Born in Jerusalem, Michal Morris Kamil Camille (shown at right) is rabbi of Ahavat Torah, a synagogue that meets at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Mar Vista. Born in Anaheim, Pam Hope is director of mission advancement for the Immaculate Heart Community, which nests at St. Paul’s Commons, Echo Park, regional headquarters for all us Episco-Pals.
In the months since Oct. 7, Pam and I have chatted in the hallways, the rabbi and I on the phone. We three talked for two hours in my office on Thursday. Both veterans of the Israel Defense Forces and longtime progressive activists, they love Israel, oppose the Netanyahu regime, fear Hamas, and weep for every innocent Palestinian who has died in Gaza during the counterinsurgency.
It was a conversation about paradox and irreconcilable truths. I apologized for asking Michal and Pam so many questions when they are the ones in agony. But we knew something was up. Without our sharing real estate, I probably would not have known either nor they one another. That is what happens with them who are in faith. The Holy Spirit is powerful and finds whatever way she needs to accomplish her purposes. So we will meet again, perhaps around a larger table, we hope with some of the voices that were missing on Thursday.