If you missed the excellent news special about Jerusalem that ran on ABC just before Christmas, you might want to order the videotape. It would be especially informative -- and provocative -- for parish discussion clubs, high school religious education classes and interfaith groups.

Peter Jennings, anchor of the nightly news on ABC, hosted the special, "Peter Jennings Reports: Jerusalem Stories." As best as can be done within the limits of the time he was given, the newsman collapsed 3,000 years of history, the beliefs of three major faiths and the modern contention in that region into a 60-minute tour of a city that saw the glory of King David, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the domination by Muslims for centuries.

By focusing on little vignettes about Jerusalem, Jennings avoided the pitfalls of recondite politics and theology that could weigh down a focus on such an historic place.

People stories

Along with brief information about the past, he visits the people who live there now, including:

* A Jewish couple who found the past in their basement by digging down and discovering that their home is built on the ruins of an ancient villa;

* A Muslim man who wonders why his claims on the city are dismissed so cavalierly by many Israelis;

* A Palestinian Catholic family who feel caught between the Jewish-Muslim tension. This is a group often forgotten by the world in general and even by Catholics. We think of all Arabs as Muslims, not realizing that many are Christians. (Did you know, for instance, that the spokeswoman for Yasir Arafat is a Catholic?)

Places

Wandering around Jerusalem with his camera crew, Jennings:

* strolls along what one priest believes is the actual Way of the Cross, across town from the Via Dolorosa all of the tourists walk;

* stops by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which now covers where Christ died, was buried and rose again; and

* tries to get into a mosque and synagogue. In this effort, however, he is stymied and runs into trouble with Jews for interviewing a Muslim -- and vice versa.

Tensions

The special is not a travelogue, although that is part of it. More significantly, it captures the ongoing tensions of conflicting faiths and the embarrassing jostling for position that goes on at Christian shrines among various denominations that claim sovereignty over them.

While the show gives Jerusalem all of its due respect as the center of religious history and beautifully captures the prayerful faith expressed by its residents and visitors, the special does not shy from the real strife that goes on there.

The ending of the special is especially haunting as a modern-day Jeremiah cries out against what Christians, Muslims and Jews are doing to the city of God. "What will you say to God," he demands to know, about what you are doing to His city?

"Jerusalem Stories" would make an excellent spark for discussion of interfaith relations and modern Middle East tensions.

(To order a copy of "Peter Jennings Reports: Jerusalem Stories," call 1-800-913-3434. It costs $29.95 plus $4.95 for shipping and handling.)

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