hang our lutes on the barbed-wire fence. For there the soldiers tell us to sing, the occupiers demand songs. They say, "Sing us an Arab folksong! Dance!" How can we sing the Lord's song in our besieged land? If I forget you, East Jerusalem, may my right hand forget how to stroke the strings. May my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I forget you, oh Silwan, my birthplace, my childhood's joy. Lord, you heard their words on the day the bulldozers came. "Tear down their houses," they shouted, pull their trees out by the roots! Let them find some other place to live!" Show your spoiled favorites hate's self-magnifying mirror: blessed be the hands that will dash their infants against rocks. Marilyn Nelson
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One of the things that shocked me day after day was the overwhelming hospitality we received from the people we met. From Syria to Beit Sahour, everyone we met received us in a way that was foreign to us who live in an American culture that is often quite cold.
Everywhere we went, we were served tea, invited to sit and chat and always greeted with a hug and a kiss on both cheeks. In the spirit of such hospitality, families of Beit Sahour welcomed us into their homes for two nights, treating us as part of their families. Our new parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters offered us warm beds to sleep in and beautiful home-cooked meals. We laughed with them as we traded stories, sometimes communicating only through smiles and body language with those who spoke only Arabic. Somehow we understood each other perfectly.
What was truly amazing, though, was that the Palestinians we met did not show resentment toward us for being citizens of a country that is helping to support their oppression. Somehow, they looked past the policy of our government and the distribution of our tax dollars, judging us only, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “the content of…[our] character.”
Every member of the group stayed with a family and it was an unforgettable experience. On Sunday morning, we went to Church—some to the Roman Catholic Church and some to the Greek Orthodox. We then went to the Church of the Nativity to visit the place where Jesus was born. Sunday night, the group reconnected at Ush Ghrab to have dinner and to spend the last night in Palestine with our new friends. We ate a wonderful meal, danced, and visited with the people of the Beit Sahour community.
But first, we competed in a much anticipated soccer match: the kids from Old Lyme against the kids from Beit Sahour, or so we thought. When we arrived to the brand new turf field at Ush Ghrab, men in soccer jerseys—members of the team representing Beit Sahour—greeted us. Needless to say, we were intimidated. Only 3 of the 8 young people from Old Lyme had ever played soccer. Fortunately for us, though, some of our Palestinian friends were sympathetic to our unfortunate situation and joined our team.
The many people—our host families, Palestinian friends and adults from the Old Lyme community—that comprise our growing Tree of Life community, sat in the stands, cheering both sides on. With Jiries as our coach, we ran up and down the field, dribbled past defenders and attempted to win the ball from our opponents.
After the first 5 minutes, the team from Beit Sahour had scored a goal. It was at that point that Corey and Dana, using their better judgment, decided to joint the soccer players from Beit Sahour. However, with the help of Hazim, George and Wassim, our ragtag group from Old Lyme managed to score a goal! We played until we could no longer see each other. I’m not exactly sure what the final score was, but I think we gave them a good game.
Dinner and dancing followed the soccer game and the young people—not wanting to say goodbye—stayed at Ush Ghrab late into the night, talking and sharing our wishes for the future. Corey wished for peace between Israel and Palestine.
Ironically, Ush Ghrab, built with financial support from USAID, is set to be demolished. The park that houses a playground, fire pit, picnic area and, of course, the soccer field we played on, is illegal according to Israeli authorities. A new Israeli settlement is to be built in its place. Instead of seeing kids sliding on the playground slide or families sitting around a picnic table, cold, red-roofed settlement homes will overtake the area.
Our Palestinian friends all laughed in agreement with Corey’s statement, implying that it was a nice wish, but a wish is all it would ever be: peace would never be a reality.
I hope this is not true—I hope the disturbing reality in Israel and Palestine is only temporary. I truly believe that we have the power to change the hostile climate that plagues the West Bank and Gaza. Let’s speak out against the demolition of places like Ush Ghrab. With the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so prevalent in the news at this moment, we all have the power to talk to our friends, write to our representatives and take action. Let’s support organizations like USAID and prove to our friends from Beit Sahour that things do change and wishes can become reality.
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Dear Friends, below is a letter from one of Tree of Life travelers, Corinne. She has been on all 8 of the Tree of Life journeys to Israel and Palestine. Please take some time to read Corinne's powerful letter and reflect on the issues she raises.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I have just returned from visiting the Holy Land, where I literally felt the presence of Christ and experienced His Living Spirit in the Christians that I met here.
I was travelling with an interfaith group, who were privileged to follow in the footsteps of St. Paul, worshipped at the church of Ananias, where Paul recovered his sight and saw the place where he was lowered to safety by the Christians of Damascus. Those words heard by St Paul, "Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9 v.4) need to be heard by the American church.
Time and time again when we were in Israel and the West Bank we were asked "why does the American Christian Zionist church hate us?" I had no answer.
The Christians in the Holy Land have literally kept our faith alive in the face of 2000 years of persecution. Their ancestors suffered unbelievable tortures, death and dwelt under myriad foreign conquests, but have still kept the faith. What we are doing by our indifference is stamping on their fingers, as these heroic Christians hang on by their fingernails over the abyss of extinction, created by the policies of the state of Israel.
I heard the Bishop of Nazareth say that the church leaders in the Holy Land have signed a Kairos document, similar to that produced by the churches in apartheid South Africa. Then he turned to us and asked, why does the American Christian Zionist church hate us? (They fund many of the illegal settlements.) I had no answer.
When I heard the moving testimony of the Catholic priest who ran a Catholic school in Gaza, I wept. He described that horrific time last year when Israel invaded Gaza. They started by cutting off: water, electricity and the supplies of essentials such as food and oil. In case you are unaware Israel still has Gaza in a close blockade. He described the condition of the children, they had tried to keep the school open to protect them. At night, because of the lack of water and the danger, the children had to stay inside. Many were terrified and to quote him, "went pee pee in their pantalons." This sounds quaint until you realise that with no water their mothers could not wash them; all they could do was air dry the clothes. Naturally this did not diminish the smell. The children were ashamed of the way they smelt when they went to school.
This man of God described how his mother got sick because of her heart. He managed to get her to hospital but there was no medicine, so she died. His father died also. This retired priest, a big powerful man with a booming voice, punctuated his points with a slap to his knee or the nearest person's knee. As he told this part of the story his voice cracked. He asked angrily why America supported Israel in this military operation?
Why would we sanction the indisciminate bombing of civilians, with the use of weapons such as phosphorus which are illegal according to international law? I had no answer. Women in Gaza are currently suffering birth defects because of the weapons used.
I think that Jesus is crying at our inhumanity and lamenting again "oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem would that even now you knew the things that make for peace." Luke 19 v.42
I get told over and over again that Israel is a soverign power and has the right to defend itself. However, whether it acknowledges it or not it is subject to international law. As an occupying power it is illegal to: seize land and assets without compensation; and tax the people and not use the money to benefit the population. The so-called road map to peace has allowed Israel to seize 72% of the West Bank. They have taken control of one of the largest aquifers in the Middle East underneath Bethlehem. It has used the water to shower the settlements with this precious resource while it allows the Palestinians only intermittent access. Palestinian houses are characterized by the large black water towers which they use to store water when Israel deigns to let them have some. There are no water towers on the settlements. They do not even have flat rooves. Their policies in and around the Sea of Galilee have resulted in a drastic drop in the sea level, an increase in pollution and a loss of fish. When I bathed in it six years ago it was clean and beautiful; I could imagine Jesus with his disciples watching them fish from their wooden boat. Now it is cloudy and without any indication of fish.
We are supporting these policies by our unconditional support of Israel. In doing so we as a nation are making ourselves a pariah in the Middle East and providing ammunition for terrrorists. Furthermore, I believe that we are also putting our troops at risk in the Iraq and Afghanistan.
The media bears much of the blame for keeping us ignorant. I could not believe how one sided their recent coverage of the action of Israel in the district of Silwan in East Jerusalem was. Israel had bull-dozed some Palestinian houses in order to allow for " the natural expansion of Jewish settlers." Of course this put the Palestinian families on the street with nowhere to go. The rationale was that the houses were illegal because they had not obtained permits from the occupying authority, Israel. We were told that since 1967, Israel has not given any Palestinian a building permit. What can they do? In effect they are blockaded with no room for their children, so they build onto their existing houses. The Israeli policy is designed to get the Palestinians to leave. However their ancestors have been there thousands of years and they are deeply attached to the land.
The Israeli press covered the incident with far more accuracy than the American press. Ari Shavit wrote in Haaretz on March 11th "the continuation of the occupation makes Israel disfigure itself and its image; and with its own hands it undermines the image of Zionism." Others argued that Israel was losing a precious opportunity to create a lasting peace and ensure the lasting survival of the state of Israel. I believe this.
I pray that America, whose freedom of worship is the shining star of her being, will re-think its position on Israel. I believe that in advocating for a just peace, not only would the Palestinians be able to survive, Israel would immeasurably strenthen its chances for long term survival and America would be less vulnerable to terrorists.
Yours in Christ,
Corinne Good
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Note: Part III is the last post in a series about our time with the Bedouins.
After visiting Alsira, we proceeded to another Bedouin village, Wadi al-Ni’am where we met our friend Amal, a Bedouin woman who has worked relentlessly to promote women’s rights, especially education.
The Bedouin people living in Wadi al-Ni’am first treated us to a beautiful lunch in a festive tent. We ate a traditional Bedouin meal: rice, fresh bread, vegetables, lamb, and a yogurt soup. Again, we were received with overwhelming hospitality.
After lunch, we walked to a small, one-room building with a concrete floor and a tin roof. Inside the building, chairs lined the wall and table in the back had colored pencils, pens and paper. This building is school Amal founded. We were privileged to see the grand opening of her school, as we learned of her endeavor when Amal spoke at the Tree of Life Conference last November. Instead of cutting the ribbon, David and Amal poured water under the door to signify the official opening of the school. Amal will begin classes for young girls in the very near future.
The education of women is one of the primary goals of Amal’s foundation, Bedouin Women For Themselves. She has been dedicated to working toward equality for Bedouin women in all aspects of their lives and has appeared on television several times.
Amal is a role model for all women. She is confident and works for a cause she believes in. Amal exemplifies the power of women, as she has become successful in her journey. After Amal was invited to speak at the Tree of Life Conference, she was engaged and married two weeks before the conference. Committed to her advocacy in the United States, she told her husband that she would only marry him if he allowed her to attend and speak at the conference.
Amal came to the conference and is still married. She and her husband had their honeymoon after Amal returned from the conference. A letter Amal read to us exemplifies not only her hard work, but shows what an amazing Amal is. The letter is below: Dear guests, especially Mr. David Good, You are most welcome to our humble village of Wadi al-Ni’am. It is my pleasure to meet and host you in our village. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous and hospitable reception for me during my visit to the States especially in Old Lyme. We are meeting today for the sake of establishing a school for illiterate women and a kindergarten, which is the first school of its kind in Wadi al-Ni’am village, so, many thanks for your generous contribution and your supportive stance to accomplish this project. We strongly believe in the major role women play in the society. We say in Arabic “ a woman is a school that raises all generations”, and we can’t imagine the future of the coming generations if that woman is illiterate, not because she wants to be so, but because of the tough situations she passed, which deprive her from her basic right, the right to education. We are here to put the foundation stone for this school., looking forward to offering education of as many Bedouin women as we can. In addition to the several social and educational events the school will be holding, it will offer education to 20 women at the beginning. During the day, this place will be a kindergarten, where children under age of 5 might get preliminary education that prepares them to join primary schools at the age of 6. Once again dear guests, I would like to thank you on behalf of the women and children of our village, for your contribution to that humanitarian and education project, I hope we will be able to keep cooperation to achieve this project. Finally, I would like to wish you nice times in our village, and to remind you that, from now on, you have a house and a school in Wadi al-Ni’am village. Ahlan wa Sahlan, Most Welcome Amal Abo Alkhom
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As we, the members of the Tree of Life group were moved by the people of Palestine, Jordan, and Syria and disturbed by the things we witnessed on the journey, we composed a letter to President Obama and the American people while during our time in the Middle East. This letter has been sent to Aljazeera and the Jordanian Times and will be sent to several media outlets in the US later today, including the New York Times as well as to the white house.
The Letter is below:
An open letter to President Obama and the American people:
While Vice President Biden was in Israel speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu, we were in the West Bank, listening to stories from people who live there. We are thirty-two Americans who are part of the 2010 Tree of Life Journey. We met with Palestinians, Christians, Muslims, and Bedouins as well as Israeli Jews.
We were moved by the stories we heard and are deeply disturbed by the disparity between what we have been told by our leaders and our media and what we experienced.
We met with Daoud Nassar, whose family has farmed land in the occupied Palestinian territories for three generations. Israel wants his land for a park to connect the three Israeli settlements that surround Daoud’s hillside farm. He is not allowed running water, electricity, or permits to build on the land. His road has been blocked with boulders, and Israeli soldiers regularly harass his family. Daoud responded by creating an organization called Tent of Nations, which is committed to teaching Palestinian youth the message of non-violent resistance. The sign on his gate reads “We Refuse To Be Enemies.”
We met with The Parents’ Circle, an organization of Palestinians and Israelis who have lost family members to the conflict. Rami, a Jewish Israeli who lost his twelve-year-old daughter to a suicide bomber, was joined by Ali, a Palestinian Muslim whose brother was killed by an Israeli soldier “drive-by.” They consider themselves brothers, not enemies, and work together to find a just and peaceful resolution to the conflict.
We visited with Palestinian and Israeli activists in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem, where Palestinians live in fear that they will return home from work to find their homes destroyed. These are Palestinian homes in occupied territory, but Israel wants this land for a park, and is in the process of declaring the land “green” which will require these 1500 Palestinians to be relocated. Our host at this visit was a young Israeli woman who refused to serve in the Israeli army. She has subsequently been shunned by family and friends, and now works for an organization called The Israeli Committee Against House Demolition.
We learned that water pumped from Palestinian land is being diverted to Israel and the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, and that many Palestinians have running water for ten hours every fifteen days. They pay higher rates for this water than the Israeli settlers who receive water twenty four hours a day.
We played soccer with Palestinian children in Beit Sahour, a Christian community south of Bethlehem in the Occupied Territories, at a playground called Ush Ghrab, which is being threatened with demolition because of its proximity to an Israeli settlement.
We will return home with these stories, and many more that we have heard, and we will work to change our policy in Israel. We are ashamed that our taxes are funding human rights violations every day in the Occupied Territories. Why do we continue to send millions of dollars daily to Israel to support policies in blatant violation of international laws established by the Geneva Convention? Don’t all humans deserve to live in dignity and peace? The current status quo, in which Palestinians are living in an open prison, is ultimately a disaster for both sides.
Yes, we have heard your admonitions against Israel’s announcement to build additional settlements, but this is not enough. The United States needs to stop providing financial and military aid to Israel until a just and peaceful resolution of the conflict in Israel and Palestine is achieved.
Sincerely, The Rev. David W. Good, President, Tree of Life Journey 2010 Tree of Life Participants
www.fccol.org
www.yourolivebranch.org/dev2/blogs/treeoflife2010
cc: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
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Note: again, this is the second post of the day, so please scroll down to see more new entries!
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Alsira is an Unrecognized Bedouin village in the Negev desert. It is the size of an average neighborhood and seems to be surrounded by nothing but sand and dust, existing on undesirable land far from civilization. Kids run among the small, cement homes, picking flowers and kicking a soccer ball. A man named Khalil, a member of the village committee, invited us into his home for a snack and told us about the unrecognized village he chooses to live in.
Alsira was our second stop on the tour of Bedouin communities. We met with a man named Khalil, a man who helps represent Alsira in government and has worked hard fighting for rights in his unrecognized village.
So, what does it mean to be unrecognized? It certainly does not mean that Israel is unaware of the Alsira’s existence. Quite the opposite, actually; they are well aware of Alsira. An unrecognized village receives nothing from the Israeli government. They get no resources—no water, no electricity, no schools—that are to important to life. Similarly, the unrecognized village has minimal government representation. Khalil is a part of the miniscule voice that the Israelis allow the Bedouins to have. While inhabitants of the village are technically allowed to vote, most do not, as Israel refuses to place voting booths near Alsira, stifling their voice. Such systematic racism is reminiscent of the grandfather clause that inhibited Blacks from voting in the United States.
above: demolition order (above welcome sign)
Khalil told us, “I am an Israeli citizen, but I am not the same”. Despite the Bedouins’ possession of Israeli citizenship, they are treated as inferiors to Jewish Israelis. The implications of living in an unrecognized village make this fact glaringly apparent. The Israeli government considers homes in Alsira illegal and has them scheduled for demolition. Ironically, the Israeli government has a demolition authority, but lacks a planning committee.
Similar to the Palestinians, the Bedouins face discrimination. It can take them hours to cross a checkpoint where they must undergo extensive “security” screening. The common sentiment in the Israeli government is that the Bedouins must “get civilized” by going to the city where they will live in cramped housing, leaving the Negev free for the Israeli government to claim. Khalil emphasized that the Israelis are simply power-hungry. “They don’t want to live here”, he said. “Nobody wants to live here. They just want the land. They just want a hand on the land…they think they can save the land.”
Land is what the conflict ultimately comes down to. The overwhelming xenophobia rooted in the Holocaust has trapped the Israelis in mindset where greed and paranoia blind them to the harsh reality of their governmental policy. From house demolition to the creation of Areas A, B and C as well as Green Areas, the Israeli government continues to hoard the land for themselves.
above: remains of a demolished home Khalil took us to the site of a demolished house where ruins were all that remained. With the demolition order nailed to his front door, this could easily be the fate of Kahlil’s home. The pride with which he displays his house, his garden, his self-installed internet box and generator combined with his perpetual smile makes it impossible to understand why anyone would want to destroy the beautiful home of such a wonderful person. Bedouins are people too; why do they deserve to be expelled?
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Note to all: We arrived safely home last night around 9pm. We look forward to sharing our experiences with everyone at home!
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We began our exploration of Bedouin communities with a trip to a Bedouin market where merchants were selling a wide variety of items. From local produce and spices to plastic happy meal toys, the tents conveyed the collision of the traditional Bedouin lifestyle with the mark of globalization that has risen from the influence of countries like the United States.
While we all enjoyed seeing the goods for sale and the Bedouin people, we drew some discomfort from the apparent lack of women in the market. As we had learned, women are not allowed in the market and, understandably, the Bedouin boys and men were surprised to see the women in our group. This was a small reminder of the inequality between men and women that still exists today. As we would see later, though, some women are working to amend this disparity.
After boarding the bus, we learned an important lesson in cultural sensitivity. As we had done in religious settings like the Omayyad Mosque and several conservative churches, the women thought it would be prudent to cover our heads in the market. Especially after learning that women did not go to the market, we thought we were being respectful in our modesty. However, when we got off the bus, Jiries, alerted us to the fact that the people in the market were offended by our display. In fact, they thought we were disrespecting their culture, making a joke of the head covers Muslim women wear. He told us that in religious places, yes, we were correct in our modesty; but out in public, it was not appropriate.
This raises an interesting issue: where is the line between cultural sensitivity and disrespect? In American society, we are quick to assert our opinions, believing ourselves to know everything and to be right about everything. In fact, it seems quite condescending that we would assume that Muslim men would expect women to wear headscarves and that they would be offended by our manner of dress. So often, we make assumptions based on stereotypes without considering “the other”—without even bothering to ask.
I guess this is simply a result of the culture in which we have been raised. The same qualities that make the United States a capitalist powerhouse where people dream of living also make its people arrogant and sometimes inconsiderate of other cultures. We are raised with the notion that we are better than everyone else, and that can backfire. It’s a good lesson, though. It’s one that we can apply to many aspects of life, especially conflict. We should remember to think of “the other” before assuming we are right or assuming we know the whole story. I hope we learn from our mistakes.
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Note: This is the second of 2 posts I put up tonight...please scroll down to see more new entries!
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There’s a dusty road that forks off of a freshly paved highway, connecting settlements to form an intricate network of seclusion. If you want to travel down the dirt drive, don’t expect to get far. A large boulder blocks the road—the entrance to an olive orchard. The boulder, a gift from the Israeli military, is a stunning metaphor for Israeli presence: it is an immovable blockade stifling olive branches of peace. The orchard is called Tent of Nations, and the man who cultivates the land is called Daoud, a Palestinian man. Daoud’s orchard is surrounded by Israeli settlements that have slowly encircled his land, as though it is a caged animal detrimental to Israeli existence. With further expansion, Daoud will ultimately be exiled from his own orchard, as exclusive roads will deny him passage to his land.
In November of last year, Daoud was in Old Lyme, sharing his story at the Tree of Life Conference. Dauod’s story is one of injustice and the struggle for nonviolent resistance. The land that now houses the olive orchard is the land upon which Daoud’s grandfather and father died. It has been in his family for three generations. It is now Daoud’s responsibility to care for the land—a task that entails protecting it from seizure by Israeli authorities. Despite the land’s long history in Daoud’s family, Israel does not recognize it as his property. After several encounters with Israeli authorities over land ownership, the accruement of a permit, and witnessing the destruction of the occupation, Daoud decided it was time to do something. He founded the organization Tent of Nations, where he invites Palestinians, Israelis and visitors from foreign countries to plant olive trees in his orchard.
The olive trees are a symbol that represents the nonviolent resistance to which Daoud is committed. In the summertime, he runs summer camps to motivate young people to choose to resist nonviolently and to understand that such a response is the only way to obtain peace.
Daoud truly exemplifies the nature of his organization through his own actions. He uses creative problem-soliving in order to dodge Israeli obstacles. When they told him he could not build buildings or erect tents, Daoud decided “to go underground” and construct caves instead. When they denied him electricity, he installed solar panels. And, when they cut off his water supply, Daoud built water tanks. While we sat in one of his caves, Daoud told us a story of an encounter with Israeli soldiers: One day, members of the Israeli military arrived at the gated entrance of his home, bearing guns and pointing them at Daoud. They told him to destroy the gate. After the guards requested to see the facilities, Daoud invited them in, told them about the Tent of Nations and served them tea. He did not retaliate, but instead, showed the Israelis that he was a human being. Let’s pray for the human beings hurt by this conflict.
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Hi to everyone who has been following the Tree of Life blog. With limited internet access and late nights, the blog posting has not been up to date. So, here is just a quick update on our status: We spent two nights (Saturday and Sunday with our host families) and then traveled to Jordan where we visited Petra (Tuesday) and Wadi Rum (Wednesday). Before Jordan, we said goodbye to Carleen, Dave, Betsy, Barbara and Bill. Tomorrow we will head home to the states. I will keep this blog updated until all the events have been covered (plus more!). Please keep reading and send a comment!
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“Out of all beverages, only water is essential to life.”
I read this quote every day off the labels of the bottled water we drink. It is true: water is essential to life. The human body is about 75% water and without it, humans could not survive. To control water is to control life.
We visited one of the water wells found on Palestinian land. In total, there are three aquifers found in Palestine, but only one of the three serves Palestinian people. The other two are reserved for the Israeli settlements that are slowly invading the land. The Palestinian aquifer does not refill and the Israeli government controls the water distribution.
According to the worldwide water protection agency, each person should have 100 liters of water per day. However, with Israel controlling the water, there is a striking disparity in its distribution. On average, a Palestinian person will receive 60 liters of water (60% of what is recommended) per day. In places such as Hebron, where tensions are much more significant, Palestinian people get only 30 liters. Imagine something so vital to life reduced to 30%--a small fraction—of what it should be.
What if your salary was reduced to 30% of its current amount? What you could only eat 30% of what you needed? What if you had to live in only 30% of your home?
If 30% seems difficult to live with, think of the Bedouin people. They cannot get water from Israeli-controlled wells. They must drink rainwater, stored in buckets or trenches for future use, that is never purified and becomes more and more polluted over time. Furthermore, the water in cities is often unsafe to drink as well because the Palestinians do not have the resources to build an adequate sewage system. Some towns build cesspools to collect sewage, but the water can mix with the sewage and become contaminated. There have been incidences of illness outbreaks as a result.
The injustice is manifested in the fact that the Israeli settlements have the resources they need: an adequate water supply, advanced sewage systems and complete control of Palestinian water.
In fact, the Israeli sewage system has the capacity to serve Palestinian communities, but Israel denies Palestinians permits to build. Often, to obtain building permits for pipes, septic tanks or wells, the water commissioners must go through a lengthy 12-step process of, where ultimately the permit is denied. In the modern world, especially when the technology and capacity to provide sufficient water systems are so nearby, this should not be an issue. The denial of enough clean water to keep the Palestinians sufficiently hydrated is like denying someone food at a banquet: in a place where water is so nearby, the Palestinians are not allowed access to it. Palestinians cannot do simple things that we take for granted. They cannot take long showers or even flush the toilet. Israel is stealing one of life’s most essential resources. Not far from the well, a Bedouin family lives in a cave among the rocks. They men raise sheep and goats while the women care for the family and tend to the house. They make homemade yogurt from goat’s milk and use local plants and the animals they raise for food. In their home, layers of rock divide the house into two floors: one for daily activity and the other for sleeping. They live life in one of its purist forms, using very few commercial items.
Taking an impromptu hike in the hills, we visited the family in their wonderful home. With overwhelming hospitality the Bedouin woman offered us all glasses of the fresh goat’s milk yogurt that she begins making in the morning rocking a goatskin bag filled with milk until the afternoon when it has thickened. The sour flavor was not something we were used to tasting, but the woman was wonderful in letting us all taste it. It was yet another example of the beautiful people and cultures we have encountered thus far.
We are truly privileged to have the opportunity to meet such wonderful people.
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Above: Displaced Bedoin FamiliesAbove: Israeli Settlement in the West Bank
We all know how the saying goes: “there are two sides to every story”. But I think this is an over-simplification of conflict—an over simplification of life. There are always more than two sides. Life is more than a square; more than an octagon, too. In fact, its more like a hectogon, a one-hundred-sided figure, formed by a plethora of color that ultimately creates a completed shape. Each side is different, yet each is a fundamental aspect of the object’s nature.
We have been fortunate to sample some of the many voices that are part of the conflict—voices that come from the Israeli side as well as the Palestinian. But I think Forrest Gump was right, when he said “Life is like a box of chocolates”. In each box is a taste of flavors that exist in the chocolate world. He says, “You never know what you’re going to get”. Sometimes, you choose a delicious flavor, and other times, you might not like the one you get.
This principle applies to the wide array of people who make up the different faces of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict: among the large number of perspectives, there will be those with which one agrees those with which one disagrees.
Yesterday, we listened to presentations from two young Israeli Jews, who are both involved with organizations working toward peace. Both had interesting perspectives and approached the conflict in much differently.
The first young man we met was Michael. He is a founder of an organization called Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli military personnel whose goal is to explain to fellow Israelis what the occupation is. They collect anecdotes from the young men and women in the military about things “they feel bad about”.
Michael grew up in the United States. He came to Israel to serve in the military—to do the duty Israel requires. Michael went willingly. When asked why he was willing to serve, he replied that the military was “cool”, as though it was a social clique; the table where the cool kids sat in the cafeteria. He recounted a story from his time as a young officer, begging his commander to give him and his friends an assignment—relief from boredom. The commanding officer presented them with a case in which they would have to search a Palestinian home. The younger officers, Michael included, tricked their superior into painting his face green. As they surrounded the home, the commander knocked on the door, ready to give his order. The Palestinian family opened the door and immediately burst out laughing. “Shrek!” they joked.
As Michael recalled, this was a moment when he realized that the Palestinians are human—that they have the same jokes and the same pop culture as Israelis. However, it seemed as though Michael presented military culture as joke—a perpetual game of risk. He mentioned that he had enjoyed his experience in the military and that the social aspect had been important to him. What was disturbing, though, was his use of language. He returned several times to statements like, “At the end of the day, they were the occupied and we were the occupiers” or “they were the victims and we were the victimizers”. Is it also true, then, that they were the dehumanizers and the Palestinians were the dehumanized? Michael realized that “even if you go back [to a house you invaded] and fold the clothes, the Palestinians still feel like their home is not their own. Their children feel that their parents cannot protect them.”
Unfortunately, it seems that the culture of the Israeli military revolves around the social aspect—it is all a game. It is as though they see (with their eyes) that the two sides as unequal, but they do not have the conviction to narrow the discrepancy. The occupation is one big game of testosterone-infused war. As Michael put it, “Its amazing how you think differently when you have a uniform and a gun.”
Our second voice of conscience was a young, 20-year-old woman named Maya Wind. As a 12th grader, Maya joined a group of 7 other Israeli young people who boisterously refused to serve their required duty in the Israeli military. Rejecting all forms of draft dodging, the group composed a letter stating their position—one that subsequently landed them in jail.
Throughout our Tree of Life journey, we have talked about Saul’s transformation to St. Paul. Maya exemplifies a transformation of this kind.
Maya grew up in Israeli with the mentality that military could do nothing wrong. For, Her father and her family members were all military—and weren’t they moral? As young Israelis are taught in school, to be a part of the Israeli military, especially the combat unit, is a privilege—a right of passage into the legacy of Israel. She and her peers blindly followed the word of the government, preparing to go into the army, unquestioningly. After hearing the story of a young Palestinian girl, though, Maya rethought her position. In a dialogue group for Israeli and Palestinian young people, a Palestinian girl told the story of the Israeli soldier who mistreated the girl’s father. Though she did not specifically state the crime, it was clear that Maya was troubled by the other girl’s story. At that point, Maya realized that the soldier could have been her father, or worse, could have been her in 3 years. She understood resistance to be the only option.
Maya is a passionate girl, with unaccented English who speaks so quickly that it is often difficult for native speakers to understand. She is clearly an outgoing girl and would have been successful in life. However, life is hard now for Maya. For her resistance, Maya paid a heavy social price. Her actions “delegitimized her status in society. Now, there are a lot of jobs she cannot get and a lot of scholarships she cannot be awarded. “The real punishment was not jail”, she confessed, “it was the social harm that was the real punishment”
Furthermore, Maya is no longer living with her parents. She mentioned that her parents were “disappointed” in her choice to resist. Her parents’ friends, her siblings and her peers treat her and her family badly because of one girl’s choice. For the first time, Maya is now seeing the place at which she started her journey—Israel. As the poet T.S. Elliot stated, “We shall arrive where we started and know that place for the first time. From blindly succumbing to Israeli propaganda to acting on the injustices she witnessed, Maya sees 20/20 with her heart. Her work is to expose Israelis to what they do not know—to make them see with eyes they do not use.
-Eliza
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Upon waking up yesterday (Wednesday) morning, we were greeted by the news of Joe Biden’s visit to Israel. As the New York Times reported, Biden called Israel’s announcement to build 1600 new units in an “ultra-orthodox” neighborhood in East Jerusalem, “precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now.” However, at the same time, Biden was adamant in affirming the United States’ “absolute, total, unvarnished commitment to Israel’s security.”
I wonder what Vice President Biden actually believes. He seems to contradict himself, saying that Israel is wrong, but all the while giving them the United States’ full support. Why is he content to publicly support Israel while privately condemning them?
He seems to need to justify the United States’ position and uses the threat of Iranian nuclear weapons to appeal to a racist, anti-Islamic, anti-Arab sentiment. I wonder why the Vice President feels he needs this justification—why he needs to defend the American government, American people and Israeli people? Why can’t we act on what we believe in? Only a few hours after learning of the 1600 new settlement units, we were on our way to Golan Heights—a territory formerly part of Syria—that has suffered from Israeli occupation since 1967. The irony seemed fitting.
As we drove into Golan Heights, reminders of the occupation surrounded us. Barbed wire fences lined the side of the road and bright yellow signs warned, “Danger, Mines!” An Israeli military training camp showed us our tax money at work and all the while, Joe Biden “made a concerted and highly public show” in asserting the United States’ commitment to Israeli “security”. We arrived at the hospital where Dr. Maray Taisseer, general director of the organization Golan for Development, works. He established a hospital, facilitating the promotion of healthcare and drastically changing the quality of medical services. It is equipped with examining rooms, x-ray machines, and a novel check-in system that expedites the process of interacting with insurance companies and guarantees service in 5 minutes. Since the hospital opened in 1991, the ratio of doctors to patients has increased dramatically: from 1:8,000 to 1:800.
After a short tour of the hospital, Dr. Taisseer talked about living in the occupation. He described the military presence, the land mines, and the struggle over control of water. Of the 9 million cubic feet of water Golan Heights needs to sustain its land and crops, it receives only 3 million cubic feet—only one third.
Imagine having only one third of the required amount of a resource essential to life: one third of the food you need to sustain you, or one third of the shelter needed to protect you. What would your life be like? Dr. Taisseer stated “I am not looking for justice on earth; I do not believe justice exists”. In his practical manner, he expressed his concerns about finding a peaceful resolution. He said, “you can give all the money you have, make it the best in every aspect of life, but people still will not love the occupation.” Based on principle, alone, the Arab people will never be satisfied with being the puppets of Israel.
In continuing the conversation about water, Dr. Taisseer told us about the water tanks that collect rainwater. When the Israeli’s began routing water from nearby rivers and lakes, including the Jordan River, the people of the Golan developed huge basins to collect rain so they could use it for their daily needs. Despite their efforts, the Israeli government plotted to combat the water tanks, asserting, “water that falls over Israel is owned by Israel.”
Dr. Taisseer’s hospital serves, without question, Israelis and Palestinians; Muslims, Jews and Christians. As a young man, he traveled to Jerusalem to study and work. He went with preconceptions about Israeis—he went hating them. They were the people responsible for separating him from his two brothers—family he has never met before. They are in Syria, a country whose border is only a few feet from Taisseer’s town, Majdal Shams, separated by a barbed wire fence and Israeli impositions.
On one day each year, April 17th, Syrian independence day, the people of Golan Heights and the people just across the Syrian border gather at the cease-fire line that lies between Syria and the Golan. They yell through the fence with bullhorns. These are brothers who have never met, mothers who have not seen their sons for 42 years, and grandparents who will never meet their grandchildren.
Despite this disturbing situation, Taisseer examined the root of his hatred, as he realized the humanity of Israeli people. Taisseer’s introspection, while deeply troubling, allowed him to change his opinion of the Israeli people, separating them from the government and respecting them as people. He worked to question their motives and understand their position. He asked why the Israeli’s act as they do. In his investigation, he recognized the “self-censorship” that occurs subconsciously among Israelis and noticed the “brainwashing” to which the Israeli people are subjected. In a conference on violence in the state of Israel, no one discussed the conflict as a source of violence against women—wives and girlfriends—and children.
Taisseer, though, raised the question: how does a violent environment personally impact human beings? He argued that violence only breeds more violence. Additionally, he recognized the contradiction that Vice President Biden eloquently implied. Taisseer asked, “How can you make peace when you continue to build settlements?” I would ask the Vice President the same question. Below are links to The New York Times article on Biden’s visit and more information about Golan for Development: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/world/middleeast/10biden.html?ref=middleeast
www.jawlan.org Peace from the Holy Land, -Eliza and the Tree of Life Group.
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On our last night in Syria (Monday) we were invited to the home of Dr. Bassam Awa, husband of Nada Safadi, one of our Muslim friends who lives in Old Lyme. Nada and Bassam are Syrians who have family living in Damascus. It was a wonderful night and I will put up many more pictures and videos of the people we met and our attempts at dancing! Many thanks to Bassam for his hospitality! Shukran. Yesterday, (Tuesday), we crossed two borders: one between Syria and Jordan and the other between Jordan and Israel.we had to go through several checkpoints, scanning our luggage each time and going through questioning at the Israeli border.
Above: at the border
A young woman looked through all of my books, a guard combed through Olivia’s luggage and we were both questioned about our families. Micah experienced a lengthy questioning (that we had many theories about) which caused a delay. We Micah and I are both 19; Olivia is 18: the same ages as the young people who searched and questioned us. It’s a striking image: the military personnel questioning us behind a bullet-proof window, peer-to-peer; youth-to-youth. They were powerful in their position of authority, yet powerless in their duty to obey Israeli regulation.
We must smiliarly remind ourselves that our trip and border crossing was much easier than anyone else’s because we are Americans. Its amazing hw much power a navy blue book with the words, “United States of America”, can have. Our passports grant us much more privelege than those of our Syrian, Jordanian, and Palestinian friends. We have power. How can we use it?
We are doing well in Israel and are staying in a Kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee. Its another full day tomorrow. Goodnight from Israel, Eliza and the Tree of Life Group
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 The Crusaders were defeated; the Israelis are stuck in conflict. Stone and cement crumble. Castles and walls ultimately fail. If such statements hold true, as they have so often throughout history, why do men build walls? Why do stone and cement symbolize power? Imagine you are living in the Middle East at the time Jesus lived: you are in a worship service, eating dinner with your family in your home, or in the market looking for something to buy. Wherever you are, whoever you are with—no matter what religion, or family he or she is a part of—you and everyone around you is speaking Aramaic. This is the language Jesus spoke. It is the language everyone of that time spoke. Though the language is almost dead in today’s world, there are three villages in Syria in which the language is still alive.
On the way from Palmyra to Damascus, we stopped to visit one of the villages, Maaloula.
We went to a church and were privileged to hear the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic—the language of Jesus. The sound was melodic and rhythmic, like a song to God. Though I did not understand the words, it was powerful to experience the prayer as Jesus would have done.
However, the language of Jesus is non-denominational. Religion does not dictate its usage and all are welcome to speak it. When religion so often is associated with a language—Islam with Arabic, Hebrew with Judaism, Latin with Christianity—we must understand that it was not meant to be that way.
Religion, over time has changed and is too often used as a catalyst for conflict. In at the Crusader’s Castle, Crac de Chevaliers, where the Christians came to slay and tame the Muslims, we were witnesses to the terrible power of religion. The remains remind us of the suffering that is sometimes the result of religion and the harm it continues to do today.
We are no different now than we were 2000 years ago. Why do we choose to ignore history? Dier Mar Musa, though, showed us the beauty of religion and the power has to foster relationships. A monastery on embedded in the rocks of the dessert, Dier Mar Musa has helped to create friendships between Muslims and Christians.
In the area used for worship, a beautiful image stood out to me. On painted cloth, an artist had depicted a dove carrying an olive branch—a symbol of peace in the Christian faith—with the words, “In the name of the Lord” written in Arabic. This blending of faiths represents the good I hope can develop from religion and the peace we are working toward today. If we can live in the vision of this image, it will help us cultivate peaceful relationships with friends of other faith traditions. -Love from Eliza and All of us on the Tree of Life Journey.
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Our journey continued early today as we boarded the bus at 8am and drove 3 hours to the city of Palmyra, home of the ruins of ancient places of worship. Before arriving in Palmyra, we stopped in Baghdad to have coffee, tea and to shop.
above: Carleen in a new pulpit robe!
Iraq is actually only 100 km from Palmyra. David reminded us of this fact as we stood on a hill overlooking the city, reflecting on the hospitality of the Syrians we had met. We were reminded that, being in such close proximity to Iraq, the homes of our new friends are close to those that have been destroyed in war. The United States could bomb them just as easily as those in Baghdad.
Upon entering Palmyra, we were greeted by the expanse of ancient ruins reminiscent of those from the Mesopotamian or Byzantium empires. In fact, our guide reminded us, again of the multicultural influence that exists in many facets of the Syrian culture. It was yet another fact that affirmed our previous recognition of the openness of Syrians and the incredible hospitality that seems to be an innate quality that our Syrian friends possess. The Arabic word for “Welcome”—ahlan wa sahlan—means “welcome to our family”.
Visited three-story tombs and the museum in Palmyra where we saw mummified bodies and statues that represented the dead. The day finished with a vesper service on a hill overlooking Palmyra near the Palmyra citadel. Susan asked us to reflect on the question: “how we can spread the song of the Lord in a foreign place?” Many in the group offered their thoughts and it seemed as though they had all been moved by our Syrian friends and our experience thus far. We finished with Amazing Grace, focusing on the words “was blind but now I see.”
After dinner in the hotel, a few members of the group—Bill, Dan, David, Corrine, Marilyn, Jiries and the 8 young people—chose to go back into the city for some shopping and another “surprise” from our guide.
It turned out to be another exciting, unique and entertaining experience. We were invited into the home of one of one of our guide, Bashar’s, family members where we were greeted by his family. They played Arabic music, dressed us in traditional Bedouin clothing and facepaint from various tribes. They treated us to tea and we laughed and danced. We’re back in Damascus tomorrow. Goodnight! -Eliza and the Tree of Life Group
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“His eyes were open, yet he saw nothing.” David began our daily meeting and prayer with this story from the book of Acts. As we were gathered in a circle, about to set out on the first day of our journey, he asked us to keep this story—the story of Saul—in mind. Saul experiences an incredible transformation from a man who persecutes Christians to St. Paul—a faithful disciple of Jesus. He lives through life able to see, but is blind to the terrible nature of his crimes as well as to the possibility for good in the world.
I set out, hoping that I, too, would be able to overcome my blindness and see things that were previously invisible to me.
We headed out on foot to the National Museum where we met our wonderful tour guide, Bashar led us through the museum and provided an enlightening commentary on the wide variety of exhibits. The façade on the entry to the museum, one of the first things we saw was an exhibition of the many components that compose Islamic art. Several different cultures and styles are important to the patterened, symmetrical elements of Islamic art. We continued through the museum and were privileged to see the oldest alphabet, the oldest dictionary, and the completed remains of a young child buried thousands of years ago.
Bashar was able to give us an expansive array of information on Syria that has helped form its rich culture. Next we went to St. Paul’s Church and Ananias’ house. Ananais is credited with healing Saul’s blindness.
We walk through the Suk, a market where Syrians sell beautiful art, clothing, jewelry, and food. It was filled with excited, busy people shopping, spending time with friends, working, and laughing. The day finished with a visit to the Omayyad Mosque where we learned more about Islamic culture and Muslim practices. The mosque is also home to John the Baptist’s tomb.
We headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at a Syrian restaurant. Reflecting on the events of the day, I realized that every person we met was hospitable in a way unknown to us who live in an American society. We went into a shop in the market and the owners treated us to hot tea and seemed genuinely happy to see us.
After Saul is blinded, he receives remarkable hospitality from the same Christians he persecuted. We met to go to dinner and were greeted by Jiries and Bashar who claimed there was a surprise for us. The bus left us at the entrance to another Suk and we were to walk, via the Suk, to the restaurant. Halfway through the Suk, Bashar appeared with a huge, mischevious smile on his face. Several men dressed in robes and equipped with instruments began singing a high energy song in Arabic, encouraging us to dance and all the while, still smiling. Bashar announced over the singing—“this is the surprise!” He was excited and so were we. I don’t think anyone in the group had ever experienced such a greeting from anyone. It was amazing. (Hopefully we’ll be able to get a video up soon!). The men and our group continued through the Suk, dancing and singing until we got to the restaurant. Toward the end of our meal (which was amazing as well!) the men came into the restaurant and inspired us to dance again. In fact, others in the restaurant—Asians and Europeans—joined in as well. The night exemplified a “world house” and it ended with them telling us that Syrians and Americans will always have respect for each other, despite the conflicts that exist.
Syrians are no different today than they were when the helped the blind Saul see good in the world. We experienced the same hospitality from them. I can tell my eyes are beginning to open—I am starting to see. Today, David asked us to reflect on the question: “What is it about being on a journey—on the road—that leads us to an “eye-opening” experience?” Feel free to share your thoughts, we would love to hear them! Take care and Goodnight. -Eliza on behalf of the Tree of Life Group
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 …we have, at last, arrived at our hotel in Damascus, Syria.
For most of the group, our journey began at 2 pm on March 4th at the First Congregational Church in Old Lyme where many people—Tree of Life participants past and present, family members, and friends—gathered to send us off with a blessing and prayer. David spoke of the “Peace candle”, which burns every Sunday morning as a symbol to keep in mind as we travel to a place that needs so badly to find peace.
We held hands in a circle around the meetinghouse and prayed. Many offered us their kind blessings, hoping for a safe, enlightening trip and we prayed for the 9 members who had arrived in Jordan one day head of us on earlier flights. Of course, we couldn’t leave without a group picture and after capturing our smiling faces—filled with joy, excitement, eagerness and some inevitable nervousness—and exchanging hugs and “goodbyes”, 19 members of our 32-person group departed for JFK international airport.
We arrived in New York as planned and passed time wandering around the airport, getting acquainted with the rest of the group and walking in anticipation of many hours in bus and airplane seats. We met Bill, Susan and Dana before going through security but we were waiting for Lecia, who would join us on a connecting flight from Boston. It was smooth sailing through security—an impressive feat for such a large group! Several hours later, we were more than ready to board the plane. But, wait…we were still missing one member of the group. Unfortunately, around 11 pm, the flight departed without Lecia, who’s flight from Boston did not arrive in time. **Note: Lecia is well and she will be joining us in Damascus tomorrow where we eagerly await her arrival!
12 hours later, we had arrived at Queen Ailia Airport in Amman, Jordan! Slightly groggy, we dragged our stiff joints and sore muscles through customs and immigration to baggage claim where ALL of our bags and our good friend Jiries were waiting!
The group got on the bus, somewhat reluctantly, and drove to pick up the rest of the group at their hotel and depart On The Road To Damascus. Despite fatigue, everyone seems to be in good spirits and we just finished a wonderful, much-anticipated dinner at a “Revolving Restaurant” with a magnificent view of the city.
All is well here and we can’t wait to experience Damascus tomorrow as we embark on Day 1 of our journey… Stay Tuned and Goodnight from Syria.
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