Charlie Wiles reports on the trip

The mission of International Interfaith Initiative simple yet daunting: “Foster Interfaith Cooperation and Strengthen Civil Society.” An example of how III sought to realize its mission came with the latest interfaith trip to the Middle East. III collaborated with The Village Experience on the second annual Middle East Journey, which returned to Indianapolis on January 9, 2010. Eleven individuals from Central Indiana -- representing a variety of religious, community and academic organizations -- traveled together from Amman, Jordan south through the desert sites of Petra and Wadi Rum to the Gulf of Aqaba then north through Arad, Israel, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem and several villages in the West Bank of Palestine, to Jerusalem and then to the northern Israeli towns of Haifa, Acco, Cana and Nazareth before ending the journey in Madaba, Jordan.

Charlie stands before the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

The two week trip included many amazing opportunities to engage local people and organizations working toward positive change in the region. Just Amman we spent an evening sharing a meal with Iraqi refugees and listening to how they are struggling to survive in Jordan; we met with Fr. Nabil Haddad, an Orthodox Priest who leads a program called “Coexistence” promoting Muslim-Christian dialogue; we listened to a lecture at Jordan University entitled “Muslims In America” that was given by IUPUI professor Edward Curtis who is there on a Fulbright Scholarship; and we visited many historic and ecologically sustainable gift shops in the city.

Participants of ME journey meet with Iraqi refugees in Amman, Jordan (Photo #1)

In the Middle East, history collides with the present in ways that are sometimes graceful, at other times quite tragic. Meeting with Iraqi refugees early on in the journey reminded me of the many mass exoduses of populations from one region to another throughout history in the Middle East. Baghdad, once the center of civilization, now has a very uncertain future as multiple forces violently struggle to gain control. The people we met, each human story that rattles the conscience, contributes to the well-worn fabric in the unfolding drama in this region.

We then traveled south through the desert to Petra and Wadi Rum, spending New Year’s Eve in a beautiful Bedouin “style” lodging that included sleeping in a tent and eating food prepared in an underground barbeque. It was a fascinating party in the middle of the Jordanian desert with an eclectic mix of culture, good music, a wonderful feast, and dancing with travelers from many countries.

Riding a camel in Wadi Rum, Jordan (Photo #2)

We crossed from Aqaba, Jordan to Elat, Israel on Friday January 1st, and were treated to a Shabbat meal at the first hotel we stayed in Arad. It felt good to participate in prayers and ritual that have been alive in that region for thousands of years. Day two took us to the Dead Sea and Bethlehem, where we stayed in a Palestinian refugee camp. We visited an under-resourced clinic meant to serve 25,000 Palestinians who are living in a “seam zone" between the 1967 border and the barrier that separates the Palestinians from Israelis.

The barrier route as of May 2005. Seam Zone, the area between the barrier and the 1949 Arab-Israeli armistice line, is colored in blue-green.

The journey then took us to Jerusalem for two days, where we visited the Old City, Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial), and participated in a local interfaith dialogue with the Interfaith Coordinating Council in Israel.

The conversations within our group were difficult at times as we traveled and observed challenging circumstances ... however it was enlightening to be together as a diverse group. I know for myself that my sensitivity to the narrative of the “other” was extremely heightened, and that offered me a much more in-depth experience throughout the trip. It is a unique opportunity to travel with eleven diverse individuals, each of us adding a unique piece to a puzzle as we try to better understand the world we live in. It was truly an honor to be a part of the experience, and I look forward to future conversations. It was gratifying to witness the many relationships that developed along the trip, between Muslim and Jew, Evangelical and Catholic, gay and straight, young and older. I am confident that many good things will develop as a result. Each and every one of us enriched the overall experience and I believe we all hold a piece of a puzzle that will lead to a better understanding.

Father Jeff Godecker and George Kelly praying together at the Western Wall

Our final days were spent in northern Israel and we visited the gorgeous port cities of Haifa and Acco before lodging in Nazareth for two evenings. It was dumbfounding to stand in the spot where Mary was told she’d give birth to Jesus and to then to visit the “Synagogue/Church” where Jesus proclaimed he was the Messiah.

Madonna at “Church of the Annunciation” in Nazareth

We also visited, dialogued, and shared a fantastic meal with several members of Evangelical Churches in the Galilee.

Arriving in the New York and Detroit airports after two weeks of intense and varied experiences in the Middle East and being bombarded with the latest news about the fate of Balloon Boy’s father was a bit of culture shock, to say the least- The twelve hour flight in the silver tube felt like passing through the rabbit hole and coming out on the “other” side in a completely new reality. The more I experience this, the more the saying “curiouser and curiouser” comes to mind.

International Interfaith Initiative constantly strives to find opportunities where each of us in our multiple identities can put a collective foot forward in making a better future in the Middle East, a region that is critical to a better future for all of us. It appears to make sense to work together with caring Jordanians to establish a medical clinic for Iraqi refugees who are struggling to survive in and around Amman. This effort would be more powerful if it came as a result of an interfaith effort here in Central Indiana and we will be working with many religious and community groups to make this happen. It will serve as a rich opportunity to increase understanding in our community.

When I came through customs in NYC the immigration agent asked if my visit abroad was for business or pleasure: I replied by saying a little of both, but mainly for business. He asked what type of business and I described it as an interfaith trip to better understand the issues that confront us in the Middle East. He said that it sounded like an admirable mission and wished me luck…

More about the Iraqi refugee project is at: http://www.internationalinterfaith.org/. Planning for the third Middle East Journey are underway and applications will be available on the website soon.

Article by Charlie Wiles. Photos by John Samples

JSam: InterFaith Moments, the video

This video is a sort of an audio/visual summary of our trip in Dec '09 and Jan '010. It is a little heavy on the Wadi Rum, but the place was a bit intoxicating. This will be the final version except for when I have to fix the typos that someone is likely to point out to me.

If it doesn't show here, it is also available on youtube at my JSamTV page...

JSam: More photos and another film

Fr Jeff has a wonderful summary of our trip below, but he still seems to have been holding out on us with his photography. For you fellow facebookers (and those willing to admit it) you can see some of his really nice stuff at Jeff's Photos.

I wish the whole group could have been with me a couple of nights ago when I had another experience similar but nearly opposite to our meeting with Sami Awad. It was in Kefar Saba near Tel Aviv where I spent the evening with the son of a holocaust survivor who is the subject of a documentary that is in the final stages of editing. His story (as he was telling it) was as remarkable as Sami's, but from the other side of the 'wall'. It included trips back to the site of the Warsaw ghetto and several other places he formerly knew only from stories of his father. I haven't seen the film yet but have been promised a copy soon and would love to share it with anyone interested.

The whole group still haunts my thoughts, and I look forward to seeing many of you again. Also, our Team in Galilee sends their greetings to you all; many of them felt a special connection to whatever it was we were doing there. -jsam

The experience of the inter-faith trip to Jordan and Israel both strengthened my faith and left me with questions. . Before I get to that, however, let me say how much joy this trip brought me. The joy includes: 10 other good, moral, humorous people with differing outlooks and backgrounds; conversation, music, tasty food, beautiful land (especially Wadi Rum, the hills around Jerusalem and Nazareth and an evening ride on the Sea of Galilee), celebrations with food and drink, and visiting memorial places of important events in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
I also had the joy of meeting many “strangers” , meeting those who are different only to find that deeper than the differences is a common humanity. I also experienced hope in these “strangers” living in the midst of tension, difficulty and poverty.
I feel a deeper emotional connection to Christ which had to do not only with walking the same land but with meeting those who practice his teaching even when they may be non-believers. Father Haddad, a Melkite priest, works as a clear believer in Jesus Christ for dialog and cooperation with Muslims. Akmed, on the other hand, clearly helps people to practice non-violence in the refugee camp in Bethlehem but has no active faith practice. If you took away Fr. Haddad’s cassock and references to Jesus, it would be hard to tell the difference between the two from a moral and behavioural standpoint. Someone once said, : just because someone is secular doesn’t mean that he is godless.”
I found myself more touched by the living faith of others than in the “holy places.” ( This is not to say that the places were not touching.) My own faith was strengthened by people like Father Haddad, the Iraqi Refugee meeting in Amman, the people of the Holy Land Trust, an organization dedicated to a non-violent approach to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis; an Arabic Christian funeral procession and burial, Mass in the Armenian Cathedral in Jerusalem, the bells on the feast of Orthodox Christmas, the continual Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers, and a simple meal blessing for Shabbat prayed by the Jewish member of our group.
I find that my faith in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures is strengthened. The prophetic voice of Isaiah rings true for Jerusalem in his time and in ours. The book of Psalms has an emotional reality for me that it did not have before. The Gospels have a grounding they did not have before. But I have also come to better realize just how radical the teaching of Jesus was for his own time and even more so for our time.
(NOTE: A two week experience in Jordan and Israel makes me an expert on very little if anything.)
The Mideast conflict is about much more than religion. It is about land, homeland, national identity, security. But what is the role of religion in the conflict? For starters, it certainly is about the history of three faiths All three religions have a claim to their origin and early development in this land called holy. Each regards Jerusalem as a most holy place. Jerusalem is sometimes called the ”center ” of the world, a place of God’s special and powerful presence. Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish presence are very visible. It would be hard to imagine anyone not thinking of Jerusalem as a religious place. And yet, on our trip religion took a very distant third place to the politics and the culture of the region. Religion is part of the conflict but at what level? Is it merely background? Are people embarrassed by religion and its checkered history of crusades,colonialism and western ways?
I wonder about the failure of religion to significantly contribute to peace and a morality that clearly treats all other human beings as human beings. The three religions seem to fail with a record of violence and prejudice. Yehuda Amichai, an Israel poet, writes: Jerusalem’s a place where everyone remembers/he’s forgotten something/but doesn’t remember what it is.....it’s holiness/sometimes turns to love. In the case of Christian history the forgotten something would seem to be the Sermon on the Mount. The last political tool in the Mideast to be used is that Sermon.
I believe religion can play a positive role. Consider the following words of Martin Luther King: True peace is not merely the absence of some negative force –tension, confusion, or war; it is the presence of some positive force – justice, good will and brotherhood. All three religions have a clear summons to those positive forces in their own Scriptures. A quote from the Koran serves as an illustration: Have you seen the one who denies religion? It is he who pushes away the orphan, And who does not urge the feeding of the poor. So woe to those who worship, Who are absent-minded in their prayer; Those who make a show of themselves, And refuse neighborly assistance. (Sura 107) Christians and Jews can find the very same sentiment in book of Isaiah.
But challenges remain for the three religions because religious people are often perceived and as breeders of hate and intolerance. The historical case for that perception can be easily made. Unfortunately, the perception is also based on encounters with extremists in all three religions while ignoring the basic goodness and kindness of millions of people over the centuries and into our own time.
One of the most haunting moments of this trip was the visit to Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum in Jerusalem. As I wandered through horror after horrer, I I wondered how a Jew could still believe in God. A Paulist priest responded, “ How can Christians believe in Christ when the Holocaust was mostly perpetrated by baptized Christians?”
One of the more profound ironies that I found on this trip is that Christians, Jews, and Muslims seem to get along better in the north part of Israel. But the north seems to be more secular. The cities of Haifa and Akko seem good examples. In Akko, the public display of religion in shops and on the streets, disappeared altogether. It would seem that secularism has a gift to offer the world that the religions are still struggling to develop.

Another important question raised by this trip is religious identity. All three religions seem to be fighting for a stronger identity which has been riddled by their own history, competition for salvation and the rise of secularism and materialism. The struggle for strong identity has also resulted in the rise of fundamentalism and radicalism. All three religions seem to be fearful of being overwhelmed by the other two. All three religions fear the power of our secular culture, particularly in the West. All three religions seem to fear the insights of psychology and historical research. And there are good reasons for these fears .
In Israel, which one would assume to be one of the more religious places in the world, only 20% Jews practice their faith. Statistics in our own country report something similar despite all our protestations that we are a Christian country. Faith in the Holy and the Divine often seem to slip totally into the realm of the private. Even this inter-faith trip seemed more secular than religious. Religion will continue to struggle with the issue of idenity. Over-simplified answers, authoritative pronouncements and rigid definitions will accomplish little.
We still struggle with the question, “What does it mean to be Christian in the world we live in?” While the fundamentals remain the same, the world is vastly different than it was in the time of Jesus. On the trip I kept trying to touch the Jesus of his time. My answer to that quest is that it is almost impossible. I am not able to think or feel as a first century Palestinian Jew did. Connection to the land is vastly different for an urban American than a rural person from the country. I have privilege and security that would never be dreamed of in the time of Jesus. Our consciousness has changed (for better and worse). We have powerful destructive capabilities and positive opportunities that have altered how we think. Our everyday sense of the “true” is more relative or riddled with doubts. Our identities tend to be more individualistic. We slip in our of religious beliefs rather easily. In the time of Jesus and still in parts of the world, to change faith is to leave the “tribe”, and without the tribe the person has no security or identity.
Who is the God we believe in when we know we must mix and work and be hospitable to those who have a different view? Who is the God who “permits(?) “ a holocaust or the genocides that have happened since. What does worship mean in a secular and diverse culture? How is prayer integrated into a secular life style ( I know that the way I put that is contradictory but frankly our prayer and lifestyles are often not integrated.)? What does salvation mean and how is it mediated? How do we remain faithful to our own truth while acknowledging the truth of others? All three religions in their theology and in their behaviours must wrestle with these questions within their own traditions and with each other.
What of the Christian and Catholic role in the Mideast Conflict? In one way, Christianity is a minor player because it is largely an Arab and Israeli conflict. The United States and other Western countries have security issues as well in this region which also makes them players. But I would suggest that they often think that Israelis and Palestinians think just like people in the West. Transplanting Western values without recognition and understanding of values that may be very different is a huge mistake.
The best thing that the Christian and Catholic Church in the Middle East can do is to promote cooperative humanitarian and educational efforts and to gently insist on the God given value of human dignity. The Church promotes both Israel’s right to exist and the right of the Palestinians to homeland. . In addition the Catholic Church needs to continue to maintain Christian holy sites not just for tourism but as places of quiet prayer and meditation and then also be a public advocate for the rights of Christians. At one time, Christinas represented 20% of israel’s population. It in is now less than 2% . More and More Christians feel excluded. And before it does anything else, the Catholic Church needs to continue to promote a better relationship with the Greek Orthodox.
Borrowing from a speech by Cardinal John Foley Christianity also has the following to offer the Mideast A theology of reconciliation and forgiveness; a belief in the separation of church and state; freedom of conscience; a commitment to education; a Christianity not tied to one particular culture; commitment to a struggle for social justice.
Much more could be said. My questions have not been about doubt in my own faith. I affirm my faith in Jesus Christ and in the tradition of the Catholic Church. But a Church and a Catholic people that do not grapple with these questions will cease to be an effective voice in a complicated world. The great gift of trip like this one is that the traveller cannot help but notice how complex the world is and that sound bites, twittering, blogging, sounding off, finger pointing, and human prejudice do not and will never bring peace.
I conclude with the words of Archbishop Fouard Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem ( note that he is also a Palestinian ) When will we realize that a land deserves the adjective “holy” only when the man who lives there becomes holy? This land will deserve to be called “holy” when she breathes freedom, justice, love, reconciliation, peace and security.”
Fr. Jeff Godecker

Being more confused is the easy part...

I came back from the Middle East with new experiences and slightly more confused about some things then before I left. Then I read this story and realize how much more we all have to learn:

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2009/10/orthodox-settler-rescues-gay-palestinian-456.html

Pieces of a puzzle

Arriving in the New York and Detroit airports after two weeks of intense and varied experiences in the Middle East and being bombarded with the latest news about the fate of Balloon Boy’s father is a bit of culture shock to say the least- The twelve hour flight in the silver tube feels a bit like passing through the rabbit hole and coming out on the “other” side and in a completely new reality. The more I experience this the more the saying “curiouser and curiouser” comes to mind.

As we spent the last 24 hours of our Middle East Journey I couldn’t help but reflect on the many adventures and the mini adventures that comprised this 2 week odyssey for 10 Americans and 1 Indian living in the Midwest, USA and traveling from Amman, Jordan south through the desert sites of Petra and Wadi Rum to the Gulf of Aqaba then north through Arad, Israel the Dead Sea, Bethlehem and several other towns in the West Bank of Palestine, to Jerusalem and the Israeli towns of Haifa, Acco, and before ending the journey in Madaba, Jordan.

The Middle East is a place where history collides with the present in sometimes graceful and other time’s quite tragic ways. Meeting with Iraqi refugees early on in the journey reminded me of the many mass exoduses of populations from one region to another throughout history in the Middle East. Baghdad once the center of civilization now has a very uncertain future as multiple forces violently struggle to gain control. The people we met, each human story that rattles the conscious, contributes to the well-worn fabric in the unfolding drama in this region.

Identity becomes a central theme in the Middle East and our group must have looked quite curious to many of the people we encountered, a multi-faith group of Americans (and one Indian) traveling together to share insights through a wide variety of experiences. Experiences that included: listening to Fr. Haddad describe his Coexistence program, Professor Edward Curtis field questions from Jordanian students regarding Islam in America, listening to Palestinian refugees and peace activists, rabbis and priests in dialogue in Israel, and meeting with Arab-Israel Evangelicals who are striving to maintain their community in Cana and Nazareth. People are forced to live their identity in this part of the world where it is not simply a luxury to discuss differences if you choose. It makes me more aware of my privileges as a white male living in the United States and it helps me to better understand the challenges faced by minorities in my own country.

The evening before leaving Israel we took a little time to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. As fate would have it we enjoyed calm seas and a lovely sunset. We listened to the American National Anthem and an Israeli peace song as we sailed through the historic waters. The weather was clear and we could see Jordan and the Golan Heights and I wondered what the future holds and what role we could play to make it better for all of us.

It was an amazing opportunity to travel with 11 diverse individuals, each of us adding a unique piece to a puzzle as we try to better understand the world we live in. It was truly an honor to be a part of the experience and I look forward to future conversations. I came to realize that my role as one of the organizers was to facilitate a conversation between and among the members of our group and the many wonderful people we came in contact with. It was gratifying to witness the many relationships that developed along the trip, between Muslim and Jew, Evangelical and Catholic, gay and straight, young and older. I am confident that many amazing things will develop as a result however I am also aware that much can be done to improve future journeys. Each and every one of us enriched the overall experience and I believe we all hold a piece of a puzzle that will lead to a better understanding.

I constantly strive to find an opportunity where each of us in our multiple identities can put a collective foot forward in making a better future in the Middle East, a region that is critical to a better future for all of us. It appears to make sense to work together with caring Jordanians to establish a medical clinic for Iraqi refugees who are struggling to survive in and around Amman. This effort would be more powerful if it came as a result of an interfaith effort here in Central Indiana and I believe it would be a wonderful opportunity to increase understanding in our community. As an American, a husband and father, a veteran, and a white-male from a Catholic family, I am compelled to continue to try to make a difference- When I came through customs in NYC the immigration agent asked if my visit abroad was for business or pleasure and I replied by saying a little of both but mainly for business. He asked what type of business and I described it as an interfaith trip to better understand the issues that confront us in the Middle East. He said that it sounded like an admirable mission and wished me luck…

Scattering, chattering and the ubiquitous sweater

Well, I am about an hour out of Indy over what I think is the great state of Alabama, Sitting in what is my first real cramped seat thinking of the last 24 hours. We said good=bye to Israel, then Jordan and especially Faiaz and of course each other. We broke the group leaving John behind in Israel and then fractured it more at the Hotel in Madaba as Kelly will travel to Cairo, Kenya and I can't remember where next, Tim and Michael are off to Paris and Becca and Jeff each are taking a later flight to the states. We were a team and as we converge on our own lives that we gave up for two intense weeks together, some of us lost phones, hats, shirts, and we all lost som ignorance and gained knowledge. We all lost some stereotype and gained understanding. But mostly we all know that we haven't gotten the answer just a lot more questions which I say is the purest form of education. If we were getting off the plane with real answers I think we would have failed. I look forward to unpacking some of what we will likely take with us all the days of our lives and look forward to how you all have enriched my life and my professional persona.

I am sure we will all find a way to stay connected both in our striving to do whatever it we as individuals set out to do by taking this trip and as new found friends. But I know one thing, my next clothes purchase will be an argyle sweater and I will likely never stop noticing them for a long time.

Welcome home, however you define it and remember we shared something special, you can call on me when you want, need or desire.

May the Holy One bring you into the arms and hearts of those that care about you and as always bring peace to you and to people the world over.

JSam: Marsalami, y'all

See more trip photos by clicking here:

My new friends went off and left me in Nazareth this morning. They would probably tell you that I just didn't get on the bus, but here I am and there they go toward the Jordanian border and their flights to Cairo, Paris, Kenya, New York, Chicago and wherever else these folks are headed.

As my mind and enthusiasm shifts to the work I get to do here in Israel over the next week with the Galilee Team of the Christian HolyLand Foundation, my emotions are still spinning over the experiences of the last two weeks with this Interfaith group. There were plenty of hugs to go around as they all saddled up right after breakfast, but I have to admit that there was a particular satisfaction in the sincere embraces with Father Jeff and George. That is not to diminish in any way the relationships that developed with others in the group, but I suppose Jeff and George and I perhaps traveled the furthest together in terms of how far we came in terms of leaving our presuppositions behind and crossing over to new understandings. At the same time, I don't have to think very hard to remember specific blessings that each of the people in this group left me with. And when you add that to all the things we witnessed, experienced, and participated in along the way, it's been a pretty incredible trip.

Yesterday I had the deep pleasure of introducing my traveling group to the Team of Arab ministers I work with here in Israel. Our time was cut short by just not watching the clock closely enough, but we enjoyed a lunch at the Church in Cana that was provided by the Team, and that was probably our best meal of the trip. Then we spent an hour in fellowship and song and discussion that seemed to open hearts on both sides--the travelers and the Team.

Thank those of you that have been following our trip on this blog or over on Facebook, and Thank YOU to all the people on this trip that have made me a little better person with a little stronger faith than what existed just a few days ago.

kol ha-olam kulo,

Our trip comes to an end tomorrow, we drive back to the Amman airport for the long day of travel home. I will miss this group. I will miss the quips, the quirks and the questions. I will miss this land. I truly love what Israel has to offer and no more so than today while on a boat on the Kinneret as our boat captain sang Oseh Shalom and then Kol Ha-Olam Kulo. This world is a very narrow bridge, and it is imporatant to not be afraid.

This group has challenged itself. But it is so remarkable that we were able to follow our own desire to take out of this trip what we needed. There was a real piece of tourism on this trip. Moments like the Kinneret certainly felt that way. As did Petra and Acco. But we weren't tourists. We also weren't pilgrims going to solidify our faith by touching the pieces left behind by a shared history. We were seekers and finders, teachers and learners, rebels and disciples. We moved together and alone. Through it all we tried to make the joys sweeter and soften the blows of hurt and attempt to understand the confusion that may be the Middle East.

But I walk away with a better understanding of Shalom, Salaam and Peace.

To all a traditional Jewish prayer for travel:
May it be Your will, LORD, our God and the God of our ancestors, that You lead us toward peace, guide our footsteps toward peace, and make us reach our desired destination for life, gladness, and peace. May You rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush along the way, and from all manner of punishments that assemble to come to earth. May You send blessing in our handiwork, and grant us grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us. May You hear the sound of our humble request because You are God Who hears prayer requests. Blessed are You, Adonai, Who hears prayer.

Safe journey to all.

JSam: The Day Before the End of the Beginning

There is an interesting sense among the group of travel fatigue combined with an eagerness to be home, and heavily flavored with the approaching melancholy of bidding farewell to new friends. A sometimes pointed conversation last night about the differences of expectations associated with "Interfaith" vs. "Intercultural" further contributed to the community building among us, and I think added to future trips. A few of us have been a bit disappointed relative to the lack of faith expressions as opposed to faith comparisons or understandings. As we have tried to respect the differences between us in this bridge building journey, I think we (certainly I) have been reluctant to interject too much of those things that are at the heart of our personal walks. There has been quite a bit of doing that in small settings or one-on-one, but not so much in group meetings, and I think some of us just expected a little more of that on a corporate level. However, as we said last night, had that been more a part of the corporate experience, perhaps those more intimate moments would not have happened, so it is difficult to be too conflicted about those elements that might be too conflicting. Yanni, it's been a great trip, and now as it ends tomorrow I look forward to the new beginnings of these relationships and my new understandings that have resulted from this Interfaith experience.

Today will be an interesting time as I get to reconnect with my Team of Arab ministers here in the Galilee (www.CHLFL.org), and to share my affection for them and the work they are doing with this group of travelers. I'm trying to not project too much on this time of fellowship and discussion, but at the same time I believe it to be a great opportunity for better understand of this work as well as for the Team to have a different (and better?) view of what is trying to be done on an interfaith level. I would ask for your prayers for today, but most of you will be sleeping while we're going about our business and it will be time for another blog entry by the time you read this. I do know that there have been many prayers lifted up for this trip, and as I shared with Saleem last night, I am convinced that God has been riding along with us from day one. Nush kerrob!

George (yaakov) refers below to a picture that Paul took that was a really interesting moment as we approached the Temple mount a couple of days ago. I'll include it here just to silence those among us that think I forgot to upload it. It can also be found here with several other shots of that event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/4246651465/in/set-72157623143039796/


The new, as well as the old, photos from Paul and myself are located here now: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/collections/72157623022555959/

Yerushalayim Shel Zahav

There was a moment yesterday that I was transported. I wish I could explain, but with all the emotion, from the walk along the security fence, the refugees both in Behtlehem and Amman, to a building community on our bus. But walking through the Herodian period museum I looked down to the bedrock. For over 3000 years people have been living there and often in opposition and yet through fighting, destruction and hate that same day, I watched a Jewish kindergarten walking through the Muslim quarter on a field trip, listened to some boys arguing Talmud in a yishiva in the Jewish quarter and spoke with a Turkish man, opening a new store in the old shuq whose family had been in the Muslim quarter for generations. These images give me hope. Hope made more real by an interreligious council working to bring Palestinians and Jewish Isrealis together. I have hope as I listen to young Israelis say that Israel needs to be more than about fighting. Our group hopes we can make a difference. I think I sense a difference, I can't deny the problems of land, water and culture clashes, but there is a picture of a my new friend Hyam and I, her in Hijab and me with my kippah, walking on the Temple Mount, the Noble Sanctuary. Every journey begins with a single step.
Oseh Shalom bim'romav, hu ya'asheh shalom, aleinu v'al kol Yisrael, v'al kol yoshve tevel, v'imaru amen.

May the one who brings peace to the heavens, bring peace to the whole of Israel and people the world over. and let's us ALL say Amen.

Photos linked

The pictures from the trip should be a little easier to find now. We really didn't plan on shooting 3,000 pictures and posting nearly a third of them, so we didn't have a good organization plan for these, but they can now all be linked from here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/collections/72157623022555959/.

A Jerusalem Reflection

I am sitting in the lounge at the convent in Jerusalem trying to figure out what from the past two weeks I should write about - there is so much to say and no real way to express the emotions one feels in a situation like this. We have walked through the holy sites of Jerusalem, we have met people living in refugee camps in Jordan and Palestine, we have crossed the border posts as a local, we have camped under the stars in the Wadi Rum, we have drank beer in an Israeli bar, and we have talked and talked and talked....
One thing I will never forget on this journey is reconnecting with Yasir and Zena. I met this young couple last year on our trip (they are with me in the picture at the top of the blog). They are Iraqi refugees and have since had a baby boy named Amar. This is an amazing family and they are awaiting their relocation notice in Toronto, Canada. I can't wait to connect with them as soon as they are able to start their lives anew.
It is so fun for me to watch as people experience this part of the world for the first time. I can see the fire in Sheila as she takes in every thing around her and searches for a solution. I can see the empathy that flows from Hyam as she hears stories of struggle and hardship. I can see the motivation that is brewing in Becca as she plots a way to connect people at home with her new friends in the Middle East. And most importantly, I am having the time of my life watching the men on this trip "suffer" through sleeping in bunk beds, being cold at night, taking a shower without a curtain, and not having complete control over what is happening around them - as us girls like to say (and often get accused of) - high maintenance!

Blogging 101

Question: How do you delete a post on this blog?
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JSam Photos from Monday: crossing from Bethlehem into Jerusalem

1/5/10 10:44 EDIT: Paul Gibson's latest photography is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/sets/72157623143039796/

Crossing the 'border' was disturbing today; I hope it comes across in the limited number of photos that we were allowed to take during the process.

One of the 'kter flumie' photos of the trip so far was taken at the Western Wall today as Father Jeff and George Kelley prayed together in an apparently spontaneous moment of fellowship and worship. Both of these guys have contributed mightily to the trip and it has been a pleasure to get to know them.

By the way, I discovered today that Father Jeff is blogging about the trip on his Butler site. It's good stuff and worth the visit over there: http://butler-catholic.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=22&Itemid=15

George helped set the stage at the Western Wall visit this afternoon. If it works, you should be able to see a bit of video of that here:



I wasn't able to walk with the group to several sites today as my feet got in the way of each other on the Mount of Olives resulting in a bit of a tumble on the stone stairs. It felt for a few hours as though I might have stumbled into a serious knee injury, but after babying it for the rest of the day I suspect it will be functional tomorrow.

And this has nothing to do with this trip (I don't think) but I ran into a minister friend of mine from Toronto, Canada in the middle of Old Jerusalem today. Nizar Shaheen was leading a group from Australia and we literally bumped into each other entering a souvenir shop. It was a nice moment, particularly since I was hobbling along quite lost at the time and he was able to point me toward the Damascus Gate!

Thanks again for following along; I'll let my photographs speak for the rest of my day.

• Day 8 begins here with the Bethlehem border crossing: www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/sets/72157623013370947

JSam: Oh, Little (messed-up) Town of Bethlehem

EDITED WITH VIDEO ADDED 1/4/10

Nowhere is the Palestinian / Israeli struggle more acute and observable than in Bethlehem. Gaza may have worse living conditions, but it is very difficult to get in and see it first hand. Bethlehem is still actively pursuing the tourists’ dollars and pilgrims are still actively pursuing the site of Christ’s birth so the gates remain open most of the time. The city is safe, the people are wonderful, and the conditions range from residents able to afford Beemers and Benz, to the refugees who are now entering their third generation of births behind the green line and in camps like the one we are staying in and toured today. This temporary facility has grown from about 900 people to more than 2,000 and is now into its 61st year. There are many such places still providing made-shift services and shelter to families who were forced to leave their homes in 1948.

We also visited a medical clinic today that is the only such service available to about 25,000 Palestinians just outside of Bethlehem. There were very few meds on the shelves or working instruments in the building. We did some incidental cleaning, performed a few maintenance tasks, and picked up litter around the outside of the building. Then one of the group went out on their own and--in the name of the group--found a pharmacy and bought a bunch of antibiotics, sterile pads, and other basic medical supplies for the clinic. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to save a few lives and heal a few wounds. It’s more than was there when we got there. It was an amazing moment...

Hear the clinic head's response and comments on peace by clicking the video below:

The day ended with a sneak preview of
Little Town of Bethlehem, a new documentary film featuring Sami Awad who heads-up the local Holy Land Trust. It was very moving and compelling. It is scheduled for an October release in the United States, which seems an awfully long time away in this ever-changing land of things that are always the same. I was also intrigued by the PNN where we saw the film; the Palestine News Network. With ten employees they a

re producing a lot of programming, most if not all in the name of non-violence and peace. I haven’t had a chance to look at much of their work yet, but I’m looking forward to following them at www.english.pnn.ps.

I continue to be pleased/touched/humbled by the ‘community’ that has developed within this disparate group of pilgrims, seekers, and curious. We have idealists, philosophers, and timekeepers; changers, compulsives, and BSers; liberals, conservatives and re-constructionists; and then there’s that whole Catholic, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and whatever thing. I wouldn’t dare suggest which labels belong where, but THEY know who they are, and they have all become very special to me in a very short time... well... most of them.

P.S. • Day 7 begins here in one of the Refugee Camps of Bethlehem: www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/sets/72157623130069032

Day 6 Photos

• Day 6 Begins here with stops in the Dead Sea and Bethlehem: www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/sets/72157623123809274

This Year in Jerusalem

I am back in Israel. It is a long time coming. As I sit here in Arad, preparing for the ride north I hear the morning worship of a group of Nigerian pilgrims here for the Eastern Christmas. Their charsimatic service rings through the lobby of the hotel as the sun rises on another day in the region. One more experience to take in.

On New Years eve I was able to sit in a desert and watch the sun slip behind the mountains and later track the moon's race across a night sky chasing Orien until both disappeared behind the mountain. Previously that day I sat at the base of the mountain and thought about how this hunk of rock explosing out of the desert must have looked to the first people who found their way here. Building their homes and temples into the rock makes sense. They found comfort in this powerful structure and what must have been seen as an eternal presence.

On New Year's morning I was privledged to watch the first light of day as the sun rose over the same mountains I had spent time thinking about the day before. The light seemed to wake up the desert and to our ancient ancestors certainly must have been awesome, in the true sense of the word, inspiring fear and reverence.

I think too often we dismiss the religious traditions of old as pagan, or quaint, or worse turn the great gods of old into comicbook superheroes. We don't stop and look at our own story as fodder for similar treatment. In fact when it happens often times there are protests or worse. But we should explore what we mean when we discuss dig up ancient cultures' dieties for our entertainment. Sometimes even modern expressions of these cultures for our amusement should be questioned. Too often it feels like going to the zoo.

But that is not the point. The mountains, the sky, the sun and the changing weather all spoke to the people of the ancient world as much or as loudly as any god speaks today.

There was a break in my writing and I have now found myself in Bethlehem. I stood in line for the Chruch of the Nativity but JS and I bugged out at the last minute to share lunch and a powerful conversation. Many people spoke to me about the trip suggesting I be worried about visiting the West Bank and Jordan. In Jordan many told me not to wear my Kippah and even here in Bethlehem I don't feel comfortable with it on. But my real concern was spending two weeks building a relationship with someone who identifies as Evangelical. JS has shown me a new face of that and for that I am grateful. As we continue to grow as a group I find the moments of pursuit of of understanding each other and ourselves are as powerful as the rock carved city at Petra.

Last night I shared the Shabbat family ritual of candles, kiddush and Motzi. I explained a bit of the meaning and worked to connect something that is important to me into a meaningful experience for all. I hope I hit the mark. It is these shared moments that help the group grow closer. It is these shared moments that really explores what we mean by interfaith.

JSam: The Year isn't all that's new

I hate when I lie, and that's the truth!

I promised Hyam that she'd have no problem getting through the Israeli border today. Apparently her number came up and the border guards kept her behind for more than 2.5 hours for whatever reason they do those things. She survived, and I think it was actually an important moment for our group to see what sure appeared to be bold discrimination against a young Arab woman by the soldiers. I was very impressed with how Hyam processed what I think was really pretty traumatic for her, and very pleased with the support for her shown by every member of the group. After leaving the secured area without her, Charlie even managed to talk his way back in, went to bat for Hyam with the passport people, then got himself yelled out by a guard for his troubles.

As amazing as this week has been, one of the highlights for me so far has been being able to worship with the group tonight at the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, or Shabbat. George (not Charlie, as previously rumored;-) led us through the ceremony (photo to the left) that has been practiced by Jews every Friday night for thousands of years. His explanations and patience with us allowed for a very significant time of reflection on my faith, the rituals in which the sacrament of my Lord's supper is rooted, and the respect and appreciation that can be shared by people of differences when they are all seeking the same God.

Yesterday (New Year's Eve) was pretty much a play day as we got to ride camels and jeeps while laughing with and at each other. There was also a little testosterone that kicked in (left) that is causing some sore muscles today. You can check out the picture links for more about king of the sand dune.

If you're on Facebook, I think you can also follow some of the real time photos and updates we do there. Try www.facebook.com/#/j.samples?ref=name if you are a Facebooker.

My flickr pictures are here:
• DAY 4 Begins here on the way to Wadi Rum, Jordan: www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/sets/72157623116065626/
• DAY 5 Begins here on New Year's Day and into Israel: www.flickr.com/photos/jsam/sets/72157622991698333

Paul Gibson's photos are here:

Iraqi Refgees

The day before yesterday, we visited the Jesuit center and I realized how much I did not know. There were many women in their early 20s who were fashionably dressed and attractive. Their nails were done, their hair was freshly cut, many of they wore high heels . It was hard to believe that they were refugees. Their appearance brought what they were going through closer to home. These are everyday people who until a few months or years ago were in University finishing their engineering degrees, updating their status on Facebook, living a normal, peaceful lifes until the war began. The war is as surprising and shocking to them as it is to us. They are the people that have to deal with the consequences, not us. What they want most and were asking us for was stability and security. The process of gaining citizenship is extremely difficult. Many of them are unemployed and are basically living in limbo. Seeing them and listening to their stories made me realize what they real consequences of war are. I consider myself to be fairly well exposed because of my experience to hardship and poverty in Africa, but nothing prepared me for this. I was in a state of shock. I understood how humiliating it must have been for these people to ask complete strangers for help. Their long term needs are relocation. I did not know what to tell these people, it was a very rude awakening because all I understood about war in general was what we study in class. The Middle East was always something very abstract to me until we spent an evening with them having dinner together. At the dinner table. I was not sure what appropriate conversation would be, fortunately I was advised to listen and from other conversations, most refugees just want people to listen.

How we can help

We spoke to a young doctor who connected with Charlie. Immediate needs that can be served would be through raising money or getting donations for medication in general. There is also a child that needs medication for his stunted growth-his mother cannot afford the monthly injections needed for her child. The young doctor we met said that the refugees need to build a clinic and hire some staff which can be done provided that the money is raised.