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While buying fresh fruits and vegetables at Jerusalem's big market, I heard drums out on Jaffa Street.Pulling the camera out of my pocket, I rushed over to see.
What is this?! Dozens of young people dressed like hippies "parading" down the middle of Jaffa Street?
Some were juggling, some dancing, a few were barefoot.
All of them, both Israelis and internationals, looked like happy flower children.
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Enlarge this and you will spot their flag.It says WALK ABOUT LOVE.
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Back home, I found their website and Facebook page..
Apparently people are walking together from Eilat to Dan, from the bottom to the top of Israel, mostly on the Israel Trail, some 1,000 kilometers, in 3 months.
All are welcome and you can drop in or drop out whenever you want.
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The idea was inspired by the Aboriginal custom of going walkabout.
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There is a lot more at the website, in several languages and with great photos, but I will quote just part:
On this walk we will use constructive, non-violent, and safe actions to spread the seeds of co-existence, peace, brotherly love, joy, and ecology.
This is not a protest journey against any war in particular: it is a particular action against the idea of war, aimed at changing the sociological and environmental situation in which war is fostered.
It is a practical action to deepen and spread the awareness of love in ourselves and in our brothers and sisters that we will meet along the way.
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The journey is composed from many days of walking the Israeli national trail, food circles, live spontaneous music in the evening, shared accommodation camp, initiatives of the people, colorful parades through towns, celebrations and anything else that we will create.
The change starts within you!
.Their weekend camp is going to be nearby, in the Jerusalem Forest.
Surely I will hear drumming in the night.
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It transports me to my university days in the USA in the mid 1960s, the dawning of the hippie revolution. I too was once an idealist dreaming of peace in my life and in the world.
I wish these kids the best on their journey!
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How impressive ! Together with bread, there's rarely anything more honest to me, than walking.
ReplyDeletePlease have a good weekend ahead.
I too remember the dawning of the hippie revolution very fondly:) In fact it wasn't totally idealistic and utopian... it had some wonderful outcomes. I hope it does again.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day :)
I love it! You do find the most amazing things...
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My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!
Robert, bread and walking = honest.
ReplyDeleteA good point!
Hels, yes indeed. It's just that I now find it harder to believe in peace ever happening.
Robin, it was a wonderful coincidence that I found this parade. Usually I never go to the shuk on Fridays.
Great! Why they don't try it into Gaza or Syria?
ReplyDeleteImpressive and a wonderful thing to do. And once they see the beauty of Israel.
ReplyDeleteHopes for peace should always be present.
Nothing wrong with a good stroll. Hey, it's almost summer.
ReplyDeleteNice! My husbands twin nephews are participating this walk.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a wonderful, peaceful thing to do.
ReplyDeleteFlower Power of the 2010's! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou always have your camera with you, Dina: this is a very good thing for a blogger.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartwarming that youth still carries idealism. I own up to such a streak (perhaps a big one) myself, but it's been tempered by realism. Too often youth are portrayed as vacuous materialists. This shows it's just not so.
ReplyDelete(Took a look around your week's posts; haven't had much time to blog, and then Blogger was down, so my weekend posts haven't been done. I came to leave a comment of admiration for your last SkyWatch post which shows up in my Google Reader, but not yet on your blog. Anyway, hello Dina!)