We recently visited a Jerusalem Synagogue in groups and went in pairs to Jewish homes to eat Sabbath dinner with them. The family I went with was really great! The father was an Australian Jew, the mother was American and everyone spoke perfect English. They had two sons (that were present) and they were in their 20's. One was a soldier in the Army and the other was studying at a Judaism religion school. We had lively discussions about Palestine, the Occupied territories, Israeli politics, Judaism, Christianity and American/Israeli relations. It was very interesting and the family was very well informed and intelligent. I was surprised at how much in common I could find in a Jewish family across the world. They were so similar to your typical American family! I really connected with the youngest son, who was more secular and was in the Israeli Defense Force. He and I had great discussions about occupation, which he thought was necessary for security and he had many questions about what living in an Arab and Islamic country was like. I saw a Jew who was paranoid about the security of his state, but really wanted to learn more about the others across the fence. It was odd how as an American I have the abiltiy to visit these countries and learn these things first hand, whereas he could never be welcome in these situations as a Jew. Overall, despite all the wrong things his state is doing, and the fact that he understands the injustices that are committed, he was just kind of like an average Palestinian kid across the wall. He worried about things he could never control, and wondered what it was like to be in the other's shoes. It was a great experience and I hope to keep up with Vinnie, my new Jewish friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment