Investing in the Future
- Memorial to Holocaust children
Our trip has been an education in ancient Jewish and Christian history. It has also been a study in modern religion and politics in Israel. I have new insights into the complexity of the Jewish state and her relationship to Christians, Palestinians and Muslims in general.
Today, we heard an expert on the Holocaust explain to us why Jews have very different “readings” of that tragedy. Yes, that’s right. They aren’t on the same page even about this. Her explanation was also a framework to understand the various political impacts of that difference.
We visited a Reform Synagogue that runs a preschool for Jewish and Muslim children. There, we learned that the Israeli government subsidizes Orthodox Judaism but no other form. We learned that if you want to get married in Israel as a Jew, the ceremony must be conducted by an Orthodox Rabbi. Christians and Muslims are free to have their own clergy perform their ceremonies. We left that place giving thanks that our tax dollars are not used to support one or any religion in America.
We also visited the Holocaust Museum, and those of you who have been to the one in D.C. know how powerful and tragic that is. Here in Jerusalem, they have a separate memorial for the 1.5 million children who perished. It was haunting and I’ll have to tell you about it another time.
We also heard today from a Major General in the IDF or Israeli army. He happens to be an Orthodox Jew. He spoke of the conflict he faces between his beliefs and his responsibilities as a soldier. His story was something of a microcosm of the challenge Israel faces as a nation that is bound to a specific religion. It’s complicated, and once again, I felt fortunate to live in a country that is not bound to a specific religion.
Tomorrow, we go to the garden tomb and back to the old city of Jerusalem. It is both fascinating and disorienting to meet the place you have read so much about…especially when it doesn’t really look like what you imagined. But I prefer the real and that’s what I’m getting and loving! Peace, Shalom!
