Tuesday night the Des Moines Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines sponsored the showing of the film "To Die In Jerusalem" which had been financed by and shown originally on HBO. The film, a creation by former Southern Illinois University student and director Hilla Medalia, follows the mother of the murdered victim Rachel Levy at the hands of a terrorist at a food market in 2002.
The victims mother Abigail Levy tries to meet face-to-face with the Arab mother who's daughter murdered Rachel and a security guard at the market. The Arab mother lives a scant four miles from Jerusalem. It took her four years (The movie took just about as long to view.) to finally talk with the Arab mother. Not in person but by a television hook up. That fact alone should be a symbol of how wide the division here really is.
Clearly the movie depicts what many of us feel...the entire matter seems to be without solution. More on that in a moment.
Perhaps most of the Des Moines Jewish Community feels the same way and decided to skip the showing. We counted 26 people present. While we don't know all the Jews in Des Moines we believe at least six of the 26 were not Jewish but interested individuals who were coming to witness, first hand, what many believe is the barrier to real peace in the region.
I'm sure nearly everybody came away from the event as frustrated as did we. But not for the same reasons.
"Oh, if we could only get along." Might have well been the overriding theme of many who attended. However several of us from Beth El Jacob held to a 
very different thought process. While some called for giving more land to the Arabs in exchange for peace others, in our group, suggested that more homes should be built in areas won by Israel in 1967. While some suggested that Israel was being heavy handed our group suggested they consider what a wonderful experiment in "land for peace" Gaza has been. Some suggested that the simple answer is a "two-state solution" the Beth El Jacob group asked the question, "What two states?" Considering the fact that most Arabs do not consider Israel a legitimate nation...it was a fair question.
But, that too was discounted with snickers and head shaking.
Two final observations:
The movie opens with Abigail Levy sitting across the table from Arab Terrorist and citizen of Israel, Ibrahim Sarahnah. He is the terrorist who drove the bomber from near Bethlehem to the market in Jerusalem. The scene was shot in the Gilboa Prison where he is serving time for his terrorist activity. The distraught mother speaks to the terrorist seeking some answers. Her questions are rebuffed by a laughing, smirking creature who shows no sorrow for the pain he has helped spread. It was a foreshadowing of what was to come.
And finally:
The event opened up with members of the Des Moines Jewish Federation 
introducing the scant audience to the eight young men from the yeshiva in Jerusalem who were butchered last week while studying Torah. While it was not widely reported that this brief memorial would take place the lack of participation and attendance by the Jewish Community was staggering.
In the end...people just left. And, the Hamentashen that was set out for a snack went untouched. Perhaps that says it all...
See you in shul!
