Today began by creating community in another way. I met a friend to go running. This is someone who I know primarily through Facebook and running races at Disney. She lives in Guatemala City and is a teacher. It turns out she lives just two kilometers from the hotel.

The staff was not sure this was a great idea. But I am determined. OK some would even call me stubborn. So after getting clearance from one staff member we went.

There is a beautiful bike/walking/running trail just meters from the hotel. It runs down a central boulevard that passes some pretty ritzy real estate. Including the American Embassy. Many people were out using this path and except for the traffic and the fast pace set by my friend I did not find it scary at all.

We did see a fair amount of police presence but she said that was typical for rush hour. We talked about our running. Our families. The upcoming election both here in Guatemala and in the US. The Guatemalan election is September 6 and most people we have spoken with are not happy. There is a fair amount of corruption currently and the alternatives do not seem good either. Some even wonder if they will even vote.

After breakfast at the hotel it was time for sacred space. Pam led us in a lovely Modeh/Modeh Ani in the spirit of gratitude. I would like to bring back to my congregation. Lawrence led us in the Sh’ma begging us still to listen. It was a chant of the Kirtan Rabbi and I liked its gentle nature and its ability to slow us down. Slow me down. Then Pam talked about legacy as part of the Avot.

There are so many people who gave me the legacy of social justice. Certainly my mother and father. But also Al. Simon. Everett. Neil. David. Larry. Jack. Gordon. Linda. Peg. Katy. And the newer ones. Keith. Don. Denise. Maralee.

Then we talked about the ethical engagements in communities. How do we perceive culture.? Our staff person Leilach likes the work of Dr. Gary Weaver at the American University who talks about culture as an iceberg. 20% is visible. 80% is bidden beneath the surface. Those things include values and beliefs and thoughts and feelings. We talked about time—whether we are more on task or relationship. Whether we focus more on To Do (the most used verb in English) or To Be. Whether we are transactional or relational. And we looked at some quotes from Rigoberta Menchu Lord Sacks Eli Wiesel and one about Slumdog Tourism.

Then we studied in chevruta looking at a text from Pesikta d Rav Kahana 9:1 about being a tourist almost 2000 years ago in Rome and wondering at the poverty.

“When Rabbi Yehosua ben Levi went to Rome he saw marble pillars there which ahd been carefully covered with wrapping to keep them from cracking during the heat and freezing in the cold. At the same time he saw a poor man who had no more than a reed mat under him and a reed mat over him (to protect him from the elements).

My partner and I spoke of the wide discrepancy in wealth here and at home. At the mall here (I didn’t go) there are Mazeratis for sale. Yet the NGO we visited yesterday has a annual budget of just $45K. This part of Guatemala City looks pretty wealthy. Sections of town we drove through had crumbling buildings shuttered windows businesses obviously closed. I am sure we will see greater evidence of greater poverty out in the villages later in the week.

After studying the text we came back together to look at “Principles for Ethical Community Engagement (CHIME). If anyone wants the full text on this I will be happy to send it along.

Then we got on the bus with our tour guide Rambo and our Guatemalan expert Meghan and we went across town.

We met with two grantees today. The first Incidejoven is part of a youth movement that has worked to require sex education in every school. And they have won! Which is more than we in the United States can say when funding for Planned Parenthood is still threatened and more and more families exercise their opt-out options.

One of the challenges that Incidejoven has is that it is a youth movement. So once people reach 30 what happens? Currently that has meant that there is some leadership turnover and some lack of historical memory. AJWS is helping them with strategic planning and taking them to the next level. They are in beautiful new office space—for only a week! It is an old “colonial” house that has been converted to office space. It is light and airy with many levels. Perhaps what intrigued me the most is we had lunch outdoors—essentially in the garage. Now it makes so much sense how some of the households entertain in their garages all summer long! It is a great use of space.

We had the opportunity to meet in small groups with some of the leaders. My small group consisted of a rabbi from Milwaukee and a rabbi from San Francisco. We also had Christian and Paula. They were as curious about us and we were of them. Christian is the only male staff person and he is charge of doing training. It sounds like they are using a train the trainer model so that they can expand the capacity. Paula is studying law. They were both very articulate and passionate. And they are courageous. Christian in particular alluded to the fact that he is a survivor of sexual abuse. That takes great courage to admit in a group. I made sure with the help of one of our interpreters to thank him for his courage and to explain that he is not alone. We wished that we had more time because I for one would have liked to learn what Christian called revolutionary new methodologies for doing this kind of sex ed in the schools. I thought perhaps it would help the Community Crisis Center.

After lunch they led us in a game. They called it a game. Really it was an exercise of holding hands breathing in breathing out raising our arms and then screaming to recognize our power. The facilitator used a quote: “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” No one in our group seemed to recognize it but we all thought of the Herzl quote. “If you will it; it is no dream. It turns out after a careful search on google it is a John Lennon quote!

But this exercise goes to the believing in the possible which we talked about the first night.

After that we met the second group: La Enredadera de Mujeres. This is a new AJWS grantee. AJWS found them because some of the members are friends with the first group. Again we played a mixer: this time fruit salad. Mango. Banana. Pina. Switch. It really does break the ice and have every one giggling.

But the work they do is very serious. And the presenters rarely smiled as they presented the horrific statistics on child and teen pregnancy. Then they talked about their work on reducing sexual harassment in high schools and university. They talked about a campaign where the engineering school distorted their words and the frightening moment when they were locked in by the police until the dean could be called. Nonetheless they feel strongly that they are making a difference.

We got back on the bus feeling like we had new friends and partners.

A short break at the hotel which I used to prepare tomorrow’s sacred space. Then dinner at Azahar a Mediterranean restaurant where we again enjoyed wonderful vegetarian food. A paella. Mashed potatos and zuchinni spaghetti. But more important than the food where the three prompts to discuss with our table partners. Harkening back to the morning’s sacred space

One thing you are grateful for: I was grateful for the run and the ability to see a different Guatemala and I was grateful for my new friend Mark a rabbi who like Rabbi Everett Gendler is one who always moves tables and chairs. I was grateful for my chevruta study with him as well. One thing I want to take back with me is that sense of the possible. If you will it is no dream. A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality. That sense of partnership.

And as for legacy I tied it to Mark moving tables and shares. There are so so many but today I was thinking mostly of Everett and David Ferner.