Why is she crying?

This morning at the crack of dawn my colleague, Sofie, and I left the house to meet a group of journalist from Sweden to tell them about the work of the EAPPI at the Bethlehem 300 Check Point.  They were coming through from Jerusalem to meet us and as is often the case, it took them longer than expected.  While we were waiting, a young man named Mohamed started talking to us.  As we were just standing there, he thought  maybe we might need a tour guide and he offered his services. 

We did not need a guide, but we talked with him about the check point and the size of the line at 6am.  Most mornings we are inside and do not know what the line looks like outside, so we talked about whether it was a “usual” morning and this and that until the Swedish journalist finally exited the check point to meet us.  Then Sofie took them off to the side for her presentation in Swedish. 

The Lutheran pastor from the states serving in the Bishop’s Office in Jerusalem happened to be with the group.  And, like me, she does not speak Swedish, so we were talking.  When all of a sudden I heard Mohamed saying, “Why is she crying?”  He sounded very concerned and I looked at Sofie to see what was wrong, and told him, “No, she is not crying.” 

But I was not really sure if she was crying or not.  Sofie was standing talking to the group who had their backs towards the men in the line for the check point.  I turned so I would see what she was looking at, perhaps there was something wrong.  What I saw was that Sofie was looking straight onto the men in that long, long line going up the hill to the check point.  I looked back again to see if perhaps she was crying—we have all been brought to tears by that sight.  But if she was crying it was like the woman I met on a Friday morning at the check point.

On Friday Mornings we only do a spot check at Bethlehem 300 checkpoint since the men are not going to work.  This is usually a nice little post breakfast stroll—takes 10 minutes to go through the check point.  But not this one morning—there was a line of about 10-15 people when I got there about 8:30am.  Before the soldier let us in, the line was much longer. 

One of the people up near the turnstile was a Muslim woman with one of the most serene, beautiful smiles I have seen.  Just her presence; made the place more pleasant.  And nothing seemed to ruffle her.  Not even when two men whose verbal frustration with the situation got pretty excited.  She just smiled as to say, “Men will be men”

There was also a man who had lived in Minnesota and spoke English who talked to me and to the men who were upset.  He showed me what permits looked like and explained many things to me.  After about an hour the soldier opened the first turnstile and let us through.  The woman with the smile had sort of taken me under her wing to be sure I got through the turnstile with her.

Then at the metal detectors she also made sure the men did not cut in line on me, all with the beautiful smile.  Then when they began to open a second metal detector and people were back and forth trying to decide which one really was going to work, the two of us stayed put.  But after awhile she decided the new one was best and went over there and motioned for me to come too.

When I did she began to just speak and speak and speak to me in Arabic.  Up until that point the only language was non-verbal.  The man who had been to Minnesota had also decided to try his luck with this metal detector so he started at me in English. “You don’t understand her do you?  Why don’t you speak Arabic?” 

I told him, "Because my mother did not teach me!  But your mother did teach you, so now you will tell me what she said.” 

He replied, “Everyday here I cry inside.”  And while he was saying this, she smiled her beautiful smile at me, a smile of kindness, compassion and a generous and good heart— while she cried inside.

The tears we do not shed while standing in the Check Point do spill out at other times.  But, I am not asking you to shed tears for the sadness and injustice of the institutions and barriers we can create to make life more difficult for others.  I am asking you to search your heart to see if there are Check Points of judgment, hurt feelings or anything that makes a barrier between you and those around you that make life harder for others.  If there are, please consider opening your hearts and tearing down the barriers.

The words the prophet Micah said to the people of Israel many years ago are as true today as when the Lord first spoke to him:

                        He has told you, O mortal, what is good,

                                    and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,

                                    and to love kindness,

                                    and to walk humbly with your God.      

                                                Micah  6:8  

--Tears are optional, but justice is not.---



Sofie speaking to Swedish Journalist at Bethlehem Check Point 300





Men lined up to go through the Check Point to go to work in Jerusalem.



Muslim woman going up the line to the Check Point entrance.