INTO THE PROMISED LAND, A PERSONAL JOURNEY by Bobbie Ann Cole

 

Bobbie is going back to school— in Israel

In just over two months, my husband and I will be moving to Israel, where I shall be studying Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a 2-year course.

I have only a vague idea of what I will want to do or where we will want to be at the end of it. We love Israel, but it’s a hard country to live in. (We have done it before.) And even harder at the present time, with the far-right ultra-Orthodox elements of the coalition government trying to impose their own sectarian vision for the Land.

Underpinning Christianity

My idea for the course is to hone my knowledge and understanding of Judaism to better understand how it underpins Christianity. Also, given that the whole of the early church was composed of Jews, I would also like to plot the evolution of both faiths since the parting of the ways.

I also love the Hebrew language. Part of my course requires that I become proficient, which is not too daunting, (she says with bravado), as I already have level Aleph and something like the vocabulary of a 3-year-old…

Beautiful Canada

Our idea for the future, for my husband and myself, has yet to take form. The reality of leaving our peaceful life here in New Brunswick, a beautiful part of Canada, for throbbing Jerusalem is beginning to make us homesick, before we even leave.

Grandchildren

Home in the UK is also calling. I gained a new, unexpected grandson 20 months ago. There is now another grandchild on the way in September, a much-desired IVF baby… I would like to be a part of their lives.

Complex and Exotic 

The Bible calls Israel God’s Promised Land and I feel that intensely when I am there. I feel as if Yeshua (Jesus’ name is Hebrew for ‘Salvation’) might appear over the crest of a hill and come towards me, anytime. Or I might spot him, standing beside me buying Jaffa oranges at the souk.

Israel is a gorgeous, rich, exotic and fertile Land of Milk and Honey whose delectable Seven Species are wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates, (Deut.8:8). 

Sabras

Its people are complex, brave and resilient survivors. Native-born Israelis are known as sabras— prickly pears. The prickly pear is a tall cactus that lines crop fields all over Israel, keeping out beasts. It is tough and thorny on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside, like the Israelis.

The country is full of meaningful biblical sights and sandy beaches. It is high tech yet sometimes chaotically Middle Eastern. It can also be the exact opposite - over-rigidly organized.

We love it.  

We could stay on there after my studies, should we choose to do so.

Three Daughters

To me, the three countries in my life—my native England, Butch’s homeland of Canada, and Israel—are like three daughters. England is the gentle-faced one, steady and solid. She and I have always been close. Canada is kind and gives me space to breathe, although she is more dramatic and extreme than her sister and can sometimes be icy, in both the literal and figurative sense. Israel is more mysterious, my dark-skinned daughter with the flashing eyes, exotic and potentially explosive. This daughter is so different from the other two that I wonder constantly whether she can really be mine. 

It looks like when the time comes, in two years, it will be a hard choice.

Bobbie Ann Cole is a writer, speaker, writing teacher and book coach.

·       Check out her latest blog post at http://scrollchest.com.

·       Invite her to speak at your online event.

·       Take part in FAB CHOW, her free group for Historical And Biblical Fiction Christian Writers Online. Next meeting 10.8.23 – Members Readings – at 7.30 pm UK time. Get on the mailing list at http://ahava.space.

·       Check out her books about or set in Israel and her writers’ programs at https://bobbieanncole.com or email Bobbie for a free 'Getting Unstuck' chat at bobbie@bobbieanncole.com

“Bobbie is an excellent coach who consistently provides detailed, thought-provoking feedback that pushes your writing to the next level. I find our 1-2-1 regular sessions to discuss progress particularly helpful in resolving plot glitches, while her enthusiasm for my story encourages me hugely to persevere and greatly increases my confidence. She has changed the way I read fiction and her eye for detail, plot structure and plausibility is a real blessing.”

Bess Twiston-Davies