Thursday, July 14, 2011

Beauty in the Mundane

Hello friends!


So far this week has been...interesting.


After spending a wonderful Shabbat with friends after davening at Shira Hadasha once again, the week commenced with a walk and ice cream to start the week just after dark.  I have to admit it was romantic, strolling hand in hand with Rabbi Larry, in the moonlight.


Yom Rishon, Sunday was met with another of Larry's marathon days at Hartman, so Keithen and I set out by bus for Tel Aviv.  I had a lovely chat with a widow from New Jersey about the merits of teaching Shakespeare in Grade 9 (she was an English teacher), our only children, and the longing to live in Israel even though that seems impossible right now.  She helped us find our way into the Central Bus Station, and with little difficulty, made our way through the various levels and were on our way!  


We had a rather disappointing trip to the Eretz Israel Museum -- I think we are now spoiled after the magnificence of the Israel Museum, freshly reopened after a 100 million dollar renovation and expansion.  We shopped a little, then spent a relaxing afternoon on the beach before heading home, a little crisp around the edges but tired and happy.  


Where last week was a week of feeling, this has been a week of stimulation with the entry point being the mind.


Larry is immersed in his studies about Jewish Peoplehood with brilliant teachers and fellow students at the Shalom Hartman Institute, and had the opportunity on Monday to participate in a tiyul that went all over the West Bank, visiting settlements, a new, exciting planned Palestinian city which is in the early stages of construction and will creates tens of thousands of homes and permanent jobs upon completion, and meeting with a former military officer who was personally responsible for the design, placement, and maintenance of the security wall/fence.  He had a wonderful time and learned much more from all perspectives about the facts on the ground and heard much speculation about how Palestine's entrance into the UN as a member state may affect everything about how folks live in this part of the world, for better or worse, short and long term.


Unfortunately, Larry pinched nerve in his lower back (12 hours on a bullet-proof bus will do that to you), and had to spend Tuesday in bed. Larry is now back to his studies, though moving gingerly and not walking distances for the next little while.  Though he accepted that he had to stop for a while, I could tell that Rabbi Larry was itching to be studying, not wanting to miss a thought or nuance on a perspective already held.  


Larry was certainly well enough to insist (Did I say insist?  I think the actual words were "If you don't go I am going to be really angry and upset with you; you have to do this for me." How can I say no in the face of the type of Jewish guilt typically reserved for use by the mothers of teen-aged sons? -- loving manipulation at its most brilliant) that I attend a special evening at the Israel Museum with the Hartman group and many spouses even though he was not well enough himself Tuesday evening.  


It was a lovely evening which commenced with a talk by the curator of the Shrine of the Book about the metaphoric placement of the Israel Museum in the centre of "life" in West Jerusalem together with the Knesset, Supreme Court and Hebrew University (as opposed to the metaphoric centre of "death" in the location of Yad Vashem and other sites.  We then had the option of attending various curator-led tours -- I attended a tour of the archaeology wing which was fascinating, as the discussion not only focused on the artifacts but on the placement decisions within the sprawling exhibit and what items were removed and which remained (the overall collections were reduced by 30% with the renovation by design, and the collection is displayed with exquisite thought and care).


We then proceeded to an outdoor patio overlooking the hills and valley to the east, with the setting sun behind us making the Jerusalem limestone glow, and were treated to talk by the Director of the museum, James Snyder.  Those of you who are museum fans may recall that he was responsible for the redesign of MOMA in the 1990s.  Again, we were were exposed to a brilliant talk about the design and curatorial decisions which have rendered the Israel Museum one of the top museums in the world.  Then we finally were able to eat an exquisite meal with steak, chicken, salmon, falafel, eggplant, and more, all under the stars of Jerusalem.  I have to admit I was glad Larry made me go...


Last night, a final feast for the mind came in the form of a 2 hour lecture and question/answer session with Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer.  My description of his credentials won't do him justice, so here is a part of his bio from the Princeton University website, where he is now a professor in Middle Eastern Policy Studies:


"Following a 29-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, Daniel C. Kurtzer retired in 2005 with the rank of Career-Minister. From 2001-2005 he served as the United States Ambassador to Israel and from 1997-2001 as the United States Ambassador to Egypt. He served as a political officer at the American embassies in Cairo and Tel Aviv, Deputy Director of the Office of Egyptian Affairs, speechwriter on the Policy Planning Staff, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research. Throughout his career, Kurtzer was instrumental in formulating and executing U.S. policy toward the Middle East peace process.  He crafted the 1988 peace initiative of Secretary of State George P. Shultz, and in 1991 served as a member of the U.S. peace team that brought about the Madrid Peace Conference. Subsequently, he served as coordinator of the multilateral peace negotiations and as the U.S. Representative in the Multilateral Refugee Working Group."


Needless to say, we had an amazing opportunity to hear Professor Kurtzer's thoughts on Palestine's entry to the UN, the possible implications for Israel, how we may get to a creative two state negotiated solution and how this may be delayed -- or even possibly hasten -- the advent of a negotiated resolution to this particular mid-east issue. He dispelled common misunderstandings and raised questions that were thought-provoking, intelligent, and timely.  He also talked about how, depending on how Palestinian entry into the  UN is handled by all parties involved, it has the potential to create positive international changes for Israel at the UN (but you know what they say about potential). Rabbi Larry and I have not finished digesting the material we were presented with last night, but we will definitely be talking about this more, here or in another forum, soon.


There is hopefulness in the air here -- and trepidation. What I find  most fascinating, though, is that many people, Israeli, American, Canadian, all share the common desire for peace and prosperity for Israelis and for Palestinians as well as their states.

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