When the War Takes a Personal Turn

For some reason, since I returned, traffic has been much more brisk here and, as a result, I've been fielding lots for email. One that arrived early this morning made the whole Israel-Lebanon-Hezbollah disaster take a personal turn for me.

The person writing happens to be someone I studied journalism with, a really nice guy who I knew had since spent a couple of years working as a freelance journalist in the Middle East. He happened onto my blog and wondered if I was the person he'd known. Kismet!

We've done some catching up today and I learned that he's currently in Lebanon in a suburb of Beirut where power in his home has been off for more than a week but he gets to the office where juice still flows.

It turns out Tim happened to fall in love and marry a lovely young woman - he sent her picture today and she has one of those transcendent smiles that encompass her entire being - who hails from Gaza; his wife is a product of a love affair still going strong between Israeli Jewish father and an Israeli Arab mother. Their extended family includes dozens of those from all sides of this current war who happen to all agree on one point right now: Middle East Jews, Muslims and Christians - and agnostics too! - deserve far better than the terrible violence and fear which grips the region now.

Tim tells me his wife was trying to stop a loud argument yesterday between several Lebanese very angry that Israeli Jews are supposedly so ardently in favor of the current action by Israel against Hezbollah in Lebanon. He shared this with me from his wife that I think is worth noting:

"Do not hate the Jews of Israel for believing what their government tells them. In a time of great fear, we look to our authorities and place our faith in them that their expertise and knowledge will help find solutions we cannot fathom. The conflict is too fresh for them perhaps to realize that bloodshed will only get more bloodshed.

It is like the Americans after their country was attacked in 2001. All the people rallied behind those who wished to attack lands where they felt the terrorists were concealed. Slowly, many Americans have come to accept that many of those actions were wrong and only created more terrorists. This realization will come to Israelis as well."

Well said!

I pray for Tim and his wife and extended family, as well as all those in Lebanon and Israel. I pray and will work not only for their safety, but also for their ability to see beyond the spin and the lies of their leaders.