Oh, Little Town!

With my mother-in-law, who is all things Christmas, visiting us in Israel, we had to go see Bethlehem--the place where it all started.  Although high on our list of the areas of interest, Bethlehem had a huge asterix due to the fact that it is technically not in Israel.  It is ~6 miles from the Old City of Jerusalem, but under full Palestinian control in the West Bank Territories.  Traveling to Bethlehem is on one hand like crossing the border into Jordan (no Israeli rental cars allowed) and on the other hand like crossing from California to Nevada--it depends on whom you are with.  After experiencing Arab culture in Jordan, I decided that the best way into Palestine was in the company of another Palestinian.  The network of a native's friendship covers tour guides, restauranteurs, shop owners and military guards.  If you are a "friend" of a native, all doors are open to you.

Our native driver, Jozeph, is the embodiment of the political situation in Israel.  As an Israeli by birth, he is allowed to travel within the state, but his wife, a Palestinian woman with joint US citizenship, is restricted to the West Bank.  He met his wife while in Guatemala, but since she is Palestinian, she cannot live in Israel so he lives with her in Beit Sahour just outside of Bethlehem.  Jozeph has been to 22 states in the US, and his favorite place in California is Orange County.  While in Israel, he prominently displays a cardboard blue and white star of David from his rear view mirror.  Once he crosses the border into the West Bank, the cardboard disappears.  He is the rarest of all things in Israel and Palestine--a Roman Catholic Arab.

Christians are the least protected minority in the "Holy Land."  They do not even get their holy day, Sunday, off from work.  Weekends encompass the Muslim holy day, Friday, and Shabbat, Saturday.  Jozeph lives in Beit Sahour, literally, "the town of the savior," because it is 92% Christian whereas Bethlehem is 85% Muslim.  When we asked him what he thought about the current political problems, he said on one hand that the Muslims were causing all the trouble, while on the other, he pointed out the huge Jewish settlement that has recently been erected just outside Shepherd's Fields.  The Christians occupy what little is left of the middle ground or moderate perspective.

Aside from the somewhat tense political situation, Bethlehem is a very nice place to visit.  We enjoyed our trip to Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity although it is very strange to see Christmas decorations in the middle of May.  It was nice to see how many Christians from all over the world made the pilgrimage to this site.  We ate a fantastic feast (see pictures below) at the Grotto Restaurant just below Shepherd's Fields and found some very high quality olive wood carvings on Milk Grotto Street in Bethlehem.  Pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/17887598@N04/sets/72157626578967695/

"In Terra Pax Hominibus"

We're still waiting...