Standing in Jerusalem

December 4, 2008

Here is a little known fact: time speeds up when there is too much to
do and too much happening. Have you experienced it? Time speeds up
every December and before we even blink, it is January. This year
time sped up for me in November! Since leaving my position at the
church, I've traveled perhaps a bit too much. The most significant
trip was to Palestine. I was a part of a group that met and studied
once a month for a year. Nevertheless I felt singularly unprepared
for what I saw with my own eyes and the stories I heard with my own
ears in my two plus weeks there. How hard it is to face the dark
side of power in a dear and beloved friend, Israel.

I start at the end to try to make sense of the trip. I stood with
the Women in Black at Hagar Square, a busy intersection in West
Jerusalem. The Women have stood every Friday at 1 pm for 25 years in
silent protest of Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
They stand no matter what the weather. They stand reminding all who
pass by that peace can only come with justice for all people. You
need to know that protesting is not my habit. My people left this
sort of thing for others for others to do, not wanting to make a
scene and fearing confrontation, I guess. On this day, I knew it was
very important for me to stand in solidarity because the burden of
the injustice I had seen traveling brings with it the absolute
necessity of some kind of moral action.

As the group slowly gathered, I wondered what this experience would
be like. One came with a suitcase full of signs fashioned as black
fists with the words "Stop the Occupation" in Hebrew, Arabic or
English. They were passed out. I took one in written in English and
moved into a line of silent women. Lucky for me, someone who had
been doing this for 25 years stood right next to me, translating all
the angry slurs and gestures (actually, the gestures didn't need
translation). Some passer-bys actually gave us a smile or a thumbs
up. I was surprised to find that the anger and hostility directed
toward us had the effect of grounding me more deeply and I felt more
peaceful. Standing together with others gave me strength. It is
important not to be alone. It was as though my roots grew deeper and
I felt sustained by a deep yearning for justice flowing up from the
land through me in the holy city of Jerusalem.

Towards the end of the hour, a busload of Palestinian school-girls
went by. Because the traffic was so heavy, the bus moved very
slowly. Watching, I saw their eyes begin to shine and then shy
smiles come to their faces as they saw our signs. They began to
wave, tentatively at first and then with big smiles they waved and
blew us kisses. I said to my friend, this is why we are here today.