Das Fremde empfinden wir manchmal
direkt um uns, manchmal sind wir es, der den anderen um uns fremd ist, manchmal
ist das Gefühl der Fremdheit auch nur den offenen Fragen geschuldet, die noch
gestellt werden sollen. Hier waren wir Rabbi Rothschild und Neda sehr dankbar
für ihre Offenheit und Geduld. Aber jede/r Einzelne, egal ob aus Deutschland,
Polen, Estland, Österreich, Libanon, Bosnien und Herzegowina oder Russland, hat
dazu beigetragen, dass unsere Gespräche fruchtbar waren, und geprägt von
gegenseitigem Vertrauen. Zumindest an diesen 4 Tagen fühlten wir ein Stück Heimat,
das nichts mit einem konkreten Ort zu tun hat.
Yesterday
was the end of our Bible dialogue on Exile and the kingdom of god. As usually
in our conferences, it was the personal encounter with people from different
countries and intense talks with one another that made the time so special. Last
not least the women from Bosnia who shared their personal experience with exile
during the war made it hard to feel sorry for ourselves for those moments when
we feel estranged deep within. It helped to learn from the non-violent
communication that we all share the same needs, with sometimes different priorities
and certainly different strategies to fulfill them. Peace for one, but besides
food, clothes and shelter, also celebration and laughter. Realizing this helps
to be more understanding of others and of our own motives.
The bible talks were also a challenge and food
for thought. Did Jesus cross the border to escape people’s expectation in him
as a miracle worker? To find himself again? Was that why we was so rude to the
woman who only begged for her daughter to get well again? Is this what we
sometimes need to do to not be alienated from ourselves? Sometimes we feel
foreign in our own familiar environment. Sometimes the strangeness is only due
to unasked questions. We are thankful that Rabbi Rothschild and Neda were
patient and kind in answering our questions on Islam and Judaism. But every one
of the participants from Germany, Poland, Austria, Bosnia, Estonia and Russia
(and years ago from Nigeria and Lebanon) contributed to open and trusting
conversations, so that for these four days we could say we found a sense of
home that had nothing to do with a place or town.