Blessed are the peacemakers

Do you remember that magnificent moment in the movie Monty Python’s Life of Brian where the hapless Brian Cohen, an ordinary Jew who has been mistaken for the Messiah, attempts to fulfill his calling by trekking to the top of a mountain where he delivers a dramatic sermon.“Blessed are the peacemakers,” he proclaims, but his disciples cannot hear him. They try to puzzle out what he said, with unfortunate results. “Blessed are the cheese makers!” says one likely lad. And so word goes around that cheese makers, and possibly the manufacturers of all dairy products, are blessed.Sometimes, our attempts at forging peace in the Middle East seem as mangled as that. Among the most courageous peacemakers are the members of the Bereaved Parents’ Forum. These are Israelis and Palestinians whose children have been killed in the conflict.They travel together, describing the devastating tragedies that have shattered their lives, and explaining their shared commitment to work toward a peaceful resolution to the conflict.When two bereaved parents visited the British House of Lords, their host took them aside and explained: “On this side of the room sit the Lords who back the Palestinians, and on the other side will be the friends of Israel. Now you each know your supporters and opponents, you are ready to debate.”The bereaved parents were horrified, saying, “We have set aside our grievances and come to share ideas about uniting for peace, and you who live in the tranquility of England wish to make divisions! If you cannot help, at least don’t make matters worse.”The current efforts to rekindle the peace process do not yet offer a plan for resolving the conflict, only a message: it is possible, we have partners for peace and for our own good, we should pressure our politicians to negotiate a settlement. Israelis are keen to end the conflict with our neighbors, though naturally most of us are nervous of the risks this might entail. Still, there remain naysayers; people who cannot conceive of making peace. That is why it is so crucial to meet people who have overcome tremendous obstacles to sit with their enemies. Recently, the charity organization One Voice hosted two such visitors. They offered an inspiring example.On October 12, 1984, the entire British government was gathered in the Grand Hotel in Brighton for its party conference. Members of the Irish Republican Army seized the opportunity to plant a bomb in one of the hotel bathrooms. The early morning explosion ripped apart the middle section of the hotel and a shocked nation watched images of ministers dressed only in their pajamas crawling out of the wreckage.Prime minister Margaret Thatcher miraculously survived, but not all were so fortunate; five guests plunged to their deaths and 31 were injured. Sir Anthony Berry, 59, a cousin of Princess Diana, was among the fatalities.Sir Anthony’s daughter Jo was devastated by her father’s violent death. Her shock and pain were compounded when opponents of the government cheered at the news of the bombing.Their behavior foreshadowed that of Palestinians who took to the rooftops and cheered as missiles landed on Israel during the first Gulf War. But rather than wallow in her grief or seek vengeance, Jo determined to work to prevent future suffering, and that meant a courageous journey to the world of her enemies.She traveled across Ireland, visiting safe houses where IRA terrorists were hiding out; places where even uttering a word in her English accent could have been a death sentence. But she was determined to meet her enemies, listen to their voices and uncover the humanity within them. Then, as the peace negotiations between the British government and the Irish nationalists proceeded, she heard the shocking news that after 14 years in a high-security prison, Patrick McGee, the man who planted the bomb that killed her father, was to be freed. With grim determination, she decided that she would visit her father’s killer.RECENTLY, BERRY and McGee sat together and related their stories to a packed audience in a Jerusalem bar.Although they have now met hundreds of times, featured in a television documentary and are the subjects of two forthcoming plays, these encounters remain tough for them. McGee still believes that armed conflict was the only way for Irish Catholics to achieve justice, but the more he talks to Berry, the more he understands her loss and the greater his respect and admiration for her late father. “It actually becomes harder to sit with her knowing who her father was and that I was his killer,” he says.For Berry too, the encounters are not simple. “Many of my family cannot understand the journey I have undertaken.They think I have betrayed my dad,” she says. She also confided that a long lecture tour with McGee can be grueling. “It’s hard enough spending so much intensive time with anyone,” she says, “so although I count Patrick as a friend, we still have major differences, and knowing what he did to my father, it’s not always easy to be in his company.”Berry and McGee recognize that each conflict is unique, so they neatly sidestep their audience’s requests for advice. But drawing on their personal experiences and their travels to conflict zones around the world, they argue that people can only release themselves from a process of mutual demonization and eternal conflict if they find the courage to talk to their enemies. Only when we start talking can we see the humanity in the other and open the possibility of real dialogue.Dr. Yehuda Stolov, executive director of the Interfaith Encounter Association, is one of the great pioneers of bringing Arabs and Jews together for dialogue, which he insists is essential for the future of the region. Some years ago, he challenged me, saying: “Supposing we could get a million Jews meeting and talking regularly with a million Arabs; sharing their thoughts, dreams and fears. Wouldn’t that make an impact on life here?” My heart soared at this vision; the possibilities of peace, justice and tranquility that it could offer us. Then, he estimated it would take 15 years to build the mutual trust necessary to make a difference. My heart sank.Given the depth and urgency of the situation here, it seemed an impossibly long wait, until he reminded me that had we had started at the time of the Oslo Accords, we could have finished by now! The State of Israel is an astounding achievement. We are fortunate to witness its very existence as well as the flourishing of religious, technological and agricultural enterprises here. But for idealists who envision a perfect Jewish state at peace with its neighbors, there can also be disappointments.Sometimes, we feel far from the vision of Theodor Herzl, the early Zionists and the biblical prophets, and this can lead to feelings of helplessness and despair.An evening spent with Berry and McGee is a remarkable recipe for optimism.Sitting opposite two people who have so much reason to hate one another, but have found ways to discuss their differences was exciting. Listening to them share their thoughts with a room full of curious Israeli students was truly uplifting. It was a tiny glimpse of an era when “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie with the kid” (Isaiah 11:6).Making peace is tough, and taking risks is frightening. Sometimes, it seems an impossible challenge. We have some fanatical enemies, so cannot afford to be naive and our army must remain eternally vigilant. Yet, every major Jewish prayer ends with a supplication for peace and as those words are said, people take three steps backwards reminding ourselves that to make peace, we must be prepared to compromise.We are a people who prizes peace.Alongside the generals to whom we entrust our security, we need rabbis and visionaries who can see beyond the bullets and boycotts to dream a different future. We need people with the courage and imagination to help us break free from the status quo which is unfair to innocent Palestinians and degrading for a Jewish state. Peace may be elusive, but we need to constantly reenergize our search for it, finding ways to bring to fruition the Jewish mission of redeeming the world; “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). The writer is the British United Synagogue’s rabbi in Israel and directs the education program for the Jerusalem branch of the Rene Cassin Fellowship Program in Judaism and Human Rights.

Blessed are the peacemakers

Jo Berry and Patrick McGee are a remarkable duo and here’s why: Berry’s father was killed by an IRA bomb in 1984, and McGee is the man who planted it. Together, they’ve embarked on a tour to encourage others to talk to their enemies, and have learned a lot about each other along the way.

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