Issue 42 - Autumn 2006 HAVE NO FEAR, LITTLE FLOCK › files › fosna › events › CornerstoneIssue42.pdf · CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND Issue 42 - Autumn 2006 HAVE NO FEAR, LITTLE

Issue 42- Autumn 2006 1

CHRISTIANSIN THE HOLY LAND

Issue 42 - Autumn 2006

HAVE NO FEAR,LITTLE FLOCK

Luke 12:32

by Romell Soudah

The question of a Christian presence inthe Holy Land has been a major concernand an issue of great importance on boththe local and international levels. Theentire Christian population in Palestineand Israel is approximately 162,000. Ofthe Christian population, a sum of120,000 Christians are living in Israel(inside the green line) and the remainingpart, 42,000, are living under today’sPalestinian Authority (the OccupiedTerritories: The West Bank and The GazaStrip, and East Jerusalem) of which 40,000are living in the West Bank and 2,000 areliving in the Gaza Strip.

Christians are centered in differentlocalities (villages and cities) in Palestinetoday. More than 80% are living in theurban areas (Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, BeitJala, Jerusalem and Ramallah) while theremaining 20% are living in the ruralareas. However, about one third of thetotal number of Christians can be foundin the Bethlehem District, the area aroundand including Bethlehem, Beit Sahour andBeit Jala.

The number of Christians in Palestine hasbeen declining over the years. Before 1948more Christians were living in Palestinethan today. In 1967, Christians were 5%of the total population in the West Bankand 1% of the total population in the GazaStrip. Today Christians are less than 2%in the West Bank and less than 0.25% inthe Gaza Strip. A variety of factors rangingfrom the economic to theindividual choice may be blamedfor this decline in n u m b e r.But one factor remainsthe most detrimental tothe continued existenceof the indigenouspopulation. This factoris the political situationmanifested in the occupation andthe loss of hope in a just peace.

Christians are facing many problemsand living under dire circumstances.The declared and hidden Israelipolicies are imposing unbearablerestrictions that affect every sphere oflife. Building the separation wall andenforcing the closure policy hashad a major and

devastating impact on Palestinianeconomic and social activities. Suchpolicies lead to unlimited negativeconsequences. It reduces the level ofeconomic activities and job opportunitiesas well as increasing the level ofunemployment and poverty. Like allPalestinians, Christians were badly hit bythe construction of the separation wall. Inthe Bethlehem area where the majority ofWest Bank Christians reside, manyfamilies lost their valuable land, wereforced to close their shops, and lost theirjobs. In addition, construction of the wall

and the closure did not only divide theland and set physical borders betweenPalestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews, butalso divided families. Many, if not all,of the families are suffering from being

physically set apart anddistanced from friends,relatives and loved ones.Unfortunately, tragicfamily stories of

separation and devastationare happening in the twenty-firstcentury.

Mobility is yet another problem. Thebasic human right to mobility andaccess is being denied to the

Palestinians, both

In T

his

Iss

ue Christians in the Holy Land

by Romell Soudah 1The Churches of The Holy Landby Naim Ateek 3Marginalized at Homeby Atallah Mansour 6Ailabounby Elias Saliba Srour 7Gaza Cannot Sleepby Father Manuel Musallam 9Jifnaby Samer Salameh 10The Forgotten Faithfulby Elisabeth Von der Decken 11In PersonBp. Daoud Haddad 12Ein KaremCompiled by Janet Lahr Lewis 14First Annual Young Adult Conferenceby Krista Johnson 18

2 Issue 42- Autumn 2006

Christians and Muslims.Palestinians are under siege in theirown cities and villages. Each townin the Occupied Territories hasbecome a prison as people andvehicles are not free to move andtravel between cities and villages.The restrictions on mobility areenforced by many heavily guardedIsraeli roadblocks, checkpoints andwatch-towers between Palestiniancities and villages. People areprevented from practicing theireconomic and social activities. It isnot easy to reach work, school,university, place of worship, hospitaland most other locations. Mr.Hanna Nasser, the former mayor ofBethlehem City, perfectly describedthe situation by saying, “If Josephand Mary tried to come today,Israeli soldiers would check theirpapers, rummage through theirbaggage, and rudely turn themaway”.

Christians in East Jerusalem are indouble jeopardy due to therestrictions imposed upon all thecity residents. The declared policyof the State of Israel is to limit thenumber of Palestinian Jerusalemresidents and decrease it to almostone third of its size. This will have amore pronounced impact on the Christianresidents of the city. Being the minorityand the most likely to travel abroad forwork or study puts them in danger ofhaving their residency revoked by theIsraeli Ministry of Interior. As residentsof the State of Israel, the Palestinians inthe city are not supposed to leave it formore than seven months at a time withouta “legitimate” reason such as studying. Ifsuch an absence is noted, the residency isrevoked.

Moreover, most Christians in the city areeducated and that opens opportunities ofemployment at different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) andforeign organizations. Most of these arenow behind the Separation Wall.Employees have to cross check points andtravel longer to arrive to their work places.

Many have to choose between their placeof residence within the ever limited spaceallocated for the Palestinian residents inthe city and their workplaces. Such adecision is becoming more and moredifficult. The move either way may causehavoc. Children have to move to newschools; couples have to choose to live inthe city where one of them is making thelarger income. Some are leaving theirdream houses that they own and aremoving to where work is and rentinghousing there. Such decisions are causingthe number of Christians in the city tofurther diminish.

Another problem that the city residentshave is the allocated lands for housing. InJerusalem land that could be used forhousing that match the natural growth ofthe society are very limited. Building

permits, if all goes well, may takesix to twenty years to be issued aftermultiple applications and thousandsof shekels in fees. Despite the factthat many Christians have averageto above average income, manycannot afford the cost of the limitedavailable land and the fees that needto be paid to develop them. Again,we find many Christians areemigrating or moving out ofJerusalem to neighboring citieswithin the Palestinian Authorityareas, which puts them in danger ofhaving their residency in Jerusalemrevoked.

Overall, the continued lack ofeconomic and social optionscompounded by the lack of stabilityin the political arena will cause moreand more Christians to leave theHoly Land in search of peace,security, and a different way of life.Therefore, emigration is becomingthe most detrimental factor to thealmost extinct Palestinian Christianpopulation. Much research has beendone and statistical information isavailable detailing the diminishingnumber of Christians due to this fact.

Today the Christian presence in theHoly Land is of importance and

needs more attention than ever. Holyplaces in Palestine are the shrine of theChristian world. These few PalestinianChristians who still reside in Palestine arethe only direct link between Christiansaround the world and the mother Churchwhich was established in Jerusalem over2000 years ago. Christian survival in theHoly Land is of vital importance topreserve its unique culture and status.Palestinian Christians are there to makesure that the flame of Christ’s messagecontinues to burn in its original birthplace.

Romell Soudeh is a lecturer at BethlehemUniversity. He conducted a survey on theChristian presence in the Holy Land for Sabeel’s6th International Conference: The ForgottenFaithful. Results of the survey will be posted onwww.sabeel.org. in November 2006.



by Naim Ateek

In preparation for the 6th International Conference, I wouldlike to present another portrait of Palestinian Christianity*. Thefollowing is a very succinct survey of the mainline churches ofthe Holy Land (Israel and Palestine) with a brief emphasis on thequestion of the Status Quo with which most people are notfamiliar. I am certain that this issue will, on the one hand, clarifysome aspects of Palestinian Christianity, while on the other hand,raise some questions in the minds of readers which hopefully wecan address during the November conference.

Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land belong to a variety ofchurch denominations. It is a rich mosaic. The following is avery brief historical outline:

The Greek Orthodox or Byzantine Orthodox Church: This isoldest church in the land, and most indigenous PalestinianChristians were members of it at one time or another. Althoughthe official name of the church sounds foreign, the membersthemselves are Palestinians. Between the 4th and 16th centuriesthe Orthodox Patriarch was Arab. Since 1534 the hierarchy ofthe church has been Greek. Today the Patriarch is TheophilosIII. He occupies the highest hierarchical Christian position inthe land and has a number of Archbishops that serve under him.They are all Greek with the exception of Archbishop AtallahHanna who is Palestinian Arab, consecrated on December 24,2005. The Orthodox community of the Holy Land isapproximately 40,000. Nazareth has the largest Orthodoxcongregation with a membership of about 17,000. In 1724 thechurch split largely over the question of the indigenization of thehierarchy and a large segment of the church went into unionwith Rome. They became known as Greek Catholics or Melkites.Today they comprise the largest number of Christians inside thestate of Israel, approximately 70,000 members. The Melkites havetwo bishops in Israel and Palestine. Archbishop Elias Chacourwas consecrated on February 25, 2006 as Archbishop of Galilee;and Bishop George Bakar as Patriarchal vicar in Jerusalem whopresides over a Melkite community in the West Bank includingEast Jerusalem that is approximately 2500 in number. TheOrthodox and Melkite churches comprise the largest number ofChristians in Israel and Palestine. Both churches possess a numberof institutions- schools, medical clinics, homes for the elderly,and others.

The Armenian Orthodox Church: The Church’s history in theHoly Land goes back to the 4th century when ArmenianChristians came to live close to the holy places. Although theyare not ethnically Arab, many of them regard themselves todayas Palestinians. Archbishop Torkom Manoogian is the 96thArmenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. At the end of the 19th andearly 20th centuries a good number of Armenians came toPalestine, as well as to other parts of the Middle East to escapegenocide by the Turks. There are approximately 5000 Armeniansin the Holy Land living largely in Jerusalem, Bethlehem,Ramallah, Jaffa, and Haifa. In 1742, a segment of the churchseparated and went into union with Rome and became known asthe Armenian Catholic Church. There are 75 Armenian Catholicfamilies in the Holy Land and their patriarchal vicar is Mgr.Raphael Minassian.

The Coptic Orthodox Church: They also came to be close tothe Holy Places from the early Christian centuries and to provideministry to their pilgrims. Although they came from Egypt, theysee themselves as Palestinians today. The Coptic Archbishop AnbaAbraham and the clergy are all Egyptians. They number 1500and have church centers in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Jaffa,and Nazareth. As with other Orthodox churches, a segment ofthe church separated in 1895 and went into union with Rome

THE CHURCHESOF THE HOLY LAND

A Rich Mosaic

* See Cornerstone Issue 40 on www.sabeel.org



and is known today as the Coptic Catholic Church. They haveno church in Jerusalem.

The Syrian Orthodox Church: Like the Copts, they came toJerusalem in the early Christian centuries. Their concentrationtoday is in Jerusalem and Bethlehem where they numberapproximately 5000. The highest prelate is Archbishop MarSewerios Malki Murad. In 1783 a segment of the church separatedand went into union with Rome. They formed the Syrian CatholicChurch and they, too, have congregations in Jerusalem andBethlehem. They are represented today by Archbishop GregoriusBoutros Malki. They number approximately 500. Although theArchbishop is Syrian in nationality, all the members of the churchconsider themselves Palestinians.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church: It goes back in its presencein the Holy Land to the early Christian centuries. They are avery small expatriate Christian community, monks, nuns, and afew lay, who live their liturgical prayer life within their churchesand monasteries in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem area. They arerepresented by Archbishop Abune Grima.

The Roman Catholic Church (Latin): It had its officialbeginning in Palestine during the period of the Crusades when aLatin Patriarch displaced the Orthodox Patriarch in Jerusalem.However, when the Crusades came to an end in 1187, the LatinPatriarch was also removed. In 1233, the Franciscans came tothe Holy Land and established themselves as the Guardians ofthe Holy Places. The Latin Patriarch, however, did not return toJerusalem until 1847. A very important element that strengthenedand expanded the Roman Catholic presence has been the variousCatholic religious orders for both men and women who camefrom the West. There are 31 religious orders for monks and 72for nuns in the land. In 1987, the first Palestinian Patriarch wasappointed by the Vatican, Mgr. Michel Sabbah. The number ofLatins in Israel and Palestine is approximately 35,000. They havea good number of institutions throughout the land that include,schools, hospitals, homes for the aged, retreat centers, BethlehemUniversity, and many others.NOTE: In 1517 the Ottoman Turks occupied Palestine as wellas many other countries in the region. Due to internal Christiansquabbles in Jerusalem regarding the use and control of the holy

places, in 1852 the Turks organized therelationships between the historic

churches in the land vis-à-vis the Holy Places,

their respectiverights,

maintenance, and function especially in the Jerusalem andBethlehem areas. This became known as the Status Quo and isstill in effect today. According to the Status Quo, all the motherchurches that have been mentioned thus far (not their Catholicoffshoots) had rights in the use of the holy places as specified insome details in the Turkish decree. This included the GreekOrthodox Church, the Franciscans, the Armenian OrthodoxChurch, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syrian OrthodoxChurch, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The Maronite Church: The home of the Maronite Christiansis Lebanon. It is one of the historic churches in the Middle East.During the Crusades the whole church went into union withRome while preserving its eastern Christian heritage. Most ofthe Maronites are living today in the Galilee in addition tocongregations in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Jaffa. The presentbishop is Bishop Paul Sayyah and the number of Maronites isapproximately 8000.

The Anglican and Lutheran Churches: The Anglicans andLutherans came to Jerusalem in 1841 as one entity and establishedthe Jerusalem Bishopric. For the first 40 years they served jointlytogether and alternated the appointment of bishops betweenEngland and Germany. A good number of churches andinstitutions were established throughout the Holy Land. In the1880’s the two churches ended their official agreement and setup separate church ministries where the Anglicans served thenorthern part of Palestine and east of the Jordan River; and theLutherans focused their ministry on the Jerusalem and Bethlehemarea. The Anglicans were the first to install indiqenous bishopsfollowed by the Lutherans - 1976 and 1979 respectively. TheAnglican bishop in Jerusalem today is Bishop Riah Abu El Assaland the Lutheran’s is Bishop Munib Younan. Both churches havea number of institutions and their combined membership in theland is less than 5000.

The official protocol of the churches today is as follows: TheGreek Orthodox Patriarch, the Latin Patriarch, the ArmenianOrthodox Patriarch, the Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land,the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop, the Syrian OrthodoxArchbishop, the Ethiopian Orthodox Archbishop, the MaronitePatriarchal Exarch, the Bishop of the Episcopal (Anglican)Church, the Lutheran Bishop, the Syrian Catholic Exarch, theGreek Catholic Exarch, and the Armenian Catholic Exarch. Theyare 13 in all.

There are four important remarks that need to be made:

1. Historically, the Greek Orthodox Church has always resentedthe loss of many of its members to the Catholic and Protestantchurches. It is still the cause of much direct or indirectfrustration especially among some of the Greek hierarchy. Thereis, however, a greater acceptance of the other churches on thepart of most Palestinian Orthodox clergy and people.Nevertheless, the wounds have been deep and, on the whole,not been healed. For the church in the Holy Land to move



forward there must be healing.

2. There are small groups of expatriate Christianswho live in the land and maintain variousministries - liturgical, societal, educational,humanitarian, pilgrim. Some of them have beenhere for many years but they are largely expatriatesand have very few or no local indigenousmembership. Some of these are the Church ofScotland, Mennonite Central Committee, Societyof Friends (Quakers), Romanian OrthodoxChurch, Russian Orthodox Church, WhiteRussians and others.

3. There is also a number of local, free, and smallevangelical communities in different areas of thecountry. The largest and best organized amongthem is the Baptist church that started in Galileein the 1920’s, and has become established withits pastors and congregations. There are othersmaller local church groups like the Church ofthe Nazarene, Church of God, Pentecostals,Plymouth Brethren, and others. Some of themare led by local preachers and have attracted anumber of local Christians to their meetings.Their worship services are non-liturgical andsimple where the emphasis is on the study andinterpretation of the Bible.

4. Since its inception, the Christian Church hasalways contained in its membership multi-ethnicand multi-racial members including Jewishbelievers who were among the first to believe inJesus as Messiah (Christ) and Lord. Since theestablishment of the state of Israel in 1948, thenumber of Jewish believers has been steadilyincreasing. They are established as localcongregations of Messianic Jews throughout thestate of Israel. Their numbers range between5,000 to10,000. In addition, a good number ofthe Russian immigrants into Israel considerthemselves Christian and not Jewish. They, too,have their own Russian- speaking congregations.Most of them are Russian Orthodox. However,there are also evangelicals among them. They areestimated in the tens of thousands.

As you can see, the above is a rich thoughcomplicated mosaic. Despite the frailty of us humanbeings, whether clergy or lay, the Church in theHoly Land has survived, and will continue to survivethrough the power of the Holy Spirit. The challengebefore us is not only to see the mere physical survivalof the church, but the presence of a living, active,and empowered community.

The Rev. Naim Ateek is Director of Sabeel.

STATEMENT BY CHURCHRELATED ORGANIZATIONS (CRO’s)

AND CHURCH INSTITUTIONS

We Palestinian Arab Christians of the East have for centuries lived togetherand in unity with our Muslim brothers and sisters, with whom we share thesame land and the same destiny. Our co-existence has been a model toothers, and together we have been able to overcome various challenges thatthreatened our unity. We have stood firm in the face of all those who havetried to destroy our national unity.

Based on these facts we affirm that:• Any offence against religious symbols or holy places will, inevitably, causeharm to our national unity which is the safeguard of our continued existenceon our land and in our country. Any such offensive behavior can also causeharm to the Palestinian people as a whole and to our National Authoritywhich is responsible for the protection of our Christian and Muslim holyplaces.

• We are perplexed and regret His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI’s use of thequotation that hurt our Muslim brothers and sisters and our fellow citizensin the Holy Land and around the world.

• We regret and strongly condemn the attacks on several churches andChristian organizations in Palestine. These unjustified attacks endeavor toharm the distinctive national unity among Christians and Muslims acrossgenerations. Such attacks are bound to be taken advantage of by opportunistswho claim that Christian holy places will be unsafe in a Palestinian state.

• We therefore call upon the various sectors of our community to act prudentlyand be alert in order to thwart the endeavors of such opportunists. We alsocall upon the Palestinian National Authority to make every effort and toundertake all necessary measures that will prevent such attacks in the future.We hope that our call will reach all those who care about the wellbeing of allthe Palestinian people.

• We also call upon the media in all its forms to abstain from stirring people’sreligious sensitivities, creating strife and endorsing accusations and threats.

Finally, we pray to God for strength to overcome the occupation and allobstacles in the way of our people, so that together we can achieve peace,freedom and understanding among different faiths, and respect for the dignityand faith of every person.

The Arab Orthodox Club- JerusalemSabeel Liberation Theology CenterThe National Christian AssociationThe East Jerusalem YMCAThe Arab Catholic Scout GroupThe YWCA of PalestineCouncil of Orthodox Charities in PalestineThe Laity Committee in the Holy LandThe Arab Orthodox Community of JerusalemThe Syrian Orthodox Organizations & Institutions



by Atallah Mansour

As a result of Western missionaries’activities during the last two centuries, bythe mid-1900’s Palestinian Christians weremore educated and more apt to live inurban communities than their Muslimcountrymen. This characteristic made theChristians more mobile, less clinging tothe land and more vulnerable to comingunder violent pressure during the war of1948. The result was that some two thirdsof the 100,000 Christians who lived in thePalestinian area that became Israel foundthemselves as refugees outside the country.Only 34,000 Christians managed toremain in their homeland inside the newlycreated Israel. The vast majority of thesesurvivors were living in rural areas of theGalilee Mountains.

An exception to this was Nazareth withits Christian majority. Nazareth was theonly Palestinian town to maintain its Arabpopulation of 12,000 safe and intact. Thereason behind this was clear: the hometown of the Prince of Peace, was also homefor dozens of Christian missionaries. Asit turned out, the presence of these monksand nuns, and internationals working asschool and hospital staff, along with theprestige that Nazareth held, was the reasonthat Nazareth was spared from the Israeliatrocities which forced many otherPalestinians to take refuge. The Israelimilitary began to drive villagers across theborder to Lebanon.

The fact that the Nazarenes managed tostay in their homes encouraged others,

Christians and Muslims, to try to remainin their Galilee villages, including threeChristian villages; Ailaboun, Kafr Bir’am,and Iqrit. These peaceful farmers wereabout to find this rather hard. The Greek-Catholic priest of Ailaboun, FatherMua’alem, refused to give up. He managedto contact church leaders in the Vaticanto pressure the Israelis to permit a safereturn for the farmers of Ailaboun to theirhomes. The other two villages, oneMaronite and one Greek-Catholic, weredeceived into believing that they werebeing removed temporarily “for afortnight”, but were never allowed toreturn home.

The Israeli government treated all localArabs according to a Jewish tradition:“respect but suspect”. Ruralneighborhoods were split to make roomfor planting new Jewish settlements. Inorder to smoothly implement this policyof “judaization” of these areas, the Arabswere subject to military rule for the nexttwenty years. Arab workers were deniedjobs and the right to organize in tradeunions, to prevent them from competingwith Jewish newcomers. Many Arabsearned their bread by working hard“illegally” to harvest their own confiscatedland for their new Israeli masters.

From 1948 to 1977 the Arabstates bordering Israel adopted apolicy that disregarded the small minorityof Palestinian Arabs who were able toremain in their homeland under Jewishrule. These Palestinians living inside thenew Israel were regarded with suspicion.

Later the Arab states, with the help of thePalestinian Liberation Organization(PLO), came to realize that there was nojustification for their shunning of theIsraeli Arabs (or the “1948 Palestinians”).This realization came as somewhat of aspiritual relief and blessing to the IsraeliArabs, except for those who nourished falsehopes about the future role they may playin changing Israel. This perceived threatmoved the Israeli government to adoptcounter-measures to legally perpetuate thestatus quo ensuring their everlastingsupremacy. A new law was enacted todefine Israel as “a Jewish and Democraticstate”. This contradiction of terms meantthat only Jews are full citizens. Muslimsand Christians are marginal minoritiesresiding in the Land of Israel.Consequently, very few Christians havebeen hired for any high-level positions inthe central government; not in the securityor foreign services, and not even in thehealth or social services. Even the heads ofthe Christian department in the Ministryof Religions Affairs were not Christians.

Despite these restrictions anddiscriminatory practices, thepredicament of the Christiancommunity is less grim than theirMuslim counterparts. Theycontinue to run their prestigiouseducational institutions, hospitals,c h a r i t a b l e services and

churches.

Atallah Mansour is the author ofNarrow Gate Churches, ChristianPresence under Muslim and JewishRule in the Holy Land.

MARGINALIZEDAT HOME



by Elias Saliba Srour

The town remained almost in ruins untilthe middle of the 17th century whenChristian tribes from Huran (present daySyria) and Transjordan started to settle init. Some families from the neighboringareas also moved to Ailaboun due to familyand tribal feuds. The early arrivals livedon raising cattle because of the vast areasof grazing land, but the town graduallydeveloped as an agricultural townconcentrating on olive trees, vine and figtrees as well as wheat. By 1948 itspopulation was 680.

Until shortly before 1970, Ailaboun was acompletely Christian Melkite (GreekCatholic) town, with a few families whohad joined the Orthodox Church in 1911.However, towards the end of the 1960’sthe state of Israel forced many Bedouintribes from the Negev to settle in theGalilee towns and a number of themsettled in Ailaboun. In the town todaythere are two Melkite churches, anOrthodox church, and two mosques. Thecurrent population is approximately 5,000of which 35% are Muslim.

Ailaboun has a unique story from 1948related by an eye witness from the town,Elias Srour. According to Srour, authorof the 1996 publication, The Nakbah inAilaboun, it is the only town in the Galileewhose residents were able to come back totheir homes after they had been evictedby the Israeli forces to Lebanon in 1948.

On the eve of October 30, 1948 when theArab Salvation Army (Jeish el Inqath) hadwithdrawn from the outskirts of Ailaboun,some of the young men fled north towardsLebanon or to other neighboring towns,

shortly before the Israeli forces invadedAilaboun. The priest of the Melkitechurch, Father Marcus Muallem, alongwith his father, Father Hanna Muallem,and the priest of the Orthodox Church,

Father Elias Zureik, met with the officerin charge of the troops who demandedthat all the people gather in the townsquare. As they were gathering, the armyshot at them and killed Azar SalemMusallam and injured others. Althoughthe town had surrendered, the officerordered the people to walk north towardsthe neighboring town of Al Mughar toensure that there was no Arab resistanceagainst the Jewish forces. Only if theyobeyed would they be allowed to go backto their town. Seventeen men were heldback, and five of them were used as a

protective shield for the army in the eventof encountering mine fields. The othertwelve were shot to death in different partsof the town including the town square, inorder to claim that there had beenresistance. In the meantime the peoplewho had walked to Al Mughar, faced noresistance, but were not allowed to go backto Ailaboun, and were forced to proceedto Lebanon. As they sat to rest becausethe children were thirsty and hungry, thearmy opened fire at them, injuring anumber, and killing Samaan JiriesShoufani, whose son was amongst theyoung men who were shot dead earlier.

AILABOUNAilaboun is a small town in the Galilee located 30 km northeast ofNazareth. Its history goes back to the 5th Century BC when it wasknown as Ailabo. The “n” was added to its name after the IslamicConquest and the Battle of Hitteen in the 7th Century AD. The townwas destroyed after a battle with the Crusaders, at a time when all thearea was referred to as “Galilee of the Gentiles”.



Legend has it that the Holy Family, Mary,Joseph, and Jesus, passed through Gaza ontheir way back from their flight to Egyptafter the death of Herod. It is believedthat the Holy Family rested at the northernentrance to Gaza opposite the ancientfortress.

Christianity came to Gaza at its very earlystages and slowly spread among its people.The first to spread the Christian messagein that area was St. Philip as recorded in

The people fled north until they reachedFaradieh, where an army officer forcedthem to pay one hundred pounds plusall their gold and jewelry, as ransommoney so that the Israeli forces wouldprotect them. After spending the nightat the mosque in Faradieh, forty menwere picked up and arrested, while therest of the people were forced to continuewalking towards the north. By midnightthe army loaded everybody by brute forceonto three trucks amidst the screamingof the children. Feeling helpless anddesperate, they finally reached theLebanese border and stayed at the churchof Ein Ibel. After three days they weretransferred by buses to the Miyyeh-Miyyeh Refugee Camp east of Sidon.

When Father Marcus realized that theIsraeli army had not kept its word, andhis people had ended up in Sidon,including his own family, he sent amessenger to Lebanon with a letter to hisson, Abdallah, and to the town chief,Mukhtar Faraj Srour. They met with theBishop of Galilee, Georgius Hakeem, whowas in Beirut at the time, and they feltvery frustrated at the impotence of thechurch during those difficult times.Eventually the Bishop helped by directingthem to Fouad Ammoun, Lebanon’srepresentative to the United Nations.Through Ammoun’s efforts a UNdelegation was sent to the village ofAilaboun, accompanied by an Israeliofficer, and met with Father Marcus. Asa result of that visit the Israeli armyallowed the people to come back to theirtown. However, they returned in smallgroups at different intervals until theywere sure they would not be tricked again.The first group returned on November22, 1948, almost a whole month after thebeginning of the Ailaboun nightmare andthe massacre of its young men.

Today Ailaboun has a population of5000 with a thriving Christiancommunity.

Elias Saliba Srour is the author ofAilaboun: History and Memories and AlNakba in Ailaboun.

Acts 8:26. In the year 29 AD, St. Hilarionbuilt a monastery in Gaza which is theoldest in the whole world.

Christianity in Gaza has dwindled over theyears, and the past 39 years of Israelioccupation of the Gaza Strip has drivenmany out in search of employment and adecent life. Nevertheless, the Christianpresence in Gaza is more effective than itsnumbers warrant, whether in education,health, relief work, or the economy.

GAZAGaza City is situated along the ancient caravan routes between the Arabianpeninsula, Egypt and greater Syria. At the edge of the Sinai peninsula,between Asia and Africa, it had strategic importance and was consideredthe key to the domination of what came to be called the Middle East. Thepeople of Gaza have always mixed well with the peoples who passed throughthat area such as the different Arab tribes from Arabia, the Phoenicianswho settled along the Lebanese and Palestinian coast, and the Aegeanpeoples from the Greek isles who settled along the coast between Haifaand Gaza. Nevertheless, the Arab element has been dominant since ancienttimes and up until this day.


by Father Manuel Musallam

Sabeel wanted to include a morecomprehensive article about the history of theChristian community in Gaza in this issue.Unfortunately the political situation is so direthat we felt it would be more appropriate toinclude this heartfelt account from Fr.Manuel instead. Fr. Manuel Musallam is theparish priest at the Latin Church and schoolin Gaza.

The people in Gaza are sufferingunbelievably. They are hungry, thirsty, haveno electricity, no clean water, and they aresuffering constant bombardments andsonic booms from low flying aircraft.

They need food: bread and water.Children and babies are hungry. Even ifthere is food for sale, people have nomoney to buy food. The price of food, ofcourse, has doubled and tripled in thesituation. We cannot drink water fromthe ground here as it is salty and nothygienic. People can only buy water todrink. They have no income, noopportunities to get food and water fromoutside and no opportunities to securemoney inside Gaza. They have no hopeand many very poor people are aimlesslywandering around trying to beg forsomething from others who also havenothing. It is heartbreaking to see.Unfortunately, we are seeing sicknessincrease, and to add insult to injury, peoplecannot afford to pay for transportation tohospital. This is not only hard sufferingfor now, but this fact will have longreverberations for the future, degradingfuture generations.

Without electricity, children are afraid. Nolight at night. No oil or candles. Some can’teven buy matches. Of course, those whoare sick in hospital are suffering anunimaginable horror. There is noelectricity to operate life saving machines

and the simplest of treatments is not ableto be undertaken. With no electricity topump the water from wells, no fuel to boilwater, we are all thirsty. Thirsty childrenare crying, afraid and desperate.

Children are also suffering from the sonicbooms. Many have been violently thrownfrom their beds at night. Many arms andlegs are broken due to this fact. Theseplanes fly low over Gaza and then reachthe speed of sound. This shakes the groundand creates shock waves like an earthquakethat can cause a person to be thrown fromtheir bed. I, myself, weigh 120 kilos andwas almost thrown from my bed due tothe shock wave produced by a low flyingjet that made a sonic boom. It is terrifying.It is like someone picked up your houseand shook it. Bombardments hit Gaza

from the sea, air or land. I have anemployee who lives in Bet Hanoun. Hetold me he has not slept in one week. Gazacannot sleep.

I sent the Sisters of the Baby Jesus to JabaliaCamp to check on some poor families.They returned to me crying at theunspeakable horror they saw; the cries ofhungry children, the sullen faces of brokenmen and women who are just sitting intheir hungry emptiness with no light,hope, or love. Christians must work to stopthis silly war. I am against fanaticism andviolence, but these actions guarantee anincrease in violence.

I demand that those outside of Gaza mustcare about us here in Gaza, Muslims andChristians. There are no differences herein religion. A hungry child is a hungrychild. A sick person is a sick person. OurLord demanded through St. John that youremember us in our affliction and we arenow in a serious affliction. These actionsare war crimes. When I cry as a priest, Ibeg you; we do not need pity. We onlyneed justice. Without justice, there will beno peace. Peace is the farthest thing awayfrom the mind of anyone, Christian orMuslim, in Gaza at this time.

GAZA CANNOT SLEEP


have to commute daily to Ramallah fortheir high school education.

Jifna is known for its abundance of olivetrees, and also apricots, walnuts and grapevines. Recently, the village has lost itsagricultural aspect as many people areopting for other jobs and businesses.There are a number of restaurants in Jifnaand some people live from small industriesand simple commerce. Unemploymentis not a problem in Jifna, yet the averageincome is low because of the unstablepolitical situation and the Israelioccupation. Jifna people are known fortheir close-knit community and solidaritywith each other, whether inside the villageor anywhere they happen to be.

The Christian community in Jifna isdivided between the Catholic andOrthodox Churches and the people areknown for their faithful commitment totheir Christian faith. They are also famousfor keeping some religious traditions for

JIFNAJifna is a village near Ramallah witha population of 1500 people, 25%of whom have had to move toJerusalem or Ramallah where theycan find jobs. The people of Jifnabelong mainly to eight families, fourof whom are original inhabitants ofJifna, while the other five have, atvarious times, come from othercountries such as Syria. Eightypercent of the people of Jifna areChristian while the other 20% areMuslim who came to live in it atdifferent times.

by Samer Salameh


hundreds of years such as preparingaround Advent the special St. Barbara dishmade from whole-grain wheat. Theydecorate it, and take it to church to beblessed, and then share it with everybody.They also have special traditions forChristmas, Palm Sunday, Holy Saturday,and Easter. The month of May isdedicated to the Virgin Mary, at the endof which everybody takes part in aprocession to the place where the holyfamily is said to have rested after theyfetched the 12 year old Jesus back fromthe Temple in Jerusalem where they foundhim. “Did you not know that I must bein my Father’s house?” LK 2:49

The village people have regular evangelicalevenings in their different homes and thereis a committed Christian youth movementin the village that supports the Church inits different ministries.

Samer Salameh is a resident of Jifna and the Executive Director of Juhoud for Communityand Rural Development.

In Jifna there is one elementary school runby the Catholic Church. After graduatingfrom this school, which was establishedone hundred and fifty years ago, students


by Elisabeth Von der Decken

Hello - Marhaba! I am Yussif. I live in Jerusalem. TheJews call her Yerushalayim, the city of peace. We call herAl-Quds, the Holy Place. Jerusalem is the Holy City forthe Jews, for us Christians and for the Muslims.I live in the Old City, in the Via Dolorosa, the Way ofSuffering. It’s a strange name for a road, isn’t it? Manyforeigners come to see us, tourists and pilgrims, and theydon’t know the city well.

Just yesterday again, one of themgot totally lost. No wonder! Herein the Suq (the market), it’s fullof alleys and narrow streets.Some of the streets have stoneroofs over them, from the timeswhen the Crusaders were with us.So then, I say to him, the tourist:“Hello - Marhaba, Mister, can Ihelp you?” He looks suspiciouslyat me. He probably thinks I wantto beg something from him or Iwant to sell him something! This, they never understand,that we just enjoy helping or showing our city. We don’twant anything for it. “Well,” I ask him again, “where doyou want to go?”

At last, he seems to have confidence, and starts talking:“To the Holy Sepulcher,” he says, “but I’ve lost my way!”That’s it, I see, now. “You must go just in the oppositedirection,” I tell him; “Well, at first straight and then whenthere is the beautiful smell of spices, you turn to the left.Keep going, and when you pass by the goat heads hang-ing on the wall, at the meat market, you know, then...butit’s best I go with you, I’ll show you the way. I want to gothere myself anyway.”“Okay, thanks. But, tell me, what are you going to dothere?”“I want to pray of course. What else?”He looks quite astonished. “What, you want to pray inthe Holy Sepulcher? You? In a church?”“Sure, why not?”“But you are an...Arab, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am,” and proudly I add: “I’m Palestinian!”Then I ask him: “But why do you think I shouldn’t prayin a church?”

“The Arabs,” he says and stammers, somehow embarrassed,“...the Arabs are...Muslims, aren’t they? And Muslims al-ways pray in the mosque, don’t they?”“Oh my goodness, yes! But I am a Christian Arab!” Now thepoor soul is quite confused: “This is the first time I’ve ever

heard of Christian Arabs! Arethere any at all?” He thinks fora while. Then he asks: “But inthe past, then, you used to beMuslims, didn’t you? When didyou become Christians, then?”“We? Muslims? Never! It is justthe other way around! Whenthe Muslims came into thecountry many Christians be-came Muslims. It was like that,in those times. But we, we havealways been Christians.”

“Well, I never knew...”, he says, looking very bemused.Then I tell him, “You see, Mister, this makes us alwaysreally sad. Here, in the Holy Land there are Christianscoming from all over the world; they go to Bethlehem tosee the Manger; they go to Nazareth to see where Jesuslived with his parents; they come to Jerusalem, here, inthe Via Dolorosa, where Jesus had to carry the cross onthe first Good Friday; they go to the Holy Sepulchre, theplace where Jesus was buried and rose again. They visit, asmy father always says, all the ‘dead stones’. But us,” I sayto him, “the ‘living stones,’ the indigenous Arab Christians,they forget. Sometimes it really hurts. Do you understandthis? My father calls us ‘The Forgotten Faithful...”

Elizabeth Von der Decken is an organ instructor and the formerorganist of St. George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem.

This article was first published in German, in the EcumenicalChristian Education Magazine, in 1991.

THE FORGOTTENFAITHFUL



I was born on the 17th of November,1914 in a village in Lebanon in the WestBica’a Valley called Khirbet Kanafar. Istudied in the village’s two-room Pres-byterian elementary school, which onlyconsisted of the first four grades. Thepeople of the village were pious and sim-ple Greek Catholic and Maronite Chris-tians. They went to church, listened tothe liturgy, and were excited by the eu-phonious voices of the priest and his as-sistant; but they knew very little aboutthe Bible and their Christian faith. Myfather and four other Protestants werean exception. They were Lutherans be-cause they had studied in a ProtestantLutheran School in Jerusalem, the Syr-ian Orphanage School, also known as“Schneller School” in West Jerusalem.At the age of 12, my father took me, myyounger sister Josephine, and my brotherDaniel there to where he and my granduncle before him had studied. My granduncle later became the headmaster andadvocate of the school. After finishingthe secondary school I was admitted tothe Teacher’s Training Seminary. Upongraduation I was appointed a teacher incharge of Christian instruction for theprimary grades for three years.

In the spring of 1936 I went to Basel,Switzerland, to study theology. A yearlater I moved to Germany toNeuendettelsau, Bavaria Theological

Seminary from where I graduated. Al-though this took place in the Nazi Era,I enjoyed studying and staying in Ger-many, with the exception of a few eventswhich I shall never forget. An incidenthappened one day when I was on myway to visit a German family who in-vited me to spend a few days of my va-cation with them. Nazi soldiers stoppedme to find out where I was going. I sa-luted them by taking off my hat; butone of them shouted at me and said:“Man, you must know how to saluteproperly with ‘Hail Hitler’!” Tellingthem that I was not a German, they an-swered: “It does not make any difference.When in Rome do as Romans do!” I donot know whether it was courage or stu-pidity, but I refused to yield to them.Another incident took place when I wason my way to a church in Nuerenberg,I saw soldiers beating an old Jew in frontof a shop. Feeling compassion for theold man, I asked them politely why theywere beating him. The answer was aheavy slap on my face and a twenty-fourhour arrest. Despite these and otherunpleasant incidents, I loved the peoplewhom I mixed with during the years ofmy study in Germany, and they lovedme and appreciated my openness andunderstanding.

The troubles I encountered in Germanyduring my years of study were nothing

compared with those I faced upon myreturn to Jerusalem after the outbreakof World War II. My ordination tookplace on May 26, 1940 by PropstJohannes Doering and DirectorHermann Schneller, who were deporteda couple of days later. So I started mypastoral work with the Schneller Con-gregation at a very difficult time. I wassimultaneously working as a teacher atthe Teacher’s Training Seminary whichwas closed down in 1941. From 1941-1946 I worked without any salary be-cause of the deportation of the ownersof Scheller’s Institutes. From 1943-1946I was a teacher at St. George’s AnglicanSchool besides my pastoral services. Thenew job and income strengthened mesomehow. I found strength and solacein Paul’s words: “I have been thoroughlyinitiated into the human lot with all itsups and downs, fullness and hunger,plenty and want. I have strength foranything through him who gives mepower.” (Phil. 4:12-13)

In 1948 the conflict between Israelis andArabs was cruel and ferocious and causedthe first displacement of Palestiniansfrom their homes, cities, and villages. Inthe first days of the war I was in Naza-reth on pastoral duties and had to takefifteen orphaned boys from Schneller

IN PERSON

BISHOP EMERITUS DR. DAOUD HADDAD

“MEMORY IS THE ONLYPARADISE OUT OF WHICHWE CANNOT BE DRIVEN”


School to Lebanon because we fearedthat the school was going to be under-mined. The boys were completely cutoff from their villages and towns. Find-ing asylum for them first in Kahala nearBeirut and then in the American Mis-sion School in Shamlan, I went on tomy home town Khirbet Kanafar. I thenreturned to Jerusalem.

Arriving in Jerusalem, I started inquir-ing about the most distressed Lutheransand other Christian families, and visitedthem with a woman from my congrega-tion. The visits proved to be most com-forting to them in those gloomy days,and the regular evening devotions pro-vided a boost and solace. The Muristanchapel (Crusader’s Chapel) used to beso overcrowded with worshipers everyevening during this period. In response,the Church of the Redeemer, which hadbeen closed since 1939, was re-opened.There I started building up my refugeechurch. In 1954 my late friend andmember of my church, Mr. Farid Tabrie,urged me to bring together the LutheranCongregation who had fled Lidda andRamleh to Ramallah. With the help offriends and partners and the LutheranWorld Federation (LWF) the LutheranChurch of Hope with its school wasstarted in Ramallah.

In 1959 by a Royal decree from KingHussein our church was officially rec-ognized among the established ChristianChurches in the West Bank, Jerusalem,and Jordan. After the breaking out ofthe “Six Day War” in 1967 manyLutherans moved from the West Bankto Amman, Jordan. They wanted me tostart a Lutheran Church. I started thework. Later a pastor was sent to Am-man to run the work and take care ofthe congregation. A church was built

with a big congregational center. Thededication of the church took place inAugust 1987.

In addition to serving in local churches,I was one of the members of the found-ing committee of the Evangelicalchurches in the Middle East in 1955 andserved four terms as the president of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan(ELCJ) as well. In the summer of 1979a decisive Synod meeting was held, andby a unanimous vote I was elected as thefirst Arab Bishop of ELCJ. I was conse-crated on October 31 on ReformationDay. It was a remarkable date in thehistory of our church and a memorablemilestone in my professional experience.As the first Arab Lutheran Bishop I hadfour basic objectives:1. To bring Lutherans of various ethnicgroups in the country into closer fellow-ship.2. To strengthen and maintain ecumeni-cal ties with all established churches inJerusalem.3. To continue dialogues with Muslimsand Jews in the country showing an un-derstanding of their religions and theirhistoric backgrounds.4. To strengthen our relationship withpartner churches, with the Middle EastCouncil of Churches (MECC) and theWorld Council of Churches.

In this article, I would like to stress toWestern Christians that there are Pales-tinian indigenous Christian Arabs in thisLand. Christianity is deeply rooted inthe Holy Land and will not be eradi-cated. Western churches should be com-mitted to the maintenance and continu-ation of the local Palestinian Christiancommunity in the Holy Land. Pales-tinian Christian Arabs cannot overlookthe failure of church leaders and their

churches in the West to resist the propa-ganda waged against us and our Mus-lim neighbors by “The New EvangelicalChristians” and “Western Christian Zi-onists” who use the Bible to support Is-rael’s claim to the Land of Palestine.

You can learn more about the life of BishopHaddad in his biography: Memoirs andHistorical Events which is available in bothArabic and English.


Mary visited Ein Karem on the way toBethlehem during her pregnancy, met herkinswoman Elizabeth, and stayed with herfor three months following the visitationby the angel Gabriel in which heannounced the future birth of Jesus.“Elizabeth spoke out with a loud voice andsaid: Blessed art thou among women andblessed is the fruit of thy womb. Andwhence is this to me that the mother ofmy Lord come to me” (Luke 1:42).

Church of the Visitation is located on theslopes of a rocky hill. It is also known asthe Church of the Magnificat (Mary’s songin Luke 1:46-55), in commemoration ofthe answer Mary gave her cousin Elizabethin the Gospel episode of the Visitation.Her hymn to the glory of the Lord is

inscribed in 41 languages on one wall ofthe church.

The Church of St. John the Baptist belongsto the Franciscan monastery of the samename. The first church rose here in the5th century, over the place traditionallyheld to be the home of Zacharia andElizabeth. The Church was rebuilt by theCrusaders, but after they left the HolyLand, the sanctuary was either destroyedor fell into complete disrepair. A fewcenturies later, the Franciscan Orderpurchased the site and work began on itsreconstruction.

The people of the village, who werepredominantly Christian, fled during thewar of 1948 in the hope of returning after

the conflict. However, they becamerefugees and were never able to return totheir homes. The village was captured in1948 by the Israeli forces. Today, accordingto the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi,“The village houses are inhabited by Jewishfamilies. One Christian Arab family, exiledfrom the village of Iqrit (Acre District) in1949, lives in the village, in an old schoolbuilding attached to the Franciscanmonastery. Some of the larger houses arebeautiful lime stone buildings two or threestories high with arched windows anddoors recessed into a larger arched facade.Some doors open onto balconies withmetal railings. There are seven Christianchurches and monasteries in the village.The village mosque, in a state of disrepair,still stands with its minaret.”

EIN KAREMEin Karem, Arabic for “the spring of the vineyard”, is a picturesquevillage located approximately 8 km southwest of Jerusalem. It isindirectly mentioned in the Bible as home of Zacharia and his wifeElizabeth, and the birthplace of their son John the Baptist.


St. Vincent Home for the Physically andMentally Handicapped Children, EinKarem

The smiles of four Sisters and 91 othercaretakers reflect off the bright walls of theSaint Vincent Home for Physically andMentally Handicapped Children in EinKarem. What could be a sorrowful, pain-stricken place is transformed by the workof these whose hands spread the love ofChrist to those whom society deems“unlovable.” Yet, one Sister claims, “They

give us so much more than we give them.”

“The heart of the place is really thechildren,” says Sister Susan. Sixty-onechildren with varied abilities and needscome to stay at St. Vincent from theirfamilies’ homes in Beersheva, Ashkelon,Ashdod and other areas inside Israel. Afew children can walk with assistance, andseveral can speak a few words. In themorning, the children attend school on thepremises of the home. In the afternoon,they attend music and art therapy, or go

to Snooziland - a relaxation room speciallydesigned to stimulate all of the children’ssenses.

The core values of the Daughters ofCharity in service to the handicappedinclude respect, quality service, simplicity,pluralism, advocacy for the poor, andpeace. Ein Karem, home to an Arab-Palestinian community of Muslims andChristians before 1948, is nowpredominantly Jewish-Israeli. However, inthis place of tumultuous, tragic, andregrettable history, the Sisters, caregivers,and volunteers of St. Vincent, supportedby the government of Israel, are buildingpeace through their compassion for theJewish, Muslim, and Christian children intheir midst.

Hope in the Holy Land


“Be not afraid,speak out and

do not keep silent:I am with you.”

Acts 18:9

Visit begins with lunch on Wednesday, February 28 andconcludes with closing worship and dinner onWednesday, March 7.

Witness Visit will include:• Exposure trips to see the political “facts on the ground” in the West Bank in the 40th year of Occupation by Israel• Lectures by Palestinian and Israeli experts• Visit to holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the Galilee• Jerusalem’s Old City• Advocacy workshops

visit our website: www.sabeel.org • e-mail: [email protected]

2007

If you can’t join us this time, join us for the Fall Visit, October 2007.

February 28 - March 7, 2007

SABEEL INTERNATIONAL WITNESSFOR JUSTICE & PEACE VISIT

For more information

Sabeel’s Second InternationalYoung Adult Conference

Focus on:• Christian community• The political situation• Challenges confronting Christian young adults worldwide

Conference will include:• Visits to Towns and Villages •Cultural evenings• Sharing experiences and ideas •Volunteer experience• Workshops and group discussions

July 19-28, 2007 | For ages 18-26

For moreinformation contact [email protected]


SABEEL’S 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

“THE FORGOTTEN FAITHFUL:THE CHALLENGES AND WITNESS

OF PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS”November 2-9, 2006

Program to include:

• 2 nights in Jerusalem, 3 nights in Jericho, 2 nights in Nazareth

• Visits with the Christian Communities in villages such as Taybeh,Jifna, Aboud, Birzeit, Ain Arik

• Lectures and workshops with international and local speakers inBethlehem, Ramallah, and Nazareth

• Bible Studies with Kenneth Bailey

• Visits to Christian Villages in the Galilee

• Presentation of Sabeel’s Survey of Christian Community in Gaza,West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Israel

• Informal Reception at Notre Dame, evening of Nov 2.

Book your travel now with

Shepherd’s Tours and Travel Co., Ltd:Tel: (+972) 2 628 4121 Fax: (+972) 2 628 0251

Email: [email protected](Book your departure for late evening Nov 9,

or watch for information about Post-conference options.)

For more information contact [email protected]


by Krista Johnson

From July 26th to August 6th 2006,young adults from around the worldgathered together for the first SabeelInternational Young Adult Conferencethemed Together: FacingChallenges...Finding Hope. Participantscame from Palestine, Sweden, Denmark,Hong Kong, India, Israel, the UnitedKingdom and the United States. Thegroup included 14 internationals, 18locals, and 7 staff and volunteers. Thegroup traveled together to Jerusalem,Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Hebron, Jifna,Taybeh, Ramallah, Aboud, and Jericho.Participants had a chance to meet, sharestories, and learn about one another’s

FIRST ANNUAL YOUNGADULT CONFERENCE

cultures and denominations. The tripincluded cultural activities, tours ofChristian sites, engagement in the realitiesfacing Palestinian Christians, communityservice, meetings with governmentofficials, and time to relax and engage inhonest cross-cultural dialogue. Thoughthe young adults were not able to travelto the Galilee as originally plannedbecause of the conflict in the northbetween Israel and Hizballah, ourconference was a great success. As one ofthe international participants reflected:“Truly, to see is to believe and to bechanged. In no other circumstance wouldI be able to meet with so many PalestinianChristians and form relationships withthem. For that, I am very appreciative.

This is what will frame my involvementin fighting for peace throughout my life.”

This conference was special because it wasplanned by young adults for young adults.The conference was facilitated by sevenSabeel volunteers and staff members:Youth Coordinator Haya Dow, OmarHarami, Krista Johnson, Andrea Dalton,Nevart Ateek, Janan Sima’an, and AmalGeraisy. In addition, the conference staffwas supported by a spirit of volunteerismamong the participants. From takingpictures to helping with lunchpreparations and leading devotions,participants were often willing to pitchin to make the conference a success.

In addition to the international and local


conference participants, the group had theopportunity to meet with over 55additional young adults from the WestBank in their different localities. The groupwould have been enriched by their presencethroughout the whole conference, butsevere restrictions on travel for Palestiniansfrom certain areas of the OccupiedPalestinian Territorieslimited the opportunityfor these young adults toparticipate. The SabeelYouth department is inthe process of developingfurther relationships withthose young adultsthrough follow-upconference events. Wehope that they will continue to be involvedwith the work of Sabeel.

The young adult conference included anumber of tours, speakers, and field tripsto help the group to better understandcurrent realities in Palestine. The grouptoured holy sights in Jerusalem,Bethlehem, and Jericho as well as exploringcurrent Palestinian realities throughSabeel’s “Contemporary Way of the Cross”(which included visits to settlements, thewall, checkpoints, Deir Yassin and EinKarem, using prayerful reflections andliturgies developed by Sabeel). They alsowent on a tour in Hebron hosted by theChristian Peacemaker Teams, and a tourof Jerusalem’s Old City with a focus onpolitical change. The group had a chance

to go hiking through Lifta and to learn aboutits history. Lifta is one of nearly 500 villagesde-populated in 1948. Never completelydestroyed, its ruins still stand just outsideJerusalem. In addition to tours, the groupparticipated in hands-on volunteer work inBeit Sahour for a day. They painted homes,refurbished gardens, and helped to prepare

schools for the upcomingschool year. Otherhighlights of the conferenceincluded swimming in theDead Sea, watching andlearning Dabka (traditionalPalestinian dancing) in BeitSahour, enjoying traditionalPalestinian meals, andreenacting a Palestinian

wedding, in which participants played theroles of bride, groom, and wedding party.These cultural events provided a hands-on wayto learn about Palestinian culture andtraditions, while having fun in the process.

The conference was a success, and in theevaluation process it was decided that Sabeelwould begin the process of planning foranother young adult conference in thesummer of 2007. Information about the datesand theme will be available on our website:www.sabeel.org.

Krista Johnson is mission personnel with theDisciples of Christ-United Church of Christworking at Sabeel.

The full conference report along with manyphotographs can be found at www.sabeel.org


HUSTAVLE**

The Cry from a Wounded PlanetSons and daughters of the Earth,you who know good and evil:Life is in danger! Show that you care!

Discover the WholenessThe Earth is a tapestry wovenwithout seams.No-one has the right to tear it apart.

Sense the HolinessA holy fragrance hovers over allthat exists.Life must be valued, protectedand loved.

Rejoice in the BeautyCreation has a wealth of its own.Nothing is mere raw material.The gifts of the Earth must behandledwith devotion and gratitude.

Remember the ContextYour life is woven into the patternof all life on Earth.All that you have is given to youin trust.You must pass it all on to thosewho come after you.

Struggle for JusticeMother Earth has enough to meetthe needs of all,but not to satisfy their greed.The gap between poor and richis contempt for human dignity.

Live in ReconciliationSons and daughters of the Earth,you who have the power to tear upher tapestry:you are called to a life of reconciliation!

**”Hustavle” is a Norwegian word, indicatinga bisis, important text. A “hustavle” was a setof “household rules,” given a decorative formwhich made it suitable to be framed andhung in the house. This “hustavle” wascreated for a conference on ethics and themanagement of natural resources in 2001 atThe Archbishops Palace, Trondheim.


Friends of SabeelAustralia Inc. (FOS-OZ)The Rev. Ray BarracloughSt. Francis College233 Milton Rd. QueenslandAustralia 4064Tel: (61)7 3369 4286Fax: (61)7 3369 4691E-mail:[email protected]

Sabeel-NazarethPO Box 8862Nazareth 16300IsraelTel: 972(4)6020790E-mail: [email protected]

General E-mail [email protected]; Local Programs: [email protected]; Clergy Program: [email protected];Friends of Sabeel: [email protected]; Youth Program: [email protected]; Media: [email protected].

Friends of SabeelUnited Kingdom (FOS-UK)Jennifer Oldershaw9 College GreenGloucester GL1 2LXU.K.Tel: +44 1452 311 101E-mail: [email protected]

Friends of SabeelIreland (FOS-IR)Friends of SabeelIreland (FOS-IR)The Rev. Ken ThompsonARDSONAS’12B Carrickbrack RoadSutton, Dublin 13,IrelandTel/Fax: +353 1 832 1152E-mail: [email protected]

Friends of SabeelNorth America (FOS-NA)(U.S. and Canada)Canon Richard TollPO Box 9186Portland, OR 97207USATel: (1)-503-653-6625E-mail: [email protected]

Canadian FOS (CFOS)c/o The Rev. Robert Assaly2262 Braeside Ave.Ottawa, ONCanadaK1H 7J7E-mail: [email protected]: www.sabeel.ca

E-Mail addresses:

Purpose Statement Sabeel ÉySabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among PalestinianChristians. Inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, this liberation theology seeksto deepen the faith of Palestinian Christians, promote unity among them, and lead themto act for justice and love. Sabeel strives to develop a spirituality based on justice, peace,non-violence, liberation, and reconciliation for the different national and faith communities.The word ‘Sabeel’ is Arabic for ‘the way’ and also a ‘channel’ or ‘spring’ of life-giving water.

Sabeel also works to promote a more accurate international awareness regarding the identity,presence, and witness of Palestinian Christians as well as their contemporary concerns. Itencourages individuals and groups from around the world to work for a just, comprehensive,and enduring peace informed by truth and empowered by prayer and action.

For more information on Friends of Sabeel groups in your area please contact our International representatives or the Sabeel Center in Jerusalem.

SabeelEcumenical Liberation

Theology Center

P.O.B. 49084

Jerusalem 91491

Tel: 972.2.532.7136

Fax: 972.2.532.7137

Visit our website at:

www.sabeel.org

Friends of SabeelAustralia (FOS-AU)The Revd Dr. Greg JenksPO Box 822Kenmore, QLD 4069AustraliaTel: +61 (0) 408 767 344E-mail: [email protected]: www.faithfutures.org/sabeel

Friends of SabeelScandinaviaRev. Mats ThurfjellDen Gode Herdens KyrkaBläkullagatan 7250 13 HelsingborgTel: +46 (0)70 372 60 85E-mail: [email protected]: www.sabeelskandinavien.org

Documents

Issue 42 - Autumn 2006 HAVE NO FEAR, LITTLE FLOCK › files › fosna › events › CornerstoneIssue42.pdf · CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND Issue 42 - Autumn 2006 HAVE NO FEAR, LITTLE