oints of view >> Send letters to: Ietters@thejewishnews.com Editorial Guest Column African American Confab Praises Jews And Israel kt Charles Wright Museum A stunning shoreline view of the Dead Sea I n the besieged Middle East, Israel and Jordan boast a 20-year-old peace treaty that has allowed Jerusalem to focus on other, more dangerous borders. The two nations, one Jewish and one Arab, also have a pact over freshwater, the desert region's lifeblood. The pact was imagined over a year ago, but is now poised for action. Under an agreement signed Feb. 26, the nations, both U.S. allies, not only will exchange water for their needs, but also will work jointly to save the Dead Sea — a fragile, saltwater wonder that harkens to biblical times. That sea is an economic engine for both nations, benefiting industry and attract- ing tourists. Phase 1 of the Two Seas Canal agreement calls for a Red Sea desalination plant to be built north of Aqaba, a Jordanian city adja- cent to Eilat at the southern tip of Israel. The plant will supply water to Israel's Arava agri- cultural region and to Aqaba. Also, Israel will pipe freshwater from Lake Kinneret in the north to Amman, the Hashemite Kingdom's capital and most-populous city. Reviving The Dead Plans further call for residual saline brines derived from the desalination process to be piped to the Dead Sea, famous for its high salt content. A 125-mile pipeline emanating from the Red Sea on the Jordanian side of the border will carry the brines, which will help stabilize the dwindling Dead Sea. The Dead Sea's water level has dropped in recent years partly because water from its main feeder, the Jordan River, has been redi- rected to growing neighboring countries. The World Bank and European Union may help finance the freshwater initiative, which is projected to cost $250 million. Construction on the desalination plant is expected to start within 18 months. Pipeline 28 March 5 • 2015 will be laid within three years, according to news reports. The Israel-Jordan agreement underscores that the Jewish state can work for the better- ment of its citizens and those of a neighbor- ing Arab land as long as there's a certifiable partner willing to cooperate regionally. Israeli energy and water resources minister Silvan Shalom considers the pact "the peak of fruitful and very good cooperation between Israel and Jordan!' If the initiative truly helps rehabilitate the Dead Sea and address region- al water issues, it will have validated Shalom's enthusiasm. Water's Force Field Underscoring the wet stuff's political pull, and its capacity to rise above clashing cultures, Israel and Jordan signed a water- oriented memorandum of understanding in 2013 along with a third partner — the Palestinian Authority, which will be posi- tioned to buy freshwater from Israel. The P.A. governs the Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank and is at odds with Israel over negotiating for peace although it does coop- erate with Jerusalem on security matters. In the case of water, the P.A. clearly sees Israel as a valuable, and necessary, resource. Saving the Dead Sea is a goal of what is effectively a trilateral water accord, but achieving it won't be easy: The jury is out on the consequences of mixing water from the Red Sea with that of the ecologically sensitive Dead Sea. While the accord struck by Israel and Jordan won't solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, whose roots are inextricably tied to Israel's 1948 War for Independence, it does offer a glimmer of hope that sustained coop- eration between Jews and Arabs is possible when there's at least a thread of common interests at stake. ❑ he Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History may not be first place you'd expect to find an Israel educational seminar, but that's exactly where the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews held its recent event. It was not your standard Israel seminar. Largely attended by African American pastors and featuring renowned Baptist speakers, it was part history lecture/part holy-roller-get-on-your-feet-and-shout revival meet- ing, all in the name of love for Israel and the Jewish people. To this Jewish writer, one of only two Jews at the event and represent- ing AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), it was both surreal and beautiful. It's not too often that Jews are the subject of a love-fest, but I can report that I was indeed in the middle of one, and I had to sometimes pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Revs. Deedee Coleman (Russell Street Missionary Baptist Church) and Glenn Plummer (Ambassadors for Christ Church), two prominent Israel activists within the African American com- munity, kicked things off with an examination of the religious and historical roots of the two groups. Both have been to Israel many times, often accom- panied with Jewish groups and other pastors. They love Israel and the Jewish people, and their pas- sion is heartfelt and instantly infectious. They told of their personal involvement in Israel's Operation Moses, the airlift that brought thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Many of the Ethiopians, Coleman said, had been living so remotely that they were shocked to learn that all Jews in the world weren't black. As direct descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, they had lived in strict accordance with ancient Jewish customs, including animal sacrifice, and it was their life mission to make aliyah to Israel. Coleman was onboard one of those airlifts from Ethiopia to Israel. It was a plane ride she'll never forget. She shared how the Ethiopians became overcome with emotion and literally cried and danced on the plane. At the moment when they first spotted Israeli soil, they broke into a wild chant of Am Yisrael Chai ("The people of Israel live!")! "This was the first time in history," Dr. Plummer noted, "that African were brought out of oppression and into a place of freedom. We should embrace and appreciate that." Dr. E. L. Branch, the highly regarded senior pastor of the Detroit mega- church, Third New Hope Baptist Church, demanded that the attendees "build friendships with Jews, learn about them, go to Israel." He reminded everyone that the Jewish people "had always been on the front lines" of the Civil Rights Movement 50 years ago. "We must stand with those who stood with us!" he implored and told the pastors that blacks "of all people" must not be "silent onlookers" to the rising tide of anti-Semitism. He spoke of the greatness of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, the famed rabbi who literally stood arm-in-arm with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. Calling Heschel "one of the most influential figures of the 20th century," Branch explained how the rabbi and King had developed an unshakable bond. At King's funeral, Heschel had been one of the few people to deliver a eulogy. Branch pointed out that in the recent movie Selma, Heschel is incor- rectly depicted as a Greek Orthodox priest. It was an error that clearly irked Branch, who presented a correct photograph of Heschel and King marching together, just to make sure the record was clear. Branch spoke of Henry Moskowitz, the prominent Romanian Jew who moved to New York, committed himself to Civil Rights and ultimately co- founded the NAACP in 1909.