Day 2 Hilltop View

Tantur means “hilltop” in Arabic. During escalations of conflict, the hilltop I am living on is generally left untouched because Israel protects it as Israeli territory and Palestinian fighters leave it alone since it is a stone’s throw away from the Palestinian towns of Bethlehem and Bait Jala. Besides, many Palestinians are known to work here. We were introduced to some of those lovely people today. We learned that every question here can end up in the conclusion, “it is complicated.”

Everything in Jerusalem has a multi-layered history. The Tantur Ecumenical Institute sits on what was a hospice for crusaders owned by the Knights of Malta. Heck, it is complicated since this used to be PalestinIan territory, but now it is in on the Israeli side of the Wall. In Sept 1972, The Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Protestant leaders came together and said, “we need to build a bridge between the Eastern and Western Churches.” Today, 50 years later, my group which consist of representatives from all three traditions gathers here for the “ecumenical experience.”

Between the Eastern Orthodox mass and a rich dinner conversation about our conversion stories (initiated by the Protestant yours-truly), I had the chance to read the local newspaper. “Flag-bearers beat Palestinians,” occuring next to “Pride Parade organizers receive death threats,” or “Bedouin village fights government resettlement project.” The sports section reads, “Yeshiva students risks expulsion to watch the Champions League.” Don’t forget the story of the 1800 year-old curse against robbers, engraved on the grave stone of a Greek convert to Judaism. You know, just daily gossips of the local neighbourhood. "Complicated" is an understatement.

Today we got the hilltop view. Tomorrow, we will travel by foot to the other side of the wall and visit some locals in Bethlehem.