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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-11-17, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2005. Brussels woman studies in Jerusalem Editor's note: Sandra Clark is currently studying at the BatKol Institute in Jerusalem. The Institute was founded April 8, 1983. Since then it has enabled Christians to study the Bible from within the living traditions of Judaism with Christian and Jewish professors. Clark’s studies have been on the Torah - the first five books of the Bible. This year, her fourth at the Institute, she is studying Deuteronomy. By Sandra Clark This year we are staying at Tantur Ecumenical Institute which is on the top of a hill between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. At one time part of the property was in Israel and part in Palestine. That meant that some quiet meetings could be held here with some participants entering through the property from each country. I believe that the lines have changed dramatically and that is no longer possible. From our windows we can look out over either Bethlehem or Jerusalem. One of the views is of a huge Israeli settlement on the next hill. We have been for Shabbat dinner at Ecce Homo in the Old City. It is on the Via Dolorosa where it is believed that Jesus walked on the way to His crucifixion. Ecce Homo is a very historic place and below the current level of the building is the old Roman pavement and a huge cistern. Yesterday we visited Pardes Institute. People come there for post graduate studies in Torah and other religious topics. We were there to learn how to use the old texts from the Rabbis (sages) which are quite complicated. We walked past the Beit Midrash room where many students were working in Havrutah. That means that they work together in groups from two to four and discuss their findings and opinions of what they see in the text. Needless to say there was more than a drone of voices coming from the room and it was wonderful. Jews believe that the only way to get anything out of the text is to work together and discuss all aspects of the texts. They can spend hours examining one word. It is a good way to understand the Bible and not just take it as it is. You can examine all the possible meanings hidden in a story. We have been to Beit Sahour for our luncheon with Christian Palestinian families. The group I was with was at the home of a person who works with a group caded Alternative Travel Groups. They specialize in arranging this sort of contact. He was telling us that a few years ago he had a black mark on his file and could not get papers to go to Israel. That was all cleared off and then last year he was helping with the olive’ harvest. They were confronted and threatened by soldiers and settlers. The Americans and Christians among them formed a line in front of the Palestinians to protect those that were most likely to be injured. After all was said and done, he now has a black mark on his records again and now cannot go to Israel. This is challenging since part of his job is to pick clients up at the airport which, of course, is in Israel. He now has to pay a taxi to go and collect his clients and bring them to him. His wife, Amadhi, has a salon where she is an esthetician. She used to meet her supplier at the checkpoint and he would hand her the supplies that she had ordered. Now there is sort of a no man’s land at the wall/checkpoint. She can’t go across it and neither can her Israeli supplier whom, I believe would be a Jew. This means that she pays a taxi driver or someone who has the proper papers, lOOnis (shekels) to take them from the supplier and bring them a short distance to her. 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