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Aug 18, 2006: From
Dr. Paul Wright, Executive Director
I would like to
offer a short update on the situation in Jerusalem and Israel the
week after a ceasefire has been implemented in Lebanon. For nearly
five weeks—from mid-July to mid-August, Israel was involved in a
focused war against Hezbollah forces in southern and eastern Lebanon
and Beirut. Hezbollah rocket strikes fell throughout northern Israel
and as far south as Haifa and the Jezreel Valley (a few penetrated
to the northern tip of the West Bank). Many (though certainly not
all) of the residents of these areas, especially those living within
a few miles of the Lebanese border, fled to secure places in the
southern part of Israel, including to Jerusalem. Throughout,
Jerusalem was quiet and, with the exception of noticing a lot
more people in the area than normally live here, life and
business in the city went on pretty much as usual. Of course
many residents of Jerusalem participated in the efforts by providing
aid relief and shelter for those in need.
The
hostilities coincided almost exactly with the normal summer break at
Jerusalem University College. The first
volleys began during the last 3 days of our last summer course (Jesus
and His Times), when all of the students were in Jerusalem. We
finished this course according to schedule and without incident. We
were happy to be able to offer assistance to students from Asbury
Seminary who were digging at Tel Dan when the hostilities broke out
(Dan is a well-known archaeological site quite close to the Lebanese
border). Everyone in that group was able to return to their homes
quickly and safely after spending a couple of unexpected nights on
our Jerusalem campus.
Immediately after the cease-fire was called earlier this week,
people flocked back to Galilee—residents
to see how their homes and fields fared, and Jerusalemites eager to
see what happened and some even to get in at least a couple weeks of
holiday up north, a common summer-time tradition for Israelis. As I
write this note (Friday afternoon leading up to the beginning of
Shabbat), Jerusalem is extremely quiet, partly out of thankfulness
and relief, but also partly because of the routine summer heat and
anticipation of the Shabbat. In other words, life in Jerusalem is
quickly returning to normal. Israelis are good at that—taking
care of business, then getting on with life. (On the other hand, the
political situation in Israel is in upheaval. The general consensus
of people on the street and those editorializing in the media is
that as a result of the way that he responded to and throughout the
situation, Ehud Olmert has failed convincingly in his role as Prime
Minister. Many are calling for his resignation and declaring that he
is already finished as a political figure in Israel. Then again,
maybe such reactions are also part of normal life in Israel!).
Our fall
semester program begins in just a week, on August 25. Our enrollment
will be larger than it has been during any semester since 2001.
Our courses and field itineraries are full, and we are even
expanding certain field trips in the Physical Settings of the
Bible and History of Ancient Israel courses. Maybe
hostilities will break out again, either near the Lebanese border or
elsewhere, during the course of this or another semester. If they
do, we will continue to do what we do best by providing a safe
and secure learning environment for our students, curtailing
activities on a case-by-case basis if and when needed, and focusing
on ways to introduce students to the lands and peoples of the Bible.
I would like to
thank each of you who have kept not only Jerusalem University
College but the people of Israel and Lebanon in your prayers. Many
innocent people have been killed, injured and/or displaced in the
last few weeks, and the short-term and long-range economic impact is
staggering. Obviously for the many people who were directly impacted
by the fighting, life will not return to normal for some time, and
for some, it will never do so. This, of course, is typical to war
experiences worldwide, and reminds us of the ongoing need to help
and encourage one another to the extent that we are able, and to
rely on the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6) who alone can reconcile the
hearts of people. |
