crossposted to Starhawk's On Faith blog "To be a true friend of Israel"
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/starhawk/2007/02/to_be_a_true_friend_of_the_jew.html
I'd like to think Starhawk is onto something valuable here. There is already a small and rapidly growing Pagan movement in Israel that has been restoring worship of the goddesses indigenous to the land like Asherah. Considering how the God of Abraham has been implicated in a lot more bloodshed than peacemaking there, why not give the Goddess a chance?
All the Israeli Pagans I know of come from Jewish backgrounds, like Starhawk. There have been hints of Arab Goddess revival in the Middle East too, but little information because of the extreme secrecy needed, especially when it's a question of uppity Arab wimmin.
So I dream of Arab and Jewish Pagans miraculously getting past the barriers that separate them... and joining together in the worship of the land's Goddesses that they all share in their common ancestry, to cooperate in working toward peace. I have a CD of Israeli Pagan songs with the same phrase sung in Hebrew and Palestinian Arabic:
"One hug per day brings peace that will last"
חבוק אחד ליום
מביא את השלום
hibbuk ehad le-yom
mevi’ et ha-shalom
معانقة وحدي في يوم
بحلي السلام يدوم
mu‘anaqah wahdi fi yom
bi-halli al-salam yidum
שלום
יוחנה
I'd like to think Starhawk is onto something valuable here. There is already a small and rapidly growing Pagan movement in Israel that has been restoring worship of the goddesses indigenous to the land like Asherah. Considering how the God of Abraham has been implicated in a lot more bloodshed than peacemaking there, why not give the Goddess a chance?
All the Israeli Pagans I know of come from Jewish backgrounds, like Starhawk. There have been hints of Arab Goddess revival in the Middle East too, but little information because of the extreme secrecy needed, especially when it's a question of uppity Arab wimmin.
So I dream of Arab and Jewish Pagans miraculously getting past the barriers that separate them... and joining together in the worship of the land's Goddesses that they all share in their common ancestry, to cooperate in working toward peace. I have a CD of Israeli Pagan songs with the same phrase sung in Hebrew and Palestinian Arabic:
"One hug per day brings peace that will last"
חבוק אחד ליום
מביא את השלום
hibbuk ehad le-yom
mevi’ et ha-shalom
معانقة وحدي في يوم
بحلي السلام يدوم
mu‘anaqah wahdi fi yom
bi-halli al-salam yidum
שלום
יוחנה