When in Jerusalem, Take the Bus

Spent the morning relocating from the Old City hostel to the Inbal Hotel, with an hour of frappucinoed Internet access at Aroma Cafe in the Jerusalem's fancy new mall, complete with a Versace.

I spent the afternoon bus jumping on the way to Beit Hakerem, to meet some long-lost members of the Magarik clan. The two boys, F and M, are talented artists (separate post forthcoming), and all three members of the family are fluently tri-lingual in Russian, Hebrew, and English.

Transmigration is a funny thing, particularly for the Jews.

I spent the evening at the Shalom Hartman Center, and heard Rabbi David Hartman lecture, in a rare and brilliant appearance. He spoke on Contingency in Jewish texts, focusing on the Joseph story, with frequent and wonderful detours into his life, personal and intellectual relationships, contemporary jewish practice, and current Israeli politics.

It was a very moving lecture; he told wonderful stories about his mother, shared his pluralistic and progressive vision for the Jewish people (defending egalitarianism, the Reform movement, and taking a page from Obama's book in speaking of the need for realistic hope), and confronted his mortality and physical pain.

I had a second dinner with D, an old Israeli friend of mine who is engaged in dialogue work in Israel. While he continues to bring Palestinians and Israelis together for dialogue, he is not optimistic about current prospects for peace. I ate shakshuka (cooked eggs with tomato sauce) and shared life plans.

I leave for the West Bank tommorow morning.