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Thoughts on Marc Braverman in Aluquerque, May, 2011
by Iris Keltz
I heard Marc Braverman speak twice– in Nahalaat Shalom, a Jewish community in the north valley and a the Church of the Risen Saviour in the NE Heights. In the years he has been traveling around the world educating people about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, this was his first time speaking in a synagogue. Ilan Pappe, an Israeli historian who wrote a book called The Ethnic cleansing of Palestine, said the same. I am proud to be associated with this unique Jewish community in Albuquerque who supports social justice and open dialogue.
Most synagogues and churches have closed their doors to this message, which is basically one of compassion and love. Braverman referred to himself as Jewish blue blood. The grandson of five generations of rabbis born in Jerusalem, his family lineage can be traced to the Baal Shem Tov, a mystic rabbi from eastern Europe, the inspiration for Hassidic Judaism. Although my family traces no such lineage, l have long appreciated the wisdom of this wonder rabbi. Braverman’s family lived in Palestine before the state of Israel, before British Mandate Palestine, back to the Ottoman Empire, where Christians, Jews and Moslems mingled freely. The current Israeli occupation has created a society that effectively separates people through a Separation Wall, separate roads, neighborhoods, schools and any conceivable way that prevents people from getting to know “the other” as a human being. Braverman’s extended family even included radical right wing settlers.
Several times, he reminded the audience that Jesus was a Jewish Palestinian Rabbi living under a brutal Roman occupation. As an activist rabbi, Jesus encouraged followers to non violent resistance, or to, “turn the other cheek”. Braverman hopes the churches will remember their commitment to social justice and become a seedbed for a world wide movement based on social justice. History shows that the civil rights movement in the US and the anti-apartheid movement in south Africa, were both born in churches.
Many Jews frame the Palestinian/israeli conflict as continuation of European anti- semitism. And many Christians who feel guilty about the deaths of five million Jews are reluctant to speak out against the policies of the government of Israel, which begs the issue. The ethnic cleansing and land grab in Palestine is old fashioned racism and colonialism. It has nothing to do with Judaism.
Christian Zionists claim unconditional love and support for Israel. Braverman counters that Israel needs “tough love”, the kind of love a mother gives her wayward teenager when she takes away the keys so her son/daughter will not be at risk for driving drunk and getting killed or killing someone else. In the same way, those who really love Israel, must speak out against the apartheid policies of a government in danger of becoming a pariah state around the world and an oppressive military state at home. The lesson of the Nazi Holocaust must be– never again will we allow a Holocaust to happen to any people on earth– including Palestinians.
Jesus preached compassion and love. So did Marc Braverman. His vision for Israel is a country based on equality for who live there, a vision I share.
-------------------------------------------------------------Water Desalination!!! Why not have a call to action: 50% of US Aid to Israel (that would be $1.5 billion this year) to go towards water desalination projects instead of building bombs. Next step: make part of this line item, the rebuilding of the Aquafilter in GAZA that the military blew up last year! Check it out:
http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/article-display.articles.waterworld.world-regions.middle-east.2010.05.Largest-sea-water-desalination-plant-in-the-world-opens-in-Israel.QP129867.dcmp=rss.page=1.html
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Albuquerque.
As I was listening to Dr. Braverman on Tuesday evening, I was thinking on how rare it is to meet a person who has the heart of a Christ. I felt that Dr. Braverman was such a person.
It is a place we cannot prompt in others, we can encourage, but not prompt or promote. It is a place that is arrived at through a process of distillation and removal from our system, from our person, the invasive toxicity from our political, religious, social and economic environment.
Once there, we can explore the depth of our heart and soul and read the “Law of Love” inscribed on our hearts, with the pristine eyes of a newly born person.
Then and only then can we reach out to others, and most importantly for Peacemakers, to reach out with respect and in love to our adversaries.
Peace,
Joe Newman
-----------------------------------------------Jesus warns his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." Crossing the bridge from deciding to doing is not always easy. Go now and help save Palestine.
This next week we'll be asking everyone to help suport the construction of a water purification tank at a primary school in GAZA. Here is a link to the project: http://www.mecaforpeace.org/project/maia-project
We had representatives from this group visiting with Prince of Peace Social Justice Ministry last year and we are committed. Can you join us? Please, whatever you would spend on going to visit the holy land, whatever you would spend in visiting a resort for a vacation day, whatever extra you might have for a journey you have been wanting to take - share it with us and journey into a committment to saving the children of Palestine.
Send contributions directly to MECA's Mia project or bring them to Prince of Peace on Sunday and drop it in the basket!
Looking forward to hearing from you.
In God's name, we can make a difference. Saving the Soul of Israel, as Marc Braverman called for? Maybe. Keeping a community from another attack? Maybe. Doing the Will of God? Only you can answer for the Kingdom of God Lives in You! We have to start somewhere.
Let His Light shine through you back onto the darkened land of Palestine. As you make a commitment, so the light widens and brightens!! So your light too widens and brightens!!
Grace and Hope,
Peggy
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Maia Water Project could truly become an Albuquerque-wide effort across the ecumenical community here in our city? We could raise enough funds for a filtration system quickly the way Santa Fe has for Gaza school children--they raised enough for TWO systems in less than a year!
ReplyDeleteLet’s do it!!
Guida