Back in the USA!

So, we're in the group lounge at Newark Airport. It's 6am, New York Time, Tuesday, February 21. I'm getting a wi-fi signal from the Continental Airlines' Presidents Club, next door (thanks Continental). Everyone appears to have made it back safe and sound. Only one more flight to go, back to Houston. The wi-fi in the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem never worked properly, so please expect lots of photo posts and such in the near future.

The lovliest new military checkpoint you ever did see

We went to a brand-new border crossing between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the closest most of us got to Bethlehem. There, the friendly soldier explained how nice it was for the Palestinians that they could have their documents examined in convenient new surroundings, much nicer than in the bad old days of waiting under the hot sun. He talked about how thousands of entry permits were issued each year, and how all the "good" Palestinian had to do was ask, to get one. He had no idea, of course, what percentage of permits were denied, but assured us that if a permit were to be denied, the Palestinian in question must be a terrorist, or "some kind of troublemaker." We admired the lovely checkpoint, and the friendly officer, and the friendly young guy with another machine gun who was at his side throughout our visit (no "troublemaking" from us, no sir), and mostly went on our way. The young tough guy even handed out "Israel Loves You" tourism stickers for our lapels. Three of our group, Roman Catholic clerics, walked into Bethlehem, against the advice of our tourguide, intending to pray at the Church of the Nativity--strictly at their own risk. This, they subsequently did, after which they rejoined us by taxi.

Seriously, the guys with guns have (opinion--mine, not the ADL's or anyone elses) an impossible job. They're trying to make the best of a situation where life for the Israelis is constantly threatened by terrorist attacks, and life for the Palestinians is so bad that some of them hate Israel more than they love their own lives. The officer and his fresh-faced, yet tough young friend seemed to be genuinely nice guys. The ironic "PEACE BE WITH YOU" sign on the checkpoint's wall was sad, even pathetic. The checkpoint probably is an improvement over whatever it replaced. But, I really doubt that the walls and guns will bring security.

Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa

We met with Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Roman Catholic "Custodian of the Holy Places," at his ornate office in Jerusalem's Old City. He told us about a long history of relationships between the Christian churches, and the Arabs in Jersusalem, dating from even before the dawn of Islam (see the painting of St. Paul). He also identified an important, possibly critically so, school, that brings Arab and Jewish schoolchildren together for study. The Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel is one of several promising efforts we heard about on our trip. In my (personal) opinion, these sorts of programs may one day accomplish what decades of tough guys with guns on both sides have failed at--a secure Israel at peace with its neighbors, who have a decent life. I hope that we will be able to organize support for these sorts of efforts from Houston's interfaith community.

Meeting the Roman Archbishop of Jerusalem

We met Archbishop Fouad Twal, Co-Adjutor, Latin Patriarchate, in his ornate audience chamber in the Old City section of Jerusalem. The Archbishop was kind, and though he was somewhat circumspect, he told a story of life for the Arabs in Israel that incensed some of our party.

Originally a Jordanian, the Archbishop decried the Israeli military checkpoints, and arbitrary denial of permits for transit through them. He told stories of how many of the Catholic Priests, in his own Diocese, were denied permission to travel from Bethlehem to his installation ceremony in Jerusalem. He doubted that they were terrorists, but, of course, the Israeli officials gave no reason for the denials, only that "there must be some good reason." The Archbishop contrasted the powerful (Israel) with the weak (the Palestinians), and, though he acknowledged that terrorist bombings were never acceptable, his perspective suggested that might did not necessarily equate to right in this troubled land. By the end, one of our group felt he had been overly anti-Israeli in his viewpoint, and only joined the group photo with the Archbishop under mild duress from that member's fellow travelers.

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust, and anti-semitism

We visited the Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem. The vast majority of victims in the Nazi death camps were Jewish, though historical accounts (one good starting place is here) include substantial numbers of victims from other targeted groups. The Memorial sections we visited, like the Yad Vashem web site, depicted Jewish victims of the genocide exclusively. Personally, I find the implied revisionism troubling (Holocaust revisionism is Holocaust denial), but, I suppose, understandable. Pictures were not permitted within the memorial, so these are from the periphery.

Interestingly, there were large numbers of Israeli soldiers at the memorial, and all over the grounds. Our guide explained that they were not there for security, but for their own education/indoctrination. The Israeli Defense Force is key to Israel's adamant "Never Again!" commitment, and it's crucial that the troops understand the history behind it.

After touring the Memorial, and being deeply moved, we had a Meeting with Prof. Robert Wistrich, Director of the Vidal Sasson Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism. Wistrich delivered an impassioned warning on the dangers of Islamic extremism; to Israel, to Christians, to world Jewry, and to western civilization in general. He made extensive reference to the original Hamas Covenant, which remains the official basis of Hamas policy. Some of our discussions with Palestinian Christians suggested that the practical realities of Hamas action in the occupied territories were less virulently "anti-everything but radical Islam," but the Covenant certainly gives one pause.

Remembering the Holocaust is important. For me (again, personally), it is one of the bedrock realities of Israel--the solid evidence that Jews must have a homeland, a place to flee persecution and protect themselves. There are other bedrock realities, including military occupation of Palestinian homelands. These realities have locked Israel into conflict, but cannot be set aside.

Meeting with Elias Zananiri

After breakfast on Saturday morning, we met with Elias Zananiri, a journalist with strong ties to the Palestinian Authority government of Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), and the authors of the "Geneva Peace Accords".

Zananiri offered a Palestinian perspective on the situation in Israel, including stories alleging daily humiliation of Palestinians in the occupied territories. His take on the Hamas victory in the recent Palestinian elections, later delivered by email, is quoted, verbatim, below.

BEGIN VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT:

Why Hamas Won! Facts Sheet

1. Hamas took 74 seats of the 132 parliamentary seats - or 56 percent.

2. The Palestinian electoral system is complex, where every citizen votes for a national list to pick up 66 members of the parliament members and a district list from which another 66 members of parliament are elected.

3. The number of representatives in each district is determined by the relative size of the population in this district.

4. The elections results are all about performance. FATAH had such a very bad performance. Numerous members ran as independent figures, causing a huge amount of votes to disperse, losing the chance to win. Hamas, on the other hand, ran a successful campaign with a minimal number of candidates.

5. In Hebron, for instance, each citizen had to check off nine names from a list of 46 candidates. Of the 46 candidates running, Hamas presented only nine, while FATAH and other parties and independents made up the remaining 37 candidates.

6. As a result, Hamas received 29 seats (43.94%) on the national list. As such, 56.06% of the Palestinian votes went to non-Hamas candidates.

7. On the district list Hamas won 68% of the seats, with non-Hamas candidates taking 32% of the seats. In reality, however, Hamas candidates on the district lists received 36.5% while non-Hamas candidates received 63.5% of the votes.

8. In short, the public did not shift to Hamas as much as the non-Hamas forces ran a very unsuccessful and lousy campaign.

Political reasons for why Hamas won:

· Corruption.

· Lack of political process.

· Unilateralism.

The Palestinian public at large became fed up with a corrupt PNA government and wanted some change. The PNA leadership did little to fight corruption and the little it did was remarkable anyway. One should only take note of the fact that both the Palestinian public and the US President praised former Finance Minister Salam Fayyad for the excellent job done in the field of transparency and fighting corruption. The public expected more to be done. But time was not on the PNA side. Matters were developing rapidly, especially at a time when no political breakthrough was achieved.

An Israeli government that avoided genuine and serious talks with President Abu Mazen and decided to go ahead with its unilateralism is to blame for the rising power of Hamas. The unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was portrayed by Hamas as a victory to its tactics, including the rocket attacks on Israel’s southern towns. “Four years of Qassam rockets,” read huge Hamas banners in Gaza, “brought to the Palestinians better results than ten years of negotiations.”

And we are still astonished at Hamas victory? In January 2005, Abu Mazen was elected president based on the very consistent line he adopted supporting talks as the only means to solve the conflict. Israel’s decision to dump the bilateral process of talks with President Abu Mazen automatically and inevitably weakened his authority and gave way to the rise of Hamas and other anti-reconciliation forces. Those who voted for Abu Mazen expected him and his political line to deliver. Israel, and to a large extent the US Administration, played a significant role in weakening Abu Mazen. They should learn from past mistakes.

Is it too late? Not really. The Basic Law of the PNA gives enough powers to the president to continue what he pledged to achieve: a negotiated peace settlement with Israel. The President is also the Chairman of the PLO, the supreme point of reference for negotiations with Israel. Many things can still be done to save the region. On top of them is to resume talks immediately after elections in Israel and to reach a final status agreement as early as possible.

Israel after the elections may have the most powerful government in its 58-year history. A coalition of Kadima, Labor, Meretz and possibly Shas and the Arab parties can give the upcoming prime minister a parliamentary power of no less than 70 mandates (61 are needed) to cut an end of conflict deal with the PLO under Abu Mazen.

A large window of opportunity is being open right after elections in Israel and it has to be utilized perfectly well. This is the only way to sideline the rising power of Hamas. The Palestinian public needs a settlement. The Israeli public is no less enthusiastic about a peaceful settlement. The new Israeli government will have to decide whether to go along a path of bilateral talks with President Abu Mazen or to continue its unilateral approach, which is identical to that of Hamas that negates talks with Israel.

To sum up, all efforts are needed to empower Abu Mazen and with him the moderate and reasonable forces in the Palestinian society (they are by the way at least 63 percent who voted personally for Abu Mazen) through negotiations that yield visible achievements to the Palestinians. This is the only way to stop the rapid deterioration in our region.

END VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT

Dinner with Sheikh Qadhi Natur Ahmad

Our dinner, on a Saturday after a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, included a distinguished guest, Sheikh Qadhi Natur Ahmad, President of the High Shari'a (Islamic justice) Court of Appeals in Israel. Our guest shared insights into a system of Islamic law, where the Holy Quran is the highest legal document ("our Constitution"), and clashes with Israeli civil law and western concepts of "justice" are common. The Sheikh's positions were based on a system of justice operating within the Muslim communities of Israel. The challenges of operating the Shari'a Court in a Jewish state, including "court shopping," by litigants who must consent to participation in the Shari'a Court, difficulties with getting the authorities to enforce the Court's judgments, and conflict between Islamic and civil law, are considerable.

My personal impression is that Shari'a seems ossified. I'd much prefer a system of justice where justice in the abstract sense--the equal distribution of good, and equal protection from harm--is the overall object, and the specifics of legal interpretation evolve as society's understanding of human nature evolves. Faced with the sincere, respectful, and even kindly way that our guest presented positions that I considered unkind and manifestly unjust, though, I'm struck with how difficult it is for a traditional culture, devoted to conservatism--preserving a historically articulated point of view--to accept a liberalism based on first principles.

Notably, we also learned of an Anti-Defamation League news release, about a controversy in Israel surrounding the construction of a museum of tolerance on a historical Muslim graveyard site. We heard that there was bound to be controversy over the release, as the next day's news articles confirmed.

Photo posting: Jerusalem, old city, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre

We started walking, from the David Citadel Hotel, toward the Jaffa Gate, and stopped at a typical "garden tomb" ruin. It was especially interesting to see the design of the crypt, with a round "rolling stone" door to seal it shut. This sort of heavy cut stone disc was the kind of seal that only a rich family could afford, and is (likely to be) the same kind as described in the gospels as sealing the tomb of Jesus.

We then went on, up the hill, to the Jaffa Gate itself, and into the old city.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre houses the traditionally recognized sites of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. It's a huge structure, built by European crusaders, and full of altars at the spots where the key events were considered to have taken place.

Photos: Petah Tikvah--Houston's sister city

We visited Petah Tikvah, a community mainly made up of new immigrants to Israel from Europe, including Russia, and Ethiopia. This community was partially funded by Jewish organizations in the Houston area, as was memorialized in a community center we visited. Lunch with the mayor, Yitzhak Ohayon, shown with delegate Dan Gordon, was in a Japanese restaurant.

Photo posting: Haifa

On to Haifa, "the San Francisco of Israel," for a security briefing from the Chief of Police, Col. Nir Meriesh, in Maxim Restaurant, site of a notorious terrorist bombing, which was followed by notorious threats and reprisals. The Bahai gardens, only a glimpse from the bus, were beautiful.

Wednesday: Golan heights

We climb out of the shore lands on the Sea of Galilee, and up to the Golan heights. We visit a former Syrian gun emplacement, with its view of the kibbutz far below. Now, long after the 1963 six-day war, in which the Golan was conquered by Israel, there are still many landmines buried. As the weather begins closing in, we continue to climb, aiming for the Ben Tal observation point.

At a kibbutz, high in the Golan, we wait in the snow for our "plan B" visit to be cleared with the kibbutz officials. The road to Ben Tal observation point we were scheduled to visit is closed by the snowstorm. Kibbutz kids playing in the snow suggested that, even high up here, snow isn't very common.

We go to a conference/community room in the kibbutz. The local official is a pleasant young man, who patiently explains modern kibbutz life to us, and answers our questions. More than anything, the ambience of the place was, to me, like East Germany after unification. Spartan, somewhat run-down construction, a community slowly losing its most communal aspects, good people dealing with privatization, change, the young people moving away, mixed feelings about how good "the good old days" were, and how good or bad the "brave new world" is going to be.

Lunch at Kibbutz Dan, then on to Caeseria Phillipi, another Kibbutz, and back to the hotel in Tiberius, on the shores of Galilee.

(more from around the Sea of Galilee, after getting into Jerusalem, and perhaps a faster wi-fi connection)

Photo posting: Mount of Beatitudes

On the shores of the Sea of Galilee, this is where, in the Christian tradition, Jesus of Nazareth preached the Sermon on the Mount. Standing on that same hill, overlooking the Sea (actually, a fresh water lake, here called Kinneret, it is fed and drained by the surprisingly small Jordan River), it's hard for me to not be moved. Of all the sermons I've heard, this one still sums up Christianity the best, IMHO.

Tuesday: Nazareth

The day begins shockingly early, with very little sleep. Most of us got to sleep around 3am, then up at about 6:30. After a great breakfast lecture, orienting us to the quick history of zionism, and the current Israel scene, we climb aboard the bus (photo) for Nazareth. We arrive at the Church of the Annunciation complex. The Annunciation to which the name refers is an angel, telling the Virgin Mary that she was due to conceive and bear a son, Jesus. This church complex is tradionally considered to be built on the approximate location where the event described in the Bible passage occurred.

We started in St. Joseph Church, built over the traditional site of the ancient carpenter's shop where Joseph, the father of Jesus, practiced his trade. Reverends R. Troy Gately, and Don S. Nesti, along with Deacon Sam Dunning (Nesti and Dunning, photo) celebrated Mass.

After the Mass, we proceeded to the basement excavation, (photo), for a glimpse into the ancient street-level Nazareth.

Next, we went to the large Church of the Annunciation (photos coming later), to view the artwork, contributed from many lands, including a striking Japanese mosaic of Madonna and Child, and a deeper excavation of Byzantine, Crusader, and ancient church ruins in the basement.

Gettin' flexible fast (written in the departure lounge, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Gate D49)

The original plan was that we fly Houston (IAH), to Newark (EWR), to Tel Aviv (TLV). So, our flight to EWR was cancelled by the Northeast Blizzard of 2006. The scene: Houston airport (IAH), Sunday afternoon. Martin Cominsky, our tour leader, is spending a long time with Continental Airlines to re-route us (see photo). The trick is to get all 30 of the delegates into TLV at roughly the same time. After a long time on telephones, and a medium long time sorting out paper travel documents, we had a quick trip from IAH Terminal E to Terminal D, a frenzied transit through security, and a near last-minute filing aboard a KLM 747 to Amsterdam, filling all the center seats in coach, that the aisle dwellers thought would remain empty. Eight happy hours later, it's a 10 hour layover in Amsterdam, and the whole group due into TLV, about 12 hours behind schedule.

Most of the group went to see the Anne Frank House, and on a canal boat tour, where a great photo was rumored to have been taken of some of the leading lights of the Houston interfaith community, face down on the table, sleeping.

I, for one, having already seen Hamsterdam, opted for a quick train ride into the city, and a few precious hours of sleep on a real bed, in the Hotel Ibis, right next to Amsterdam Centraal Station. The price was quite reasonable, and I'm hoping to be a little more awake when we catch up with our original schedule, in Nazareth.

Martin, our mission leader, and regional director of the ADL, was kind of crestfallen about the closure of EWR. He'd so carefully arranged everything: synchronized connections, buffet in the lounge at EWR, full night's sleep in TLV. I heard more than one delegate quoting a Yiddish expression that translates to "man plans, God laughs." Snow is snow. Actually, being stuck in Amsterdam for a few hours turned out to be a lot more fun than being stuck in Houston or Newark.

As we work our way through a full schedule in Nazareth and Tiberius, we'll see how our people do without sleep. Onward...

More about the Anti-Defamation League and the Coalition for Mutual Respect

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a human relations and civil rights organization dedicated to fighting prejudice and discrimination, defending democratic ideals and safeguarding religious freedoms. The agency was founded in 1913 “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people” and “to secure justice and fair treatment for all...” ADL is a leader in the development of materials, programs and services that build bridges of communication and respect among diverse racial, religious and ethnic groups worldwide.

Since 1995, ADL’s Coalition for Mutual Respect has created opportunities for dialogue and mutual understanding among people of all faiths through congregational exchanges, youth programming and adult education classes.

Since 2001, the ADL’s No Place for Hate® campaign has also created opportunities for communities to work together and develop programs to enhance the appreciation of diversity and foster harmony among all people. The campaign empowers communities to promote respect for individual and group differences while challenging prejudice and bigotry.

Contact ADL for more information on Coalition for Mutual Respect and No Place for Hate® activities. 713-627-3490 or southwest@adl.org or visit ADL’s website.

The Coalition for Mutual Respect activities are underwritten by Regina Rogers in memory of her parents, Julie and Ben Rogers.

Delegate introduction: Paul Roby

This will be my first trip to Israel, and an important opportunity for me, not only to explore the roots of the great Abrahamic faiths, but also to spend time with leading members of the greater Houston interfaith community.

After graduating from the University of Michigan Medical School, in 1981, I pursued residency training in anesthesiology at Dartmouth College, and later in Los Angeles. After I left medical practice for a career in medical device research and development, my interest in telemedicine led me to work as a telecommunications software development engineer at Lucent Technologies. Meanwhile, my participation with Seattle First Baptist Church was growing, and my religious faith deepening. When hurricane Katrina struck in the Fall of 2005, Companis, an agency founded and supported by First Baptist, asked me to go on a two-month emergency mission to Houston, assisting Interfaith Ministries with its hurricane relief work. I ended up directing the Neighbors to Neighbors program, a City of Houston/Harris County initiative, managed by Interfaith Ministries, and powered by Houston's many faith communities. In November, I accepted a staff appointment at Interfaith Ministries. As Director of Interfaith Relations, I oversee the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Response, educational programs for interfaith understanding, along with various interfaith dialogue and service projects.

Welcome to the journal

The Houston Anti-Defamation League created its Coalition for Mutual Respect in 1997.

To further advance interfaith respect and understanding, the Coalition is sending a Mission to Israel, composed of clergy, laypeople of faith, and academic scholars, mainly from the Houston metropolitan area. The delegation will visit holy sites of several different faiths, and discuss their significance with religious, government, and civic leaders in the area.

The plan for this blog is that it be a place where delegation members may post their thoughts, experiences, reflections, photographs, and announcements. Any delegation member who wishes to be added to the “contributors” list needs only to contact the moderator, Paul Roby, and be emailed the invitation that starts the sign-up process.