[2] Calvary: A sculpture or picture representing the scene of the Crucifixion.
[3] Gentile A person of a non-Jewish nation or of non-Jewish faith.
[4] Mishnah: An authoritative collection of exegetical material embodying the oral tradition of Jewish law and forming the first part of the Talmud.
[5] Canaanite (in the Bible) a native or inhabitant of the area of ancient Palestine west of the River Jordan.
[6] Holier-than-thou Characterized by an attitude of moral superiority.
[7] Paul Pomerville, ‘The New Testament Case against Christian Zionism: A Christian View of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’ (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Kindle Edition, February 3 2015), 162.
[8] David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, ‘Eretz Israel in the Past and in the Present,’ (New York, POALE-ZION PALESTINE COMMITTEE, first edition 1918), (Jerusalem, Ben-Zvi, 1979,in Hebrew), 196, 200.
[9] Mizrachi (also Mizrakhi, Mizrahi, Misrachi): A worldwide Orthodox Zionist organization founded in 1902.
Relating to a movement in Zionism supported by strictly orthodox Jews
[10] Fellahin: A native peasant or laborer in Egypt, Syria, etc.
[11] Ber Borochov, “On the Issue of Zion and the Territory,’ vol. 1, (Tel Aviv, Hakibbutz Hameuhad, 1955, in Hebrew), 148.
[12] David Novak, ‘Zionism and Judaism: A New Theory,’ (Cambridge University Press, Mar 9 2015), 126.
[13] “It is an incontestable fact that the word "Jew" did not come into existence until the year 1775. Prior to 1775 the word "Jew" did not exist in any language on earth. The word "Jew" was introduced into the English language for the first time in the 18th century when Sheridan used it in his play "The Rivals," Chapter 2, p. 1, "She shall have a skin like a mummy, and the beard of a Jew." Prior to this use of the word "Jew" the word "Jew" had not become a word,” http://israelect.com/reference/WillieMartin/OriginoftheWordJew.htm
[14] Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Torah (a section of the Hebrew Bible) and the Christian Old Testament.
[15] David Novak, ‘Zionism and Judaism: A New Theory,’ (Cambridge University Press, Mar 9 2015), 178.
Let’s Get Radical … Be Kind!
Prologue
What is better? A cataclysmic apocalypse or a catalytic thrust toward mutual trust! Is an Israeli-Palestinian Quest To Co-Exist on the horizon? Should terror for or against, perpetrated by either or both with the inevitable repercussions of reprisals, reign? Blood begets more blood, triggering the warring parties to fortify their resolve to regain their dignity; and, the world is enraged; and the people of Israel are split apart as are the people of Palestine.
“Can we quietly Cross the Boundary of Life and Find New Meaning in Our Tangled Roots of Our Combined Histories,”1 a whisper of hope from American poet, Dario Robleto2?
Imagine, the Israelis and the Palestinians in full reconciliation, living side by side, within one homeland inside two borderless sovereign zones, working together as one alliance, rejoicing freedom of movement and the right of passage, sharing Jerusalem and the region not too different from the BENELUX countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), the forerunners of the open borders of the European Union (EU)?
“We live in a very surprising world where nobody has anticipated the way the Berlin Wall would fall or the Arab Spring would rise up,” says author Rebecca Solnit3 to Krystal Tippet on On Being.4
As stated by Rabbi Michael Lerner5, in ‘Embracing Israel/Palestine’: “The task is no longer a question of ‘who is right’ but to focus on building a path that will be best served for all, a path that embraces human courtesy predicated on kindness and a generosity of spirit.”6
Can and will the GOOD Israelis and the GOOD Palestinians destroy their enemies by becoming friends with all the give and take to make and keep the friendship? Hope, unlike optimism, demands action. It is a struggle from darkness – both real and imagined – to reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. “Optimism without hope is mere wishful thinking.”7
A Catalytic Thrust Toward Trust!
Israelis cannot love Israel enough unless they also love Palestine, all of Palestine and I’m not referring to merely the granules of sand sculpturing the land; and, the same is true on the other side. Palestinians cannot love Palestine enough unless they recognize the divine inspired and inherent goodness of Israel, despite those rotten apples spoiling the bunch. And, all the sand in Israel and all the sand in Palestine are ONE. So, permit others to call the Land by the name of their conscience.
What’s in a name if it’s the same? ‘Holland’ and 'The Netherlands' are one and the same; two different names, same country, the densest populated in the world; inhabited by a diverse populace who are still dealing with all the ups and downs of coping with each other. Nonetheless, sharing a tiny piece of earth, the Dutch have created one of the highest standards of living. The Israelis and the Palestinians could be as successful, if not more. Instead, Israel is but a state on the dole, dependent on foreign aid to finance, viewed by many as, Israel’s Final Solution, to annex more land for Jews-only, ‘cleansed’ of the indigenous natives.
Zion … A Heaven On Earth
For millennia, many have called the Region Palestine. Just as many have called the same region, Israel. And Zion, the City of God, the heart of human consciousness, stands central. Zion has always meant to be the place where people can become the Light Among Nations. Zionism has always meant to be a Heaven on Earth in reverence to the God of Abraham, the God of ALL Muslims, ALL Christians, ALL Israelites; the God of Adam and Eve, the God of ALL mankind, the God of all believers and, especially, unbelievers; the God of ALL who are lost in their ways. The region has always meant to be the Promised Land for EVERYONE8, for ALL the descendants of the biblical Abraham, the “Father of a Multitude of Nations” (Genesis 17: 1-6, 20; Matthew 21: 43; 25: 32; Romans 11: 17; Galatians 3: 29; 6: 14-16 GNT), not just one nation.
Time for Real Zionism9 … “Creating a Heaven on Earth”
It is time for real Zionism. Simply stated, ‘Zionism’ means doing God’s work, God’s people creating a heaven on earth; ordinary people doing extraordinary things; exemplary in every way, the Light Among