"Wait, the conflict in the Middle East is between who and who?"

Sad to say, but a year ago, you probably could have caught me uttering these words and looking a lot like this. Until I decided to live in Jerusalem, I really knew very little about the current situation in the Middle East (despite my father's 14-year upbringing there).

In preparing to take this trip, I decided to save myself and my family name from further embarassment and acquired a few books to educate myself on the "impossible to understand completely" history that is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem" by Thomas Friedman has been my first tackle. While taking almost an hour to read the first 18-pages (a very good attempt at an overview of the major conflicts and settlements over the last 125 years) I began to ask myself why most young Americans don't care about these problems.

It seems that unless an American has a personal tie to the Middle East (and not even in that case--sorry Dad), the battles and attacks that happen there do not interest them. All books and newspaper articles on the matter seem to offer unpronouncable names and too-often-changing titles and locations that unless you promise yourself not to miss a story, it can be quite difficult to follow. How about a required GE at every college titled "Necessary Background of Today's Current Events"?

For young people especially, with ever-changing schedules and priorities, a daily commitment to reading the news can be difficult to make, especially if they do not know the history. How many 18-24 year-olds do you know that are up to date on current events in the Middle East? Unfortunately, not enough. But, can you blame us?

So, how then and why should Americans give their time and energy to understanding this Middle Eastern problem? Or should they? I would love to hear your answers.

Masters of the Fine Art of Hospitality

My grandparents (Orin and Rita Parker) raised their family in the middle east. Their children (including my own father, Jeff's) hometowns include Athens, Ankara, Baghdad and Beirut.

Because of Orin's work, my grandmother would host many dinner parties and gatherings for local officials and elitists. I am sure these events were a large reason she developed such a friendly and welcoming personality that I hope to someday emulate. While these could be God-given talents, I don't doubt that Rita would attribute these traits to the hospitality she received from her many friends and acquaintances in the aforementioned "hometown" mid-east cities. Still today, she has a special yet simple way of making anyone feel welcome in her home. While my grandfather's stories of his time back east always lead to political discussion, Rita can't help but pay tribute to the wonderful, true friends she made and the genuine relationships they shared.

Thank you, Bradford, for sending me this link from BBC. I'm positive my grandparents would agree.

I found the above picture on this web page, which documents a 4 month sabbatical pilgrimage made by a the dean of the Anglican Cathedral in Quebec City. The caption of the photo says, "Georges Khoury, pictured here with his son Octave, who welcomed me to the North of Lebanon, is one of many I have met who are masters of the fine art of hospitality. George, along with the members of the monastic brotherhoods of Antelias and Jerusalem, and so many other wonderful hosts along the way, have really made me feel at home in the Middle East." I love the tenderness seen in Georges' eyes.