Season of Advent

This morning I read a few articles from the online newspaper The Times of Israel. Two that struck me the most were older, dating from May and August of last year. One was an American Jewish woman’s reflection of her time in Jerusalem and her fear of Arab men. The other was a young Jewish man’s reflection of meeting Druze on the Jordan River and the command of “love thy neighbor”. writers had been faced with meeting an “other” in a surprising way, but their reactions were extremely different. The first article developed into sweeping generalizations and racism while the second humanized the other and began a personal journey towards creating peace in this conflict.

 

In the text from Isaiah, I see a hope for knowledge, leading to non-violent peace. Much of our work here in the Jerusalem/West Bank program is in education. The volunteers are placed in schools, mainly to teach English as Bishop Younan feels that this is the best way for us to serve in a place concerned with ending an occupation. But sometimes I feel that there is a disconnect in learning the narrative of the other that is not addressed. It is difficult to work in a space where people are understandably adverse to learning about their occupiers as people, but seeing how much progress can be made when closed minds are opened and hands of friendship are extended emphasizes the need for this difficult part of education.

 

A personal goal for myself this year is to relearn the Israeli narrative and work to move from seeing many of the Israeli soldiers I encounter on my way to and from Jerusalem as “others” towards understanding them as individual people with their own ideas, ambitions, fears and hopes. I hope that my blind eyes will come “out of their gloom and darkness”. But I realize how difficult this is for me, an outsider to this conflct. I have the abilityt to leave, but the people who live here need to face these issues time and time again. What is asked is not easy, but the fruits are bountiful. I pray that understanding is formed between these two peoples so that peace can finally come to this torn area.

 

-Kaitlyn