Hope

Today I was struck by a few unique aspects of the Jewish culture. While driving down a busy narrow road, a car slowed down just enough for an elderly man to jump out. Probably in his late 70s wearing a yarmulke and hunched over so much that he could touch the ground, he made his way over to the nearest car. He talked to the driver for only a few moments before getting in and speeding off. And the place where we had lunch was very intimate, with no background piped in music and the waiter only came in once to change courses. The lack of background noise was incredibly apparent.

At the Garden of Gethsemane there were trees that were approximately 2000 years old, organized in rows just like gardens are today. Even though these trees had been chopped off and have seen so many battles, they still thrive. What a fitting place for Jesus to receive strength, next to these everlasting trees.

The Holocaust Memorial Museum was incredibly powerful, showing the story of the Holocaust through so many faces and voices. The Museum is laid out such that visitors can watch how it unfolded, from small injustices to humanity at it's worse. And after witnessing this for a few hours--only a few hours, while this was the reality of so many lives for years and years--I was ready to turn around and leave. I didn't think I could take anymore. And being in the midst of viewing so much pain and hardship, the end of the Museum greeted me with hope.

We also had a tour from The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, heard--from a Jewish Israeli--a compelling argument for the end of occupation in Palestine.

Coming from the Holocaust Memorial Museum, we had just seen what the Jews had endured as a nation. The instilled fear that must be so ingrained in their hearts and minds, passed on to their grandchildren. It is incredibly understandable that the Jewish people would have that fear imbedded and want to take any precautions for their safety.

But, as our tour guide stated it, she felt that that fear had been exploited by the Israeli Government in order to drive out the Palestinians (so that they will have a majority of Jewish residents). The main government restriction that can not be justified as a means of security is the zoning laws and demolition of houses--Palestinians are not allowed to build unless they get permission to do so, and they don't get that permission. And if they were to build a house they would be in constant danger of demolition (demolition with, on average, 15 minutes notice)

As we drove past the settlement, there was an obvious drastic difference in government funding just by looking at it. The roads were not well paved and the sidewalks disappeared, and trash was all over the ground with no public dumpsters. There was a heart breaking amount of empty space where houses could have been built, while people were pouring out of the broken down homes that did stand. But through all this wreckage, our tour guide had this amazing sense of peace, and hope that everything would work out.

There was quite a juxtaposition between the different places we went today. Reflecting on Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Holocaust, and current conflict between Israel and Palestine. In each there was/is immense suffering, but each gave me a surprising sense of hope.

Today brought up more questions than it answers. But as Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane "not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42.5). Even Jesus had to accept that which he didn't fully understand. And, today, as I'm utterly overwhelmed with all that has happened in the Holocaust and all that is happening here today, I need to believe that God's will will be done. That there is some hope at the end of the Museum, and that maybe that hope, the hope in itself, is what makes these people keep going, what makes their lives bearable. The thought of a better tomorrow might make today more enjoyable.

And as we keep asking these questions, we will continue to be aware. Without ever finding answers, our awareness will help us to search for the real truths of who God is. And who we are.