salvation at last

Today marks the fifth day of November and the fact that I have been in Israel for a month. Yet Kivunim packs in so much programming, I feel like I've been here several months to a year eating the same cucumber-red pepper-rice-soy milk-hard boiled egg meal variations. This weekend, I managed to escape the Beit Shmuel bubble (affectionately referred to as "Shmu") and its monotonous food for Ashkelon. Alhamdulilah (see post below) I was able to go in spite of the recent rocket attacks. I even managed to figure out the Egged bus system without finding myself in Syria or Egypt.

Sundays on Kivunim are an "experiential learning" kind of day, a sort of field trip where we explore Israel. Our first Sunday, we visited the ancient city known as Beit Shean in the Tanach, or Scythopolis in Roman and Byzantine times. Serving as a prelude to our Greece trip, Beit Shean exemplified the beliefs and lifestyles of our Jewish ancestors' non-Jewish neighbors. A core value in Kivunim, this idea emphasizes exploring others' cultures and histories, in order to better understand our own. Negative interactions, positive interactions, the development of any relations at all with non-Jewish neighbors: these relationships provide a better understanding of Jewish history within the context of larger communities and the world itself.

This is an idea that Kivunim introduced me too. Freshman year, I had a comparative religion semester in Jewish history; in addition, we did learn Jewish history in the context of world history. Maybe I didn't realize it, I wasn't aware, or I just wasn't paying attention, but I did not realize the effects and relationships and influences of Jewish communities within Christian and Muslim majority communities.

Further heeding this idea, we also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. I cannot imagine visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with Young Judaea, with Diller, or with Beth Tfiloh. Not that any of the three sought to evade Christian culture or isolate us, but, to me, this simply communicates to me that interacting with world cultures is not a priority for Jewish-Israel education for high school students.

While the question of exploring Jewish communities in Christian communities will recur throughout the year, the question of a Christian minority within the divided city of Jerusalem within the Jewish majority of Israel is an unusual one. Though familiar with the fact that this place serves as a pilgrimage destination (Christians believe it to be the site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial), I was unprepared for the procession of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theopolis III, who is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.

Again, Kivunim focused on investigating Jewish identity when encountering Christianity in the Christian Quarter. Upon meeting and hearing the Greek Orthodox Patriarch (His Beatitude) speak on Friday, the relevance of Judaism to Christianity present-day became clearer. He spoke of how Judaism and its values and canon build the fundamentals of Christianity; in addition, he articulated the Church's role within the Arab-Israeli conflict and its relationship with the Jewish and Muslim communities. He bestowed to us small gifts (posters, books, keychains) depicting the Church to give to our Greek Orthodox friends. Unfortunately, I have no Greek Orthodox friends. (This doesn't mean I can't enjoy a large poster of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and His Beatitude above my bed, though).

In six days, we leave for Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Greece. Check back for an update on the status of the Greek euro, the best grape leaves, and if the fumes of the Oracle at Delphi have any effect...

- Rebecca

(Kivunim - www.kivunim.org)