Understanding life in the region Since 2008 nearly 40 young people have spent a year in Jerusalem and the West Bank as part of the YAGM program. Erling Spangler is one of four alumnae from that group who have returned to work for church institutions in Jerusalem. In addition, Karis Ailabouni, a former YAGM
who was stationed in Madagascar, is in Jerusalem serving as program director for the University of Notre Dame’s study abroad program. What they all share is a passion for helping
others comprehend the complex reality of life in Jerusalem and the West Bank. “So many North Americans don’t even realize
they have Christian brothers and sisters who are Palestinian,” said Anna Johnson, who was a YAGM in the Holy Land from 2009-10. Since then she has spent almost four years planning and leading tours that connect visitors with “the living stones of the land.” Her hope is that guests go home ready to share stories and affect broader change. Janelle Neubauer’s work is similar. She said one of her responsibilities at the Tantur Ecumenical
Institute is helping people from around the world “witness the Holy Land both in terms of Scripture and biblical geography but also geopolitical realities.” As a 2010-11 YAGM, Neubauer learned that “as a
U.S. citizen, I am part of what is happening in Israel/ Palestine regardless of how I feel or whom I support.” Experiencing for just a year what Palestinians
grapple with their whole lives was devastating, she said. “I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t fix it. That was the moment I realized that my hope is in God, and my power in being part of the companion relationship is through advocacy and awareness- building in my own population,” Neubauer added. The fourth-year seminarian is using her time
in Jerusalem to unpack what she learned from her recent internship at All Peoples Gathering Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. The city’s racial disparities reminded her of life in Palestine. “I feel like I can process them more actively in
Jerusalem, in an environment that continues to challenge me to have different eyes for how to be a voice in the U.S.,” she said.
Continued on page 40
Anna Johnson looks out at Hebron while Israeli soldiers stand nearby. A former Young Adults in Global Mission volunteer who served in the region, she is now working with the Mennonite Central Committee.
Photo: Gwen Gustafson-Zook
LIVINGLUTHERAN.ORG 39
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