While persistent Arab rioting has changed the exterior into a watchtowered fortress the interior remains a timeless sanctuary of prayers and tears. At the entrance to the men’s section there is an ark draped with the blue velvet curtain salvaged from Joseph’s Tomb. It still bears the bloodstains of the valiant soldier left to die of his wounds when the IDF abandoned the site to Arab rioters. The ladies’ section is screened off by a white curtain of satin and lace. The inscription reads that this is the unworn bridal gown of Na’ava Applebaum killed alongside her father the night before her wedding.
I remember passing the bombed-out frontage of Cafe Hillel lit with the glow of a thousand memorial lights and my feelings of utter despair at the violent loss of an innocent bride and such a gifted father. But after two days in the territories I came to realize that in this land of wonders new life is somehow distilled from every death and fresh resolve squeezed from every setback.
Seemingly oblivious to the terrorist threats and financial hardships that line heavy brows in Tel Aviv and Haifa the religious settlers seem to have a sunnier and more optimistic outlook. Their eyes are filled with excitement like newly married couples starting out in their first home. They are reclaiming and rebuilding the ancient Land of Israel. For them Judea and Samaria is a field of dreams stretching back two millennia. They have confidence that … if they build it He will come.
