Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Continuing the Adventure - Chicago, April 20, 2004
--This entry is from after I returned home.--
"I could not get to my bag readiuly enough on the plane ride home, so I could not write as I had planned. So to pick up where I left off...
...and the Patriarch of Antioch blessed the bread for us. Four Orthodox priests chanted the Lord's Prayer in Arabic and it was very lovely. I am sad that the conference is over now; I was anticipating it for so long and now it has come and gone! My fervor for the cause, though, will not fade so easily. The plane ride home, and the 40+ hours of awakeness did me no good at all. I was violently ill after landing for most of the night, but today I am feeling fine. Maybe it was food poisoning from something I ate on the plane?
Getting out of Ben Gurion airport was a trick. Before we even got there, we encountered another checkpoint. The soldier boarded the bus and inspected all the seats to make sure we weren't smuggling anyone. Once inside the airport we were each questioned by no less than four personnel and our bags were all X-rayed and hand searched. Though they did not like some of the literature I was bringing back, they didn't say much about it. I feel lucky that the lady I had searching my bag was so amiable. She asked if I liked to read about "this subject" and I said yes. She asked if I was studying "this subject" and I said yes. She then asked what I call "this subject" and I replied "peace studies". She said hmmm. ("this subject" = the Palestinian Cause) When she came to my Arabic CDs I had bought/been given she got a disgusted look on her face and said asked if I truly liked Arabic music. I said I like all kinds of music. She grunted and moved on. Luckily, she did not find all the more inflammatory material I was bringing back and had hidden carefully in my bag. Even in the States, I was questioned thoroughly at Customs, more so than Newland for sure. I guess I fit the profile. Anyway, now I am back and must strive to educate everyone about the crisis. I will begin by preaching at Canterbury on this coming Sunday."
To those of you who have followed me on my journey through the Holy Land, I thank you and hope it has been some small blessing to you. I encourage you to go there yourself however and please, spend more than a week. They need us desperately over there; the economy is so horrible and the people are so destitute. Above my blogroll I have listed several important websites to visit concerning the issue. Please take some time and check them out. For an excellent introduction to the crisis, check out Phyllis Bennis' primer, available free at the website for the U.S. campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. The best thing you can do is be educated on the matter and be able to educate others. I, of course, am available and very open to discussion on the topic and will happily attempt to answer any questions you may have. Thank you again and God bless! Assalam aleikum! Shalom!
-R
--This entry is from after I returned home.--
"I could not get to my bag readiuly enough on the plane ride home, so I could not write as I had planned. So to pick up where I left off...
...and the Patriarch of Antioch blessed the bread for us. Four Orthodox priests chanted the Lord's Prayer in Arabic and it was very lovely. I am sad that the conference is over now; I was anticipating it for so long and now it has come and gone! My fervor for the cause, though, will not fade so easily. The plane ride home, and the 40+ hours of awakeness did me no good at all. I was violently ill after landing for most of the night, but today I am feeling fine. Maybe it was food poisoning from something I ate on the plane?
Getting out of Ben Gurion airport was a trick. Before we even got there, we encountered another checkpoint. The soldier boarded the bus and inspected all the seats to make sure we weren't smuggling anyone. Once inside the airport we were each questioned by no less than four personnel and our bags were all X-rayed and hand searched. Though they did not like some of the literature I was bringing back, they didn't say much about it. I feel lucky that the lady I had searching my bag was so amiable. She asked if I liked to read about "this subject" and I said yes. She asked if I was studying "this subject" and I said yes. She then asked what I call "this subject" and I replied "peace studies". She said hmmm. ("this subject" = the Palestinian Cause) When she came to my Arabic CDs I had bought/been given she got a disgusted look on her face and said asked if I truly liked Arabic music. I said I like all kinds of music. She grunted and moved on. Luckily, she did not find all the more inflammatory material I was bringing back and had hidden carefully in my bag. Even in the States, I was questioned thoroughly at Customs, more so than Newland for sure. I guess I fit the profile. Anyway, now I am back and must strive to educate everyone about the crisis. I will begin by preaching at Canterbury on this coming Sunday."
To those of you who have followed me on my journey through the Holy Land, I thank you and hope it has been some small blessing to you. I encourage you to go there yourself however and please, spend more than a week. They need us desperately over there; the economy is so horrible and the people are so destitute. Above my blogroll I have listed several important websites to visit concerning the issue. Please take some time and check them out. For an excellent introduction to the crisis, check out Phyllis Bennis' primer, available free at the website for the U.S. campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. The best thing you can do is be educated on the matter and be able to educate others. I, of course, am available and very open to discussion on the topic and will happily attempt to answer any questions you may have. Thank you again and God bless! Assalam aleikum! Shalom!
-R
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