Interfaith group builds bonds through faith
During a visit to Israel, two Valley men are immersed in spiritual and educational experiences.
YOUNGSTOWN — An interfaith group that recently visited Israel set an ambitious goal of exploring the country’s religious and ethnic diversity and discussing the issues of security and peace.
The group of 11 participants from across America, including the Rev. Lewis Macklin, pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, and Bruce Lev, member of the board of directors of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, visited sacred and secular sites and were privy to personal insights by scholars and a “behind-the-scene” visit to a security bunker.
But the essence of the trip boiled down to interpersonal relationships and heartfelt one-on-one discussions among its participants. Lev summed it up with the comment, “I’ve known Lewis a long time. But now I feel like he’s part of my family. There was a bonding that will last my life. This shared experience won’t be forgotten.”
The trip, Sept. 17-25, was an Israel Initiative hosted by the Israel Advocacy Initiative, a joint project of the United Jewish Communities and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “I was in Israel about 14 years ago. I have family there. The Christian factor ... the interfaith exchange ... increased the richness of the experience," Lev said. The Rev. Mr. Macklin agreed.
The journey proved to be spiritual and educational for the two men. “The trip was an answer to a prayer. I had planned to make the trip to Israel earlier this year but then couldn’t,” Mr. Macklin said.
The pastor noted he got a call from Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, inquiring if he would be interested in this trip. Mr. Macklin said he did hear a few comments that the trip was propaganda to garner support for Israel. “It wasn’t a Christian version of Disneyland. It’s a center of faith and community that faces many challenges. For me, everything became more real and tangible," he said. “It was what I hoped to achieve.”
“Both Palestinians and Israelis do desire peace and know the challenges,” he said. “Ordinary people believe peace is possible and finding the common ground will make it possible.” Mr. Macklin said “leadership” and “media reports” were cited by common people on both sides as factors that hinder the peace process.
When the tour group visited Jerusalem, members met with political leaders from Israeli and Palestinian governments and heard a wide-range of opinions.
“I think our experience was well-balanced and not geared to make us Israeli sympathizers,” Mr. Macklin said.
“It wasn’t about proselytizing,” Lev added.
The group also had the chance to see a security fence up close.
“Seeing the security fences made me think of the day-to-day challenges of an unstable environment,” Mr. Macklin said. “It made me think about security in Youngstown. Though there are safety issues, we don’t worry about someone having explosives strapped to themselves and blowing up a group of people.”
Mr. Macklin said it was a “quality of life” issue that impacted the daily lives of Israelis.
Following their faith is another aspect that is reflected in daily life in Israel. “People see the value of honoring their faith in Israel,” Lev said. “For the Sabbath, everything is shut down.”
Mr. Macklin said that tradition prompted him to think how the Sabbath and other solemn occasions are observed in America. “Americans don’t know how to honor sacred events. I’m thinking about Veterans Day ... and how there’s a spin on it for sales and less on remembering veterans,” he said. Mr. Macklin also noted how Sunday has devolved into another day to do shopping and errands and how the community has moved away from churches as the center of social activity and fellowship.
Mr. Macklin and Lev said one of the most emotional visits was to Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust museum and memorial in Jerusalem. The museum chronicles the persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazis. “The Holocaust for Jews and slavery for African-Americans share the experience of deliverance and overcoming,” Lev said.
Mr. Macklin said the memories and history of both the Holocaust and slavery should be the factors that prevent other injustices. “It puts Darfur into real context,” he said.
Mr. Macklin said the “field study made history and faith come alive and made it so rich.
“This place is holy to so many in the faith community,” he said. The old city of Jerusalem is home to sites of religious importance to Christians, Jews and Muslims. Among important places are the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.
Lev noted he was looking ahead to the High Holy Days and observing the Sabbath, Muslims were breaking the fast at the end of Ramadan. “So many faiths are represented in the city,” he said of Jerusalem.
Mr. Macklin said a visit to the Mount of Olives moved him to think about the passages in Romans 11:17-24 about the grafting of wild olive branches to a cultivated olive tree. “How believers are intertwined and interlocked came into focus for me,” Mr. Macklin said, as he saw branches of olive trees intertwined. “It’s seamless and it made me see how we depend on each other,” he said, adding that the “abstract concept” took on a new reality.
Both men said their journey impacted their faith. “I was spiritually uplifted,” Lev said, noting the trip “had a dramatic effect on me.”
Mr. Macklin said, “It brought greater understanding and strengthened my own faith. He noted that being in “the cradle of faith” prompted him to think more about Christ’s life and struggles.