When Opportunity Strikes

This will be a relatively short post redacted of the typical narrative prose.

I've been feeling ill the past couple of days and spent most of the day resting in my room after class ended. However, two interesting things occurred that I wanted to share. The first is news that this Friday I will be traveling via Jerusalem into the West Bank and journeying to Hebron.

For those of you wondering, Hebron is known as the City of Patriarchs and hosts the tombs of Abraham and Sarah. Hebron is also almost entirely Palestinian and is a hotbed for unrest against the state of Israel. The tour is free and is sponsored by a group known as the Progressive Zionist Union. Information on them has come only via third party sources, but from what I've learned they are an organization that doesn't exactly share my sentiments on the Holy Land or Israel as a whole. While leary of any association whatsoever with this group, I feel like the destination is more important than the company.

I've been told that we'll be guarded by a detachment of Israeli police and IDF troops. My roommate Dominique went there two years ago and described it to me as "hardcore." He assures me that they generally are amicable toward westerners. While that may turn out to be true, I'm not under any illusions. Hebron is crawling with members of the Fatah party, which two days ago announced that no peace with Israel will come until "all of Jerusalem is in Palestinian hands."

Good luck with that, Mr. Abbas,

That stated, this will be my first face-to-face encounter with Middle Eastern Muslims. I don't know what to expect and I'm keeping an open mind. Prayers for clarity and insight will be most appreciated.

And secondly, I was invited by two girls in my Hebrew class to attend a Bible study hosted by Messianic Jews. I was unable to attend today due to my illness, but I hope to be able to in the coming days and weeks. The prospect of interacting with other Christians, particularly Jewish converts, is extremely exciting and fascinating.

When opportunity comes knocking, I figure one had best be ready to answer. More to come.

Kol tuv, everyone!