In a place defined by its differences and profound disunity, I am struck by the unifying power of one thing: music. Climbing up a steep, rocky canyon in Petra, Jordan we arrived at an ancient stone monastary. I brought my guitar. A Bedouin man, a sheepherder about 20 years old, was playing a lute. He and his friends noticed my guitar and asked me to play. Within moments, our worlds merged.
Soon, they were asking if I knew any Bob Marley. I offered them "Stir It Up" which was close enough. One of them was wearing a t-shirt showing the cover of The Beatles "Let It Be" album, so I played "Let It Be". They hadn't heard it, but they liked it all the same. In fact, they didn't seem to know any Beatles songs and I'm not sure they knew anything about The Beatles despite the t-shirt's evidence to the contrary.
These Bedouins operate a small cafe and souvenir business in this remote location. Profits are surely hard to come by. Still, they offered Turkish coffee on the house. We enjoyed the coffee, some good laughs and left as friends.
In Jerusalem and throughout Israel, our experiences with Jews and Palestianians alike were profoundly similar. Put people face to face with one another, play some music and friendships are born. Such a simple formula. Spread the word. Spread the music. Peace may yet come.
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