The Land of Israel: Ancient and Contemporary Conflicts

It is nearly impossible not to run into Wendy and Omar Marty when one is out and about on the arts circuit. Singlehandedly, they have been able to attend more events than I can even begin to feature, much less attend. They are simply amazing travelers of the local arts universe.

A couple years ago, they invited me to a talk at our local chapter of the Torch Club, an international organization that hosts monthly gatherings around specific topics of interest to a city, but always with the intent to create dialog through sharing. (Think of this as an earlier version of Facebook if you like, except our chapter was formed in 1928.)

What intrigues me now is that their return to the podium this time will include an insightful presentation from their trip to Israel.

Why this trip stands apart from the trips usually reserved for people of faith is that Wendy was born Jewish and Omar Presbyterian. Their shared faith journey has enabled them to present the same kind of levelheaded and always-academic conversation they frequently host around town.

This very balanced trip was organized by the Rev. Anne Weirich (then an associate minister of West Minster Presbyterian Church) and involved one of most diverse age spreads for such a trip with travelers ranging from 22 to 85 years of age.

Even the guide in Israel was impressed with this group, saying that they never argued while moving from site to site.

“You cannot not talk about this region without inciting some preconceived viewpoint or opinion, so we have approached our talk with a very deliberate evenness in our approach,” says Wendy.

And while they spent much of their trip intersecting with the past and present on a regular basis, their talk will focus on the ancient — like the 9,000-year-old city of Tel Meggido and the Druze Village of Majdal Shams where not so ancient forms of communication is how the people who are separated by a valley use inventive ways to keep in touch with family members.

It is sure to be a wonderful night of conversation at the Torch Club.

Admission: $28. Includes dinner, please make reservation by end of the day on Friday, April 6.  Menu online.