Ten years ago Belfast businessman James Black set out for Jerusalem in a 1929 Rolls Royce on what had been dubbed the Belfast to Jerusalem Peace Mission.

During the 10 days that the Irishman and his rather eye-catching car were in Israel, the former kibbutz volunteer paid a visit to the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace at Givat Haviva generating a great deal of media attention for peace projects at that time.

Recently James Black, his wife Carol, sister Sharon and husband Adrian paid a visit to Givat Haviva – this time however arriving in a hired car and no fan fare.

“The Belfast-Jerusalem run was quite an unforgettable experience,” recalled James - Jim to his friends - as the Blacks and Quinn’s were shown around the campus and stopped for a photo under the Peace Pole on the central lawn.

“One of the most vivid memories of that time in Israel was of course coming here to Givat Haviva and then driving to the village of Barta’a, a whole entourage crawling behind.  We parked the car exactly on where the pre-l967 border had been in the middle of the village,” said Jim.

“People from both sides of Barta’a, cameramen and other media people were all jostling to get a closer look at the car and take photographs of myself and the rest of the boys,” he said laughing at the memory.

‘The Boys’ were Catholic and Protestant teenagers who were studying to be mechanics at a Belfast technical college.  The idea of having them work together on a peace project was the brainchild of Jim, a proud Orangeman (Protestant) and fanatic collector of vintage cars who enjoys stripping down and restoring models he rescues from some of the strangest of places.

The 1929 Rolls Royce that eventually made it to Jerusalem was in a terrible state when Jim found it and decided to use the wreck as an educational tool whilst bringing the car fit for royalty back to its former glory.

James Black (in beige shirt) with ‘The Boys’ and 1929 Rolls

 Royce at the Western Wall in 1997

The Belfast to Jerusalem Peace Mission garnered media attention during the initial launch of the project at a fund-raising event in Belfast and from time to time during the period of the work itself.

Having spent a lengthy period of time as a volunteer in Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek quite some years before, Jim was offered hospitality by the kibbutz for himself and ‘The Boys’ should they succeed in fixing the car, driving it across Europe to Greece where they planned to put it on a boat to Israel.

“There were a lot of teething problems and at times I really thought that we wouldn’t get the project off the ground but as you know, we did and that was one hell of a thing,” said Jim with a broad smile of satisfaction.

The Rolls Royce left Ireland for England by boat, Jim then driving her to London where a send off was organized by the Israel Embassy and British JNF – the latter for whom Jim was to test the route for a planned vintage car run to raise funds for JNF.

Since Jim’s Belfast to Jerusalem successful run the JNF have held an annual vintage car rally every year, the route thoroughly tested by the erstwhile Irishman who paved the way of success for that venture.

When Jim arrived safely in Israel a decade ago ‘The Boys’ – the four teens and one of the college teaching staff who also worked on the project from the outset – were waiting for him at the Haifa port having flown to Israel from Belfast.

Of the many adventures Jim recalled whilst traveling around Israel was making it on time to a television studio in Ramat Gan to appear on a popular breakfast show together with the writer – a staff member of Givat Haviva but also the Irishman’s ‘kibbutz family’ since the l970s.

The television show started at 7 a.m – and in order to make it on time, the stately Rolls Royce rolled out of the kibbutz at 05.00 a.m. and as she huffed and puffed the hills and vales of Route 65 (Wadi Ara), the other cars on the road energetically hooted support for the Irishman’s mission.

The Rolls also undertook the long haul to Jerusalem successfully arriving on time for an official welcome to the City of Gold and presentation of Lion of Jerusalem badges by the then mayor, Ehud Olmert to Jim and ‘The Boys.’

Palestinians near the West Bank village of Umm

 Reichan admire the Rolls Royce

Unprecedented permission was also received via Mr. Olmert to allow the car to be driven on to the forecourt of the Western Wall where it generated an enormous amount of interest from everybody in the vicinity whether they be Orthodox Jews, secular, soldiers and policemen on duty!

Wearing very distinctive Givat Haviva shirts as they traveled the country, the boys from Belfast were stopped everywhere – not because of the shirts of course!!  Their photographs appeared in the major Israeli Hebrew and English press, Ma’ariv giving a double page feature to their mission.  The Irish press followed them closely and the mission was deemed a great success.

“At the time – just a decade ago - I don’t think anybody would have told you that they could foresee that we would have the peace agreements in place that have been successfully brokered of late in Ireland, so maybe, maybe something will give in that direction in this part of the world,” said Jim, as he, his wife, sister and brother-in-law stood on the Amir mountain range vantage point at Katzir looking down on the divided village of Barta’a where his vintage car had created such excitement ten years before but where few of the complications of daily life for the local residents have changed at all since.

‘The Boys’ at the Western Wall, Jerusalem - 1997

Adrian Quinn, Jim Black, Sharon Quinn and Carol Black at the Katzir vantage point,

 East Barta’a and the West Bank in the background