"Why Travel to Come Home Again?" Reflections on an Interfaith Experience in the Middle East
Why travel to come home again? As the Interfaith Center entered its second decade, the idea of an interfaith journey to the Middle East found its way back to our leadership table. Put aside in prior years, this idea seemed to come of age along with us. What did we need to experience from afar that would help us come back home and better serve the Greater Philadelphia region? So 19 of us – Christian, Muslim and Jewish Philadelphians, including four Board members and myself – ventured on our first Dare to Understand trip to the Middle East this October. Our extraordinary guide, Julian Resnick, an educator born in South Africa who has made his home in Israel, introduced and led our trip with this intention: “Most of the important questions, conversations and dilemmas can be considered wherever we find ourselves in this world. We can talk about freedom in our living rooms, but talking about freedom in Birmingham, Alabama adds something. We can deal with genocide next to th