Oh the Places I'll Go

Art work on the Bethlehem side of the wall Last month, when I was in Palestine on a tour of the Holy Land, there was significant concern about what would happen with the election of ultra-right Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister and the appointment of his even-further-right choice for defense minister.   The answer has come with an attack on the Palestinian refugee camp that is Gaza and answering violence from a Palestinian youth on a Jewish synagogue.   This was followed by another attack on the West Bank farming community of Jericho.   As tensions once again escalate in this region, I wish vainly for a resolution to such hostilities.   Let me begin my reflections on my visit to Palestine and Israel with a caveat:   I firmly believe in the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people who have suffered discrimination and persecution for centuries.   I have traveled extensively in Europe and seen many reminders of such.   I walked through Dach...

Sunrise over Jerusalem as seen from Bethlehem Traveling to the “Holy Land” was not high on my list of potential destinations.  Jordan, and a visit to Petra, was, but I wasn’t so enthused about visiting Israel and its holy sites.  I definitely wasn’t interested in going there with a large religious group.  Even though I am a Christian, too much overt religiosity is not my style.  I am more of an intellectual than emotional Christian focused on faith-in-action.  But I jumped at the opportunity to go on this trip for three reasons:  first, it was to be led by my friend, Deborah Hutterer, the ELCA Lutheran Bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod (Arizona and southern Nevada); second, it promised visits with Palestinians and an exploration of issues related to Palestinian/Israeli relations; and, third, there was an optional post-tour extension to Jordan and Petra.  As a bonus, the price was reasonable. Prior to leaving on this trip, we had several Zoom meetings ...