Nebi Samuel gathering

We've fixed our computer at home - it's the one we bought for $40 3 years ago, so every minute that it is working I thank the Good Lord. But it is more difficult trying to wrestle is away from my two youngest kids - the son, who plays his racing games on it and the ex-Criminal who chats on ICQ for hours and hours and hours. Fortunately it's 9:00 am and Son is eating Honeycomb cereal and the ex-Criminal is still fast asleep.

I convinced one of my closest friends to join me on Thursday on our interfaith activity at Nebi Samuel. It's the Prophet Samuel's tomb just outside in Jerusalem in Area C - a mostly Palestinian populated area with a few Jewish towns inbetween, but administrated by Israel. It's totally confusing - these areas marked A, B and C. We were having a prayer for peace session there with a Palestinian group, that didn't want any media there. But I considered it a success, if they were hooked up with us for a meeting, even if hardly anyone knew about it. It means we are going in the right direction. It was a first interfaith non-political endeavor for them. It was also a first interfaith meeting for my friend. It's difficult recruiting new people - people are nervous, afraid of meeting the scary other. Getting any new person involved is also a success.

So I was terribly excited when she wanted to come and kept calling her that day to make sure she wasn't going to cancel out on me. When we drove there, she wondered aloud whether she had any incriminating stickers on her car. In Israel if you are politically active - you paste your car with the appropriate bumper stickers. The leftists have their stickers - "settlements break up the country" "friend, you are missing (for Yitzhak Rabin) and others I can't remember. The right wing - I think - win the bumper sticker contests with loads of different slogans. I remember seeing one person's car just plastered with them. She told me they are what's holding her old jalopy together. But my friend went through her bumper stickers - one was Na Na Nachman M'Uman - a popular saying of some Breslov Chassidim and the other was "Let the Fairies Live" - no need to explain that one.

When we got to the site, we noticed the lack of army, police, etc. It was so quiet. There was a small Palestinian community there of 250 villagers plus a Jewish school for Higher Jewish learning - called a Kollel on the premises. There was nobody to search your bags nor any electronic security doors to go through - and it felt unbelievably light and wonderful to be there. There was a bridge over an ancient excavated community to get to the Mosque/Synagogue/Tomb. We climbed up to the rooftop to get a spectacular view of the surrounding hills and the sunset.

15 people had come to this meeting and we were a big disorganized. I had planned for everyone to meet here, but forgot that sometimes you need some kind of program. So we were just chatting away, getting to know one another, however briefly. Some of the women were from Jenin but were now living in Ramallah staying with a family whose father had been killed by the Israeli army.

One asked me - How do you convince such people about peace?

We all have our losses from this conflict, I told them. They have to come here to meet Israelis who do want peace and there are lots of them around.

I don't know whether it was for religious reasons or political reasons but non-Muslims weren't aloud into the mosque itself, but they allowed me to watch at the entrance. It was beautifully decorated. I told them I'd adhere to the rules and cover my hair completely - but it still wasn't allowed. Ibrahim explained he couldn't touch me before prayers (Muslims cannot touch a woman before prayers in case she is menstruating) but gave me his usual Ibrahim-hug after he finished praying.

I took a couple of the Palestinian women into the Jewish section. They were allowed in and at the tomb itself there were a couple of women praying from the Psalms. The Palestinians just stood there waiting and watching. One wanted to see how I pray. I'm normally not a pray-er but I took one of the Hebrew books of Psalms and read one paragraph from it, afterwards, kissing the Tomb of Samuel the Prophet, thinking he'd be very pleased if his soul saw that I brought some Palestinian women to watch me pray for the peace of this country.

It is very hard for me to gather people for any activity. I'm so much better at behind the scenes or one-on-one communication. My friend Eliyahu was there and I asked him to gather round everyone to make a big circle, where we could offer some prayer for peace. Some of the villagers came by and joined our circle. Even though we are not a political group, they went on about how terrible the occupation is for them and that the Israelis don't allow them to build new homes or additions to the existing homes in their village. When people marry, they must leave the village because there's nowhere for them to leave. They seemed devastated by that. Normally, we would stop a political discussion, but we let them go on for 10 minutes or so because we felt they had to vent and normally do not get a chance for anyone to listen to them. They needed some compassionate listening from Jews at that moment. An Orthodox Jewish couple walked in while we were in a circle and Eliyahu, looking quite Orthodox himself, bid them a warm hello. I'm sure they were totally confused.

Afterwards we drove home with Eliyahu and Ibrahim in the back seat. As we passed the checkpoint, my friend slowed down -she wanted the soldiers to get a good look at the back seat with Eliyahu and his long sidelocks and Ibrahim wearing his kaffiyeh sitting together. Hopefully, the soldiers will see more of this in the future - Amen and inshallah.