Lent 5, Ezekiel - Breathing Life into Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37.1-14

And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil…. (Ez. 37.11)

Near a busy intersection and trendy shopping area in West Jerusalem (the Israeli side), our Compassionate Listening stopped for lunch near a large park, much of it hidden from view by a tall fence of corrugated metal. I could hear bulldozers at work, but I couldn’t see what was going on in there. This is Mamilla Park and we were told that construction was beginning on a Museum of Tolerance, built by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, based in California.

Sounds beautiful, does it not? Just what is needed in this border area where Israeli West Jerusalem meets Palestinian East Jerusalem, where Jews, Christians and Muslims fight over land and human rights—a perfect spot for a tolerance museum, to bring people together.

This story of hope, however, has a dark underside. Mamilla Park was built on top of a Muslim cemetery, and, as construction proceeds on the Museum of Tolerance, graves are being bulldozed, the bones scattered…dry bones, ancient bones of the ancestors of today’s Palestinians, living nearby in East Jerusalem or in refugee camps in Jordan or Lebanon, or in America or anywhere around the world where they have found refuge.

Some of the bones were simply piled into cardboard boxes, unidentified, unmarked, without notifying the families or anyone in the community. The construction of the “Museum of Tolerance” has been opposed by Israeli archaeologists, historians, human rights advocates, to no avail. Construction is proceeding this very moment. Photo: my view of Mamilla Cemetery in 2010 Take a few minutes to hear about the controversy:

• Interview on Democracy Now, explaining the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s reaction to the Palestinian protest and an interview with Rashid Khalidi and Michael Rattner, explaining Palestinian objections to the building (9min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDssmI-EnHo&feature=related


• More pictures of the cemetery (2 min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am0MyyjPYyU

What would express God’s desire for Israelis and Palestinians? “I will put my spirit within you and you shall live, and I will place you on our own soil.” God of creation, your breath gave life to humankind. In times of suffering, you sent your spirit and then your son to bring your people hope for new life. Today we bring you our own hopes for the future of your people. Grant us courage to carry out our part in your life-giving work. Amen.