Temple Emanu-El

Original Peoples, Common Interests September-9-2005

Reprinted by permission of Canadian Jewish News

By PAUL LUNGEN

A forest fire has spread across Manitoba reaching south to Oklahoma and even as far away as Brazil.

Although no trees were actually destroyed in the conflagration, Rev. Pastor Raymond McLean believes the vivid imagery is the best way to describe the widespread interest in a recently completed aboriginal mission to Israel.

News of this year’s visit to Israel is spreading fast in native communities – like a “domino effect, or a chain reaction” – Rev. McLean said. People in Thompson, in Manitoba’s far north, have inquired about it and expressed interest in joining next year’s trip, the fourth he will participate in. People in New Brunswick, Alberta, Saskatchewan and even a caller from Oklahoma have all heard about the Holy Land visit and want to sign on, he said.

And why not? This year’s trip, which attracted 44 participants, offered everything from spiritual sustenance to political discourse on topics near and dear to the hearts of Canadian native leaders, he said.

Speaking by telephone from Winnipeg, Rev. McLean, pastor at the First Nations Family Worship Centre, said, “There’s no place like Israel. When I went the first time, I was so overtaken by everything, the land and the people.”

People back home quickly become enthusiastic when he describes the trip and they yearn to visit “the Holy Land of the Bible.”

On the most recent trip, which spanned eight days in mid-August, several native leaders joined evangelical ministers, educators and others on the trip. Grand Chief Dr. Sydney Garrioch of the Manitoba Keewatnook Ininew Okimowin, Grand Chief Arnold Ouskan, Keewatin Tribal Council, and Chief David Harper of the Garden Hill First Nation, were among the dignitaries. Altogether, Manitoba tribal elders representing the Saulteaux, Ojibway, Cree, Oji-Cree and Sioux people took part in the trip. They were joined by Alan Yusim, midwest regional director of B’nai Brith Canada, who served as facilitator.

Participants in the solidarity mission were moved by their visits to the Western Wall, the remains of the Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was whipped, and the Way of the Cross, Rev. McLean said.

They were feted by the mayors of Haifa and Jerusalem and they visited the Knesset where they were greeted by an Israeli parliamentarian with responsibility for visiting Christian groups.

Mission participants also took the opportunity to discuss issues of interest to both Israelis and natives, including housing and cultural retention.

“We can identify with the Jewish people as going through the same phase in history,” Rev. McLean said.

Both peoples suffered oppression and murder and both have been painted as “the bad guys.”

Native leaders admired the ability of the Jews to maintain their culture.

“We were so amazed that Israelis were able to revive their native tongue, the same language that was spoken 3,000 years ago.” Canadian natives can learn from that, as young aboriginals often have little connection to their language heritage, he added.

“The main attraction” of Israel, he continued, “is that it’s a country that came from nothing. It was desolate.”

Yusim said the first visit to Israel by Manitoba natives was sponsored by B’nai Brith Canada in the aftermath of the David Ahenakew incident. In December 2002, Ahenakew, a former native leader, made remarks about Jews that eventually led to his conviction for promoting hatred. The 2003 trip was followed by anti-hate programming designed to bring Jewish and native peoples closer together, he said.

In 2004 and 2005, McLean led his own groups to Israel. The recently concluded trip was billed as the “Stand with Israel” mission and consisted of a coalition of the New Allied Christian Caucus for Israel and the League of First Nations Leaders, Yusim noted.

“It is important to stress that these First Nations leaders and members of the Christian caucus came to Israel on their own accord and took a vocal stand with Israel and expressed clearly their opposition to anti-Semitism, both in their own communities and around the world,” he said.

Rev. McLean said Ahenakew’s outbursts don’t represent the views of native peoples, adding he’d like to put the Ahenakew incident “behind us. I want good to overshadow that.”

After the group’s return to Canada, news of the visit spread quickly. The Oklahoma pastor told him there was nothing like it in his area and suggested Manitoba natives were serving as “a role model for them,” Rev. McLean said.

A Canadian evangelist in South America, who is Rev. McLean’s friend, even suggested he’d spread word of the trip to congregations in Brazil.

Rev. McLean is optimistic the trip will be back bigger than ever next year.

“We might have to book a jumbo plane,” he quipped.