Israel Museum, Scout Trip Diary: History in Abundance

Having just returned from Jerusalem with Executive Producer Robert Lang, Director David Langer shares his thoughts on the history of the region.

“Israel is an amazing, screwed up place. The history and geography of this place are breathtaking - the politics and hatred are maddening. But in the midst of this, there is beauty and surprise around every corner. No matter if you’re a Christian, Muslim or Jew, the theological narratives from our childhood are seen and felt in Israel. The land is history. The Biblical stories are in fact grounded in the deserts and oases of this land. If you love history, you’ll love Israel.”

“It’s screwed up because there’s too much history and too much hatred which is evident on the streets. Check points, soldiers with machine guns patrolling the Old City, endless profiling, and barbed wire and barriers. Are you an Arab or are you a Jew - each laying claim to what is believed to be their ancestral right to the land. Yet the irony is, and I hope it will be one of our stories, that there were periods of time when all three religions were practiced in the Holy City in peace and acceptance.”