A Birthday for Shukran

Circular Letter No 108

December 2002


Approaching Ben Gurion airport by road, there is a check point manned by armed guards. Most cars and vehicles have a cursory check, with the guards determining the safety or otherwise of a car by a glance at the occupants. Almost invariably, if the driver of the vehicle seems to the guards to be an Arab, the car is pulled over for further searching. This is "normal."


On Sunday evening, I arranged for an Arab driver to take me in his minibus to the airport to pick up 3 visitors from the Church of Scotland, due to arrive about 11 P.M. As we drove down, neither of us spoke about the check point, but as we approached it, the driver got his ID card ready, put on the interior light, and I got my clerical collar in place and visible. As if to prove that "normal" does not exist, we were waved through - and once past the check point the driver laughed - it was the first time since the Intifada that he had ever been allowed through the check point without being stopped. One can only surmise that it was the power of the clerical collar!

Our guests arrived, and then left again on Thursday night. The purpose of their visit was to meet people and gain information to help them prepare a Report for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland next year concerning possible changes to the administrative structures of the Church of Scotland here in Israel and Palestine. The Presbytery of Jerusalem is an anomaly, and the question of dispensing with it has been raised. It was in connection with this that they visited. Roll on the Assembly to see what they report.

On Thursday evening, I drove them to the airport, having ascertained that their luggage would in fact fit into my car. We arrived at the first security check inside the airport about 9:45 P.M. Questions were routine, and it was then off to join the queue for x-ray examination of baggage prior to checking in at the airline desk. 2