I had a dream. On New Year’s morning, after being awakened by explosions all around our neighborhood just after midnight, and worrying about how terrified our poor dog might have been, I was relieved that she and my husband were in another room with Derrick’s improvised sound machine blaring, loud enough to mask the fireworks.
I fell back asleep and had this vivid dream.
I was in a large room with a long table. Dozens of Palestinians were seated at the table, mostly very old or very young. One of my dearest friends was standing near the head of the table, helping serve food, plates filled with lentils and rice. Somehow I knew that the room we were in would soon be engulfed in flames. An elderly man seated across from me kept telling me that I didn’t need to stay. I could and should leave. Everyone at the table was going to die, but I didn’t have to. I didn’t want to die, especially in flames, but how could I walk away from these people? I stood up and started to speak and several of the people across the table took out their smartphones and started to record me. “Please, listen to me. I’m nobody, but I’m here for some reason. All I want to do is eat some of those lentils and that rice, just like you. But … .”
Fireworks outside rocked our house and I woke up. Why did I have that dream? I rarely have such vivid dreams, at least few that I remember. What was I supposed to do with it? Was I supposed to write about it? Did I have something prophetic to say? Or was it a sign that in the coming year I should do more work on peacemaking? Should I just keep it to myself? I fell asleep and dreamed again. This time I was hosting an event at our shop and spotted my dear friend standing alone in another room. I rushed to take her aside to tell her about my dream but as soon as I started to talk a group of people surrounded us, all people who had devoted their lives to peacemaking. They were waiting to hear whatever it was I was about to say. I was not going to be able to keep this dream a secret.
So if this nobody, this gay Jewish man whose father, an American soldier who arrived on the shores of France the day World War II ended and wound up being one of the last Jews at Dachau, whose husband’s Japanese American father was interned during World War II, who served in the military for eight years and believed might made right, who soon after becoming a civilian sat on the floor of a house in El Salvador with survivors of their civil war, and later in the rubble of Afghanistan in 2002 and saw the devastation such thinking on all sides wrought, who mourned the passing of Jimmy Carter during the day and dreamed of a coming firestorm that night, if he had such a dream and needed to say something, what would he have to say? As I waited for sleep to come again I came up with what my speech in front of those smartphones would be and here it is.
Hamas — free the remaining hostages and lay down your weapons. Palestinians, continue your struggle for freedom and statehood, embracing nonviolence in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Israel — cease fire, allow humanitarian aid, and help rebuild Gaza. World — stop hurting each other and listen, work together with Israelis, Palestinians, and peaceful neighbors to grant those who identify as Palestinians lives of dignity, respect and peace, citizenship in an independent self-governing state, and let Israelis live in peace with security, dignity and respect. Iran and Lebanon — mind your own business.
As we honor former President Jimmy Carter, I can’t think of anything more appropriate to happen in the world than for the firestorm that has engulfed Israelis and Palestinians to stop, permanently, and for this time to mark the beginning of a new era of peace and prosperity for the people in that beleaguered land. And may peace spread across our entire planet, propelled by one dream at a time, dreams made real by people who believe in the goodness of humanity and the endless possibilities of love in action.
This week I’m off to visit the newest member of my clan, the first of the next generation of my family tree, a wide-eyed 6-month-old. Perhaps I was at that table for him, for the world he will inherit. Perhaps a dream is just a dream. Or is it? As we say during the passing of the peace at our church, may peace be with you.
Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(6) comments
Craig
You speak of dreams. I think a lot of DJ readers would like to see the reality of hostages being released, Hamas to laying down their weapons, Palestinians creating their own state, Israel helping to rebuild Gaza, people from across the region living in dignity and peace, and for interlopers to stop funding warfare against Israel. Unfortunately, that reality includes the nightmare brought to region by Hamas. If Hamas is unwilling to release hostages and at least stop firing their weapons, what can be done to bring dignity and peace to Israelis and Palestinians?
Thanks for your column today, Mr. Wiesner. I’m sure many have had the same dream hoping for the same conclusion but as far as many are concerned, it will never happen until Hamas and their supporters are eradicated. Hopefully that will occur sooner rather than later with as little or as much help as Trump opts to provide.
We all are hoping for a permanent, real ceasefire and negotiations on hostages of all sides as well as real progress on allowing the seven million Palestinians the same rights and freedoms that the seven million Israelis enjoy along with self-governance even if just as an administrative entity, as the settler realities and encroachments show the 75-year program of indigenous population removal is yet ongoing. I might remind folks that the Business of some Lebanese and Iran are exactly, the business of the welfare and survival of the Palestinians. Add to them the Houthi of Yemen as well. This all can be easily solved with the fall of the Netanyahu settler regime and having people like ex-PM Ehud Olmert and his partner Nasser Al Kidwa of the Palestinian Authority now an independent figure, try to assemble likeminded reasonable folks much like the author of this column, to get Israel and the Palestinians on track to real good faith negotiations.
The path is clear enough.
Cheers all, Mike C.
You being a gay Jewish man is irrelevant, unless of course you want to keep stoking the flames that don’t exist. FYI, conservatives don’t care about your preferences, it’s only democrats who keep trying to paint conservatives as the racists or homophobes because we have different opinions. Sto counties blacks, women, gays etc… the United States of America is the least racist country in the world, and the most accepting. Perhaps one day you’ll see the truth and stop acting like you’re a victim.
Notso: "the United States of America is the least racist country in the world, and the most accepting". My goodness, what a sick joke! Not so at all, quite the opposite!
Well, Not So Common, you did say “…it’s only democrats who keep trying to paint conservatives as the racists or homophobes because we have different opinions,” and up pops Jorg, who is Example #1. I award you, Not So Common, with a Presidential Stating the Obvious medal.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.