'The Walk' in the Land of Peace

March-April 2002

We walked in silence to light the flame of hope at points along the ancient pilgrimage route from Jaffa to Jerusalem. An eight-day 'mindfulness' walk, from March 31st to April 8th was the vehicle for a message of peace and sanity in this time of intense conflict. Joining 'The Walk' at different points were over 300 people – Israelis and individuals from Germany, Japan and around the world. The Walk organizers, led by Tovana, the Israeli Vipassana community, were responding to an urgent need for popular action coming from the heart. The Peacemaker Community, joining a coalition of organizations in sponsoring this event, organized the interfaith component of this special journey.

The goal of The Walk to follow in the footsteps of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. As Israeli Vipassana teacher Steven Fulder put it our intention was "to bring a message of non-violence with our bodies, with our silence." We walked in single file, camping out near different communities: Arab villages, Arab-Jewish peace centers and Jewish communities. Encounters and dialogues flourished.

After launching the walk from Jaffa on Sunday, we camped in a field next to Kfar Habad, a village of Habad Hasidim near Tel Aviv. I helped set up a dialogue with some of the Rabbis of Kfar Habad and the walk participants. Sitting together around the fire there was some dissonance in communication between the two groups. Then, Rabbi Tuvia Bolton sang, playing guitar in a reggae beat, helping to loosen up the atmosphere. "People are basically good. They're just missin' a bit of brotherhood---We're gonna build the Beit Hamikdash with bricks of love."

Having studied with Habad, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, I explained that the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe were very universal. The Rebbe taught that we can bring the Moshiach (messiah) with acts of loving kindness. Speaking around the fire, I demonstrated the essential unity of vision of both communities by showing how the Lubavitch ideal of bringing Redemption was congruent with the goal of The Walk – to bring peace and healing to us and this land.

By the third morning we were over 50 people walking towards Ramle in open fields in rain and a hailstorm in a single file line, in silence. Visiting mindfulness teacher from England, Yanai Posternik reminded us to focus on every breath and every step, being aware of our surroundings and ourselves, noticing the feelings of fatigue.

As we arrived to Ramle we walked through the streets arousing curiosity of many onlookers. We were led to an Anglican church where we were welcomed by Michael Fanous and Dalia Landau, co-directors of Open House- an Arab-Jewish co-existence center. There, Father Samuel told our group "it gives us hope to see you – the sight of such a diverse group walking for peace and non-violence in such awful times". He shared how he felt "torn apart" by being both Israeli and Palestinian. As an Israeli he feels the pain of his Israeli Jewish friends suffering from terror attacks and as a Palestinian feels for the suffering of his brethren in the nearby West Bank.

Dalia Landau spoke of love and hate. "It's because of the love we have for our family and our own people, we become angry at those who cause pain to our people. The challenge is to stay with the pain – not to translate the pain into anger, which turns into hate, then revenge."

Walking in a long line through the market of Old Ramle we sparked the curiosity of both Arab and Jewish merchants. Michael Fanous and welcomed us at the Open House and shared its amazing history. Dalia, a child of holocaust survivors grew up in this house. After the 67 war, the Al-Khayris, the original occupants of the house returned. Both families later decided together to open a center for Arab-Jewish understanding. Michael Fanous, was so inspired by his encounter with the Walk that he and his assistant, Rifa'at Hizaz, decided to join us for a day.

We walked in the rain and mud towards Neve Shalom/Wahat il-Salam. On the way we helped two Muslims from Abu Gosh push their truck which was stuck in the mud, and ended up having a heart-felt exchange and expressions of yearning for peace.

At Neve Shalom, Dorit Shippin, a resident of this Arab-Jewish village welcomed us, which is an experiment in coexistence. We gathered in a large room and had a heartfelt discussion. The Walk organizer, and director of Tovana, Eran Vimal described how his longing as a child to see peace come led him to organize this event. I spoke of how in Islam salaam and in Judaism shalom--'peace' are both names of G-d and how we can reclaim the indigenous peace wisdom of both Middle Eastern traditions. Michael Fanous arrived with a group of Arab friends from Ramle.

Bustan L'Shalom director Devorah Brous joined the Walk and organized tree planting in the Arab village of Ein Rafa. One hundred walkers arrived at the village. There they were welcomed by 50 youth from the town and planted over 50 trees around the town soccer field.

In the hills outside Jerusalem, at Even Sapir, Amir, who lives in a teepee on the edge of the forest, welcomed us. There he runs a totem pole carving workshop, bringing together Israeli and Palestinian youth from Ramallah and Bethlehem. While in the area we studied the Talmudic story about the four rabbis who entered paradise and Rabbi Yehoshua Engleman offered insightful commentary.

We launched the final day of the walk from Ein Kerem, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Brian, a Christian pilgrim from Virginia was among the many who joined us. He had walked to the Holy Land by foot through Europe. As we entered the city, maintaining our silence I had a Muslim, Ibrahim Abuelhawa in front of me and a Christian behind me. I carried a large walking staff, reclaiming in each step that the Holy Land as the Land of Peace.

Many spontaneously joined our silent line. As I looked back the line seemed to go on and on! As we walked past the Prime Minister's office and Supreme Court building, many camera crews captured the walkers: Israeli TV, Japanese TV, a documentary film crew. We came to rest at the Rose gardens opposite the Supreme Court. At every stop, Yanai reminded us to "walk for peace and be peace" holding the qualities of kindness, care and peacefulness in all we encountered.

As we entered the center of Jerusalem, it felt very empowering to walk right past my house on Betsalel Street and reclaim the streets of our sacred city that have come to filled with so much fear. On Ben Yehuda Street, the site of recent suicide bombings, there were both expressions of support and curses from onlookers. The line of folks, stretched out over blocks, continued walking in silence. Several of the group passed out a flyer that said "the peace begins with ourselves, from me and from you, now we, Jews and Arabs, the children of Abraham and Adam walk together, join us to help express the values of listening, tolerance and non-violence."

On the way to Jaffa Gate Franciscan monks joined us. Inside the gate we met up with Rabbi Menachem Froman, rabbi of Tekoa and pioneer in Jewish-Muslim inter-faith peace efforts. Raida, a Palestinian Israeli woman from Acco, joined us then as we walked slowly, mindfully down to the "valley of Gehonim" near the walls of the old City.

There we formed a large circle. Once there we completed our journey by digging and planting a large peace pole. Rav Froman opened the circle of blessings with a teaching from the weekly Torah portion about Aaron the Priest lifting up his hands in surrender to bless the people and ask for peace. At that moment all of us lifted our hands, asking for peace.

After organizer Aviv Tatarsky and the Vipasanna teachers addressed us, Rai'da spoke of the beauty of the moment, that "in a time of war, we came together in honor and respect to speak out for peace." Shimon played the guitar and led us in a spiral dance around the peace pole as we sang for the 'peace of Israel' and the 'peace of Ishmael'.

We closed with dance, prayer and a chant for peace --shalom and salaam. The trauma of living in a conflict zone was transmuted to hope as we walked away empowered with the possibility of transforming the deep pain that we all feel into positive action.

Shalom, Salaam,
Eliyahu McLean,
Director, Peacemaker Community-Israel

Eliyahu McLean

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