January 8, 2008

Jerusalem gym rat

Shannon won't be going to yoga class at the YMCA in West Jerusalem, while President Bush is across the street.

The Israeli lady in the locker room said it plainly: “He freezes the whole city when he comes. Is it worth it?”It’s all the chatter in the gym: he’s coming this week. No, not some sports hero or fitness guru, but a man who is well known all across the Middle East. His reputation is laced with bitterness for many who live here. People will either speak favorably about him, or spit on the ground on the mention of his name. All this is from one man’s visit to Israel/Palestine, President George W. Bush.

Today I noticed that there are American flags now waving from the streetlamps. There will be extra security throughout the city. I don’t know what Bush’s visit will accomplish, but I do know for certain that it will cause daily traffic jams and headaches for the residents of Jerusalem. And I will not be going to my yoga class at the YMCA, which is located across the street from the King David Hotel, where Bush is staying, because of all the extra security checks in the area.

For several months now I have been exploring West Jerusalem, the Jewish side of town. One afternoon last month, I stumbled into the YMCA, and spontaneously joined a hip-hop dance class. That got me hooked, and I decided to get a temporary membership to take more dance and yoga classes. But I was also hesitant to join because of all the questions I’d have to answer: Where do I live? Where do I work?

At first I was going to lie my way through the gym application process, because I wasn’t sure how the Israeli staff would react to someone who they would immediately assume is “pro-Palestine.” And would they understand that being “pro-Palestine” doesn’t mean I am “anti-Israel?” Luckily, the dance instructor sensed my initial hesitation and said that this is a very open minded place, so I told the truth and have been going regularly ever since. I am grateful for institutions like the YMCA. The plaque outside the beautiful building reads:

Here is a place whose atmosphere is peace where political and religious jealousies can be forgotten and international unity be fostered and developed
–From Lord Allenby’s dedication address, April 1933

I didn’t expect to feel accepted at such a place on the west side of town, but I often see Palestinians at the gym, and am glad that there are such resources available. I am also finally making some sense of the Hebrew language, because the yoga classes are mostly in Hebrew. There is also a YMCA in East Jerusalem, the Arab side of town, but their gym is not so good, and there are no yoga or dance classes.

Paths of peaceful resistance

I have been thinking of the ways that people break away from the crowd when it is not headed in the right direction.

On a recent trip to Germany, I visited Munich and saw the places where Hitler’s rise to power began. The Nazis effort to take over the Bavarian state is referred to as the “Beer Hall Putsch.” The Nazi party was marching from the beer hall to the Bavarian ministry building, and chaos broke out, leaving 17 people dead. After Hitler came to power, he had a memorial plaque placed on the corner where this event took place. Everyone who walked past it had to give the Nazi salute.

During the period of National Socialism in Germany, citizens took a detour through "Dodger's Alley" to avoid having to salute at the monument to the 16 Nazis killed in the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch.

There were many who chose to resist non-violently. They simply went down an alley that took them a slightly longer route around the memorial area. This small road became known as “Dodgers Alley.” However, once the Nazi’s noticed their actions, they stopped people utilizing the alley, and people died as a result of resistance. A small gold-colored strip of stones is the only memorial for those who utilized Dodgers Alley, but still, I wonder what it must have been like for those people who chose a different path to avoid an unjust regime. How many hearts were beating fast as they moved down that alley? How many hearts gave into injustice to save their own lives? Which path would I chose?

I think no matter what cause God places upon our hearts, there are simple acts of non-violence that can powerfully spark the soul. It may be boycotting a product or company, protesting, going down Dodger’s Alley, or wearing a “Free Palestine” T-shirt to yoga class. We all have an important contribution towards raising awareness. I have also found that it is equally important not to judge others as we attempt such a task.

We all have to start somewhere, as awareness is often not earned, but gained. I don’t see it as a prize we parade in the streets, or a flag we fly from streetlamps. It is a burden that makes your heart heavy, especially if the situation remains unresolved. It is a form of love that causes you to reach out once the accumulation of awareness has broken your heart wide open. Mother Teresa once said: “It is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise there is no true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.”

I take heart in knowing that God gave until it hurt, that Christ prayed until he bled, that God continues today to give, even though it hurts, and that we are called to do the same. We are to love people, even when it hurts. There is freedom in such love, and perhaps the only way to develop a deeper awareness of God’s heart.

May we learn to pray with our hearts, minds, and our eyes wide open.

Shannon

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 328