Cashing in on Jesus

JERUSALEM – It is a tenet of the various Christian faiths that Jesus Christ will come again, some say pretty soon. If He did return now, walked the streets of this old walled city and dropped by the various areas that supposedly commemorates His life and death, He would see that the Biblical money changers and other merchants that so enraged Him for transforming His house of prayer into a house for commerce are still in business.

The commercialization of the Christian faith all throughout the Via Dolorosa is pretty bad. For one thing, what is supposed to be the route Jesus took on his way to the Cross is now a typical Middle Eastern souk… a tiangge. Everything from “Holy Water” to priestly garments are on sale with the usual souvenirs.

For another thing, I am told that the present route dubbed Via Dolorosa was changed five years ago making it seem less than authentic. There is also serious doubt that this Via Dolorosa is actually the path taken by Jesus to the Cross.

Similarly, there is also doubt the place where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is located where they say Jesus was crucified and buried is the real place where it all happened. There is another place called the Garden Tomb, close by a hill whose side has rock formations that look like a skull or Golgotha. That could be where Jesus was crucified in what is now a parking lot of a bus depot. But the Garden Tomb has a tomb that could well be the tomb where Jesus was interred after the crucifixion.

I guess the commercialization is inevitable given the heavy flow of tourists/pilgrims from all over the world crowding the holiest sites of Christianity or what they think are. The entrepreneur who owns the travel company providing all the necessary services for our “Bible Study Tour” told me that Israel gets about three million tourists a year.

But that number is difficult to believe. We supposedly attract three million tourists too but never have I experienced a tidal wave of tourists the way I have experienced it in Israel, particularly here in Jerusalem.

It is such that the lines to the more popular Churches are long and waits of at least an hour are not unusual. In the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, our group waited for over two hours to view what is believed to be the site of the manger where Jesus was born.

It would be very difficult to pray as Jesus did at the Basilica of the Agony at the Garden of Gethsemane because there are just too many tourists taking pictures, talking and walking around. The other Churches are just as busy. The right of every believer to see the places where Jesus walked and taught cannot be denied.

At least, the Israelis have worked to smoothen the way for the tourists/pilgrims. And in this age when the threat of terrorism is always present, it is good to know the Israelis are serious in protecting the security of the sites and the tourists. Entering such areas as the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall is like entering the pre-departure areas of most airports complete with metal detectors.

Government and the private sector, mainly religious organizations, seem to have a partnership to provide tourist facilities like toilets. Video presentations of the significance of some sites and extremely well trained/informed tour guides are also available. They have obviously done and are still doing their homework to protect the tourism industry’s ability to continue cashing in on Jesus.

The travails of being a tourist/pilgrim in the Holy Land is compensated by the excitement of walking around what is an open air museum not just of the roots of our Judeo-Christian faith but of a colorful era in the history of man’s civilization. Jewish history from the caves of Qumran and the ruins of Masada to the walled city of old Jerusalem is very inspiring, today’s political considerations aside.

Even the bitter political conflict that is a constant threat to peace in this region take a back seat as tourists/pilgrims cross over from Israel to Bethlehem in Palestinian controlled territory. Tourism, in fact, is an even bigger contributor to the Palestinian economy, in the absence of major job creating industries there.

The new Israeli wall that is supposed to stop/regulate Palestinians from crossing over to Israel is apparently not meant to stop the flow of tourists. Our group crossed over first into the ancient city of Jericho and later to Bethlehem.

But apparently, there is an Israeli ban on its citizens from crossing over. Our Israeli guides went off the bus before we got to the wall and a Palestinian guide took over after we crossed over. If the objective is to share the tourist dollar with Palestinian guides, that’s a good practice. But the practice is more political than anything else.

There was this interesting op/ed article in the Jerusalem Post written by an American Jewish rabbi from New York who commented that Israelis as well as Jews of other nationalities are missing a lot by staying away from the Palestinian territories. Bruce Acks, a frequent visitor to Israel, wrote that no one wanted to go with him when he proposed visiting the Palestinian area.

Acks wondered why people who have spent a lot of money traveling from all over the world ignore a vibrant and interesting culture that is so close to Jerusalem. “I think the answer, in a single word, is fear… Even if the tourist was completely uninterested in anything Palestinian, there are enough sites important to Judaism to justify traveling there.”

Acks explained that “for many years, Palestinian and Israeli leaders have been demonizing the other side that it has become very difficult to differentiate fact from fiction… Is it possible, perhaps, that Palestinians would welcome Jewish tourists, specially given the economic boost that they provide to the Palestinian economy?”

Well, Acks did travel by himself to Palestinian territory and reported that he got “a positive and welcoming experience in all the Palestinian areas I visited. Over a few days, I traveled to Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem and two refugee camps. Not once was I intimidated or frightened. In most places, I was greeted with open arms, and the locals eagerly directed me to the sites I sought.”

I found Ack’s impression of his visit interesting and important not just to the business of tourism but to peace in this region.

“I believe that both sides have become so used to thinking in broad, overarching terms, that the common, individual person had been forgotten. Does every single Israeli or Palestinian like each other? Probably not. But most, I believe, could get along just fine. Most are able to view each other as fellow human beings. Most can interact with each other without being afraid that they will be murdered because of their religion or nationality.

“Perhaps, most importantly, most Palestinians and Israelis, Jews and Muslims, could live in secure peace with each other, if only their leaders gave them a real chance.”

That’s a great idea. Maybe, tourism can work not just to uplift the hard pressed Palestinian economy but also serve as a tool for understanding and peace. If more Jews, Israelis as well as those who hold other nationalities, crossed over the new wall that separates Jerusalem from Palestine, maybe people to people contact will erase long held biases that keep the fires of mutual hate burning.

Who knows… if tourism can be made to work here, it could be made to work elsewhere in the world where similar conflicts seem hopelessly irreconcilable. Maybe such people to people programs can start with young people.

To me, the biggest contribution of globalization should really be on the people level.

When enough people are able to travel and break down cultural barriers to understanding, the better it is for peace and stability. I find it rather ironic that in this city of our Lord where His message of salvation and peace was first brought into this world, so much insecurity reigns today. Tourism in this region may have commercialized Jesus but if it also serves to bring greater understanding among people, some good will at least come out of it.

That New York rabbi is right. If Palestinians and Israelis, Jews and Muslims got to know each other better on a person to person level, maybe their leaders will give them a chance to live in peace.

Noah

Reader Jesus Vergara sent this one.

Q: Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?

A: Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco