...reflections from a Compassionate Listener

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Jewish-German Reconciliation

This story begins when I was nineteen years old, with a seemingly minor event. I was living in a farming community called a Kibbutz, on a stunningly beautiful piece of land near Jerusalem. This Kibbutz is famous for its archeological ruins going back to the Kings period, 3000 years ago – the biblical first Temple of Kings David and Solomon.

One evening I was at a favorite spot – on the ruins of a Crusader castle from the 1100’s, watching a beautiful sunset. At one point I looked down the trail and saw a very pleasant looking middle-aged man, walking slowly up to the castle. I knew that he was doing just what I was doing…coming up to watch the sunset.