Holy Land Pilgrimage Journal (Day 8)

Thursday, 19th September 2019

This morning, we visited the 'Holocaust Museum' in Jerusalem. Knowing this was our destination evoked a whole lot of emotions within me that led to uncontrollable weeping on the bus, even before we arrived. I anticipated the museum would have an impact but was caught off-guard emotionally on the bus trip. One would expect an emotional response to the atrocities of Nazi Germany because of our shared humanity. But for me, today was personal, because of my family heritage. My great-grandfather, Wilhelm Alert Peter Bredemeyer, is German and fled to Australia during the second world war as an illegal immigrant. His two brothers, Albert and Horst, were gassed by the Nazis in the concentration camps. Albert was sent to Dachau and Horst was sent to Slozenburgh. So, I exist today because my great-grandfather left his brothers and escaped these atrocities! Therefore, moving through this poignant memorial had a very profound impact upon me, touching the core of my being. The images, stories, names, artefacts, reveal some very dark pages of our history that exposes the very worse of our humanity. 6,000,000 Jews lost their lives because of the ideology of one man who convinced a nation of their racial and religious superiority. This memorial stands as a reminder and as a warning. Yet, I fear that we are dangerously close to the conditions that led to the Holocaust in some parts of our world today!

We then moved from one museum to another with a visit to the ‘Israel Museum’ which houses the 'Dead Sea Scrolls', among other significant cultural artefacts. But the exhibition that captured my attention immediately as we walked through the entrances was an extraordinary scale model of the Old City of Jerusalem (1/4” – 1’) in the second temple period. The model measures 1,000 square metres and is made entirely from limestone and marble with stunning detail. The centre housing the Dead Sea Scrolls is known as the ‘Shrine of the Book’ and is a fascinating piece of architecture and engineering in the shape of a large white dome. It is an impressive building displaying ancient artefacts relating to the scrolls, including the lids of the jars in which the first scrolls were discovered at Qumran in 1947.

Our afternoon then took us across the border into the West Bank to visit Bethlehem in the Palestinian territory. The high border walls are testament to the conflict and mistrust between these two groups of people. The contrast between Israel and this part of Palestine is hard to ignore in the civic management of these two regions. The perpetual state of conflict between these two nations and the imposing barrier of an eight metre concrete wall has clearly had an adverse effect on the Palestinian people. The territory around Bethlehem, where we travelled today, is poorly kept and we found the people we encountered on the street suspicious of our presence and somewhat aggressive, seeing us as someone to exploit. I personally felt a mixture of sadness and disappointment by what I encountered in Bethlehem today. Despite this, we did meet some lovely Palestinian Christians at the Bethlehem Bible College when we attended a lecture by Salim Munyer, co-author of a book titled, ‘Through My Enemy’s Eyes – Envisioning Reconciliation in Israel-Palestine’. He spoke about the history behind the conflict and cast a vision for a new reality of peace. It was very interesting and challenging to hear a Palestinian perspective about the conflict. At the end of his lecture Salim said, “Christians need to call both sides to reconciliation with God and with each other.” 

Today really challenged my emotions and my thinking. Have we really learned from the Holocaust? Is there any difference between the segregation of the Jews in WW2 and the wall that segregates the Palestinians today? Are we recreating similar conditions that will/could lead this region down a similar pathway to Nazi Germany? To some, these might seem like outrageous questions, but to me there are present day warning signs that cannot be ignored if we don’t wish to repeat history. I know the political and cultural circumstances between Israel and Palestine are complex, but the fragility of this region deserves/demands a better way forward. The words I read today by a 14 year old boy who was killed in an Aushwitz gas chamber should speak into this present conflict, offering a plea for a better future by Jewish and Palestinian children alike:

“When I will be 20 years old,

In a motorised bird I’ll sit,

And to the reaches of space I’ll rise.

I will fly,

I will float to the beautiful faraway world

And skywards I will soar.

The cloud my sister will be

The wind is brother to me.

I will fly,

I will float over rivers and seas.

I will marvel at the Euphrates and Nile.

I will gaze at the Sphinx and Pyramids

In the goddess Isis’ ancient land.

I will glide over the mighty Niagra Falls,

And soak up the warmth of the Sahara’s sun

Over the cloud-covered Tibetan peaks will I ascend,

Above the mysterious magic land of the Hindus.

And when extricated from the sun’s heat,

I will take wing to the Arctic North,

And I will whir above the giant kangaroo isle,

And then over the ruins of Pompeii.

From there I’ll set my sights to the Holy Land,

Where our covenant was given.

I will even reach the illustrious Homer’s country,

And will be so amazed by the beauty of this world.

To the heavens I will take off.

The cloud my sister will be

The wind is brother to me.”

(Written by Abramek Koplowicz)

This dream from the past shines hope into the present. If a 14 year old Jewish boy can dare to dream from a concentration camp in Germany, then maybe a 14 year old girl can dare to dream from behind a wall in the West Bank. As I read this poem, the words of Nella Fantasia began to echo in my mind as it too speaks of a similar dream for humanity…

“Nella fantasia ip vedo un mondo giusto,

Li tutti vivono in pace e in onesta.

Lo sogno d’aime che sono sempre libere,

Come le nuvole che volano,

Pian’ d’umanita in fondo all’anima.”

(Italian)

“In my fantasy I see a just world,

Where everyone lives in peace and honesty.

I dream of souls that are always free

Like the clouds that float

Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.”

(English Translation)

In poetry and in song the dream remains the same for shalom to prevail for all of God’s children in all nations on earth!