January, 2003
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Dear friends and family,
You know how you rarely take advantage of the "touristy" features wherever you live until someone comes into town and you have to show them around? After 7 months of studying, meeting Israelis, and taking advantage of daily life in Jerusalem, Zim finally provided me with the excuse. He's just wrapping up his first trip to Israel, and we've had a great time seeing much of the country (check out the new photos on our website, https://millers18.tripod.com/recent.html )
After spending several days at a Jewish education seminar at a Dead Sea resort, Zim showed up in Jerusalem saying he still didn't feel like he was in a foreign country. So the first thing we did was walk across town to Mea She'arim - the ultra-Orthodox "shtetl" in town where the residents still dress, talk, act, and think like they did in small Eastern European communities several hundred years ago. We have tendency to look at these "Black Hats" as the most authentic Jews since they live a more Orthodox and apparently ancient lifestyle based on their interpretation of the laws in the Torah. Certainly there are elements of their choices that are still important in the Jewish world. However, the more time I spend with them close-up, the more it seems to me that they have lost much of the original intent in Judaism as they cling with ritualistic fervor to their absolutes. As Zim pointed out, nobody seemed to be smiling in Mea She'arim. Further, many things that go on there are deeply disturbing to me - including their treatment of women, denial of the modern world around them, disrespect and exclusion of other Jews, and refusal to take part in the greater Israeli community. Some even refuse to pay taxes or recognize the authority of the State of Israel. I try hard not to be judgmental and see them as part of our community, but I suppose the best thing I can say is that Mea She'arim provides me with a serious challenge to live up to my belief in the unity of the Jewish world.
After a few more days in Jerusalem, we rented a car and drove up North. We spent some time in Caesarea (the well-preserved Roman capital of this entire region 2,000 years ago), Tiberias (main city on the Sea of Galilee), and Tzfat - my favorite place in Israel, where I lived 10 years ago on the work/study program Livnot U'Lehibanot. But the most interesting part of the journey was when we drove all the way up to the border with Lebanon - at a place called Metulla. I had visited there about 6 years ago with some Palestinian friends when I was doing follow-up work with the Building Bridges for Peace program. I still have photos showing us at the beautiful border display - the so-called Good Fence Metulla, which had Israeli and Lebanese flags, and large stone inscriptions with Biblical verses about beating swords into ploughshares and not teaching war any more. As Zim and I drove up, it became apparent that things had changed - there was no army presence, I couldn't recognize any border at all as we drove through the valley, and eventually we came across a small, handwritten sign in Hebrew saying "army base closed, entry forbidden." Behind it was lots of barbed wire and cement barricades. We were actually a little bit nervous, not sure exactly where we were. Eventually we found a man sitting in his car atop the hillside, reading a paper and taking in the view. We talked with him for about 1/2 an hour, and he explained how there was no more Good Fence since the Israeli military had pulled out of Southern Lebanon a few years ago. The area has been left alone, and it has been surprisingly quiet - the local residents on both sides of the border are farmers and have good relations. We drove around a little more before leaving and climbed into an overgrown, barbed wire area and actually found the original Good Fence spot. I was stunned to find much of the old displays there, tossed around, in the mud. It was very sad, but we realized that this is what happens in areas of strife - things can change rapidly, both for good and for bad.
Next, Zim and Rach and I took off for a drive down through the southern desert of Israel to the Red Sea port of Eilat. It was gorgeous, and took us into regions entirely different than the rest of Israel. We sat on the beach as the sun went down watching the twin city of Aqaba, Jordan to our left, and gazing into Egypt to our right. It was incredibly peaceful, and much more of a resort situation than anything else we've seen here. Almost felt like Las Vegas : )
And now, believe it or not, we're on our way to the airport to catch a flight to LA! We're going to spend some great time with family, friends, and even do some work while we're there - I'm going to be doing an intensive study with my Informal Jewish Education mentor, Rabbi Lee Bycel, and I think the timing is great. Right in the middle of my first year of rabbinical school, it will be a nice opportunity to think more about the future, define my role, and continue working toward goals I have for the career that lies ahead of me.
I know this has been long, but I would be remiss if I did not at least mention the upcoming election in Israel. In case you haven't been watching, it looks like Sharon will be an easy winner for another term as Prime Minister. His Likud party is poised to win close to 40 seats in the 120-member Parliament, according to the most recent polls. The primary opposition party, Labor, has been reeling. People don't seem to trust their candidate for Prime Minister, Mitzna, and they are dropping fast. It is actually possible that another party will win the 2nd most seats, which would be a major change. This party is called Shinnui, which means change. Their platform is primarily dedicated to battling the influence of the ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel's government - a lot of people seem to be listening to their message. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Anyway, I hope things are good wherever you are - I hope to hear from you soon!
Be well,
Mark
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