Greetings from deep within the ancient walls of the historic city of Old Jerusalem!

I have to confess that being awakened by the Islamic Call to Prayer at 4:30 AM followed by different Church bells at 5AM and then again at 6 AM is not my favorite part of this trip. J

But still these sounds are a very public reminder of just how central the element of religion is to the way of life in this troubled land. Religion is in the sounds, in the sights of ancient places and in the various clothing conventions from Islamic dress codes to Jewish dress codes to Eastern Orthodox dress codes even to our Christian Pastoral dress codes.

Religion is central to life from daily rituals to physical barriers and boundaries. There is even the requirement for one’s religion to be indicated on Government issued identification cards. It is difficult for us to comprehend how central and public and defining one’s religious affiliation is to life here since we Americans come from a culture that so prefers to keep religion a private matter. Here it is central to life. That’s both good and bad.

Good if it means that I am so tied to God that my daily life activities are centered in how God would have me live.

 Bad if it means that someone else is not permitted to live the way I do and enjoy the benefits that I enjoy simply because they hold a different understanding of God.

We started out the day on Friday by traveling by bus from the village of Beit Jala where we had been staying the last few days at the Abraham Guest House to Jerusalem. This meant that we had to cross once again the checkpoint at the huge security wall that separates the West Bank from Israel. This morning’s crossing went smooth for a change perhaps because we were chanting a morning liturgy as we came up to the soldiers. What good Jewish Soldier would want to have to listen to a bunch of Christian Pastors chanting Psalms to them? J

Our bus entered Old Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate. We were fortunate that the traffic was light enough to permit the bus to enter the gate which saved some of the distance that we needed to handle our luggage. As Americans we do not travel light. We are staying deep within Old Jerusalem at the Lutheran Guest House and so that meant we had about a half mile of hauling suitcases up and down the ancient stone steps and narrow side streets of this ancient city. The crowds were light as today continued the Islamic Holiday of Eid this was a great help in negotiating our way with all these bags of luggage.

We met with a member of the Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolition (ICAHD) who explained the history of the Israel – Palestine conflict and then took us on a tour to show the present status of geographical, political and social boundaries between these two. The ICAHD is a group of Israeli citizens that are actively working to increase the awareness of the global community to the tactics being used by Israel against the Palestinians. These tactics of oppression are numerous and much too convoluted to list in this morning reflection but perhaps just one example will suffice for now.

The Israel government, at all its’ many levels, uses bureaucracy to adversely affect the way of life of the Palestinians. This is done I suspect to encourage them to leave this land. As in our country, before you can build a house or a school or any other type of building you need to obtain a building permit. Unlike our country, a building permit for a Palestinian to build a house can take 10 to 20 years to obtain or one can wait the 10-20 years and still be denied the permit.  As might be expected, Palestinians realize the game that the Israeli bureaucracy is playing and so they go ahead and build without the permit hoping against hope that someday the permit will be issued. Until such time as the permit is granted, if ever, the house cannot be hooked up to public utilities and is in danger of being demolished. The Palestinians get around the public utility hook-up restrictions by connecting to their neighbor’s systems. The Israelis counter this by doubling the cost of public utilities when it exceeds a specified monthly consumption level. The demolition order is issued, a fine must be paid, and then a family lives in the house and waits months or even 10 or 20 years for the demolition order to be carried out. When the demolition order is carried out the family may have minutes to clear out their possessions before the bulldozers strike. Then they get to pay for the demolition. This is just one little example of life in this troubled land.

We then met with the staff of Augusta Victoria Hospital which is affiliated with the Lutheran World Federation. This large complex 100 years ago was built by the Germans to be the guest house for its’ citizens when they travel to Jerusalem. In the ensuing history, it has changed hands several times from being the “White House” of the British occupation to being government house of Trans-Jordan. It has been a hospital for 40 or more years now as is the primary hospital for Palestinians to receive specialty care such as cancer treatment or pediatric dialysis. Most of these patients have to of course get special permits to pass through the checkpoints in order to receive this care. Sinclair had an interesting time being toured through the hospital by the nursing director. The general director of the hospital is an American working for the Lutheran World Federation. When we asked for his comments on the Israeli-Palestinian situation, he said that it wasn’t a good day to ask him as he had just spent 5 hours in a jail detention cell at the airport over Visa issues.  

We then hiked some 3 miles from the Hospital grounds back into Old Jerusalem. It is fascinating to walk these steep and winding streets also watching out for the 2 way traffic on the one lane streets. The horn is a frequently used tool of driving in this land. J

We stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane on our walk back to the City. I was deeply touched at being in the place where Jesus wrestled and agonized with accepting the Call to the Cross. There is a church on this ground which is built over the stone that marks the historical spot. Silence is required in this church which is a shame because I really wanted to sing a hymn there.

We returned to Old Jerusalem by way of the Lion Gate. We entered near Sundown on Friday as so there were many Jews rushing by us in classic dress hurrying to get to Synagogue for the start of their Sabbath.

Today we visit a brewery which I suppose is how you know that I am traveling with Lutherans! J  Pastor Terry