BLOWN AWAY

Chris and I have just returned from hearing from a Priest who had both his hands blown off and lost his hearing and an eye through an exploding letter bomb. Fr Michael Lapsley, held the microphone with his calliper and shared his journey of standing for justice in the violent society of South African Apartheid. He walked the road to freedom with Nelson Mandela, at a cost.

Professor Mohammed Dajani addressed the packed synagogue at the Hebrew Union College on the question, “How Should Palestinians Respond to Israeli Trauma?” Prof Dajani, a Muslim from the West Bank town of Ramallah, confronted by the suffering of the Jews through a visit to Auschwitz, transformed his beliefs and became a champion for peace. His life since has been threatened by hisown countrymen.

Sami Award, a Palestinian of Bethlehem, also became a force for peace after a visit to Auschwitz.

We saw the leaflet at our accommodation at Ecce Homo Convent when we arrived in Jerusalem – Conference on “Healing Hatred”. The focus, of course is the Palestinian/Israeli struggle. The first three hours of the conference tonight had me hanging on every word.

Professor Pamela Cooper-White of Union Theological Seminary, New York explored the question, “Is Forgiveness Necessary?

If Chris and I were blown away tonight, what will the next two days of speakers and workshops do to us?