Yale interfaith tour forges own path in Israel

For many in the group, touring Israel with the Bible as their guide provided fresh insights that made the text and their faith come alive as never before.

By JOHN M. BLACK
YALE UNIVERSITY students hold an interfaith discussion 521 (photo credit: Jani Salokangas/ICEJ)
YALE UNIVERSITY students hold an interfaith discussion 521
(photo credit: Jani Salokangas/ICEJ)
For a group of 18 Yale University students, a recent trip to Israel brought their interfaith Bible study class to life.
Since the fall of 2011, the Jewish and Christian group have been holding a unique Bible study class, and they spent their spring break in March exploring the birthplace of their respective faiths to learn more about their own holy scriptures in an environment that fostered mutual understanding and respect.
For many in the group, touring Israel with the Bible as their guide provided fresh insights that made the text and their faith come alive as never before.
Hearing the rushing water emerge from the Gihon Spring in the City of David while reading Chronicles II 32:30 was a bit overwhelming for Christian student Jungai Jap.
“I actually did not know about Hezekiah’s Tunnel until we were about to go into [it],” she confessed.
“Seeing the places where biblical events occurred made my faith come to life,” said fellow Christian Zachary Maher, whose mother was originally from Egypt. “I cannot wait to go back and read the whole Bible, particularly the New Testament, in that light.
I have never been more excited to study the Bible than I am right now.”
Jewish student Yishai Schwartz reflected on the group’s experience.
“It’s hard to pick a favorite part of visiting Israel,” Schwartz told The Jerusalem Post Christian Edition. “The walk through the City of David with Bibles opened, sitting and reflecting on the beauty of God’s land in the Judean Hills, singing psalms together on the Sea of Galilee, discussing theology in an ancient synagogue – all were incredibly inspiring.”
The Yale students were also addressed by a number of Israeli officials and Jewish, Arab and Christian scholars, and requested that instead of a lecture each speaker lead the group in an interactive discussion of various religious and political topics.
At the core of their purpose for visiting Israel together was a desire by group members to experience the Holy Land through the lens of a faith different from their own.
“I wanted to see Israel – both the land and the state – through the eyes of my Christian friends,” said Schwartz. “I hoped to better understand their relationship to Jews, Judaism, Jewish history – and explore ways in which our visions might be shared.”
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, founder of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation in Efrat, helped organized the trip, and aided the group in addressing some of the common friction points that arise when Jews and Christians try to bridge the gaps between their two faiths.
“We quickly formed trusting relationships and appreciation for each other’s deep personal commitments to our respective faiths,” Maher said. “We also accepted that we hold many mutually exclusive beliefs, particularly when it comes to the nature of Jesus. In short, our love and respect for each other meant that we could have frank conversations on divisive issues between the faiths.
“The Jewish students were able to openly consider whether Christianity was idolatry, and the Christian students were able to openly question whether God requires the Jewish people to accept Jesus as the Messiah,” he continued.
“Historically, there has been expectation of theologically accommodating the other as a precondition to discourse. For us, the primary precondition was simply respect.”
This mutual respect, instead of resulting in an indifferent attitude towards one another, allowed for greater appreciation and reflection on one’s own faith tradition.
“My Christian friends’ approach to prayer had a deep impact on me,” noted Schwartz. “The Talmud emphasizes the importance of both regular, formal prayer and spontaneous requests for God’s help.
Somewhere along the way, however, I think many in my community have given up much of the latter. Seeing my Christian friends’ intense personal relationship to God has reoriented me to value and consider this [means of prayer] even more.”