The past few days in Nazareth have been awesome! We visited the Nazareth Village, with live actors and a recreated village of what this place would have looked like when Jesus lived here. We went swimming in these man-made lake things and had a big picnic lunch. We explored more Roman ruins (probably the 20th Roman city we've seen this trip). Then today we had a free day! After days of heavy stuff, like hearing from settlers in the city of Ariel and the shooting at Jenin, it was great to have a relaxing day off. Nine of us went to a coffee shop for the morning, where we felt very Middle Eastern smoking hookah and playing badgamman (I did not spell that right, sorry). Then we had our second Turkish bath experience--so much better than the first! We got the full treatment--massage, steam room, sauna, jacuzzi, fruit and juice and hot rocks...all for about 15 bucks. I love the Middle East.
Tomorrow we're embarking on the Jesus Trail, a 3-day, 40-mile hiking trail going from Nazareth to Capernum, walking the roads Jesus walked. 23 people, 3 days, 40 miles, 23 tiny little backpacks...it's gonna be an adventure! So stoked!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sad sad story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12963475
This morning we were in Jenin, Palestine, at the Freedom Theatre in the refugee camp. We heard a hopeful story from kids involved in the theatre, who use drama therapy to express their emotions about their life in the camp. We even had a spontaneous dance session with some of the kids in their dance room. But soon after we left the theatre to head into Nazareth, the director (son of the founder) was shot and killed right outside the theatre. We just found out.
It's a horrible, tragic story. We're all safe and we were far away when the shooting happened, but it's crazy to think that the man who's business card I picked up as I was leaving the Freedom Theatre was shot five times and killed by a masked militant only a few hours later. Pray for Palestine and Jenin.
This morning we were in Jenin, Palestine, at the Freedom Theatre in the refugee camp. We heard a hopeful story from kids involved in the theatre, who use drama therapy to express their emotions about their life in the camp. We even had a spontaneous dance session with some of the kids in their dance room. But soon after we left the theatre to head into Nazareth, the director (son of the founder) was shot and killed right outside the theatre. We just found out.
It's a horrible, tragic story. We're all safe and we were far away when the shooting happened, but it's crazy to think that the man who's business card I picked up as I was leaving the Freedom Theatre was shot five times and killed by a masked militant only a few hours later. Pray for Palestine and Jenin.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Fear is the greatest motivator: Beit Sahur
Next stop was Bethlehem for three days. First, we visited the Church of the Nativity, marking the spot where Jesus was born. Going into these holy pilgrimage sites all over Europe and the Middle East has been interesting for me...somehow I don't seem to connect with them as much as the Catholic or Orthodox Christians we saw. Embellished golden plates and an ornate star on the ground marked the "exact spot" where Mary gave birth, and then a few feet away, the "exact spot" she laid Jesus in the manger. My Western, non-denominational upbringing raised up a storm of criticism. How do they KNOW this is THE spot? There's no way! I respect the holy site...but then again I don't believe God is more present in this church than in my church at home. What makes an object holy? Is it the proximity to someone holy? Or is the belief and devotion held by the pilgrims who do come to visit these spots? Food for my thought.
We then stopped by a make-shift tent in Manger Square (yes, that's its real name). A group of young Palestinian boys draped in kafias and waving the Palestinian flag explained how they had been protesting since March 15 (when many Middle Eastern youth movements began protesting) for unity between Hamas and Fatah. (Hamas is the leadership in control of the Gaza Strip; Fatah of the West Bank--and they don't see eye to eye on all things). These kids want a Palestinian state, and they're out protesting until their leadership can get it together and form a unified Palestinian representation.
Our three nights in the area were actually spent in homestays with local Arab families--mine and Audrey's lived in the next Palestinian town called Beit Sahur. After meeting at Holy Land Trust (the organization setting us up with the homestays), me and Audrey were picked up by our host father, a nice man named Muhannad Bannoura. He took us home and introduced us to his family--his wife Nancy and two young boys (Cosiah and Fahdie--I totally butchered those spellings but oh well). They lived in the house below his parents, and his two brothers and their families lived in the two houses next door. We loved our time with this family! They are Orthodox Christians, and we spent the first night flipping through Muhannad and Nancy's wedding photos (4 albums of them) for about an hour and chatting. They were so nice, and tried to teach us a little Arabic.
The second night, we met all their families and had drinks and smoked hookah together, chatting about life and politics. It was sad to hear the story of how the Bannoura family had lost over 40 acres of land in 1998, when Muhannad got a call from his brother one day saying Israel had taken their property for settlements. There was nothing they could do to stop the IDF soldiers, with their guns and tanks. Now the family lives on a small plot of land. In the Second Intifada, when a stand-off raged between Palestinian fighters and IDF soldiers in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the town was crawling with tanks and the military. "We would just go down to the lowest room and hide as soon as the shooting started. You couldn't even go outside," Muhannad and Nancy told us. His father's house still has bullet holes from the IDF guns, and one of his cousins was shot 8 times in the back by an IDF soldier when he was just out walking down the street.
This nice, Christian family was just like any other family--taking their boys to preschool, trying to pay the bills, going to weddings and church and baptisms, saving for their vacation to the beach in Egypt...yet their lives were so dictated by checkpoints, IDF soldiers, and conflict swirling all around them. It was another wrench thrown in my already jam-packed head concerning the conflict. I loved my time there though, and am so appreciative for their hospitality, willingness to answer all our questions, and share their hookah with us. :) They invited me back if I ever am in the area again!
Holy Land Trust--This organization founded and run by Sami Awad, a Palestinian Christian, is working for peace and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. Sami talked to us one morning in Bethlehem, and had some of my favorite quotes so far. He urged the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestments, Sanctions) as a way for the international community to put pressure on Israel to pull out of their settlements in the West Bank. Comparisons between the Palestinian issue and the US Civil Rights issue of the 60's were helpful for us American students to understand things better. Some of my favorite quotes of his:
"The worst thing for Israel and its propaganda machine is an organized, non-violent, mass protest movement."
"The 'Never Again' attitude should apply to all humanity, not just the Jews."
"There is a difference between people and policy."
"Fear is the greatest motivator of human behavior."
"Christian Zionism in the US is a huge obstacle preventing the peace process."
"Freedom is for the oppressed and the oppressors."
His closing words to our group were a challenge: "We get hopeful when we meet people like you. You are the future. Now you are responsible because you know--go challenge the world and American structures at home."
Matt (one of our leaders) echoed that thought later in class with one of his favorite quotes: "Once you have seen, you can't un-see." This left me wondering--what do I do about all this when I get home? Get ready family and friends, I'm starting with you! Prepare to be educated. :)
The final haunting image of Bethlehem was the Wall. What Israel calls a "security barrier" is a huge, tall concrete wall cutting past the Green Line and into the West Bank territory--often cutting off Palestinians from their families, land or work. Walking down the length of the Wall and reading graffiti (photos of which I'll post later) was chilling and sobering. I imagine it was similar to the Berlin Wall of the 80's. I wonder, when will this wall fall?
We then stopped by a make-shift tent in Manger Square (yes, that's its real name). A group of young Palestinian boys draped in kafias and waving the Palestinian flag explained how they had been protesting since March 15 (when many Middle Eastern youth movements began protesting) for unity between Hamas and Fatah. (Hamas is the leadership in control of the Gaza Strip; Fatah of the West Bank--and they don't see eye to eye on all things). These kids want a Palestinian state, and they're out protesting until their leadership can get it together and form a unified Palestinian representation.
Our three nights in the area were actually spent in homestays with local Arab families--mine and Audrey's lived in the next Palestinian town called Beit Sahur. After meeting at Holy Land Trust (the organization setting us up with the homestays), me and Audrey were picked up by our host father, a nice man named Muhannad Bannoura. He took us home and introduced us to his family--his wife Nancy and two young boys (Cosiah and Fahdie--I totally butchered those spellings but oh well). They lived in the house below his parents, and his two brothers and their families lived in the two houses next door. We loved our time with this family! They are Orthodox Christians, and we spent the first night flipping through Muhannad and Nancy's wedding photos (4 albums of them) for about an hour and chatting. They were so nice, and tried to teach us a little Arabic.
The second night, we met all their families and had drinks and smoked hookah together, chatting about life and politics. It was sad to hear the story of how the Bannoura family had lost over 40 acres of land in 1998, when Muhannad got a call from his brother one day saying Israel had taken their property for settlements. There was nothing they could do to stop the IDF soldiers, with their guns and tanks. Now the family lives on a small plot of land. In the Second Intifada, when a stand-off raged between Palestinian fighters and IDF soldiers in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the town was crawling with tanks and the military. "We would just go down to the lowest room and hide as soon as the shooting started. You couldn't even go outside," Muhannad and Nancy told us. His father's house still has bullet holes from the IDF guns, and one of his cousins was shot 8 times in the back by an IDF soldier when he was just out walking down the street.
This nice, Christian family was just like any other family--taking their boys to preschool, trying to pay the bills, going to weddings and church and baptisms, saving for their vacation to the beach in Egypt...yet their lives were so dictated by checkpoints, IDF soldiers, and conflict swirling all around them. It was another wrench thrown in my already jam-packed head concerning the conflict. I loved my time there though, and am so appreciative for their hospitality, willingness to answer all our questions, and share their hookah with us. :) They invited me back if I ever am in the area again!
Holy Land Trust--This organization founded and run by Sami Awad, a Palestinian Christian, is working for peace and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. Sami talked to us one morning in Bethlehem, and had some of my favorite quotes so far. He urged the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestments, Sanctions) as a way for the international community to put pressure on Israel to pull out of their settlements in the West Bank. Comparisons between the Palestinian issue and the US Civil Rights issue of the 60's were helpful for us American students to understand things better. Some of my favorite quotes of his:
"The worst thing for Israel and its propaganda machine is an organized, non-violent, mass protest movement."
"The 'Never Again' attitude should apply to all humanity, not just the Jews."
"There is a difference between people and policy."
"Fear is the greatest motivator of human behavior."
"Christian Zionism in the US is a huge obstacle preventing the peace process."
"Freedom is for the oppressed and the oppressors."
His closing words to our group were a challenge: "We get hopeful when we meet people like you. You are the future. Now you are responsible because you know--go challenge the world and American structures at home."
Matt (one of our leaders) echoed that thought later in class with one of his favorite quotes: "Once you have seen, you can't un-see." This left me wondering--what do I do about all this when I get home? Get ready family and friends, I'm starting with you! Prepare to be educated. :)
The final haunting image of Bethlehem was the Wall. What Israel calls a "security barrier" is a huge, tall concrete wall cutting past the Green Line and into the West Bank territory--often cutting off Palestinians from their families, land or work. Walking down the length of the Wall and reading graffiti (photos of which I'll post later) was chilling and sobering. I imagine it was similar to the Berlin Wall of the 80's. I wonder, when will this wall fall?
Tent of Nations
After our crazy time in Jerusalem we spent one night at the Tent of Nations. This piece of farm land is situated on a hilltop in Palestine, surrounded by Israeli settlements on other hilltops nearby. It belongs to a Palestinian Christian family who have legal papers for the land dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Israel wants to take the land for more settlements, but is unable to because of the legal papers. So they've resorted to cutting off this family from water, electricity and access to public roads. We had to pile out of our rickety old bus and scramble over two huge roadblocks to reach the driveway (all this while wearing our big backpacks of course).
We spent the afternoon helping out around the farm--putting up tents, clearing rocks from land...I found myself digging holes with a pickaxe thing and making a rock wall around some trees. But my work was soon interrupted by a cute little blond girl--Stella! Her family was from Holland and also helping out at the camp. Needless to say, I probably spent as much time playing and adventuring with her (and Sarah Iskander) as I did working that night. She did my make-up, bright pinks and purples...and then later at dinner Reyn asked me if someone had punched me in the eye.
After class debrief, campfire songs and stargazing, we went back to our tents for the night. It was freezing cold (even though it was March), and we each had one tiny scrap of material for a "blanket." To make it worse, the inside of the tent (where all 15 of us girls slept) collected condensation all night and rained down on us. Also Leah (God bless her) snored all night...so basically, I didn't sleep at all. Neither did anyone else. We would all kind of sit up every few hours and talk about how mad we were that we weren't sleeping and how freaking cold it was, etc. Bonding?
We spent the afternoon helping out around the farm--putting up tents, clearing rocks from land...I found myself digging holes with a pickaxe thing and making a rock wall around some trees. But my work was soon interrupted by a cute little blond girl--Stella! Her family was from Holland and also helping out at the camp. Needless to say, I probably spent as much time playing and adventuring with her (and Sarah Iskander) as I did working that night. She did my make-up, bright pinks and purples...and then later at dinner Reyn asked me if someone had punched me in the eye.
After class debrief, campfire songs and stargazing, we went back to our tents for the night. It was freezing cold (even though it was March), and we each had one tiny scrap of material for a "blanket." To make it worse, the inside of the tent (where all 15 of us girls slept) collected condensation all night and rained down on us. Also Leah (God bless her) snored all night...so basically, I didn't sleep at all. Neither did anyone else. We would all kind of sit up every few hours and talk about how mad we were that we weren't sleeping and how freaking cold it was, etc. Bonding?
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Processing Jerusalem
On a lighter note, I've got some awesome pictures of our time in and near Jerusalem:
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| The view from our roof. You can see the Dome of the Rock in the distance. |
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| Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
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| Chapel marking where Jesus is said to have been buried and rose again. |
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| Super Jew! |
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| The Western Wall |
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| An orthodox Jew in the Old City |
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| Israeli flag |
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| Me, Sarah & Kelsey at the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount |
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| Jerusalem's first ever marathon! |
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| Old city in the distance with Palestinian villages and Israeli settlements in the foreground |
More photos to come later! Stay posted!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Palestine link
We've been here in Jerusalem almost a week and I haven't really blogged about it yet...partially this is because we've been super busy and I haven't had tons of free time. But mostly it's because I'm still trying to process all the information and stories presented to me. We've heard from a professor at Hebrew University about his opinion on the settlement "expansions", visited Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum), saw the motivation for Zionism in the Hertz Museum, and talked to Palestinians living under what they call an occupation of East Jerusalem. We visited the City of David, a tourist site run by Israelis where King David established his claim to the ancient holy city...and saw the surrounding poverty-stricken Palestinian village of Silwan. We sat on the roof yesterday listening to one Palestinian and one Israeli from and organization called Combatants for Peace talk about their passion for nonviolent efforts toward peace...and we heard when the bomb exploded in West Jerusalem, killing one and injuring many Israelis.
There are many narratives on the conflict and many opinions on the situation. I'm just beginning to delve into the sticky mess to figure out what is truth and what is politics. I can't say that I have opinions what should be done yet--I felt sad seeing the horrors the Jewish people went through in the Holocaust when I was in Yad Vashem, and I felt sad watching a documentary that showed a Palestinian family crying after their house was demolished by Israeli bulldozers. I haven't blogged about all this yet because I haven't figured out what to say.
If I've learned one thing for sure it's that I was very ignorant of the situation before this trip. When I set up this blog, I made links for all the countries I thought I might visit, so I could link the posts to their respective countries. I included an "Israel" link, but no "Palestine" link. That right there proves my limited knowledge previously--Israel is not an undisputed area. The fight over what is technically Israel and what is Palestine is one of the key issues. We will be visiting Palestinian land on this trip--East Jerusalem (though it has been annexed and is illegally occupied by Israel currently) and the West Bank. I'm adding a Palestine link for those blog posts.
In the meantime, I'm learning how much I didn't know about the truth on the ground here.
There are many narratives on the conflict and many opinions on the situation. I'm just beginning to delve into the sticky mess to figure out what is truth and what is politics. I can't say that I have opinions what should be done yet--I felt sad seeing the horrors the Jewish people went through in the Holocaust when I was in Yad Vashem, and I felt sad watching a documentary that showed a Palestinian family crying after their house was demolished by Israeli bulldozers. I haven't blogged about all this yet because I haven't figured out what to say.
If I've learned one thing for sure it's that I was very ignorant of the situation before this trip. When I set up this blog, I made links for all the countries I thought I might visit, so I could link the posts to their respective countries. I included an "Israel" link, but no "Palestine" link. That right there proves my limited knowledge previously--Israel is not an undisputed area. The fight over what is technically Israel and what is Palestine is one of the key issues. We will be visiting Palestinian land on this trip--East Jerusalem (though it has been annexed and is illegally occupied by Israel currently) and the West Bank. I'm adding a Palestine link for those blog posts.
In the meantime, I'm learning how much I didn't know about the truth on the ground here.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Living between two fires
"Being a Christian in Palestine is like living between two fires: the Israeli occupation and the militant Arabs."
-Hanna Massad
Our second talk in Aman on March 19 was from a pastor of the Gaza Baptist Church, now living in Jordan after conditions and persecution made it necessary for him to leave the Gaza Strip. A few things struck me from this discussion:
-Issues of identity are difficult for Christian Arabs in Gaza
-Gaza Christians try to have grace and forgive the Israelis for taking their homeland, but non-Christians have a harder time with grace
-"I've never been in prison, but I live in one in Gaza."
-Persecution for Gaza Christians began in 2000, from their neighboring Muslims. It got increasingly worse because the police in Gaza do not protect the Christians. Hanna's family evacuated Gaza for Aman because of this intense persecution, and he now pastors a church of Iraqi refugees here in Jordan.
-He requests prayers for safety for Gazan Christians and the population living under Israeli siege--often unable to receive basic humanitarian aid and living in poverty because goods are blocked by the siege.
Hanna also spoke a bit about the Christian Zionist movement, in the United States especially. It's very hard for Gaza Christians who belong to the Baptist Church and are living under occupation from Israel to read that American Baptist Churches support Israel unconditionally. It struck me that as a Christian in America, I usually found that often the church voiced support of Israel on the claim that God gave the Israelis the land. Hanna responded to this: "You are telling me that my Christ wants to take away my home and my land and give it to Jews who do not believe in Him?" Who are the people of God now really, he questioned. Are they still the Jews? Or did the New Testament redefine the promises of God and make the Church in Christ the new People of God?
Food for thought for me as I struggle with these questions and am learning more about the conflict every day.
-Hanna Massad
Our second talk in Aman on March 19 was from a pastor of the Gaza Baptist Church, now living in Jordan after conditions and persecution made it necessary for him to leave the Gaza Strip. A few things struck me from this discussion:
-Issues of identity are difficult for Christian Arabs in Gaza
-Gaza Christians try to have grace and forgive the Israelis for taking their homeland, but non-Christians have a harder time with grace
-"I've never been in prison, but I live in one in Gaza."
-Persecution for Gaza Christians began in 2000, from their neighboring Muslims. It got increasingly worse because the police in Gaza do not protect the Christians. Hanna's family evacuated Gaza for Aman because of this intense persecution, and he now pastors a church of Iraqi refugees here in Jordan.
-He requests prayers for safety for Gazan Christians and the population living under Israeli siege--often unable to receive basic humanitarian aid and living in poverty because goods are blocked by the siege.
Hanna also spoke a bit about the Christian Zionist movement, in the United States especially. It's very hard for Gaza Christians who belong to the Baptist Church and are living under occupation from Israel to read that American Baptist Churches support Israel unconditionally. It struck me that as a Christian in America, I usually found that often the church voiced support of Israel on the claim that God gave the Israelis the land. Hanna responded to this: "You are telling me that my Christ wants to take away my home and my land and give it to Jews who do not believe in Him?" Who are the people of God now really, he questioned. Are they still the Jews? Or did the New Testament redefine the promises of God and make the Church in Christ the new People of God?
Food for thought for me as I struggle with these questions and am learning more about the conflict every day.
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