Who knew I would make friends over earplugs? Departure for Israel is a fascinating business if you happen to be sitting next to the right people. But who are the right people for Israel? For me, it was an observant Jew, an Israeli living in the US, an Israeli student with American parents, a Palestinian shuttle driver, and 100 Methodists from the Church of the Resurrection led by Sr. Pastor: Adam Hamilton http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/sr-pastor-adam-hamilton/. Gali, an Israeli living with her professor husband for two years in San Diego, no work permit, and an “I love all Americans attitude,” and I bonded when the nice young security checker at the special gate for planes to Tel Aviv, located way at the end of the Newark terminal, turned to us (for the second time) and said “Didn’t I already check your papers?” We obediently nodded yes and waltzed on through. (They didn’t make me take off my jacket either). She was interested that a high school teacher would be going to Israel NOW, not because of Iran, but because most American students she had encountered knew nothing about the geography, history or culture of Israel, and she thought it was important that teachers travel there. I asked her several questions about travel for Israelis. Gali told me that travel to the West Bank was stopped for Israelis after the First Intifada (late 1980s).But she also said she had absolutely no interest in traveling THERE anyway. She also said she was more frightened of being in Mea Sherim, the neighborhood in West Jerusalem where Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jews live. She said she was more scared of being in Mea Sherim than any Arab village. The mother and daughter traveling with 98 other Church of the Resurrection members wanted me to know more about their famous pastor and his work. (See link above if you are interested.) Excited by the prospect of following in Christ’s footsteps, they reassured me that Pastor Hamilton would have them meet with an Israeli and a Palestinian (begs the question about why I needed reassurance…). I asked them if the Palestinian would be a Christian or Muslim, but they didn’t know. They also had a rabbi with them. When I told them about my previous travels, they wanted more information about how to deal with jet lag. We bonded when I noticed an unattended large plastic bag on top of the seats near us. A girl from the Continental desk wandered over and peered inside. Quite a different treatment from what would have happened in Israel… Mahdi, the Palestinian with an Israeli- passport- shuttle driver, thought it was “good” that I planned to go to Nablus, Ramallah and Jenin. He gave me travel tips about buses from the Damascus Gate and connections in Ramallah. We talked about what travel Israelis are able to do as well. He, unlike Gal, is allowed to go to the West Bank to see family, but with an Israeli passport, he could not, of course, go to Syria, Lebanon, Iraq or Iran (not just this month but at any time in the past). The sweet young thing in the window seat was returning from the U.S. and visiting relatives. Her parents, both teachers, did aliyah before she was born. Strongly influenced by US and Israel, she will enter Tel Aviv University in the fall. But I met Chani, the self-described observant Jew, in the most interesting way. Right before takeoff, a Hasidic man sat in the middle seat between the sweet young thing in the window seat and me on the aisle. He smiled at both of us and began to pray. Soon a woman, covered head casually dressed, tapped him on the shoulder. She said something to him in Hebrew and he got up; they switched places. Chani, the new middle seater, told me that the Talmud said a man should not sit between two women, so she, knowing he would be uncomfortable, offered to change places. (I thought they were married until she announced this.) Chani told me that she disagreed with the Israeli political term Haredi. For her, it was a sweeping term that included too many people with many diverse religious practices. She prefers the terms observant and non- observant. Chani’s reading materials included a book of psalms and Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. She works for the education department writing summaries of records about students with learning disabilities. From a family of eleven children, Chani has four of her own. When Hani wondered whether or not the airlines gave out earplugs, I was able to give her two of the zillion blue ones I had ordered from Amazon. Chani and I exchanged contact info and I hope to see her next week.