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Religion

Israel trip gives sense of hope for the future for all

A St. Petersburg pastor traveled with a Christian group to learn first-hand at the source about Israeli-Palestinian issues.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published October 16, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - The trip was described as groundbreaking, Christians and Jews traveling as one to the Holy Land to visit sacred sites and meet figures on both sides of the nettlesome Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

For the Rev. Douglas McMahon of Woodlawn Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg, it was an opportunity of a lifetime, abounding with spiritual and political lessons.

"I'm a different person than the person who left to go over to the Middle East," said McMahon, one of eight Protestant leaders from across the country who traveled to Israel. "A real sense of partnership developed to work for peace and justice for all people in the Middle East."

Sponsored by two national Jewish organizations, the United Jewish Communities and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the six-day visit to Israel was more than a pilgrimage. Its genesis was talk by some Christian denominations of divesting from companies that do business in Israel. Organizers of what was called the Israel Institute for Mainline Protestant Leaders hoped that going to Israel would help participants understand everyday challenges Israelis face.

Ethan Felson, assistant executive director for the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, said Jews had become increasingly concerned about the differences that were developing with mainline Protestant denominations over the Palestinian issue.

"We know we share a vision of peace and an end of suffering, but the situation is far more complex than would lend to simple fixes like divestment," Felson said.

For his part, McMahon returned home from the Holy Land spiritually revived and committed to work for peace and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.

"I'm better informed, but realize how much I don't know and realize how complex the issues are and want to continue to dialogue and learn," he said.

Since his return, McMahon has been sharing his sense of purpose with local groups. He has spoken to his own church, at Congregation B'nai Israel in St. Petersburg and at a board meeting of the Jewish Federation of Pinellas County. On Nov. 8, he will speak at the monthly meeting of the St. Petersburg Ministerial Association, held at Bayfront Medical Center.

During the September visit to Israel, the Jewish and Christian travelers visited sites holy to each tradition, among them the Garden Tomb and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and Temple Mount for Jews. They saw Israel's security barrier, visited a museum that promotes peace and met with a High Court judge who discussed the challenge of balancing national security and personal liberties.

"We met with both Jewish and Arab Israelis," McMahon said."We also met with Palestinian and Israeli scholars and journalists to get different points of view. We also met with different activists."

A former president of the St. Petersburg Ministerial Association, McMahon was nominated for the trip by the Jewish Federation of Pinellas County. He was chosen for his local interfaith efforts, said Barry Augenbraun, co-chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Federation.

"He is precisely the type of person who demonstrated that he was open to new experiences and was able to see things on the ground and make his own judgment," Augenbraun said. "The object was for these representatives of their communities to get a more realistic sense of what life is really like in Israel and really the democracy that pervades Israeli life. . . . This was not a one-sided mission to represent one point of view."

Felson called it a groundbreaking trip.

"I think it built relationships and helped Protestant and Jewish participants understand the complexities on the ground and the need to work together in a balanced fashion to advocate for peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians," he said.

McMahon said he returned with "a real sense of hope for the future."

[Last modified October 16, 2005, 01:32:18]