The dig is winding down this week, but I took an early exit along with 2/3rds of the other diggers, so I don't get to see what the final results will be until they are published. Saturday, my group took one last trip through the Holy Land which I had hoped to join but needed to use the time to travel to Haifa instead, so that I would not be late for an Arab wedding I was invited to. My friend Daniel is an Israeli Finnish-Arab whom I was flatmates with in Norway and is visiting Israel at the moment with his three young children and Norwegian wife. I've has a long-standing invitation to come visit him in Israel, so I'm happy to finaly make good on it for the last week of my stay here.
Public transportation grinds to a halt every Sabbath day. Even though Israel is a secular state, it is still very Jewish! My only options for transportation from Jerusalem to Haifa therefore were with Arab-run shared taxis or by hitching a ride. With all my luggage, I chose to pay 20 bucks and take the two-hour taxi ride, though hitchhiking would have been fun.
In the taxi vans I met some noteworthy characters. One was a North African dressed in a nice suit. But notice his socks! If you look closely you'll see soccer balls. I also sat next to a 19 year old blonde from Russia named Olya who is now serving in the Israeli military. We had a very friendly conversation in English, in which I shared with her my love for Israel and for the gospel. She listened very attentively, I even got to explain to her for some time Isaiah 53 after we got out of the van. Many, many Russian Jews, secular and religious, are emmigrating to Israel, as well as Jews from other countries like Ethiopia. It is a little odd to see a blonde Russian girl serving in the Israeli Defense Force, but even more of an adjustment is it to see black Africans in IDF uniform. All naturalized Jews, no matter what their origin, are required to serve two to three years in the military if they are young enough. They are also given a free car and a tax exemption on buying a house. But when applying, don't check the box telling the government you are a Christian Jew. Their computer program will inform you that you are not eligible for citizenship!
Regardless, into this melting pot of cultures and nationalities has also come a fast growing Christian church, despite the officially funded persecution. I visited a Messianic Jewish service two weeks ago. It was conducted in a pretty similar way to poorly funded evangelical gentile services in America, the only differences being the pastor was obese, his sermon was translated into Hebrew from English, and the praise songs were sung in Hebrew.
My visit to Jerusalem's Great Synagogue was a great experience by contrast. I was surrounded by men with all types of Jewish religious garb, who rocked frequently while praying out loud, each in his own rhythm and time. The service was led by a cantor who faced away from the congregation the whole time, and who was accompanied by a men's choir. The service lasted about an hour and a half. It consisted almost entirely of a sung liturgy in Hebrew, the congregation responding to the cantor and choir. The cantor could easily have been a star tenor on any opera stage, and the music was very western and classical in composition, though with distinct traces of middle eastern motifs blended in. A grandfather in a long black silk gown and fedora helped me follow along. His squirrely 4 year-old grandson came to join him half way into it. People could come and go very freely. A few times another older man, but without the austere garb, began to intone words loudly, while singing and chanting continued around him. Then all the men near him would answer loudly in response, and on it would go for several more rounds. It all seemed so ordered yet also disorderly at the same time. After the service my guide introduced me to his eldest son, also named Nathaniel, and then I left the sanctuary. The women, who had been sitting in the balcony, joined us men in the stairwell and basement. There a group of boys in suits and fedoras were gleefully arm in arm jumping, dancing and singing loudly together. Such are the typical sabbath celebrations here.
This week with my friend Daniel and his family, I've been in Haifa and Nazareth. Here I've been experiencing the Arab side of life in Israel. My first night I went with them to the wedding of one of Daniel's cousins. The ceremony was very American. The party after was Arabian with a vengence! The groom, an American, was a good sport. An engineer, he did his best to dance in Arabian fashion as required, however awkward he was at it. Thankfully, Daniel's wife brought earplugs for her infant, and there were extras for me! My ears still rang a bit after it was over. I had fun dancing Arabian-style though, even though the clothes loaned to me were way too big and would have fallen down to my ankles without a belt. I think I managed to look decent enough. But Daniel and his close relatives were careful to guide me through the dance etiquette so that I wouldn't bring shame to anyone. Daniel was hoping I would let loose eventually though, when everyone was a little looser, since he remembers how good a dancer I am. I asked two of his cousins to dance. That was fun. Daniel was suggesting I consider these cousins wife material. But nothing has transpired yet, though one, Diana, stopped by the next day to see Daniel, as is the custom for visiting family.
Diana, like Daniel and many other Arabs in his family, have or will find a way to leave the country. Many do so through marriage to a foreigner, often found by studying abroad, as the wedding's bride did. Diana hopes to go to England soon to study. She is a nurse and soon will have a law degree. Why the desire to escape? I'm sure the reasons are varied, but for those I have asked, it has mostly to do with the Arab culture of corruption and dishonesty found here. If it is hard enough knowing who to trust, it is still harder knowing that you are not trusted.
Today I went on a guided tour of a 1st century reconstruction of Nazareth. It was moving to hear some of the teachings of Jesus made plain and more tangible by the architecture and landscape. It was also moving to experience this with the help of a
Messianic Jew as our guide, and a large group of Chinese American Christian families who expressed their joy in faith and discovery so audibly alongside me.
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