Marcia recently wrote a piece for a book of essays on the lives of everyday Palestinians being compiled by a writer in the US to tell their story. I thought I would share her thoughts with you.
My husband and I have recently returned from the Middle East, more specifically the West Bank, the Galilee and Jordan. Although we have been to Jordan several times, this was our first experience in Israel and Palestine. To say that we were shocked and bewildered by what we saw is an understatement. The wall defies description and the military presence everywhere was disconcerting.
We were part of a small group of Christians from Colorado and Idaho. We spent four days on the West Bank as guests of the Wi’am Center, a Palestinian center for conflict resolution. We toured Hebron and Jericho, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. We heard stories from our Palestinian hosts, a spokesperson for the Jewish settlement in Hebron, drivers, shopkeepers, Franciscans tending the holy sites and many, many others.
The person and place that for me exemplifies the dignity, love, resistance, perseverance and hope of the Palestinians is Pastor Mitri Raheb and Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. We met with him late in the afternoon after what was clearly a busy day for him. I have never heard anyone speak with more focus about mission. He is inspirational. He is a third generation Lutheran Palestinian trained in Germany, but totally committed to his people. He grew up in this church and it is glorious. He is clearly a successful fund-raiser. There is an art center, a school which serves Muslims and Christians, an art and music program, a health clinic, a guest house, a convention center and so much more. There are also bullet holes from the 2002 siege when Israeli tanks shelled the compound.
Bethlehem was under siege and then under curfew for four months in 2002. Curfews are still imposed at times today. “The Israelis intend to make this the largest outdoor prison in the world”, he says and “we intend to make it the best prison in the world…It is a place of hope in a hopeless situation.”
To do this, they are bringing beauty through the arts and music, economic skills and voicing a new, relevant theology to the Palestinians who are living in Bethlehem. He believes in proclaiming the power of the risen Lord, not crying or whining. “In Bethlehem where the word was made flesh, we need to put faith into action.” I purchased stained glass angels “resurrected” from windows that were shot out in 2002. A class recently graduated after two years of training to be tour guides in the holy land. They had remarkable by success taking the tour guide exam and now will be able to lead an “alternative tour” of the Holy Land, telling the Palestinian as well as the Israeli story. A nature park for picnics is being planned to encourage family outings. We saw art created by children. The most memorable for me was a picture of Santa not being able to get through a check point to bring Christmas presents to the children of Bethlehem. Their wellness center reached 10,000 people last year in a place devastated by high blood pressure, diabetes and depression caused by living under military occupation. Senior citizens are being cared for. Many are alone in Bethlehem because their children have emigrated to other places. Only 1.7 % of the population is Christian today in the land where Jesus walked and preached.
The school curriculum emphasizes the 5 “C’s”. Christian values, Critical thinking, Creativity, Communication, and Commitment to this community. They don’t teach a clash of civilizations. The idea of salvation by grace alone is important in a place where people think that how they dress, and what they eat and don’t drink will bring salvation. 58% of the pupils in the school are Muslims whose families also embrace these values.
In all of the conversations with Palestinians, I heard only a wish for peace- a desire to live just as normal teenagers, newly weds, parents, and grandparents live in unoccupied countries. I was in awe of their courage to begin new marriages and to raise children in the midst of the current situation. I did not hear a desire for retribution, or anger – only sadness, a wish to be treated as full citizens and a desire for change and a belief that things will, have to, get better.
Mitri quotes Martin Luther. “Even if I knew the world was ending tomorrow, I would go plant an apple tree today.” He said, “We plant olive trees. We need to take each day as a gift and plan as if the brightest future is yet to come”. In his book Bethlehem Besieged, he writes, “But if we plant an olive tree today, there will be shade for the children to play in, there will be oil to heal the wounds, and there will be branches to wave when peace arrives.”
He asked for our prayers and thanked us for coming. He told us that 98% of tourists who come to Israel do not come to the West Bank. Before the second intifada, a group or two a day would visit Christmas Lutheran Church. They are now fortunate if they have one group a month. As we walked back to Casa Nova on Manger Square from his church, an Apache helicopter flew overhead and reminded us what a tentative hold the Palestinians have on the land, their country, even their lives, on the West Bank. Apache helicopters are used for targeted killings of suspected enemies of Israel.
Because of Pastor Raheb, we left the West Bank with a mustard seed of hope after being depressed by all we saw and experienced there.
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