Arab Market, Yoga and Tel Aviv!

This morning Rev. Gramely and I went the Arab Market, walked into one of the shops, saw goods that we wanted to purchase and began the bartering process.  As soon as I asked "Kamah Zeh?" 'How much is this?" I noticed that this shop was different. It felt different--less pressure, the shop keepers were more knowledgeable and easy going.  We began talking--it turns out the Omar, the store owner went to UIC--where I did my undergraduate work and is a Jeweler and his brother Yosef, who also is a Jeweler and in the family business, lived in Naperville for a few years.  We shook hands.  Omar asked Yosef, to show me "the well."  We walked through the large store and Yosef flipped on a light switch, I looked down on the floor and there, I saw a laminate cover over an ancient well, clearly from antiquity, was illuminated.  Unreal.  I learned from the brothers that they had been born in Jerusalem and their family just celebrated 384 years on the same property.  They should us pictures of his relatives and the home that has belonged to his family for generations.  Eventually, we spoke about our respective time at UIC and after a while, I shared with him that as a student, a Palestinian friend and I organized a student group on campus called PEACE--People Encouraging Acceptance Through Communication and Education.  Jews and Muslims came together for dialogue, programs and activities.  Actually, Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary gave us the seed money for the group!  Anyway, we talked some more and discovered that we share a favorite Persian restaurant (Rezas) and a fondness for Greek town.  Finally, I purchased a small piece of Jewelry and as we shook hands and said good-bye I realized my interfaith study/tour of the Holy Land had already begun.

From the Shuk (Arab Market) I walked to meet one of my yoga teachers, who lives in Jerusalem, for lunch.  Diane is one of the best teachers of Torah I have ever encountered and the Torah we shared over Moroccan vegetable soup and whole grain bread was brilliant and beautiful.  One of the teachings she offered to me seems so obvious, but I had not heard it before and was happy for the teaching.  She told me that in Hebrew the word Yehudah (Jew) is spelled with the same 4 letters that spell Adonai + 1 more letter--a daled.  Daled in hebrew is often the letter that symbolizes humility.  Diane thus offered a reflection on how the Hebrew word Yehudah (Jew/Jewish) contains both the idea that there is strength in Faith, and we must also be humble and remember from whence we came etc.

After our time together, I walked back to the hotel and met up with Rev. Gramely to begin the ride to Tel Aviv. Our official program begins in an hour.  It is cold, dark and rainy--thunderstorms and all.  Jerusalem and all of Israel need the rain, yet i am cold and miss seeing the sun over the Mediterranean.   I am thrilled that Nathan reminded me to bring an umbrella to Israel.  Yes, before I left, N spoke to me in Hebrew saying, "It is winter in Israel. There is rain in the winter.  Bring an umbrella."  Let's hear it for our tuition dollars at work!!

With Love.