I apologize for just now getting to blogging about my final days in Israel.  After Elizabeth and I returned home to Kansas City life got a bit crazy.  A new wood floor was to have been installed in our family room while we were gone.  When we walked in the house (after 3 grueling flights home) we discovered the floor hadn’t been finished and there was sawdust covering everything!  They had told us to leave the kitchen “as is” and would cover the counters and bookcases while having it all cleaned up before we returned.  That didn’t happen and sawdust was on and in everything!  It took us a few days to dig out and be able to use our kitchen.

The second big project was finalizing the details to enable us to ship all the medical supplies and school books we have stored in our Compassionate Justice Intl. warehouse to Zimbabwe.   They have been sitting there for months now waiting on funding and paperwork from the Zimbabwean government.   The funding had arrived before we left and the final paperwork arrived while we were in Israel.  I’m thrilled to report all is in order and hopefully enough people will show up this coming Saturday so we can complete the load in.  The container is scheduled to leave the warehouse on the 20^th.

Now as far as my last few days in Israel…the second last day was spent in Kaysaria (Caesarea) at the Albaad plant where they manufacture Fem-care products.  I was given a complete tour of the facilities and concluded 1) I’m glad I’m not a women.  I have a whole new appreciation for what they go through every month!  2) I could never work in a manufacturing plant on a production machine.  It’s really boring!   One of the management team then took us to lunch afterward.  Sam is a non-religious Jew who has lived all over the world.  I found talking to him stimulating as he’s well read, well informed and see’s life pragmatically.  I always appreciate frank and honest discussion no matter the perspective.  At times I find conversations with religious people difficult as they tend to ”parrot” things they’ve heard or are unwilling to see the obvious being prejudiced by a narrow paradigm established by their church.  Talking to Sam was refreshing and informative.  The one thing he said that has stuck in my mind actually happened as we were walking back to the car.  We were discussing the issue of land ownership which is at the root of so many conflicts around the world.  He turned to me and said so straightforwardly “people around the world hate us…if nothing else we have this little bit of dirt here by the sea where we can defend ourselves from all being killed. “ 

The last day I stayed in Tel Aviv while Elizabeth finished up things at work at the Wet Wipes plant.  I discovered the Eretz Israel Museum was just a few kilometers from our hotel.  I decided to set out on a hike and spent the next few hours learning more about the history of the region via archaeology, Judica, Ethnography and various cultural exhibits.  It was quite interesting.  Now my wife hates museums so it was good she wasn’t with me!  I walked away at the end of the day with a whole new appreciation for the diverse cultural history of Judaism and the Jewish people.  Jews are scattered across the earth and have existed as a sub culture in most every society for thousands of years.  They are a resilient and adaptable people.

A few closing thoughts…

- I was particularly struck by the fact that for 1,300 years Arabs and Jews have lived side by side in that region with very little conflict.  It’s only since the west got involved in the later part of the 20^th century that all the conflict erupted.  I wonder if we in America and the UK have become arrogant in our assumptions of what’s best for the rest of the world.

- I have also become keenly aware the US media is oversimplifying the true complexity of the situation there.  Outside of the return of the Messiah, I don’t have any confidence world leaders have the answers to peace in the Middle East.  It’s like a giant ball of string that’s been knotted up.  It will take more than a few lifetimes to untangle this mess.  The Middle East needs a mulligan!

- I’m torn…In Israel I have many Jewish friends both religious and not.  After years of bombings, murder and mayhem they built a huge wall to protect themselves.  The problem is that because of the actions of a few, my Palestinian friends and my brothers are imprisoned behind that wall.  They want peace and friendship with the Jewish community and yet are attacked by those that fear peace on both sides.

- Access to water resources not oil is the real purple elephant in the room.  30% of all of Israel’s water comes from the occupied Palestinian territories.

- Sometimes people get a bit turned off by the aggressiveness of Jewish people.  When one considers they live their lives under the constant threat of annihilation one tends to extend them a bit more grace.

- Israel doesn’t need any more religious people!  I understand what Jesus felt when he went to Jerusalem…its stifling.  What it really needs is tangible expressions of people loving their enemies and laying down their lives for one another.  We need to shut up and “Just Do IT”