Arina 's Heart Surgery

I met Arina on the Jordan side of the Beit Shean border terminal today. She had not a hint of shyness about her. Her mother too was warm and very excited about their trip to Israel.

We boarded the bus and made the crossing in record time. The Israeli side greeted her warmly even as they went through all her possessions.

After leaving the terminal and entering Israel proper, Arina's mother shared with us some candy made in her home town called lokach. I thought it sounded like a creatures name from a Tolkien novel. Im not typically a fan of Middle Eastern sweets but this one caught be by surprise with its creamy texture, hint of coconut, and pistachio stuffed shell. It was delicious and I didnt have to fake my reaction one bit.

We stopped at a falafel stand just inside Beit Shean not 10 minutes down the road. Given that Shabbat was almost upon us, everything was closing and quite deserted. We were greeted by curious falafel stand owners, a young man and older woman, who were wondering if we were transporting Greeks. (I dont have a clue why they thought they were Greek.) I explained who our guests were and why they were here. Immediately the young man piped in, My parents are from Baghdad! Then chimed the older woman, My family is from Mosul! (which is in Iraq). The connection with the familiar through all four people was electric. They considered it a divine appointment and began asking all manner of questions about our visitors.

In the end they declared it was holy work and a mitzva (which means commandment but has come to mean an act of kindness). I told them we were Christians. It was then I noticed Arina was wearing a cross. I asked her if they were believers. Arina's mother said no but that Muslims and Christians get along very well where they're from in northern Iraq. Someone apparently bought her the cross in Amman, Jordan.

A Jewish lawyer sitting behind me was listening to the whole conversation with fascination. He declared that he would like to be involved in the work. He is part of the management for a Jewish foundation. He believed the foundation would be interested in supporting us. You never know.

So, within an hour we can already see little Arina's life reaching into the hearts of Israelis. We cant wait to see what will happen when a whole week passes. Arinaand her mother are resting comfortably in Jerusalem now, awaiting their first medical appointment Tuesday morning.