Israel and Palestine

Sunday, August 9th
I adapted this entry from an email I sent to my family

Casey, Jesse, Andrew S. and I went into Bethlehem today. To do so, we had to cross into Palestine, which considers itself to be like the former apartheid parts of South Africa. Between the two lands is a giant, prison-like wall; graffiti (both peace-loving and unapologetically violent messages) were splatteredd across the Palestinian side. We had to pass through a checkpoint to get through the wall. The structure made it seem like Israel has prepared itself for an invasion. It was a harrowing but rewarding experience-- I got to see the place of Jesus's birth at the Church of the Nativity.

I also visited the Holocaust museum. It's tremendous, terrifying, and just breathtaking. It just hits home that the Nazis sought to (and almost did) exterminate an entire group of people largely because of baseless stereotypes.

On the way back to the bus station from the museum in Jerusalem, we were stopped in a huge traffic jam. Rather than paying the taxi driver to sit in traffic, the four of us decided to walk the final two or three blocks. When we walked about 100 meters, we saw the problem: police had barricaded the bridge. We quizzically watched from a distance for about five minutes. And then we heard an explosion. Apparently, the police found an unmarked object on a bus and, rather than checking it, blew it up, fearing that it was a bomb. About two minutes later, we were allowed to cross the bridge. The Israelis walking and driving did not miss a beat. One said that this kind of thing happens all the time.

All in all, this has been an emotionally charged day.


Monday, August 10th
In a few hours, we will sing at the Tel Aviv Museum.

Picture #1: Andrew walking into Palestine through the checkpoint
#2: The wall
#3: At the twelve-pointed star representing the spot of Jesus's birth
#4: Jesse and Casey at the Holocaust Museum