Walking to Jerusalem: Blisters, hope and other facts on the ground

by Justin Butcher

2017 marked three important anniversaries for the Palestinian people: 100 years since the Balfour Declaration; 50 years since the Six-day War; and ten years since the Blockade of Gaza. As an act of penance, solidarity and hope, actor and musician Justin Butcher - along with ten other companions for the full route, plus another hundred joining him for various stretches along the way - walked from London to Jerusalem.

This book is the record of his journey: a combination of walking journal, travel writing and pilgrim stories. It's less of a travel guide to walking across Europe and more an exploration of the many strands radiating from the Holy Land and its narrative, weaving paths across place and history, through the lives of Justin's fellow-walkers - and, of course, his own life.

Between the route itinerary and the themes of Balfour and Christian Zionism, Weizmann and cordite, colonialism, Jerusalem Syndrome and Desert spirituality, Justin charts a chronicle of serendipity: happenstances hilarious, infuriating and occasionally numinous - or, as pilgrims might say, encounters with the Divine.

Genres: Travel, Memoir, History, Biography, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 29, 2018

Reviews

[Justin Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This narrative of Zionist occupation, pieced together by journal entries from Justin Butcher who walks from London to Jerusalem, opened my eyes to the Palestinian struggle and the need for justice 102 years after the Balfour Declaration.

The journal entries are littered with encounters with locals, poems along the journey and vibrant depictions of the landscape. The entries appear scattered at times along the journey though they do a good job of delivering the message of the walk through 147 days. The Turkish, Jordanian, and Israel/Palestine chapters particularly fascinated me by the encounters in Middle Eastern land. The hope expressed as the walkers shared the reason for their pilgrimage was inspiring and indeed important.

I struggled to rate between a 3 and 4 stars but recommend this book to anyone who wants to be inspired by 60 people who shared a hope of justice. It has elements of Justin’s faith sprinkled in and takes you through cultures along the way.

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I shall be delighted to close this book in a week's time, 'insha'allah.' Having found it on the 'religion' shelf in the library, I resolved to read from cover to cover what I expected to be a travelogue of Europe and Asia Minor. Instead, (in addition to a little of that) I got a tiresome bit of political activism on behalf of the Palestinian cause. While I do sympathise with the unjust situation that continues in the Holy Land, this book was simply disappointing. But well-written. This is not a book about pilgrimage. Three stars.

[Jane Riordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a jumble sale - 4 books for £1 - and it was the title which caught my eye but, of course, the timing of my finding this book was pertinent coming, as it did, the day after the recent attacks which triggered more atrocities against the people of Palestine.

Reading other reviews, many complain that there is too much coverage of the walk and not of being in Palestine, but I found those passages interesting, not least because of the number of people the walkers meet along their route who have connections with Palestine, either having been displaced themselves or having worked to support the Palestinian people.

Reading the book is not a particularly easy read - as is evidence by how long I have taken to finish it - but it has given me an insight into the situation which I didn't have before, and has also pricked my conscience, as it should, as to the responsibility of my government for creating this problem and their ineffectiveness in seeking a peaceful solution.

Definitely an educational and thought provoking read.

[Mark Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is trying to do two things. It’s better at one than the other.
As a journal of a journey it doesn’t work that well for me - it can be rather dull in passages.
The writer is much more interested in, and convincing on, telling us about the injustices done to the Palestinian people. It’s well worth reading to improve your understanding of that issue. I’m left in no doubt about the dreadful impact of Israeli policy on the Palestinians and motivated to do something about it.

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed like it would be quite interesting, but I was disappointed with it. I think I just don't care for the writing style, plus sometimes I had no idea what he was talking about. Sometimes I didn't understand the words he used, perhaps because he is British and I am American. He includes some information that seemed irrelevant that I didn't really care about. I felt like I got to know him a bit, but I didn't really get to know the others who completed the walk very well. Technically the author did not complete the whole "walk" either, as he took several trips back to London. I do appreciate the purpose of the "walk" and the Palestinians they met were very appreciate of their show of solidarity. I think maybe a better title would have been Pilgrimage From London to Jerusalem because they did not walk the whole time. There was a lot of interesting information about the Balfour Declaration and the plight of the Palestinian peoples. I knew some, but know I know more. At the end, though, what they did didn't seem to change anything, which is sad. The whole situation is complicated; I imagine both sides are right and both sides are wrong, as the author says, really what needs to happen is for everyone to live together peacefully as equals in the land that belongs to Jews, Muslims and Christians.

[Jonathan Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was rather a mish mash of a book with the narrative of the walk and the author's views on Palestine. He unfortunately seems to have at least partially failed on both accounts. The sections about the walk are quite dull and there is a lack of academic rigour in the historic sections. While there is no doubt of the absolute inhumane conditions that the Palestinians are forced to live in, this continual linking of the Balfour declaration of 1917 and the present ignoring what happened in the intervening period is bizarre. The author references Indiana Jones 4 times but doesn't mention Amos Oz once. The author may see religious groups as taking a leading role in a future settlement but their previous intransigence has contributed to the current situation.

[Danial Tanvir · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a nice memoir by Justin butcher.
he is from London, England and he decides to walk from England to Jerusalem which is Israel.
he decides to do this in 2017 and he walks all the way meeting people and experiencing things on way and he gets blisters etc.
he travels through many countries and it takes him 5 months to do so .
he then reaches Jerusalem , Israel where he sympathises with the people who are being attacked and killed by the people of Israel.
he has a lovely walk or a journey and then there is an abrupt ending in which is describes himself as a catholic!.
it was a enjoyable read!.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't as compelling as a travelogue as something like A Time of Gifts and related books by Patrick Leigh Fermor, but it was interesting to hear the author's perspective on Palestine and to learn more about the Balfour Declaration and its aftermath through the present day. *this review is based on a free advance reader copy from the publisher*

[Peter Sunlit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent, erudite writer with vivid descriptions of his travels. Just don't expect to read that he walked all the way. Not a criticism but maybe the title should read Planes, buses, cars and walking to J. This is really a book about Palestine.

[Katie Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this really interesting as I knew very little about what was going on in the area. For me the walk aspect was an aside, there are lots of better books if you are looking for a travelogue, but as a comprehensive view of a complex issue it was very good.

[Taybah_tells]

DNF.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't the most exciting read, however, very important and informative.

[Chris Waterford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally agree with the sentiments expressed in this book but a bit too much detail for my liking.
7/10

[Richard Clarkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was all there out in the open. and documented pre genocide .

[Sam Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walking to Jerusalem

By Justin Butcher

Sam Zachary



The non-fiction novel, walking to Jerusalem by Justin Butcher is a novel about a journey from London to Jerusalem to advocate for peace between Palestine and Israel and rights for Palestinians because Israel is occupying Palestine. Justin Butcher, who is the main character lives in London with his wife and kids. Justin had a friend, Ahmed who is from the Gaza strip in Palestine, which is the border of Israel and Egypt. Ahmed was able to escape to start a new life in London to get away from the violence, but his mother stayed there. Ahmed’s mother got cancer and Ahmed was never let in the Gaza strip because the borders were closed, so now he couldn’t visit his mother. Ahmed’s family was from a part of Palestine that is now an Israel- occupied territory, but because of the violence, his family escaped to Jabaliya Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. Later, Ahmed’s mother was better, so she got to visit Ahmed in London. First, Justin talks about his past journeys to Palestine and Jerusalem. In Palestine, Ahmed has met people who were very hospitable and whose homes were destroyed by the Israeli army. Also, people in Palestine didn’t get a lot of resources they need because they are controlled by Israel. Then, Justin starts the walk. A lot of adults all ages and from various parts of the world come with Justin on the walk. People have had to come and go because of family obligations. The journey is mostly walking with some driving. The group sees a lot of holy sites to learn about different religious movements plus some other sites. For the entire journey, which is June-November, the group meets some amazing people and experiences great hospitality. Justin has already known some of these people. First, the group went through the countryside in England and then, the group got on a ferry and arrived at the French coast where they went to various places in the French countryside. After that, the group went through Switzerland where they saw some amazing nature. Then, the group was in Italy. After Italy, the group took a ferry to Albania where they arrived at the beautiful coastline and saw other amazing parts of Albania. The group then saw a bit of Macedonia and then arrived in Greece. In Thessaloniki, Greece the group visited the refugee camp and saw what the life of refugee children was like. The group then went had to cross the Greece-Turkey border, which was a bit of a challenge, but they arrived. The group saw various sights in Istanbul including the Hagia Sophia. Finally, the group got a flight to Jordan where they saw Petra, an ancient city and beautiful nature. After that it was time for the group to go to Palestine. You will have to read the book to find out what happens next.

Overall, I personally liked this book. What I liked about this book was that it had a detailed explanation of what the point of the journey was and what has been going on in Palestine. In addition, I liked how Justin talked about his previous trips to Palestine and examples of what people have been experiencing in Palestine. Also, I agree with Justin that Israel and Palestine should make piece and that Palestinians deserve their rights. Finally, I personally enjoyed how when Jack described what the group saw during the journey, it was easy to understand, so it is a whole journey in a book

Some things I personally wasn’t a big fan of was that some descriptions of the sights were too long so it could get boring. It was also confusing that there were a lot of characters, so it was hard to keep track of all the characters. Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The type of reader who would like this book is someone who is interested in politics, advocating for piece, and what is going on in other countries. This novel has 285 pages with an epilogue and acknowledgements at the end.

[Lindsay Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains why a group of people walked from England to Palestine for the anniversary of the Balfour Treaty. Going into this book I didn't know anything about the set up of Isreal after WWII, and I feel I have a much better understanding now.

I enjoyed the parts about Palestine and the history of Isreal & Palestine. But I felt some of the other parts about the walk were added as filler. Also there were several religious moments in this book, as the walk was being done as a pilgrimage.

This is about an important subject, but I feel it. could've been told in a better way. This book read more like short stories from a holiday.

[Carolyn Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 expressed Britain’s support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” One hundred years later, from 10th June to 2nd November, a group of walkers undertook to “Just Walk to Jerusalem” from London, to show solidarity with Palestinians, express penance for the Declaration and offer hope for the future.
The book starts with political history and ends with emotional descriptions of the group’s reception by Palestinian people, who are hugely grateful that anyone cares what is happening to them.
In between is an often humorous, sometimes poetic and exhilarating account of the 3,400km trek across Europe to the Holy Land. Whatever your thoughts on Israel/Palestine, the book is worth reading for this (largest section) alone.

[Zareen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling, informative, clear, illuminating. This walk was planned to take place to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration of 2 November 1917. It marks the awful turn of events when the Israelis engage in a land grabbing operation, totally dispossessing the original inhabitants.

An act of courage & perseverance that took Justin Butcher & his band of walkers five months to complete, from 10 June - 2 November 2017. Extremely well written and gives an insight into the genesis of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Extremely genuine and filled with impassioned honest compassion.