We were a little uneasy about going to Bethlehem as it is Palestinian territory. I'm not sure where that nervousness came from. All of the Palestinian people we had met so far were kind (albeit a bit pushy in the markets) and helpful. Is it the violent acts we hear in the news? Is it the growing terrorism from extreme Islamists that made us weary of Muslim areas? Is it that Palestinian kids threw rocks at Geoff and me when we were in Jerusalem nearly 20 years ago? Wherever it came from, we felt a bit nervous, but a few people we had asked said it was totally safe, so we were determined to go. It was Christmas, after all.
We plugged it into our Google maps and were off, but we arrived at a huge, Berlin-like wall, passing checkpoints and soldiers with machine guns. When we asked how to get to Bethlehem, the soldiers told us this wasn't the way, and we didn't want to go there, it is too dangerous. We asked someone walking nearby and they told us they live there and they don't go. Too dangerous. This was all taking place at Rachel's Tomb, which the wall carves around so the Jews can worship there.
We finally found our way to the checkpoint entrance and drove in to the not-so-little-town of Bethlehem. We stopped for water at a little convenience store near the graffiti wall. We met a man who owned a little shop that sells spray paint and stencils. Anyone can add their voice to the wall. That was cool. We would stop on the way out.
We made our way to Manger Square, but on the way we discovered an olive wood figurine store. There were beautiful nativities of all sizes. The friendly owner is a Christian Palestinian. We talked to him for a long while about the wall. He explained that one day it was there, and the people on the inside can't get out unless they have permission. They have family and friends on the outside of the wall they can't easily visit. If you lived in one geographical location when the wall was built you were trapped. No rhyme or reason. He didn't know why they built it. Those who have approval to work in Jerusalem line up at the checkpoint at 3:00AM. The Israeli soldiers start searching every car and driver at 6:00AM. It takes hours to get through. Even as a Christian he is treated like the suspected Muslims. Though they may have been trying to contain a small group of people, he said the anger was beginning to grow among all those imprisoned inside. He explained it was better than a few years ago when both Palestinians and Jews were "ramming", which means hitting random enemies with their cars.
He gave us a tour of his factory.
The Church of the Nativity was originally built by Constantine the Great and his mother Helena in 327AD over the cave which is said to be the birthplace of Jesus. The church was destroyed and rebuilt in 565AD by Justinian, the Byzantine emperor, and that church, plus many additions to the structure, is what stands today.
We laughed that in such a church in Europe we would stand in awe. I mean, 565AD? That is very old! But in Jerusalem the attitude was more like, "Pfh, this wasn't there when Jesus lived. Move along..."
In many old buildings the entrance is very small. This was to keep calvary from charging into a place. To attack, one would have to dismount to get in, giving the defenders a greater chance of success.
This place was teaming with tour bus groups, and there wasn't a hint of reverence. All were trying to get to the "cave" where one could touch a small portion of the Savior's birth location. Ceci with her millisecond at the sacred spot...
At the back of this small area was a little space where Geoff read the nativity from Luke 2. During these occasions, when surrounded by hordes of people, we were required to use the best of our imaginations to create an image of Jesus' life.
The inside of the church was very ornate. (I found a brief moment without people. No small miracle!)
They are currently uncovering magnificent mosaic floors and painted walls. Most of the artwork is original Byzantine.
We walked through Manger Square and found a falafel street vendor. We ate a LOT of falafels in Israel.
We got a little lost on the way to Shepherd's Field. I wasn't super excited about venturing off the beaten tourist path. While we were encountering many friendly people, there was also an underlying, unspoken tension. At one wrong turn a man looked into our car and angrily made an X with his forearms. Sometimes we got stares of contempt. Finally we found Shepherd's Fields, and I'm glad we did. This was one of my favorite memories of the trip.
Like all other Christian sites, there is a church and loads of tour bus groups. Most of the time the groups were loud as they were herded from place to place. Their guide would talk through a megaphone, they would take their many pictures, stand around and joke or talk, and then move along. Then there were other groups that had expressions of worship that allowed them to feel something. At Shepherd's Fields there was an African tour, decked out in their colorful clothing They sang in response to their leader's calls as they danced and worshipped with their whole body. We stopped to watch the beautiful site and could feel their love and devotion.
Geoff went behind some ruins and up on an outer wall to have a few of the distant hillsides. This was a prime, hidden location where it was quiet and open. We all got our sketch books out.
Geoff read the part about the shepherds again. These shepherds tended the flocks that would be used in the temple. They were to be witnesses of the firstborn lambs. It is no wonder they were the first to learn of the Savior's birth. When he finished we looked down below us and saw a shepherd and his flock of sheep cross the road and wander through the fields. For reals! He looked just like you would imagine a biblical shepherd to look like. He followed his sheep as they looked for whatever they find to eat in this kind of terrain. It was a perfect moment.
Bethlehem sits on a hill. We could easily imagine a little caravan, or maybe it was just Joseph and Mary on their donkey, traveling from town to town and up to Bethlehem. We could envision shepherds on these hills seeing a star shining on the little town and being filled with wonder as they heard the tidings of great joy. This spot, this experience, was a little gift.
On our way out of town we stopped to add our voice to that terrible wall. Let me give you a little taste of it...
Tennie and Adele wanted to make a stencil at the shop, so they got busy.
As they traced and cut we spoke to the young woman working there. She is a young, Christian Palestinian who also did not know why they built the wall. She said they aren't allowed to speak out, and the Israeli government monitors Facebook pages that speak out against them. They have to get permission to go to the airport, and they aren't allowed to have an airport in the West Bank. We asked what the Palestinians would like to see happen. She said to have the Jews leave. When we said that wasn't very realistic, and would it be best to have two nations, she shook her head and said, "Where would the boundaries be? They are going out and starting settlements in areas that are technically ours. There would always be conflict." She explained that Palestinians in Bethlehem have to get approval to leave. Palestinians that live in Jerusalem have a different kind of permit and can move around freely, but they are watched through cameras placed on nearly every corner in the old city (we saw them), and maybe beyond. Jews in the north, near Galilee, have more freedom. Jews are not allowed inside. If they come inside they are in great danger, which explains the warnings we got. She said the Palestinians only do violent acts when provoked. She also mentioned a tension that was beginning to boil.
Meanwhile, in a small empty lot next to the shop was a stage set up with a large group of school children practicing a nativity play. These were both Muslim and christian Palestinian children, and they would be performing the following day. It looked like any school group putting on a play, with the director/teacher trying to rally the children to cooperate and lots of goofing off. There was a kid dressed in an oversized suit coat playing Mary's father, giving away his daughter, who was a natural on stage. He had everyone laughing with his words, voice and gestures.
While getting ready to paint, a group of these students approached me and interestedly asked where I was from. They were so friendly and happy and spoke English well.
One came back and asked if she could follow me on Instagram. Tennie and Adele and Ceci joined us and we all exchanged accounts. She quoted some of her beautiful poetry to us. She was an absolutely delightful person. Her name is Kahraman and she is 14. We were instant friends.
Just a few days ago (now a few weeks later) I noticed Kahraman had sent me an DM regarding an Instagram post I had posted about Israel. She said, "Hi sweety I done know if you care about this thing but I really care and it make me so sad it it hurt my heart...you but in the last post that you were in Israel but in fact you were in Palestine. Israel is just an occupancy on us so please its Palestine (heart) I don't know if you understand me...but I hope that you will." Oh this sweet young woman! What is right here? Is a wall right? Was it okay for a group of nations to move out a group of people to give the Jews their own "place"? It reminded us of the early explorers in the Americas who figured they were civilized and had claim to this new land. Yes the American Indians fought back. What else could they do? It was THEIR land. Assuming their concerns about the incoming masses of people, who were overtaking their land and survival, were insignificant wasn't right. And feeling some sort of compassion on how they were treated and misplaced, our government gave them some designated space to live their culture and run their lives. Have you ever been to an American Indian reservation? Have you ever noticed where those are? The armpit areas of the states. From what we could tell, this is exactly how the Palestinians feel. To some we spoke to, the Israelis took all of the fruitful, most abundant areas of the country for themselves. To them, they are currently "occupied". It is still Palestine.
On the other hand, violence decreased significantly when the wall was put up. We spoke to a man visiting from Australia during our stay, and he felt the wall was justified. This is a people ruled by a regime. They don't have much control over their lives or how things are unfolding on either side. If the dictator and his extremists were removed from the equation, and Israel continued as is, wouldn't ALL people have a great life, peaceful Palestinians included? He continued, how can one negotiate with extremists and their neighboring allies who do not seem to think with reason, or logic? He said that the Middle Eastern culture is reactionary. He backed up this opinion with a personal story. Many years ago he was staying in an American friend's home located in the Muslim quarter of the Old City. One day, after being there about a month, he saw the neighbor kids beating a dog that was tied to the tree. If that wasn't horrible enough, the dog had a severe wound on its back. Out of compassion for the animal, he asked them to stop. They didn't. He asked why they were beating it, and they said they wanted it to fight. He urged them to stop, but to no avail. The next morning he woke up and every plant in his friend's yard was dug up, and on his front porch was a bag with parts of that poor dog. He called his American friend to tell him what the kids had done, and his friend told him it wasn't the kids, but their parents. He was encouraged to pack up and leave. This is a different mentality we're dealing with, he argued. And lastly, where in the Koran does it mention Jerusalem? Nowhere. But the bible is loaded with references to the holy city. So it should go to the Jews.
These opinions and perspectives we gathered along the way were interesting and conflicting and confusing. It seemed that everyone had their perspective and the other side was categorically wrong. We were left not feeling sure of what to think. We had compassion for both sides. The Palestinians feel occupied in their land, and the Jews feel it is their land and are tired of random acts of violence that harm innocent people, so they built a wall. Truly, what is right? And what is real?
Ok, back to our painting the wall.
(Adele's says, "Peace" in Arabic.)
Geoff was inspired by his Cotopaxi backpack.
We made our way home and then into the old city to bring in the Sabbath with the Jews at the Western Wall, as we share the same reverence for the Sabbath Day.
The girls and I went to the women's section.
As it got darker the numbers grew. There was an English-speaking woman that stood on a chair trying to get the worshippers to sing with unity and gusto. Boy was she full of energy, and it lasted for a least a full hour! Eventually they were all singing and jumping as they sang their Sabbath songs. I think it is beautiful how they revere the day.
Geoff went over to the men's side.
Look at all of those prayers stuffed into the wall. Hopes and dreams and pleas for help all mashed in between rocks, yet heard by God. This Western Wall is the only wall of the old temple the Jews have access to. Putting it in the stones is like sending your prayer into the temple.
Soon all of the men were arm in arm and dancing and singing as well. Geoff took a quick picture before he was told not to.
On our way home we stopped at the Christian Information Center just inside Jaffe Gate. We met the most delightful nuns who gave us a very helpful map and list of when all Christian sites in the country open and close. This would have been great information to have earlier! And it was helpful going forward. To be honest, I had never talked to a nun before, but these two nuns felt like old friends by the time we left.
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