Charlie says ....

The 2nd annual Middle East Journey from Indianapolis, Indiana USA arrived at our hotel in Amman, Jordan late on Sunday evening December 28th after a challenging 11 hour overnight flight from JFK Airport in NYC. Somewhere during that 11 hour flight I questioned the sanity of making such a long journey to explore our interfaith differences and commonalities however it did not take long to recognize the richness of the collective experience and the value that it adds to our individual perspectives particularly when we participate in such a grand adventure.




A conversation with John, a conservative Evangelical Minister, immediately after arriving at the Queen Alia Airport was enlightening for me as a liberal somewhat agnostic with a solid Catholic upbringing. The neutral setting of the Jordan airport, and being away from the media charged atmosphere back home, helped reveal how much we have in common and I believe that there is much that could be accomplish if we could discover ways to work together on issues of common concern.



It also felt like an honor to be with George, the religious education director at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, as we maneuvered through customs and he shared with me some of his observations and apprehensions arriving in a Muslim country. And it was fascinating to be with Hyam, a young Muslim woman on our trip, when she arrived at the airport shortly after we did having flown in from Cairo after visiting extended family over the past two weeks. On the way to the hotel Hyam shared many stories about her experiences in Egypt, the time she spent with aunts, uncles and cousins, and she spoke about how the experience both informed and created some anxiety about her decision to participate in an interfaith journey through Jordan, Israel and Palestine.



Admittedly traveling overnight on a cramped airplane is exhausting however being with a conscientious group of diverse individuals on an adventure through the Middle East is exhilarating and I look forward to the experiences and conversations that lie ahead of us-