 On the Nablus Road in East Jerusalem I went to Israel on the 26th of January, 2006, one day after the Palestinian election and the stunning victory of Hamas. I landed in Tel Aviv and met my friends there. We traveled through the green beauty of northern Israel, while I was in a jet lag fog, and ended the day in Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee. It was Sabbath eve, and the restaurant was filled with local families celebrating joyfully with their children. During the next ten days, we roamed about, winding up just off the Nablus Road in East Jerusalem. I met so many inspiring people, such as Moshe and Dove Kempinski, who run Shorashim from their address in the Old City. Reverend D. W. Cover made the readings from the Old and New Testaments relevant. It was great spending time with Craig, Sandy, and Ashley, and meeting my second cousin, Jess, who lives with his wife Erica, and their two little boys, outside the Old City walls. I was privileged to spend time with Dr. Eliyahu Rips at his home in the Ramot district of Jerusalem, and with Harold Gans in Bet Shemesh. Roni Winter was a wonderful addition to our days in Israel, good company. I enjoyed an afternoon in the Arab quarter with Abed Barakat, talking Noam Chomsky, politics, American films, and the books he was reading at the moment (washed down with glasses of strong Turkish coffee). Marek Salhab was gracious and gave me a gift to take back to my mother in Victoria, British Columbia. Burton Bernstein's claim that "the Bedouins maintain the courtly manners of the French court," held true. Standing on a bluff overlooking a wati, Jess and I were welcomed into this generous tradition, fed a sumptuous lunch by Bedouin nomads enjoying the same dramatic view. Israel remains a baffling, joyful, troubled, microcosm of our world, ancient and new. Gaudy Christian edifices are built over what were humble nomad dwellings, vying for the rights to tourist visits and dollars. The Jews, marking out a homeland are divided, even in their singular purpose, while the Palestinians are equally unified and torn apart, Palestinian Christians, secularists, fundamentalists, and Communists. The wall, a revision to darker times, now stretches five hundred miles. Outside of it, settlers fight, not Palestinian residents, but the army and police who are politically required to displace them (as happened in Amona during my time there). It all amounts to a great human cry, "When will the Prince of Peace come?" Surely, when this day happens, it will bring great joy, laughter, and singing to all the people who live on this stony finger of Mediterranean land, and spread across the earth in a great, healing light. May it come soon.  The Leica Digilux 2 About the Photographs... I shot the pictures with a Leica Digilux 2, an interesting camera that I have been experimenting with for a year and a half now. I hope you enjoy the pictures and some of the notes I've included. It's my first serious attempt to work with a digital format. Leica got it right, creating a digital camera that functions and produces results that one might expect from a Nikon or Leica M series camera. Sadly, Leica decided to opt out of the high-end digital market, and have discontinued the Digilux production. You can still find them for sale in some stores, while supplies last, and on eBay. Twice the camera was voted best digital camera. You can find comprehensive information about the camera on Leica's website. Click here... In Closing... May peace continue, along with understanding, grace and kindness between us humans. We all share this land, and while we have a birthright, we are born mysteriously into this world, entwined in our futures. There is a passage in the letter to the Ephesians that declares, "He is our mediator who has broken down the middle wall of partition between us." For many in the world, this is very difficult to comprehend. But somehow, in the mystery of sacrifice, there is the possibility of overcoming the walls that separate us. Division can never be a solution. Doorways are and will always be. The more we embrace, pray, sing, share, and work together, the better will be the world, and the one we are passing on to our children.  photo: Matisyahu sings songs of hope and faithI have been listening to a lot of great Israeli music since returning, to my cousin Jess' CD, "City of Gold", and some of the music that I picked up in Jerusalem. Also Matisyahu, a CD I took with me to Israel. Highly recommend it, especially the tracks "King Without a Crown", "Lord Raise Me Up", and "Exaltation." Celebratory music, full of joy and the redemption we long for - not only Christians or orthodox, but as people (even without knowing it). Matisyahu combines the sounds of Bob Marley and Shlomo Carlebach, yet remains wholly original. It is his dedication to his belief and openness to others that compels one to respect his artistry and message. It's in that fleeting moment when our skepticism melts and our souls open up, that his songs enter with a booming sound of faith. When you have a chance, visit Moshe and Dov Kempinski's website at: http://www.shorashim.com. I know they would be so happy to hear from you and to exchange email.  Shalom & Salaam, Lee Cantelon Hollywood, California Lee Cantelon lives in Hollywood, California. He publishes The Words website, and is a photographer and filmmaker. He shares his apartment with his dog Quincy, who turned seven years old the week after returning from Israel, and a growing stable of bicycles that provide a way to navigate the ridiculous traffic that gridlocks daily life in the City of the Angels. On the second Friday of every month you can join Lee on the midnight ride (Midnight Ridazz) that leaves from Echo Park and winds through the sleeping city streets. Find out more information about urban cycling in Los Angeles from the Bicycle Kitchen website (click here). < back to color photograph page < back to black & white photograph page |
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