We have spent the last few days listening to the stories of
Israel, the stories of each other and following them up with deep and meaningful
conversations. Sometimes the stories drive home our long standing beliefs and
sometimes they challenge us to move into places we have not been before. Always
they are framed by the question of how do they inform our work.
Alex Sinclair challenged us to move our learners beyond a simplistic
understanding and love for Israel. He used the metaphor of a parent's
relationship to an adolescent. Those of us who are there (with our own adolescents) know that the
relationship is complex, challenging, ever changing and yes built on a
foundation of deep love and commitment.
Though I understand the metaphor, I wonder about the inequality of that relationship. The innate push towards independence and the power struggles. Who is parent, and who is child. I think that I am more comfortable with the metaphor of marriage. Sometimes passionate, sometimes not, sometimes easy, sometimes not - but always a relationship of equal and willing partners committed to each other and committed to making the relationship work. Like a marriage, our engagement with Israel is not always easy nor is it always smooth but it is always meaningful and defining.
I have no doubt that each of us will leave israel with a deeper relationship to Israel , a relationship that will effect the work we do with our learners and a relationship that will evolve over time.
 |
| Professor Alex Sinclair with our group in the Library of Beit Schocken |
Though I understand the metaphor, I wonder about the inequality of that relationship. The innate push towards independence and the power struggles. Who is parent, and who is child. I think that I am more comfortable with the metaphor of marriage. Sometimes passionate, sometimes not, sometimes easy, sometimes not - but always a relationship of equal and willing partners committed to each other and committed to making the relationship work. Like a marriage, our engagement with Israel is not always easy nor is it always smooth but it is always meaningful and defining.
I have no doubt that each of us will leave israel with a deeper relationship to Israel , a relationship that will effect the work we do with our learners and a relationship that will evolve over time.
No comments:
Post a Comment