For the Jews, Muslims, and Christians on a New Jersey interfaith mission to Israel, the low point of their weeklong trip was perhaps a visit to the Aida refugee camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem. The towering security wall, the anti-Israel graffiti, and the unsmiling children were grim reminders of the ongoing enmity between the children of Abraham.
The high point was — well, take your pick: a tearful group prayer as many of the participants got their first glimpse of Jerusalem; a Friday evening synagogue service in which a rabbi, an imam, and an Episcopal bishop all offered words from the bima; or perhaps a raucous ceremony, held at Jerusalem’s YMCA, where they were invited to join in welcoming Arab volunteers into an Orthodox-run emergency medical corps.
Despite the realities of religious and political strife they encountered in the Holy Land, nearly all of the 33 participants on the Roots of Faith mission, organized by the Newark Interfaith Coalition for Hope & Peace, focused on such bonding events in an emotional summing-up meeting in Jerusalem on Oct. 21, the last day of their seven-day trip.
