David Crabtree: Memorial Day in the Holy Land a reminder of our hard-won freedoms

David Crabtree, former WRAL anchor and now CEO of PBS North Carolina, is spending Memorial Day in Jerusalem. Crabtree has made a half dozen trips to the Holy Land, to listen to the voices of Jews and Muslims who live side by side in this divided city.

Monday, 6 a.m.: Morning has broken

The first rays of sunlight are beginning to kiss the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem ever so slightly. The western quadrant of this magnificent center of the Holy Land is stretching, yawning and rubbing its eyes as another day begins.

In my mind, I hear Cat Stevens fingertips grace the keys of a grand piano and lead me to those all too familiar words of guidance:

“Morning has broken, like the first morning.
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,
praise them for springing fresh from the world.”

Stevens, now Josef didn’t compose this treasure. The poem/hymn first sprang from Eleanor Farjeon in 1931. She told her friends and admirers the inspiration came from the English village of Alfriston in east Sussex then set to a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune, Bunessan.

This late May morning, I am more moved by the words than their origin, yet I am deeply thankful Eleanor allowed the spirit of writing and composing to move through her so the world could look at each day differently.

This is my sixth trip to Israel, a country I once called home for nine months. I've returned for another pilgrimage and to continue bridge building work with Israelis and Muslims. Listening to the other is a benefit I think we can all share.

In less than 12 hours, I have seen drastic changes to downtown Jerusalem – new buildings, new people, even some new thoughts.

“I think we have a better chance for freedom than ever," my driver Nami says.

He is 41, born to a Jewish father and a Palestinian mother. His love of country and the land is split only by the politics of others.

Nami chose an Israeli citizenship and travels freely within the country. His two brothers are officially Palestinian, living in the West Bank. Their mobility is severely limited because of politics and governmental exclusion.

Nami is excited as he gestures. “My family. My friends. We do not fight. We (do) not want war. We want peace and just work and support family,” he says.

As he maneuvers through traffic, I notice his shoulders slump. He deeply exhales. “It’s my daughters I worry about,” he says, telling me they are “six years, fours years, three months.”

There is a pause. He says, “They deserve better.”

Nami will drive me to Bethlehem on Thursday. We will cross the border into the West Bank without problem. In fact, if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t know. Bethlehem is to Jerusalem as Garner is to Raleigh, about six or seven miles away.

The major difference, and why you would know, is that there is a major wall separating free from captive.

Morning breaks over each of us – the free and the captive.

May we always remember our freedoms on this day so many died to protect.

David Crabtree, former WRAL anchor and reporter, is traveling in the Holy Land as part of a listening and civil discourse initiative for PBS North Carolina.