Ashes of the Red Heifer

by Shannon Baker

  “I can understand how a stretch of real estate can be important but it seems ridiculous that so many people are losing their lives over land their religion tells them is holy.”

  David looked serious. “The Temple Mount is the holiest place on earth. It’s not about sticks and stones, it’s about God’s honor. The irony is that the Temple Mount is the one place, as a Jew, I’m obligated to pray and yet, it is the one place in the world where I can’t pray.”

  “Hassan said you can’t go up on the Temple Mount, why is that?”

  David rolled his eyes. “There is a misunderstanding about that, even among many Orthodox Jews. Anyone, even a corpse, can touch many places on the Mount. Different areas require certain rituals for Jews to be in compliance with Commandments. The only place where a Jew can’t stand is the Holy of Holies. We aren’t ritually clean. The reason we can’t pray on the Temple Mount is because the Muslims won’t allow it. It’s not against Israeli law but I would be arrested for bowing down or even uttering a simple Jewish prayer.”

  “Why is that?”

  David looked at her. “Because the Muslims know the power of Jewish prayer and it scares them. Our secular leaders are afraid of upsetting the Muslims so they kowtow to them. The leaders just don’t understand what God demands of us. They don’t recognize their heritage.”

  “So where is this Holy of Holies?”

  “It’s the spiritual and creative center of the world. The naval of the world they say. It sits under the hideous and gaudy Dome of the Rock.”

  “The place is obviously important or holy to the Muslims, too. Doesn’t look like they’re doing it any harm.”

  David stopped walking for a moment. “Harm? A casual tourist won’t see remnants of the First or Second Temple on the grounds. That’s because Muslims have systematically been removing any trace. They didn’t build the Dome over the sacred foundation stone for any religious reasons. They did it to hide the Jewish holy site. They’ve excavated a vast area under the south plaza and made a huge underground mosque. They hauled out stones from the Second Temple and tossed them in a garbage heap with other trash to make them hard to find. They’ve destroyed water chambers and arches and tried to wipe out any evidence of Jewish claim to the Mount.”

  “I can’t believe the Ministry of Antiquities would allow this. Remember how picky they were when the kibbutz farmers wanted to dig another well?”

  “As I said, the Israeli government is afraid of offending the Muslims. But believe me, the Muslims have a great deal of fear of the Jews.”

  “You’ve got me spooked right now,” she quipped.

  David remained uncharacteristically serious. “Many Jews believe the Messiah will enter the Temple Mount from the Mercy Gate.”

  “Where is that?”

  “On the northeast corner. The Muslims were so worried about that, they sealed up the gate. Not only that, they planted a cemetery outside the gate to assure that the Messiah couldn’t enter through there without being contaminated by death.”

  “You Jews sure have a thing about touching death.”

  David gave her the first smile in a long time. “Judaism is not a religion of death but of life. That’s why coming in contact with death is such a negative thing.”

  “I’m not big on death myself.”

  David’s anger returned. “Do you know who is buried in the cemetery outside the Mercy Gate?”

  Do I care? she wanted to say but kept her mouth shut. In her experience, religious frothing usually ended up with a belt across the back or an open palm slapped into her cheek.

  But he was on a roll. “Only suicide bombers. If you died killing Jews, you can be honored with burial there. Maybe Hassan’s brother is there.”

  She stopped, sudden anger making her struggle to keep her voice even. “Look, I don’t want to hear all this propaganda. Hassan is my friend and I have to help him.”

  The crowds were getting thicker and even less polite. People bumped and jostled Annie, adding to her nerves.

  “Hassan is my friend, too, you know. But the truth is Hassan is sworn to kill me. His mission as a faithful Muslim is to destroy infidels wherever he finds them. That includes you, too.”

  “Don’t make me choose between you and Hassan.” Annie’s anger surged through her to the tips of her fingers, which she clenched into a fist. She spun away from David and pounded down the street. She was as angry with herself as with him. Hadn’t she just been making that choice earlier? She’d told Hassan she was getting ready to love David. How stupid that seemed now. If anyone wanted a place in her life, they’d have to accept Hassan, too.

  David caught up with her. “I’m trying to warn you. To protect you.”

  “I’m trying to get away from you,” she said.

  “There is a plaque on the Temple Mount. A marble shaft on a prayer platform that calls for the destruction of Jews. In Israel, in Jerusalem, on the most holy place in all Judaism, the Muslims call for us to die. That is the friend you’ve sworn allegiance to.”

  She elbowed her way to the gate to Al Aksa, wanting to put her fist into David’s mouth to shut him up. But isn’t that the same mouth she wanted desperately to kiss? Man, she really hated it when religion messed up her life.

  She waited for David and tried to let go of her anger. “You feel strongly about this. But I’ve got even stronger feelings about Hassan. I’m going to help him. With you or without you.”

  He looked at her for a long moment. His voice lost some of its tension. “I’ll wait for you here.”

  Should she apologize? She didn’t want to walk away when there was rift between them. But his religious talk torqued her off. Still, she ached for a touch or kiss to give her courage. But then, she had survived without him all this time, she’d get through this, too.

  Annie walked through the impossibly tall gates into the Al Aksa compound suddenly feeling very alone and vulnerable.

  SEVEN

  She entered the gate, carried along with a crowd of mostly young men. She endured the same crude leers as before but most of the men seemed distracted and nervous. The gate opened into a wide walkway of paving stones. Trees and sparse grass lined the curbed sides of the promenade. A surprising number of buildings filled the compound, as if the area enclosed by the tall walls was a village of its own.

  She walked along with the crowd and then she saw it. The golden cupola of the Dome of the Rock. It glittered in the blazing desert sun, reflecting glory to the heavens. The sides held an intricate tile mosaic in blues and white. As far as buildings went, this one was magnificent.

  “Annie.” Hassan’s voice wasn’t loud but she picked it out immediately.

  She spotted him on a bench under a cedar tree. She hurried to him, noting he sat slumped slightly as if protecting his sore ribs. “How are you?”

  He smiled weakly. “I can’t remember when I’ve been better.”

  “How did you get out of the hospital? What are you doing here? How are we going to fix this? Should you turn yourself over to the U.S. embassy?”

  He held up his hand to stop her tumble of words. “Don’t worry, Annie. I am in good hands. I’ll be fine. The important thing is protecting you.”

  “Me?”

  He gestured to the surroundings. “I’m sorry about meeting here. I thought it would take us out of view of the police and we’d be in friendly territory. But I didn’t know about the disturbances.”

  Too many agitated people gathered here. “Let’s go to the embassy.”

  His face grew serious. “The bombing at the kibbutz was no mistake. You’re in terrible danger.”

  His face with its bruises and bandaged nose looked painful. She wanted to wrap him in her arms and soothe his pain. “They may have bombed the kibbutz but they aren’t after you or me.”

  “The Silim didn’t bomb the kibbutz.”

  It didn’t matter to her who dropped the bomb. They’d hurt Hassan and halted the research. What mattered was how Annie would fix it. “I don’t want to
argue about this.”

  Hassan’s kind face wrinkled in concern. “There are some things you need to understand so you’ll believe me about the danger you’re in.”

  “Can we focus on how we’re going to prove you aren’t a member of Silim and how you didn’t try to kill me? Once you’re free we can figure out everything else.”

  He sighed and looked up, giving himself a moment. He brought his head down and focused his swollen eyes on Annie. “I am a member of the Silim.”

  The words slapped her. Her mouth opened but no sound came out.

  He put a hand on hers. “But we didn’t bomb the kibbutz. The Jews did that for some reason I can’t understand.”

  Anger curdled her stomach. Confusion knotted with pain and she finally looked at him. “When did you join the Silim? How long have you lied to me?”

  His face looked tender. “I’ve always been part of the Silim. Meeting you wasn’t an accident. I was sent to protect you.”

  She pulled her hand away. “I’ve known you for fifteen years and you’ve been ‘protecting’ me the whole time?”

  He nodded.

  Tears fought in the back of her throat. “I trusted you. I thought you were my only friend.”

  He looked about ready to cry. “I am your friend.”

  She gave him the meanest look she could muster and her voice got cold. “What was there to protect me from?”

  He reached for her hand but stopped and settled his hands in his lap. “It is complicated but we knew that sooner or later they would find you and use you. We couldn’t have predicted how or when. So we had to stay close.”

  Nothing made sense. “Why is everyone so intent on protecting me? It’s hard to believe I’m so special I warrant my own bodyguard even though I have no money, no connections, don’t care about anything but curing a bovine disease. And let’s see, when you met me, I didn’t even have that going for me.”

  “You don’t understand. The Jews knew about you before you were even born. They have been directing you toward this moment.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh for the love of cheese.”

  “It’s true. The Jews believe prophecy points to your pivotal role in rebuilding the Temple.”

  “You’re full of malarky.” She held out her hand. “I want the samples you took.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t have them.”

  “Really?” she said, her voice dripping sarcasm. “Then who does?”

  “The same people who stole the data from my computer. The Jews, Annie. And David is one of them.”

  She wanted to slap him! No, she really didn’t want to put a hand to his face. It looked so painful. But she wanted him to shut up. “David has nothing to do with any of this.”

  “Please believe me. Your life depends on it.”

  “Why would I believe anything you’ve ever said or ever will say? We’re through.”

  His eyes teared up. “I love you, Annie.” He said it plainly as if he pointed out a common DNA sequence.

  “You don’t lie to people you love.”

  “You do whatever you have to do to protect people you love. Even if it risks your life.”

  She felt her lips turn up in contempt but her heart felt as though a dull scalpel slashed through it. “Cut the crap, Hassan. I want the samples. Now that I know you for what you are, there’s no reason for me to stop the research.”

  He blinked to clear the moisture from his eyes and looked down at his hands. “You have to stop the research. You are in danger.”

  She stood, anything to keep the pain of his betrayal from turning into tears. “And you’re paranoid. You lied to me. You aren’t my friend. You’re probably just what David warned me you were, a murderer and religious freak.”

  He reached up and grabbed her wrist. With surprising force he pulled her down beside him. “Listen to me for a minute.”

  She glared at him. Hassan began in a low voice. “Even though there are different branches of Islam, much like the different churches in the Christian faith, Muslims believe in the oneness of Allah. Islam is not a religion of violence and conquest, as some would like you to believe. It is based on total commitment to the Oneness of God. Islam respects other religions and invites all racial and ethnic groups to accept our tenets. We wish to be at peace with the East and West but will not be dominated by them.”

  She folded her arms as much to protect herself as to reject Hassan. She resisted but as he’d talked she’d heard the devotion in his voice, his gentleness, his care. He sounded like the same Hassan who had been beside her through all the terrible pain and loss in her life. She couldn’t imagine him wishing harm on anyone. And yet, he’d lied to her as long as she’d known him. Her heart and head weren’t in sync. She didn’t know which to believe, the heart that said Hassan was a loyal and dear friend, the family she’d lost? Or the head that said Hassan was a liar with a secret agenda?

  Hassan continued his lecture. “The Silim is sworn to protect the Dome of the Rock. We aren’t trying to convert others because we know that eventually the world will accept the Oneness of God without coercion. But we can’t be passive and let the violent and fanatical Jews take what Allah has given us to defend.”

  “You’re talking about the Dome? What does bombing a kibbutz and killing Avrel get you as far as the Dome is concerned?”

  He clenched his teeth a moment then said softly. “The Silim didn’t bomb the kibbutz.”

  “Right.”

  A crackle of a loudspeaker wafted over the people in the plaza and a man began to talk in excited Arabic.

  Hassan resumed in his reasonable voice. “Jerusalem was captured by Muslims without bloodshed in 639 A.D. Can you imagine how long ago that was? Except for the Crusades, Jerusalem was always ours, until 1917, when Britain took over. Jerusalem has been occupied since then.”

  Annie fought with her temper. “Let me get this straight: Muslims think Mohammed tagged this place for them. The Christians think Jesus gave them dibs. And the Jews are convinced God wants them to do a scrape-off of the Dome and build on the lot.”

  Hassan didn’t look pleased with her flip retort. “I’ve seen your face when you speak about the ranch where you grew up. You know the land is alive. Place is more real than time. I think you know that.”

  Annie gritted her teeth against the pain of loss. She closed her eyes and saw the grass-covered hills of the Nebraska ranch. The big bluestem, switchgrass, and wild wheat rippling gold, red and brown in the sparkling fall sunlight. Soft honking from a V of southbound geese floated through the air. The sun warmed her face, even as the brisk breeze riffled her hair, freeing strands from her braid. Home.

  The voice over the loudspeaker had the crowd sending up periodic cheers.

  Hassan continued. “You know my family was originally from Jerusalem. We lived here for hundreds of years. But we were driven out by the Jews. And what’s more, they destroyed the graves of our ancestors. We immigrated to Syria, and in the 1960’s, my parents moved to Detroit.”

  “Yeah? Well my family immigrated, too. My great-great grandfather made it from England to Ohio, his son went to Iowa, then to Nebraska, where the land has passed from generation to generation.”

  Hassan smiled sadly. “Yes, but your family moved toward opportunity. My family ran from persecution.”

  A group of ten rowdy young men filled the pathway in front of their bench. The men jostled and spoke in rapid, loud voices. The whole area filled with people.

  “I understand how your family felt they belonged here, but it has nothing to do with God giving it to Islam,” she said. “Jerusalem is a city like any other city, just with more effective marketing so everyone believes it’s filled with God’s special favor.”

  Hassan looked sad. “It is sacred. Why are you hiding the holiness of this place from yourself?”

  Annie scowled at a man eying her from the other side of the loud group of young men. “I’m not hiding anything. I just don’t have the imagination the rest of you seem to
.”

  “You can’t deny God forever. I see you flinch and turn away. He will demand you turn to him.”

  “As long as I turn as a Muslim, right?”

  He sounded slightly impatient. “I’m not here to convert you.”

  “No, you’re here to ‘protect’ me. To keep me from continuing my research. You’re a hero, Hassan. Thanks.”

  She realized English was coming from the loudspeaker. She tried to focus to understand what the voice said. “Only when this nation launches a jihad against the Zionist thieves and hate-filled settlers, will we fulfill our obligation to Allah. Allah shall take revenge on behalf of his prophet against colonist settlers who are sons of monkeys and pigs.”

  Annie lifted her eyebrows to Hassan. “Nice guy.”

  Hassan looked embarrassed. “I can’t control what they say. But you must believe me when I tell you that I’d never hurt anyone. Not unless they threaten something or someone I love.”

  She gave him a disbelieving look.

  He looked down again as if trying to build up courage to speak. He took a deep breath and searched her face. “I know you’re not going to like this. I hate it, too. But it is the only way to keep you safe.”

  Alarms went off in her head. She searched the crowd. A large man with dark skin and hair snaked toward her. She looked the other way and saw a smaller man every bit as focused on her. She spun to Hassan. “What is going on?”

  He put a hand on her arm. “I promise you will not be hurt. We just need to keep you out of harm’s way for a while.”

  She wrenched from his grasp and stood up. “You’re kidnapping me?”

  He shook his head, looking distressed. “No. We’re saving you.”

  The two men were closing in on her.

  Annie bolted through a tight group of older men in long robes. Whether their shouts and jeers were against her or for the vitriolic voice on the loudspeaker she didn’t care. She raced to the gates, shoving and dodging.

  “Annie!” Hassan shouted at her.

  He was following her, too. He shouldn’t run with his broken ribs and bruises. Let him run, she corrected herself. He lied to her and tried to kidnap her, why should she care if he hurt himself.