Holy Land Pilgrimage Journal (Day 16)

Friday, 27th September 2019

When we flew into Brisbane, we ordered a ride through ‘Uber’ to get from the international terminal to the motel. To our surprise, the driver was a Jordanian man who had grown up in Bethlehem in the West Bank. He also worked in Dubai before moving his family to Australia. He was so excited that we had just travelled to his homeland. We shared stories about the places we had visited and learned a bit about his family during the short trip to the motel. It really was a delightful way to end this part of our trip back to Australia. What are the chances of getting a driver from Jordan and the West Bank in Brisbane?!

Holy Land Pilgrimage Journal (Day 12)

Monday, 23rd September 2019

After saying farewell to our homestay families, we ventured into the dry and arid Judean countryside, starting with a visit to the ‘Wadi Qelt’ wilderness. This vast wilderness contained the famous road from Jericho to Jerusalem, which was the main thoroughfare to the Holy City. David fled to Jerusalem on this route after Absalom made himself king (2 Samuel 15:23-16:14). King Zedekiah escaped from Nebuchadnezzar’s troops on this road (2 Kings 25:1-6). Jesus walked it many times (Mark 10:46-11:1, Luke 2:39-50). Even the Roman Legion marched on it to destroy Jerusalem in 70 AD. This hilly, arid countryside has a strange beauty looking across it, but no doubt was a brutal journal along the barren, rocky trails.

We continued our journey through this wilderness into the ancient city of Jericho to take a trip up the ‘Mount of Temptation’ in a cable car. Jericho is considered in this region to be the oldest city in the world, dated as 10,000 years old. It is located in the Jordan Valley and is governed by the Palestinian National Authority. The ‘Mount of Temptation’ is the place where Jesus was tempted by Satan after spending 40 days in the wilderness we had just seen. This was a breathtaking journey up the mountain, with quite a steep climb after we disembarked the cable car to a precariously located monastery on the side of the cliff face. For Jesus, I’m tipping it was quite a different journey, both physically and spiritually. I’m actually glad that the last stage to the place of temptation was strenuous and required a lot of effort! It seemed right to be standing in the space where Jesus was tempted, feeling hot from the scorching sun and feeling out of breath from the climb.

We moved from one mountain to another via the Dead Sea, as we made our way to Masada. On our way, we stopped by the ‘Qumran Caves’, which was home to the Essenes and the archaeological site where the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ were discovered around 1947. The way this ancient monastic movement carved out a life in the barren wilderness is quite impressive. Not only did they learn to survive as a recluse community in a ‘dry and thirsty land’, but they also disciplined themselves to a life of rituals and deep study as they transcribed the Scriptures to preserve them for this present age. Having seen the ‘Shrine of the Book’ that houses the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ in Jerusalem, it was quite amazing to visit the site where they were found today.

Upon our arrival in Masada, we were shown a short video to tell the remarkable story of this epic battle, as recorded by Josephus. Again, this is a story that I was previously unfamiliar with. In brief, a group of Jewish rebels known as the ‘Sicarii’ fled Jerusalem after the destruction of the second temple in 70 AD. They settled on the mountain top of Masada (the previous fortress of Herod the Great around 37-31 BC) after slaughtering the Roman garrison. In 73 AD, the Roman governor Lucas Flavius Silva headed the Roman Legion to lay siege of Masada. The Roman Legion surrounded the fortified mountain and built a siege ramp against the western face of the mountain plateau and used a battering ram to penetrate the massive stone walls. When you stand atop of the plateau and look down the steep rugged cliffs, it is absolutely extraordinary that the Romans considered attempting such a siege, let alone succeeded!! The tragedy and heroism of this story is that the ‘Sicarii’ refused to be taken as slaves by the Romans, so they chose death by enacting an internal murder suicide plot. The ‘Sicarii’ leader gathered his men in the synagogue and gave the following speech:

“Since we long ago resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than God himself, who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice … We were the very first that revolted, and we are the last to fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favour that God has granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom.” (Elazar Ben Yair)

Since Judaism prohibits suicide, Josephus reported that the ‘Sicarii’ had drawn lots and killed each other in turn, down to the last man, who would be the only one to actually take his own life. On one mountain Jesus fought against Satan and overcame his temptations. On the other mountain the ‘Sicarii’ fought against the Roman Legion and took each other’s lives to avoid defeat and slavery. One cannot escape the irony between these two compelling stories from the pages of history that came alive today. The other interesting detail about this part of the journey is that the imposing cliffs of the Masada National Park stand 290 metres above the Dead Sea yet standing on the top of those cliffs looking down on the Dead Sea is only 33 metres above sea level. From this vantage point, you capture just how low the Dead Sea really is as the lowest point on earth.

The Dead Sea is where we ended our day. Once we checked into our hotel, we walked down to the shore of the Dead Sea for an obligatory swim, or should I say, float!? I’ve heard many stories about this experience from other travellers, but it is quite another thing to experience the sensation of floating in the Dead Sea for yourself. It really is a strange sensation being so buoyant in water that contains around 35% salinity (salt content). It requires absolutely no effort at all to stay afloat in the very warm water, but when you try to stand up, it requires an enormous amount of effort. It was indeed an experience! We are so blessed to be staying in another beautiful hotel that offers a bit of luxury for their overseas guests. Never before have we stayed in such places and enjoyed this level of hotel accommodation.

Holy Land Pilgrimage Journal (Day 11)

Sunday, 22nd September 2019

Our final outing in Jerusalem was a return to Old Jerusalem to visit the ‘Dome of the Rock’ on the Temple Mount. I found this part of our pilgrimage somewhat challenging! Having previously learned the history behind the Temple Mount, the destruction of the Temple and the spiritual significance of what remains for the Jewish people, the sight of the Mosque in the place of the Temple Holy of Holies was quite an affront. While I appreciated the architecture of the building, I couldn’t look pass such a sacred sit that was constructed to honour Yahweh being hijacked by the Muslims to honour Allah. All of a sudden, the ‘Wailing Wall’ made sense. I found myself empathising with the anguish of the Jews as they pray daily for redemption and restoration. My empathy is in no way political but spiritual. Behind the complex politics and historical conflict, there is an unavoidable spiritual battle occurring. When two monotheistic religions compete for the same sacred space, no amount of secular diplomacy will resolve this religious tension.

We then left Jerusalem and crossed over the border into the West Bank to visit the ‘Tomb of Lazarus’ and home of Mary and Martha in Bethany. Once again, an elaborate church built on this biblically significant site. On the one hand I find this disappointing, as I would love to see some of these sites in their original context, but on the other hand, I recognise without these historic church structures, these sites would probably have been lost forever centuries ago. Our journey in the West Bank then took us to the ‘Shepherds Field’ where the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of the Christ child. Inside the chapel we gathered together as a group to sing ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’, surrounded by beautiful paintings of the nativity story, which was later read by Kate Young.

“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant

O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem

O come and behold him, born the King of angels

O come, let us adore him…

Christ the Lord.”

From the Shepherds Field, we naturally progressed to the ‘Church of the Nativity’, which houses the very place where Jesus was born. There was a sense of wonder and awe as we each stepped through the low opening through the front wall of the church (apparently, this is a deliberate design of the Crusade period to stop people riding into the church on their horses). Once inside the church, I felt a little overwhelmed by all the religious icons, statues and art paying homage to Mary and the Christ child. As beautiful as many of these pieces were, especially the gold mosaic uncovered only two years ago, it felt a little over the top for me, taking away from the humble origins of Jesus’ birth. We queued up for what felt like an eternity to descend into the cave of the ritual site of Jesus’ birth and apparent location of the real manger. It was a special moment to stand in this space, yet all the religious trappings just got in the way for me, diminishing this unique opportunity. I really wanted to be deeply impacted by the birthplace of Christ but instead, I was distracted: Distracted by the ornate fixtures, distracted by the crowd jostling of position, distracted by the religiosity of the whole set-up. I am very grateful for the privilege of such an experience, but it somehow took away from the image of the nativity scene that had formed in my mind.

The final stop for the day presented us with more artwork but of a very different nature. In a strange way, it spoke to me more of the nativity than the church did. I’m referring to the powerful and provocative artwork that lines the security/separation wall that divides Israel from the West Bank. This artwork presents the soul of a people who have been segregated from the world around them. The politics involved in the West Bank emerge out of centuries of conflict that divides the Jewish and Muslim faiths. Outside of the politics are a people who yearn for a different reality. The Palestinians we met want peace and goodwill for all humankind. Their desires and dreams of peace emerges from the art that lines the wall that separates these two states.

How appropriate that we ended our day staying with a Palestinian Christian family in a homestay arrangement. This provided us with a fabulous opportunity to get up close and personal with a family living this reality. Basam and Kawkab embraced us very warmly and together with their children shared something of their lives with us. Life in the West Bank presents many challenges, yet there is a deep national pride and a strong sense of community in Beit Sahour where they live. Coincidently, there was a street festival happening during our stay called ‘Souq Hikaya’, which means ‘Story Market’. It was a vibrant and joyful celebration of their culture and city. I must confess that before our homestay, my experience inside the West Bank wasn’t all that pleasant with pushy and aggressive peddlers trying to exploit tourists. But, at this festival, I saw Palestinians in their natural state enjoying life and extending very warm hospitality. There were no strings attached to the greetings and handshakes and you felt welcomed in their city. While these Palestinians longed for a different reality, there was a sense of pride and contentment with who they are as a people. Staying with this family was definitely a highlight of our trip.

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!