Snow in Jerusalem

By Rev. Sandra Olewine

Dear Friends,

I imagine that many of you have already seen pictures in these last few days of Jerusalem under a cover of snow. The newscasters reported that it was one of the largest snowfalls in the century. Of course, the fact that the century is only four weeks old may have something to do with that claim.

But, whether it was one of the largest snowfalls of this or the last century, it was spectacular. Over 40 cm fell in much of the city and the surrounding area. (For those who don’t find the metric system user-friendly, that translates into about 16 inches, not a lot by some standards but a huge amount for us.)

Snow—in a place where it falls so rarely—is truly a treat. In Jerusalem, the snowfall seemed almost magical for it created an opportunity for folks from every possible background to play together, for them to meet one another as human beings. No politics, no agenda, no power plays. For just a moment, snow brought the Reign of God closer to this place, as many became more childlike, more open, more trusting. Let me share a few examples.

In the early afternoon as the clouds began to break, I walked from my home to Mar Elias Monastery to take pictures. As I was treading up the snow-covered road, an Egged Service Bus went by, working to clear the road. As I moved to the side to let it pass, the Israeli driver stopped and asked if I needed a ride into Jerusalem. His job wasn’t to pick up passengers. In fact, his type of bus isn’t for transporting folks. But he stopped to ask if he could be of assistance. I thanked him and told him I was only going to the top of the hill to take pictures. He smiled, said, “Enjoy!” and drove off. As he reached the top of the hill, I saw him pause again, offering a ride to a Palestinian man who was also walking. The young man jumped in and rode off.

Later I walked into Bethlehem to visit friends. As I passed one Muslim storekeeper, who was building a snowman in front of his store, he said, “Isn’t this wonderful? It is a gift of God. Thank God! Thank God!” We talked a few minutes about how this snow would help our severe water crisis. He kept telling me this was an answer to prayer. As I left, he told me to remember to thank God for this gift.

A bit further on I came to ‘Aza Refugee Camp. Here, a small toddler, about 18 months old, made his way to me, holding a snowball in his hand. He seemed to understand that he was supposed to do something with the snowball, but he just didn’t seem to know quite what. So, I stooped down to say hello and motioned to him to throw it at me. Instead, he walked all the way up to me, handed me his snowball, smiled and backed away. After making appropriate sounds of delight, I handed it back to him. He began to giggle, as if this was the most fun he had ever had. I stood in the middle of the street passing this snowball back and forth for at least five minutes. Soon, his older brothers and sisters seemed to think they should show him what to do with the snowball! They began to pelt me with them, laughing and screaming all the while. Although the children had to use plastic bags wrapped around their hands as mittens, this didn’t stop them from enjoying turning me into a walking snow creature! As I walked away, brushing the piles of snow off my back and head, I looked back over my shoulder. There stood the toddler, still holding his snowball as if he had the most precious gift in the world in his hands, smiling in wonder at this funny, cold white stuff!

Maybe the best story, though, was one that occurred near Jaffa Gate in the Old City. The shabab (Palestinian male youth) were taking great joy throwing snowballs at whoever walked through the gate. It was a virtual snowball intifada! At one point, an old Haredi Jewish man passed through Jaffa Gate. He was slightly bent over and shuffling along. As he came through, the youth let loose with the snowballs. Unbeknownst to them, the old man had a snowball tucked in his cloak. All of a sudden, he stood up, broke out in a huge grin and threw his snowball. It was a direct hit! The Palestinian youth were overjoyed! Here, in this corner of the Old City, an old Orthodox Jewish man and a few Palestinian young boys found a moment of sheer joy together. As he walked on his way, all were laughing, smiling and waving to one another.

Whether it was the Jewish bus driver who was offering folks a ride, a Muslim storekeeper giving thanks to God, Palestinian refugee children playing with the funny foreign lady, or the Palestinian youth and the Haredi man sharing in an unguarded moment, the snow brought a gift to us all. For just a brief interlude, hard divisions seemed to be softened by a blanket of snow. For just a moment, people were just people, delighting in the gift of God that fell on Palestinian and Israeli, Jew, Christian, and Muslim alike!

Maybe in Jerusalem a key to helping us see each other as children of the One God are a few more good snowfalls. Word has it—another one is on its way Sunday! How about joining us in a prayer for snow!

Salaam—Peace—Shalom.

Rev. Sandra Olewine is the United Methodist ecumenical liaison in Jerusalem.