Sunday in Jerusalem…

 Yes, we spent today in Jerusalem. Although we are staying one more night in Bethlehem, we went to church at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in East Jerusalem. The service was in both Arabic and English. 

To get there, we had to pass a checkpoint, and for the first time, two soldiers entered the bus to check our passports—a man and a woman, both carrying assault rifles. They wouldn’t make real eye contact. Military service is required for young Israeli citizens. These two young people looked like they didn’t much enjoy their jobs. Here’s the guard tower and wall at the checkpoint.

The church service at the Cathedral was fine—even though it was mostly in Arabic, I could tell where we were. The Dean of  St. George’s College was one of the celebrants. He preached in English and the other priest preached in Arabic. I, of course, opened the hymnal during the Arabic sermon and pondered the words of the first hymn I saw when I opened the book: “Dear Lord and Father of mankind.”  Those words rang true, taking me back to Galilee. I now know that landscape! After the service, I had a good conversation with his wife, Julianna, who works with disabled children of Palestinian mothers. It was a good coffee hour—cake and little eclairs. 

We gathered for a picture in the courtyard of the Cathedral. I slipped back into the church just to take a very quick picture, and when I came out, the group was gone! I walked to where the bus was. It was still there, but locked. I knew then that the group had walked to the American Colony Hotel where we were having lunch, but I didn’t know the way. So I walked back to the courtyard turned on the cellular service on.my phone and called Holly. Before too long, Fadi, our human good shepherd arrived and this lost sheep was found. Whew! I am not straying again…

Lunch at the hotel was phenomenal, made even better by an unexpected visit by Rabbi Michael Cohen, a good friend of cousins Martha and Rich Heileman. They let Michael know that I was here, and he found me! Michael has been dividing his time for the past quarter of a century between his home in Vermont and the Kibbutz Ketura campus of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (www.arava.org). At the Institute young Israelis and Palestinians, along with other college age students from around the world are brought together to study, research, and work on the environmental issues affecting this part of the world. 

We hear about so much that is bad that it is good to hear about the positive things going on that bring much needed hope. He will send information about his group’s and other’s efforts and I will pass on what I get to you, dear readers, because good news needs to be amplified!

We spent the afternoon at Ein Karem—where Mary’s cousin Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s mother) lived. We walked up about 150 steps to get there, but it was well worth it. We saw both the lower church (a crusader church) and newer, building built above it. In the courtyard near the entrance to the lower church, there is a whole wall of Magnificats, each in a different language. 

We passed a few hours here—a blessed pause in our busy schedule. There was an outdoor chapel just outside the Upper Church (where a Mass was going on) and there was time for both music and meditating outdoors as we pondered both the strength of these two women and the legends that surround them.

Mural in the Church of the Visitation

We had a late supper tonight. At 9, a young Palestinian woman, Lora, came to speak to us about the reality of being a Palestinian woman under occupation and living under the Palestinian patriarchal government.  It’s clear to me that Palestinian women are both strong and smart. It’s my hope that they will survive their current hardships and thrive. It will be a hard road, though…

Tonight, we’ll pack up and leave early tomorrow for Jerusalem. This has been a really good day; we moved at a more relaxed pace which has been wonderful. I’ve added some pictures here just so you don’t think I have forgotten about pictures for you all. They are easier to share on Facebook, so I have begun sharing them there.  If you are on FaceBook and are not yet a friend, send a friend request to Sudie Mixter Blanchard!