For me, Christmas of 2008 is different than earlier Christmases because of where I was last February. Yup, Bethlehem. It's not like I was on some spiritual quest. Far from it. But there we were in the heart of the Holy Land. At the front lines, or damn close to them, of the conflict between the Palestinians and the Jews.
Most Americans traveling to Israel have a religious experience in mind, but we were just intent on seeing another interesting part of the world. Our detour from Jerusalem to Bethlehem was really just one of those fortuitous traveling accidents, a convergence of opportunity and convenience.
The fact is, Bethlehem is just over the hill from Jerusalem but it's one of the places Israel has ceded to the Palestinians. Getting there was easy but weird as we had to switch cars and drivers at a scary sort of border crossing.
Once we arrived in downtown Bethlehem, we were greeted by an unusually well-spoken Palestinian in western dress. It turns out he was a powerful guy and we're still not sure how we wound up in his hands. Within minutes, we were whisked like heads-of-state to the manger, the official birthplace of Jesus, ahead of a 1+ hour line of anxious Christians. Feeling guilty over cutting the line, and hoping to keep our Kharma intact, we didn't linger.
Our trip to the Middle East included more points of interest and memorable events than I can recount, so our Bethlehem moment, though anything but disappointing, fell something short of the "event of a lifetime" standard. But now it's Christmas of 2008, and there is the Church of the Nativity and the Midnight Mass in full display on international tv. Newspaper accounts say it was the best Christmas in Bethlehem in 8 years (not sure why) with a large, festive crowd, full of love, immersed in their collective Christmas moment.
Meanwhile, 45 miles away, the more violently inclined Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were launching bombs into Jewish territory just east of the Gaza border. Apparently the Christmas spirit failed to fill their hearts with the loving, peaceful emotions those in Bethlehem experienced.
The Israeli military responded with an airstrike leaving several dead. There is now serious talk that they have had enough and that it may be time for a military incursion into Gaza to take out the radical Palestinian terrorists, once and for all. Until they strike again. Which everyone knows they will.
But here in Eugene, Oregon we enjoyed a truly peaceful Christmas. One of the ultra-rare white ones, as it actually snowed a bit here for the first time in nobody-remembers-for-sure how many years. So, here's wishing you Peace on earth. Especially in Israel. And don't forget good will toward men.
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