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Some notes on Violence, Peace & the Furture of Israel
Most violence and destruction took place at the times when rebellions led to internal wars, when wars of conquest were fought or directly after the victory of new rulers. Brutal examples are the campaign of destruction and genocide of Jews by Emperor Hadrian and the violent and total destruction by the Persians when they conquered Israel in 614 AD. History seems truly filled with the killing of people and destruction of lives but at the same time a time span of 3200 years is nearly unimaginable. But surely romanticising ancient empires, powerful rulers or civilisations is very dangerous and wrong. Slavery, genocides, violence and oppression should not be forgotten. See also Prof. Kara Cooney who is truly right in her conclusions in her book 'The Good Kings'(see link).
Also of great influence were prosecution and banning people from certain places. For example one of the most contested sites was Temple mount. Since the time of Constantine, (Byzantine era) the rule was that Temple Mount was forbidden for the Jews to pray and that Jews were not allowed to live in Jerusalem. At the same time Jewish live however flourished around lake Galilee and survived nearby Jerusalem. And following the Arab capture of Jerusalem, centuries later the Jews were allowed back into the city. In 1099 the Crusaders brutally killed the population of Jerusalem. Christains reclaimed the city and Jews were again prohibited to enter the Jerusalem. However these laws were not as strict used in all periodes and revival still happened. The famous Jewish traveller, Benjamin of Tudela mentioned in 1173 that a Jewish community lived near the tower of David. When in 1244 Jerusalem was conquered by clans of Khwarezmian Turks again nearly all inhabitants (Christian and Jews) were killed. In the 13th century under Mamluk rule both Christians and Jews were partially allowed to return. Occasionally the Muslims rulers allowed to rebuild religious buildings. Maimonides (Rambam) started the Rambam synagogue in 1267 in Jerusalem and it is still in use today. Also some churches were restored in this period.
Under Ottoman rule religious tolerance was growing and Christian presence in Israel and Jerusalem grew stronger. Catholic and Orthodox churches can still be found from nearly thousand years ago. While Jewish revival started slow there were also communities that lived throughout the Middle Ages like Safed (Szfat), Tiberias, Jerusalem and Hebron. These communities and others grew strongly after 1492 when the Spanish inquisition forced Jews to flee to the Ottoman Empire. In the second half of the 19th century when Ottoman power was getting weaker Jewish return (aliyah), reconstruction and building grew rapidly. (see also the chapter: Synagogues &Yeshiva's). Although religious motives and Zionist motives were clear reasons for Jewish migration, many immigrants before 1948 (and possibly before the 1960's were refugees fleeing violence and prosecution in Europe and in Middle East. As soon as 'Eretz Israel' became an option more and more Jews fled to Israel/Palestine. Besides this Jewish migration Arab migration rose strongly mainly as a result of the economical progress in Israel. Christian communities seem to have grown mainly out of religious motives to revitalise ancient ties to Israel. This can be seen in the history of a large number of restored churches in Israel. (See chapter: Churches & monasteries). Most of these churches and monasteries were build, reconstructed or enlarged on top of ancient Byzantine or Medieval church foundations. This expansion continued under the British Occupation.
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Tempel mount, the most holy place of Judaism since 3000 years.
"Long before 1948, from the 6th century BC 'Eretz Israel' was both safe haven for refugees & a religious homeland".
And of course the Jewish people are the indigenous people of the land of Israel and they will always return.
When looking at the history of Israel it seems fair to say that 'there were so many Jewish people, Samaritans and later also Christians, in Israel' but because of mass-killings, prosecution and expulsion byevil rulers (of often foreign empires) their numbers became small during the Middle Ages until the mid 19th century. Also natural disasters contributed to this fact. All this violence throughout this 3000 years of history surely can't be blamed on one specific group. All the foreign empires had their share in 'this evil' and also the Jews used violence in their early kingdoms and revolted with violence against foreign rulers or participated in wars. It seems that no Empire survived without a successful army. Nevertheless the powerfull rulers were most responsible for prosecution and violence while the children and peaceful civilians were sadly victims. It left dramatic scars, distrust and trauma to the victims and later generations that perhaps only can be healed by centuries of peace, cooperation and friendship. Friendship between people who live together but also through cooperation between their chosen leaders.
Although Israel became nearly empty and underdeveloped during medieval times, religious importance of Israel however never faded away leading to both to the revival of Christianity and Judaism. These religions are mainly indigenous religions from Israel while they partly developed in other countries (Middle East and Europe). This religious revival seems to have strengthened the later secular movement for a new Israel. However many Orthodox Jews just like most Christians do not strive for any political power, state or entity based on their religions. The two most important reasons were the age old wish to return to Eretz Israel and the 'will to survive instead of becoming victims of violence' again. Eventually this wish to survive became the main reason to establish an independent state (instead of fleeing from a dangerous to a save country as happened in the past thousands of years).
'Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world and whoever saves a life it is considered if he saves an entire world.'
Talmud
Martin Luther King: "My people were brought to America in chains. Your people were driven here to escape the chains fashioned for them in Europe. Our unity is born of our common struggle for centuries, not only to rid ourselves of bondage, but to make oppression of any people by others an impossibility."
Whether you personally agree or not the statement of Golda Meir "Israel itself is the strongest guarantee against another Holocaust" her statement reflects the feelings of many Jews after the Holocaust, after violence in Israel and after each recurring event of antisemitism in the world. From a historical point of view this feeling (and the also the secular wish to recreate a Jewish independent state) is not difficult to understand after a very long history of violence within Israel, in Europe and in the Middle East. In short: "Long before 1948, already in the 19th century 'Eretz Israel' was a safe haven for refugees & a religious homeland". And of course the Jewish People are the indigenous People of the land of Israel and they will always return. Without acknowledgement and respect for this and other historical facts and feelings, people will not be able to really understand the Jewish people or the modern political implications. But achieving peace requires many things more than such feelings or historical knowledge. Peace must be shared by all people that live at this moment in Israel. Democracy, wisdom and prevention of violence can lead to the right way.
Today, politics and battles of all sorts are still going on and need to stop before escalating into violence. To many lives has been lost in all the brutal wars in the last millennia. This beautiful country and the whole of the Middle East should use history to share and preserve all that is so precious no matter what political directions are chosen. Besides strengthening democracy also the role of women should grow. Women clearly played an important part in the history of Israel (see link) and this future looks promising since after Golda Meir, more and more women are taking seats in the Knesset or other institutions today.
(photo: Herman de Vries)
'If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, If he is thirsty give him water to drink.'
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Mishlei/Proverbs25:21
'Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.'
Perhaps the story of Abrahams well in Beersheva should be shared more often. Abraham symbolises sacrifice, courage, faith, peace and hospitality. The story of Abraham is a universal one that serves as a starting point for the world’s three major religions; Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Abrahams well was visited by the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat with Prime Minister Menachem Begin because this was the place were a peace treaty had been signed between Abraham and the Philistine King Abimelech thousands of years ago. Or people could leave the words behind and walk the recently opened Sanhedrin Trail. This 70km Trail revealed new archaeological findings but more important the Trail connects ancient sites from Judaism, Christianity & Islam in the beautiful Galilee.
2022 - Website & text- Dirk-pieter Mellema