Jerusalem's Heartbeat
Spring this year in Jerusalem is a time of unrest and upheaval. The intifada uprising has been ongoing since September 2000 and shows little sign of disappearing. Vigilance has become the watchword and sounds of sirens are now a part of daily life. Caspari Center, being situated on Jaffa Road in downtown Jerusalem, is truly in the heart of the city and we experience both joy and pain as we feel Jerusalem's heartbeat.

The uneasy situation has affected our work. In this we are no different from many other institutions and businesses that have also suffered. We had planned much of our year's activity anticipating many groups of tourists that would come to visit both Israel and the Caspari Center. This, of course, did not happen and we found ourselves in a situation where we were forced to re-evaluate our resources and the way in which we had organized and prepared for the expected increase in tourism.

In spite of the current difficulties, the work at Caspari Center is proceeding. We are grateful, both to the Lord and to our many friends and supporters, for the encouragement we have received over the past few months. Knowing that we have friends is a source of strength to us. The situation has meant that we have made some changes at Caspari but these are proving to be good for the ministry. Our volunteer staff has been reduced and we have a new administrator whose skills are ideal for the task.

We are especially happy to announce the "birth" of our latest publication in Hebrew, Eusebius, A Church History. This project has been seven years in the making with many delays and unexpected complications. The Hebrew University Press (Akadamon) has published the book and will also act as the distributor. This should insure maximum distribution as they work with the largest chain of bookstores in the country - Steimatzsky.

As a change from the usual format of this newsletter, we are including an article that deals with a current trend in Israeli society - Israelis turning to the Far East. Part of our work focuses on backgrounds and context and this article gives a view of a portion of the context in which we work. We hope you enjoy this newsletter and that you will be challenged to pray for us and for the Israelis we are trying to reach and serve with the gospel.



Jews on the Road to the East
(More information about Caspari Center's ministry to Western Jews in the East)

For many Israelis Judaism has failed to bring inner peace, answers to the Mideast conflict, or meaning to the chaos of the world. For these people, the religions of the Far East have a strong power of attraction.

Israelis (and Jews) can be found throughout India, particularly in Dharamsala where they are fascinated by the spiritual and in Goa where they are actively involved in the drug and party scene. They take part in a wide variety of 'religious' activities from yoga to meditation classes, from Reiki workshops to tai chi sessions and Buddhist lectures. After searching in vain for meaning in Judaism, or more often, not even bothering to search in Judaism, many Jews and Israelis seek answers in the great spiritual bazaar of India. Hindu gurus, fakirs, and Buddhist sages all draw an Israeli following.

Peace and love are increasingly rare commodities in Israel and many of these young Israelis trekking in India are looking for an alternative to the constant pressures of life in the Middle East. The eastern religions teach that peace and love come from the within the individual and not from the chaotic external world. Exotic, mystical, univeralistic Buddhism is very different from the staid, legalistic, exclusive Judaism that most Israelis know. Tantric Buddhism with its mix of sex and mysticism is especially attractive to the Israeli seeker.

Dharamsala is the destination of choice for many Israelis who are engaged in a spiritual quest. This northern Indian city has become a place of pilgrimage. The exiled Tibetan Dalai Lama has his center there and his presence has attracted a wide following.

Buddhism has long fascinated Jews. From poets like Allen Ginsberg to politicians like David Ben-Gurion, Jews have been drawn to Buddhism. Ginsberg found inspiration and Ben-Gurion practiced Buddhist meditation. Numerous Jews have become Buddhist monks and nuns, and astonishingly, according to Rodger Kamenetz, author of "The Jew in the Lotus," a third of all Western Buddhist leaders come from Jewish roots.

Who are they? these Israelis who seek for answers in Hinduism and Buddhism? For the most part they are alienated, liberal, assimilated and non-observant. But not all fit this profile. There are also Orthodox Jews who try to broaden their religious horizons through Buddhism. As one young yeshivah student from Ra'ananah expressed himself: "I feel I can take a lot from Buddhism and use it in my Judaism without becoming a Buddhist. I'm here to see how I can grow spiritually" (Krausz, Tiber; The Jerusalem Report, March 12, 2001, Vol. XI, No. 23, pg 30).

For many it seems to be a single desperate search for peace. One example is 32 year old Itamar Sofer who was a tank commander in Gaza between 1986 and 1988 at the height of the Palestinian Intifada. "War brutalizes you," he says. "What hope is there when your life is one ceaseless fight for personal and national survival? I just wanted to run away and find some space for myself." And he did. "Buddhism has shown me a way to liberate myself from constant worries and helped me master my emotions" (ibid., pg 27). Sofer is not the only one. At least half of all the participants at his center in India are Israelis, many just after their army service.

For many of the seekers it's very important to stay Jewish. According to their teachers in Dharamsala they can. The message to Israelis is: You are still a Jew, but your religion has changed. To become a Buddhist, you don't change your identity, you change your way of thinking. Buddhists consider their faith more a philosophy than a religion and they encourage their followers to remain in their own traditions.

Another matter of interest is to see how many of these Israelis, searching for something they couldn't find in Judaism, find fundamental points of agreement between the two religions. In both Judaism and Buddhism there is a preoccupation with the problem of suffering. Another example of similarity between the two traditions is from the prayer, the 'Shma...' "Guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking guile." This is equivalent to the fourth Buddhist precept of right speech. Buddhists maintain that the wording is even the same as the Buddha would have used.

It's because of such overlaps and similarities that some Jews go to India in search of Buddhism and find Judaism instead. Some of them return to Judaism through the Kabbala (Jewish mysticism), and others end up as Chabad (a sect of ultra-orthodox Judaism) emissaries helping guide Israeli seekers back to Judaism.

This phenomena of Israelis looking to the East has also become a major part of the Israeli landscape. In every city and in many of the shopping malls there are now "new age" stores that market everything from incense to crystals from tarot cards to books (translated into Hebrew) on Buddhism and the occult. A number of Hindu and Buddhist classical scriptures have been translated into Hebrew in the past few years as has a book by the Dalai Lama. There are also many festivals for youth that combine a back-to-nature theme with the spirituality of the East, a la Goa. These festivals draw many thousands of young Israelis.

The constant insecurity of life in Israel together with the apparent bankruptcy of the Israeli Orthodox establishment lead many to spiritual searching. We are also witnesses to a subtle paradigm shift as another religion, in this case Buddhism, becomes an acceptable option implying no loss of Jewish identity. In this our message is similar, to be a believer in Jesus does not involve a loss of Jewish identity, in fact faith in Jesus strengthens and establishes Jewish identity. It is in this context that Caspari Center works to both strengthen local Jewish believers in Jesus and to make the gospel accessible to non-believing Israelis.



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