WAS invited by a Jewish family living in Manhattan to share their Shabhat on a Friday, a few years ago and as I watched the four candles being lit, two for the couple, my two friends and the smaller ones for their two children, I saw in their eyes, and in all the prayers offered the ever increasing need for peace.
Outside, in the streets of New York I heard the often constant sound of traffic and every once in a while the sound of police sirens and then in that moment there in that peaceful room was a flicker of fear, as the harsh, grinding, noise of that police vehicle made everyone flinch.
The prayers went on, some in Hebrew and some in English and every once in a way, David my Jewish host, translated the prayers for me, and every once in a while Ellen, his wife would explain a tradition, break the bread and share the significance of their Shabhat.
They were holy moments. David asked me whether I would pray at the end of their prayers and I did: All the urgency in me, talked to a God above about granting a peace, a peace that would envelope these Jewish friends and their Muslim neighbours in Israel.
It’s all about peace isn’t it? It’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong, it’s not about who’s firing the missiles and where those horrible weapons of destruction are hitting, whose lives are being stuffed out, it’s all about peace.
If only we would move away from trying to judge who is right and wrong, if only we would stop looking for reasons and instead hold onto the one big reason, and realise that its all about peace, we could then bring that peace down into that piece of Gaza and stop the violence.
There must be thousands of homes where prayers are being said, either in homes or in mosques or synagogues, where as the prayers rise up to the same God above, a sense of peace pervades and then the sound of police jeeps, machine gun fire or a missile crashing in somewhere near, all spelling destruction makes everyone afraid. Suddenly prayers are shattered by screams, gentleness by violence and love by hate.
They asked me to pray at the end of their prayers and I raise my voice as I did that evening and plead for a God above to bring peace for warring nations who long for such peace. I also pray today, for peace in our own nation, peace between warring tribes in Manipur! Oh God of peace grant all that peace they all so desire..!
—Email: bobsbanter@gmail.com
