This Land is Whose Land?

.
I woke up at 6:30 this morning.

Not on purpose.

But since I couldn't go back to sleep I decided to go running through the streets of Jerusalem.

I explored some areas I didn't recognize, including a very quiet, grassy hill near the Goldman Promenade: Jerusalem's Tolerance Park and Monument (a big, broken column with an olive tree in the middle).

Looking for it on Google, I found this, from yesterday on
Haaretz.com--

"Work begins on Jerusalem Museum of Tolerance, despite protests"

"The Simon Wiesenthal Center said Monday it hopes to start building its Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem in the coming months despite a petition to the United Nations to stop construction because the site was once a medieval Muslim cemetery."
-- by the Associated Press

Irony Personified!!!

But really-- whose land is this anyway?

The idea of OWNING land is ridiculous, when you think about it.

That's why Native Americans "sold" parts of the U.S. to the white man for marbles and Bubble Yum, because they logically believed you CAN'T own land, it's the EARTH! We're just renting space.
Temporary guests.


[As a pilgrim, talking to Native Americans]
"Sorry we were so brusque when we first arrived, we didn't realize you OWN the entire country... But you have no system of ownership? Interesting. Hmmm."
-- Eddie Izzard, "Dress to Kill"

But Israel?
Jerusalem?
It belongs to the Jews, right?
It ALWAYS has?

(ahem)

Not quite.

In fact, not at all.
First, an oft-quoted verse-- but you may have overlooked the last part of it :

"And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them ... unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites."

- Exodus 3:8

and

"Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose... Abraham; And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous."
- Nehemiah 9:7-8

"...Which covenant he made with Abraham... and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:
When they were but a few men in number..."
- Psalm 105

Wow.
The more things change... the less they change!

So the Jews are ENTITLED to the land, because God made a deal with Abraham.
I see.

(ahem)

I pity and envy those Canaanites.
They lost this swatch of sand thousands of years ago, but at least they avoided all the huge headaches that would follow.

Hm.

... still, the produce here is good.

Shalom.

Turning Tricks

.

“For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread.”
-- Proverbs 6:26

Last month I was in Venice for a Shabbat.

That Friday evening I ate dinner with the Chabad. This is a savvy organization comprised of traditional, black-hat-sportin’ Orthodox Jews, who try to appeal to 20-something non-Orthodox Jews. They also serve whiskey!
L’chayim!

While I was there I chatted with a fellow “non-Ortho” guy named Scott who was from Seattle. Scott informed me that he was globe-trotting and just came from Spain.
While in Spain he encountered numerous prostitutes!
L’chayim again!
Scott said that Espagna is teeming with women of ill repute, particularly in Barcelona.
(Lonely Planet… not in Barcelona, apparently)
The women would just walk up to him, put one hand on his groin and say a number.
“You mean, they ranked you, like 3 out of 4 stars?” I asked.

No, he said, they’d say a price.

“Oh, like a contractor gives you an estimate.”


Um, I guess, he said.

“In Spanish?”

Of course.

“Well… as long as the price was between 1 and 10, I would understand.”

Thank you, Sesame Street.

Speaking of which, you didn’t see many hookers strutting down Sesame Street.

“Hey sailor, that sure is a big… bird.”
i also think “C” would not be for “cookie.”
Good enough for me.
(Bert and Ernie? Something tells me they’re not interested).

.