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By Rabbi Fred Guttman

A historic pilgrimage took place earlier this December when 28 people from Greensboro went on a 10-day trip to Israel. What made this trip exceptional is that among those 28, there were 20 ministers, five clergy wives and three rabbis. Trips such as this rarely occur, and as far as I know, this was the first such trip for clergy from Greensboro.

Our trip had four goals. The first was to expose the group to Jewish religion, tradition and spirituality. The three rabbis on the trip -- Eli Havivi of Beth David Synagogue, Howard Cohen of the American Hebrew Academy and I -- taught at various Jewish sites.

A highlight of the trip was our visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem on a Friday night to welcome the Jewish Sabbath. The Western Wall of the Temple Mount has, for centuries, been the closest that Jews may come to the site of the ancient temple in Jerusalem. A tradition has developed wherein worshippers put special prayers into the wall's cracks. (Last summer, Barack Obama put a prayer into the wall.) Over time, these small pieces of paper are removed and are buried in the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives. Before leaving Greensboro, we encouraged the ministers to bring with them notes from their congregations to place in the wall, and many did so.

Later that night, the Rev. Adrian Starks of Anderson Grove Baptist Church related to us an incredible experience that he had there. As he was placing notes in the wall, some fell out. An ultra Orthodox Jewish boy knelt beside him, looked up at him and put his notes back into the wall. In tears, Adrian recounted how moved he was by this kind act. He made a connection between Jesus, who once was a Jewish boy here, and the little Orthodox boy who had helped him. Hearing Adrian's story was one of the trip's memorable moments.

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A second goal of our trip was to expose the group to Christian religion, tradition and spirituality. We visited several significant Christian sites, including the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Capernaum, the Mount of the Beatitudes, the Jordan River baptism site, the Via Dolorosa, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. At most of these sites, one of our Christian clergy would give a short homily about the site's significance.

As a rabbi, I found these homilies to be very special. Often, they would lead to broader discussions.

At the site of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the Rev. Ken Massey of First Baptist Church led a wonderful discussion in which participants shared the meaning of the sermon for them.

At the Jordan River, we had a spirited discussion on the meaning of baptism. It was interesting to me just how different the theology concerning baptism is in the various Protestant denominations. The Rev. Sid Batts of First Presbyterian remarked that our discussion was nothing less than a "recreation of the Protestant Reformation!"

Visiting these sites had a profound effect on the Christian clergy, especially those who had not visited Israel before. The Rev. Frank Dew of Greensboro Urban Ministry said that the Bible "now had pictures." The Rev. Diane Givens Moffett of St. James Presbyterian Church reflected that seeing these sites caused the Bible to come alive "in new and exciting ways."

"My faith was enriched by seeing, touching, smelling, and hearing sounds from places in biblical antiquity. It was also inspiring for me to walk in the 'footsteps of Jesus' and to be where he once dwelled on the earth," she told me later.

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Our third goal was to understand the meaning of modern Israel within the context of Jewish history and the complexity of the Middle East conflict. Rabbis Eli Havivi, Howard Cohen and I shared how proud we were of Israel and how we loved it and its people, despite all its imperfections.

We sought to provide our participants with a balanced view of the complexity of life in the Middle East. To do so, we talked to people of many different perspectives. They included Rabbi David Forman, the founder of Rabbis for Human Rights; Col. Kobi Marom, who spoke about the security situation along the border with Lebanon; the Rev. Petra Heldt, a scholar of Patristics and New Testament at Hebrew University; Rachel Korazim, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and an outstanding Holocaust educator; Reuven Y. Hazan, a political science professor at Hebrew University; and Rabbi Ron Kronish, the founder of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel.

We spent a morning at the Coordinating Council, hearing not only from Rabbi Kronish but also from two Palestinians on the grass-roots work and education for peace among Israelis and Palestinians that the three of them were doing.

We also were briefed by an Israeli Arab journalist, Khaled Abu Toameh, as well as two Palestinians from Bethlehem. The extraordinary diversity of the voices helped us to understand that the Middle East conflict is not a black-and-white situation, but rather a grey one that is mired in a quilt of complexity that few of us in the United States can understand or appreciate.

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Our final goal was to create a better relationship among Greensboro's clergy. I have been told that in the 1980s there was much interaction among Greensboro clergy. In the latter part of the 1990s and in this decade, however, such activity has diminished. The result is that there is a lack of contact and cooperation among clergy of various faith traditions.

In recent times, religious communities in Greensboro have become "siloed" from one another along denominational and racial lines. But that wasn't the case for us. The clergy on the trip represented a minimum of nine different denominations. Eight were African American. We hope that better interfaith relationships among clergy will lead to mutual cooperation on community projects that will benefit the people of Greensboro.

As one of our participants said, "I had to come 6,200 miles to Israel to really get to know the minister who pastors the church across the street from me."

Communal interdenominational prayer was a major part of our experience, not only at meals, but also each day before we traveled on a plane or a bus. There was also a significant amount of clergy-to-clergy bonding. Organized group discussions, led by my wife, Nancy Guttman, a marriage and family therapist, helped us process the experience and drew the group closer. No matter what our religious tradition, we seemed to find a commonality in our being congregational clergy.

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What will be the long-term effects of the trip for Greensboro? It is difficult to say. However, because of this trip, I feel that there has developed a significant amount of social capital among the clergy in Greensboro.

The clergy who went on the trip minister to a significant percentage of the residents of Guilford County. My estimate is that more than 30,000 people are in our congregations. The potential to harness the social capital for the good of the city is tremendous.

Only time will tell, but I feel that something very special has been accomplished. I agree with Rev. Moffett, who said that we have begun a journey together, although we know not where the journey will lead us.

I feel truly blessed to have been a part of this journey and I hope that many good things will come out of the contacts and friendships that have been made.

Fred Guttman is the rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Greensboro. He organized the interfaith trip to Israel.

The participants

The Rev. Sid Batts and wife, Cathy, First Presbyterian Church

The Rev. Cardes Brown, New Light Baptist Church

The Rev. Calvin Odell Cleveland and wife, Beverly, Welfare Reform Liaison Project

Rabbi Howard Cohen, American Hebrew Academy

The Rev. Patrick Cronin, Friendly Avenue Baptist Church

The Rev. Frank Dew and wife, Michie, Greensboro Urban Ministry

The Rev. Diane Givens Moffett, St. James Presbyterian Church

The Rev. Eric Gladney, Oak Springs Baptist Church

Rabbi Fred Guttman and wife, Nancy, Temple Emanuel

The Rev. Vince Hairston, Calvary Christian Center

Rabbi Eli Havivi, Beth David Synagogue

The Rev. Richard Johnson, We Are One Christian Fellowship

The Rev. Fred Willis Johnson Jr., Shiloh Baptist Church

The Rev. Ken Massey, First Baptist Church

The Rev. David Melton, West Market Street United Methodist Church

The Rev. Terry Moore-Painter, chaplain, Moses Cone Health System

The Rev. Michael Moulden, St. Francis Episcopal Church

The Rev. Jock Ollis, Muir's Chapel United Methodist Church

The Rev. Tim Patterson and wife, Kathleen, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

The Rev. Julie Peeples, Congregational United Church of Christ

The Rev. Adrian Starks, Anderson Grove Baptist Church

The Rev. Jake Thornhill Jr., Life Community Church

The Rev. Michael Usey, College Park Baptist Church

Each participant was responsible for paying for about half of his or her cost of the trip, with sponsors paying the rest. The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro was the primary sponsor. Other sponsors were: TOLEO Foundation, Tannenbaum Sternberger Foundation, Polly and Buzz Strasser, Mike Weaver, Greensboro Jewish Federation, Norman and Sylvia Samet.

Impressions from the journey

A large part of what I have received from this amazing trip is a different way of looking at holy ground. What Mary shows us, and what many people in Israel show us today, is that it takes great courage to resist making idols of places and convictions and even images of the Holy One. It takes courage to cast one's lot with the God for whom nothing is impossible, not even peace and justice. Holy ground is not about setting up boundaries and deciding who is and is not worthy/faithful/deserving. Holy ground is what happens when we keep our hearts open to the God who is still speaking, and to one another. Holy ground is discovered when we create safe spaces for one another, safe enough to disagree on profound levels and to still claim our shared identity as children of God, regardless of whether we dwell in Israel or in Greensboro.

The Rev. Julie Peeples
Congregational United Church of Christ

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I appreciated learning about Jewish spirituality and the insight it gives me for my own faith. Christians and Jews have so much to learn from each other. As I am already contemplating a trip for the congregation, I would hope that a rabbi or someone from the Jewish community would accompany us to broaden our perspective and understanding.

The fellowship on this trip was rich. Like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, I wish I could build tabernacles and keep the momentum and energy I felt alive. I am not sure what will happen with our group, but I do believe that because of this trip, we are better poised to share with each other in ministry and in life.

Diane Givens Moffett
St. James Presbyterian Church