Nebi Musa

I successfully convinced Hubby to chauffer me down to Nebi Musa, the magical looking place where Moslems believe Moses is buried. There was going to be a Peace Caravan there or near there and Abdullah, a new friend, was one of the organizers. He met me a few months ago at the place where I study Arabic and called me about 100 times until he was able to get me at the right time and place so he could visit with me. He wanted to open up a kind of joint Jewish/Arab coffee pit stop where one could meet the other and I gave him some numbers of people who had the same idea. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or the money to help him further with his dreams.

I remember one time when he went on the bus with me - the bus to the "settlement" where I live outside Jerusalem. We instinctively didn't speak to each other. His accent is so heavy that he would have freaked out some of the people on the bus. He didn't have to tell me not to talk to him, I just knew he'd be uncomfortable. As soon as he got off the bus, he was talking a mile a minute (and freaked out a few of the people on the street).

He called me yesterday and I couldn't hear him on the phone. He wanted our friend Eliyahu's number. I wanted to impress him with my Arabic so I shouted out the number to him in Arabic as I was passing a checkpoint - and I was thinking - what if the soldiers hear me speaking Arabic. What would they do. I don't think they heard me. Like the time, I myself freaked out, perhaps for no reason - when one of Hubby's workers left an Arabic language newspaper in the back seat of our car and when our car was about to be inspected at the entrance to our Mall, I quickly folded up the paper on my lap.

Ah, but getting back to today, we took our Son along. Hubby explained to Son that Mommy was going to Nebi Musa so she could hug all the Arabs there.

You could hug them too - I explained.

We ended up at the site of Nebi Musa but the crowd I was looking for was not to be seen anywhere. The place was crowded with Moslem pilgrims and there were food stands, and other assorted trinket stands all around. I got out of the car and walked around looking for the Peace Caravan. I was the only Jewish person around among the several hundred there. I asked some people in Hebrew if they knew of any "celebration" going on - other than the one going on at Nebi Musa itself. A crowd of young Palestinian men gathered around me, amused and curious as to why this Hebrew speaking person was there. I explained to them who I was looking for and one person seemed to know and walked with me to show me a bedouin tent a few hills beyond.

"What's going on there" he wanted to know.

" A gathering of Israelis and Arabs - eating together, playing music together, and celebrating together for absolutely no reason at all - other than wanted to hang together."

We went off to the Peace Caravan tent and Hubby was like "there could have been terrorists around there!"

OK Mr. Always-on-the-lookout-for-Osama-bin-laden-types. Even if there were Jew-hating terrorists, if you go there and approach people with love, it will come back to you. Nothing else. No matter what they felt beforehand. And besides Eliyahu (the Orthodox Jewish friend of ours) met with Hamas types a couple of years ago, and they admired his beard!!!! Because he came to them with love in his heart. They admired his fucking beard!!

He seemed to understand.

We found our crew there. Everyone seemed to be lounging around the tent and the planned program for that afternoon seemed to not be happening. Son was getting impatient but managed to kick a soccer ball around with a few of the young men. Eliyahu and I spoke about an upcoming Interfaith gathering at Boombamela - a festival during the holiday of Passover that attracts thousands and thousands of young Israelis. He was in the midst of getting permits for Palestinians from Gaza plus he had festival tickets for them. The tickets are expensive and if he has extra, I'll go with Hubby, but if not, it'll have to pass. But at least it'll be happening - whether with me or without me. I laughed just thinking at the culture difference and that the Gaza kids will probably totally freak out. The festival has a neo-Woodstock feel to it with some women walking around - in the altogether from the waist up and usually painted purple or blue. I don't think these guys from Gaza ever saw blue boobs before, but there'll always be a first time. Funny how I feel kind of embarrassed about this somewhat - like perhaps they shouldn't be seeing this, they'll probably think we're people with terribly low morals if any at all. This isn't really how I like the Jewish people to be portrayed, especially when I know people will be meeting Jews for the very first time. I just hope they won't find out about the section at the festival for nudists. I, for one, won't be telling them...