Reconcilation: To victims engage each other

A young Israeli soldier desired to join the Israeli army. He wanted to defend himself against the enemy. It was a question of survival. He was extremely fearful of losing his life and the life of his people

Josef, at age 10, was forced from his home in Poland along with his family in 1939. As they were being forced to march toward the Russian border, a Nazi soldier was not convinced that his father was walking fast enough. The soldier bayoneted his father in front him, and as young boy, he would never lose that image in his mind. The family was hearded into Trains by Russian soldiers and sent to Siberian prison camps. His mother died during that time.

Eventually, he made it to Israel in 1948 and joined the army when he was 18. He was afraid of not surviving, and felt a need to defend himself. In one of his assignments, his unit forced Palestinians out of their homes, and watched while some of his fellow soldiers commited atrocities with the villagers. He saw at that moment that acts that they were performing were the same ones the Nazis had done to his family, and could not face his work. He quit the army and fled to England.

Some years later he returned toIsrael and went to the village of Lyda, and found a survivor there, and expressed his apologies for the acts he may have commited.

I had no idea that such atrocities were being committed during the War of Independence, as the Israelis called it. There is little information available about such acts in our sources at home. The Nokba or disaster, was a mass exodus of 750,000 Palestinians to the north and east of the land. Some 512 Palestinian villages were destroyed. While reading the book by Fawal called On the hills of God, I began to read stories of the forced marches that the Palestinians experienced. Visiting some of the villages and hearing the stories from survivors was a powerful moment for me as we stood in the midst of the remains of the buildings.

At the end of Josef's talk which came from the heart and he expressed several times his sorrow for acts he may have committed against members of the audience that night. There were many Palestinians who were present, and there was a hushed silence. Finally, a man in his seventies in back of the room stood and said, I appreciate what you have said, but it is not enough. More people like you need to share their stories and express forgivenes. I accept your apology and wish you a long and healthy life. There were tears in every one's eyes.

This is just one experience of many powerful ones that I have heard this week. Memories was the theme of the first week in Nazareth. The impact is the theme for this week as we look at the occupation up close in Jerusalem.

Love to you, BIll

The Destroyed Villages and a People Removed

Greetings from Nazareth!

There is not much time this morning at there are people waiting.

Yesterday, we visited four villages in Israel where Palestinians were forced to leave their homes and the land in 1948. In each village, a person who was lived there, told their story. It made the "Nokba even more powerful as the personal story always does. 750,000 people were driven out of their homes and 512 villages were destroyed. Little is discussed about this in our "data base" in the States. Yesterday, I heard a conversation by one of our participants with a Jewish couple with their children who were having a picnic on the grounds of a former village. When asked if they knew that this land was once inhabited by 4,ooo Palestinians, he said, "we know, and we don't like to be reminded" .

Tomorrow we leave for Jerusalem, and I will have access to an internet cafe. This computer is the only one around. See you on Monday. Love, Bill

"Jammed Tight" and Ready to Go!

Good morning! This is third day in Jerusalem after a long flight from Washington to Vienna and the Tel Aviv, nearly fifteen hours of travel time, and most of that on fully packed airplanes that have not changed dimensions since WWI, I am told by my flying friends Frank and Bill. I don't do well with my long body, and inspite of my good fortune, I thought, to get an exit aisle seat near the the window on the first leg of the trip, it was a challenge. Little did I know, that while the head room between me and the bulk head was a larger space, the foot room was actually less. I was able to find some standing room in the next cabin of the 767 where I literally stood for an hour an a half at one time. It was my saving grace, because I was able to stretch nearly the whole time, and drink water which I have found to be the key to dealing with jet lag. I barely felt the effects, other than a shift in the time I slept which has now returned to normal after three days.

The second leg of the trip was not so comfortable, nor could I find a way of adapting to the conditions. That plane was fully loaded and I had a window seat in the back of the plane, and my "neighbor" in the middle seat was the last to board, and seemed really exhausted. He managed to stretch his six foot plus frame over in my direction, and had his head down on the meal shelf most of the time. I wasn't able to move him to get out for a stretch during the 3 and half hour flight. It was not pretty, but more about him later.

I spent the first two nights on the Mount of Olives, at a hotel called the Seven Arches at the very top of Mt. The view below of the Old City was amazing, and I rose early in the morning to see the sun rise and shine on the Dome of the Rock. Pretty spectacular and oh so serene as there was complete silence down below, both because of the time of the day and distance from the city below. All of this was quite the contrast to my ride, and I quickly recovered from the stresses pf airplane travel. Think I'll take the flying carpet back?

I spent the next two days, distributing medical books sent by Ravensworth Baptist friends in Annandale, a "sister church"; arranging pickup for the eye glasses sent by our church's mission group intended for the eye clinic in the Deheisheh Camp, relating to the delegate from Interfaith Peace Builders, the sponsors of my first trip her three years ago. The timing was quite by coincidence, even more incredible because we hosted two of the delegates in our own home last Saturday night. What an amazingly informed, and experienced group that delegation is! Many had years of work in the Middle East. There were four young members from the UK with them also. I enjoyed meeting and talking with them all around dinner, and even attended a lecture by Jeff Halper, whom many of you have read about or heard before. He is an American/Israeli Jew who directs the Israeli Coalition Against House Demolitions, as well as recent traveler on one of the Freedom Boats from Gaza. It was good hear him again. I now believe I have a better understanding of the facts on the ground, and the solutions to resolving the conflict which are simple, if only our government had the will to do so.

Back to time with the delegates here, and one quick story which reinforces my belief that there are no such things as co-insidence. One of the delegates asked me to convey $1,ooo to an American woman who was here for three months with the International Women's Peace Organization, a varied form of the Internation Solidarity Movement. They lead protests against the wall, stand at points with Palestinians, monitor house demolitions, and protect olive farmers by their prescence. They are very courageous people. They risk their lives to stand for justice beside the oppressed. Truly amazing souls. Well, my delegate friend used my phone to contact her because she herself will remain after delegation ends to spend time in the Women's Center, protesting unjust acts. She then asked me to talk with her. I was told her name was Razia. "Hmmm" I thought. "That sounds like a familiar name, and her voice did to". She said, on the other side," Is this Bill Plitt of Arlington?" Razia had slept in our house along with four other marchers against the Iraq war two years ago. What an amazing........! It was good to talk with her again and hear some incredibly powerful stories about her group of five women and their courage to stand up against dispicable acts of cruelty by the Israeli Defense Force.

Well, I will let this go for now. I leave aboard a bus in an hour for Nazareth. I am looking forward to that space too! God always surprises me on such ventures. Love, Bill

Preparing for the Experience Will Reveal New Learnings

Dear Friends,
Now that I am packed (almost), I feel some excitement about this new trip to the Middle East. Some of the feeling is because of the election of Barack Obama. Our country and our world are hungry for change and for a responsiveness to the needs of our world community. I know when I speak to friends there, they will welcome me with that thought, as opposed to the responses we had in previous years when our country was headed down a darker path. I carry with me a renewed spirit in mankind, in part because of the election of Barack Obama and what that might mean to a world in great need of care. As he has said, it will take all of us with our oars in the water to bring the sea change that is needed.

I know God will reveal his love through the people I will meet in the days ahead. I look forward to their voices. love, Bill

As General Assembly Convenes

Good morning from San Jose! I am glad that I arrived a day early to not only get used to the time change, but also prepare a bit before the pace picks up this morning. I feel like this part of my journey began way back in September when I filled out the application to return to Israel and the occupied territories. It said, " preference for applications will be given to those attending GA in June". Having had a desire to see our church as a denomination, the simultaneous application to be nominated as Elder Commissioner seemed "natural". Through the spiritual direction I receive from my church friends, my spiritual mates and my family, I've come to trust that these activities are not by coincidence. I continue to feel led by God in this extended journey to San Jose as the path here has seemed like a "greased trail" going down the mountain to the valley where the work is. I am humbled by this realization. Along the way, encounters feel close at hand and perhaps, destined. For example, I went to the Plenary session hall yesterday to get my bearings and to locate my seat. The place which will actually hold several thousand people today, saw just a trickle of technicians in its vastness. I found my seat through a "pedestrian" who was watching his wife rehearse a speech . My new friend offered to direct me to my seat, and as I learned, he was a veteran of 30 GA's and was a welcomed guest. My seat was located in the center of the hall, on the end of aisle of tables, near the microphone! Wow was that a message! He then suggested how I might use the location to speak from the heart about my encounters in the Middle East. Things seemed to be moving along "down the mountain to the Valley" out of my control, again. I continue to listen to the spirit that has carried me this far. Pray for courage and trust. Stay tuned! Bill

Departure for San Jose

Good morning Friends,

I leave for the meeting at General Assembly with great anticipation about a new experience with the church as a body. I also am humbled by the responsibilities I am feeling with regards to the major issues facing us. My son Todd shared some wisdom the other day when I was feeling less than adequate. He said, "Dad, you are not going to change the world. This is a unique, once in a life time opportunity. Go and enjoy it. Listen and watch, you will know when to speak." So I go to watch, listen, and speak when the spirit moves me, but more I go to enjoy the moment. Thanks to all of you who are with me in spirit. Bill

In The Midst....

Good morning, some three days after a 30 hour trip from my hotel in Amman, Jordan and a welcoming home in Arlington. I won't bore you with that story. It made coming home that much more appealing. I did long to be with Kay and the warmth of her love, as well with my church family who nurtured me along the way. Otherwise, there was no hurry. Savoring the experience began then, and continues today, and tomorrow, I suspect.

On that long flight from Amman, I was fortunate to have four seats in the rear of the plane to stretch out and sleep, as the plane was half empty. About two hours before we landed, I sat up and these words came to me:

IN THE MIDST

In the Midst of the Promised Land, live two peoples:
One controlling - one controlled.
But, in the end, have lost their souls:
one misguided - the other derided.
And our God weeps amongst the stones.

Within and out of the walls of concrete and steel,
Live two peoples - lost in fear:
One to feeling within itself -
And one who waits for the unknown that lies in some distant way….
And, the whole world weeps without knowing why.

Find, within the prison of the land itself,
The settlers surrounding what remains:
A vineyard, a farm, a spirit beyond belief
That challenges their presence without relief,
From energy spurred by countless souls
Who weep beside them - the living stones.

Who are the children amidst this land
Who’ve seen nothing new for decades now?
Within these walls, what they must claim
As a future, fades. They steadfastly exclaim,
“This is my home, my native land.
It’s here I’ve made my final stand.”
And God weeps and moans for the newest living stones.

In the mountains, valleys, and the seas
Lay those places where the pilgrims come
To see the ‘footsteps’ of one who practiced what he was.
The stone, the brick, and mortar, too,
Produce the walls of seasoned tones
To whispers, prayers, voices, and even a ‘harp’, too.
And our God weeps amongst the chorus.

What lies amidst the hearts and minds
Of soldiers who stand by the gates – defined -
Which are meant to withstand, contain and resist the threats
Of peoples who know no other way?
As soldiers, here and there, raise two fingers in the form of ‘V’,
In hopes of peace, harmony that might release
The guilt, the embarrassment, the regret that they must feel.
And, our God weeps beside them.

Bill
December 2007