Encountering the Other in Jerusalem

For nearly a month my Hartman RLI cohort and I have been immersed in a sea of Jewish texts.  We focused on subjects of vital concern like Jewish peoplehood and Israel.  This week the focus of our attention was briefly diverted.  For one day we explored and encountered the other - we visited Christian holy space and studied with Christian religious leaders.

Our day began with a tiyyul (i.e. tour) to Ein Kerem.  This village within the city boundaries of Jerusalem has deep roots in our biblical tradition.  Today, however, it's more widely associated with Christianity and primarily because it's believed to be the birth place of the John the Baptist.  There are many churches in this tiny hamlet of 2,000 residents (many of them secular Israeli Jews) which attracts 3 million visitors a year.

A Typical Home in Ein Kerem . . . Large But Quaint With a Large Lot

A Greek Orthodox Church

We walked through the charming streets of Ein kerem and arrived at the Convent of the the Sisters of Our Lady of Zion.  The notion of a group touring a church, convent of monastery on a Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, is unheard of.  When the Sisters of Our Lady of Zion were told that a group of Rabbis was interested in visiting their convent they enthusiastically agreed to host us.  The order, which was founded in the 19th Century by a Catholic priest who had converted from Judaism, was once nortorious for its evangelizing of Jews.  In the wake of the Shoah the Sisters engaged in a rethinking of their theology and mission.  They became champions of ecumenism building bridges with the Jewish community.

Our guide was the leader of the Order in Ein Kerem; a soft spoken French nun who has lived in Israel for over forty years.  She took us on a tour of the convent's grounds and then invited us to refreshments.  Everything is kosher," she assured us, "the cups and plates are plastic, the bottles are unopened, and the fruit is uncut."  I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and sensitivity that I felt felt compelled to personally thank her for taking time out of her Sabbath to meet with us.  "Rabbi," the Reverend Mother replied, "sharing my Shabbat with all of you makes it that much more holy."

The Main Gate of the Convent of The Sisters of Zion

Our Guide . . . The Reverend Mother

The Convent Chapel

The Sisters' Living Quarters

The Vista from The Convent of the Sisters of Zion

Out tiyyul in Ein Kerem set the mood for what awaited us back at Machon Hartman.  We met with members of the Christian Leadership Initiative (Learn more about the CLI here: http://www.hartmaninstitute.com/SHINews_View.aspArticle_Id=770&Cat_Id=274&Cat_Type=SHINews).  After studying texts from Maimonides' Mishneh Torah and his responsa with members of the CLI we participated in a shiur with Rabbi Donniel Hartman, President of the SHI, related to the Rambam's radical halakhic paradigm shift vis-a-vis who is included in and excluded from the Jewish community.  It was fascinating to study texts from my tradition with religious leaders of another faith and eye opening to see how they reacted to the Rambam's definition of Jewish peoplehood.

Thanks Machon Hartman for another phenomenal experience!