Are the times a'changin'?
I could feel myself glowing when a person living in my “settlement” of Maaleh Adumim stopped me at the local mall and remarked, “You seem to be doing such interesting things!” And she was smiling, and I gathered she really didn’t mind what I was doing.
So what am I doing?
I am trying to gather together a group of local people from my community, which is over the green line, and taboo for those that are politically correct (I’m not, obviously) together with Palestinians. We had a first meeting in February and I advertised the second meeting on our local e-mail list. I didn’t get one hate mail.
Instead, I met another woman waiting at the bus stop who told me “I’m doing such wonderful things.” She looks like the typical settler woman, wearing a long skirt and head-covering. I didn’t expect such a wide smile from her either!
True, they haven’t yet come to our interfaith meetings, but if I keep on pushing, maybe they will. It certainly is attracting a lot of interest on the outside.
A BBC reporter is doing a radio show about it. A researcher from one of Israel’s top universities is also attending. I know she will discover in her research that attitude change after encounters such as these do occur. Perhaps educators will begin implementing “encounters” in elementary schools and so on, as part of curriculum. Who knows where this can lead to? I’m hopeful.
And somehow, even Saudi’s King Abdullah got into the picture by saying he believes in interfaith dialogue, and that he includes Jews in it as well. Well, I’ll be danged, if that little bit in the paper didn’t surprise the ass off me. It sure did. And it made our meeting delightful, while our group of about 13 people said they would surely welcome the King as a guest at our next meeting.
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Leah, congratulations for organizing this interfaith dialogue. The more people talk to one another, the more they’ll realize that they have much more in common than divides them. Most of our so called “differences” are an illusion contrived and kept alive for selfish and malicious reasons.
In terms of Saudi Arabia, I ferevently believed that many of the leaders there could become convinced to try a new way, including Selling a Vision of Hope, which you can explore as http://www.sellingavisionofhope.org The deals that have been struck between the ruling family and the religious leadership will not bring security or peace, even within the borders of the country. A new deal is needed. It will require courage and insight. But a deal based on inspiring the man on the street with a Vision of Hope, is much more likely, in the long run, to bring peace to the region, and to consolidate political support for the House of Saud.
wow, it sure sounds good. the ppl at the roots are starting to understand
I wonder what would be the reaction of people if I were to bring some jews from Israel here and they started talknig about interfaith dialogue
Keep up the good work
Leah:)
I read your posts and I feel angels about us in the Middle East
We are our own angels, Elinor, and our own demons too.