Monday 13 December 2010

The Galilee Society

After my years in Africa where I had known so many people who had either died from AIDS or were living positively with it, it has been strange to come to Israel and Palestine, where it is not so prevalent and where there is a lesser degree of awareness.

The Galilee Society at Shefa Amr is an NGO, whose HIV/AIDS programme is supported by Church of Scotland, and recently they held a seminar for school counsellors and school nurses to highlight HIV/AIDS and to explore the various challenges faced in talking to youngsters about it, especially in the Arab community, where there is a certain shyness over health issues.

I was impressed by the commitment of the participants and also by their readiness to engage with the AIDS issue. The seminar was organised by Mohammad Khatib, who heads the Health Justice department of the Society, and he also talked to me about a new project regarding awareness of breast cancer among women in the Arab community. The percentage of Arab women with such cancer is smaller than in Israeli society as a whole, but mortality rates are higher, because they fail to take the necessary tests quickly enough. An informative DVD has been brought out by the Galilee Society, including a ‘censored’ version for use when men are present.

Something which the Society is also having to address is the growing violence in the Arab community. The newspapers have been reporting on a number of family feuds which have resulted in the deaths of young people (a bit like Renaissance Italy). On trying to explain the underlying causes for this violence, one lady told me, ‘We do not know who we are. Are we Arab or Palestinian or Israeli? We keep hearing different voices saying one or the other’. Part of it is coping with being a minority in the land, but equally the Israeli Jews have to cope with being a minority in the Middle East.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

The Olive Harvest

‘Come, help us with the olive harvest!’

Maroun and his family had been harvesting their 70 odd olive trees for the last few Saturdays near Jish, up at the Lebanese border, so I duly went along. Fortunately they had also the foresight to hire three Thai workers from a nearby kibbutz who did all the hard work of moving groundsheets under the trees and whacking the branches to make the olives fall.

My task (after arriving just in time for breakfast!) was to sort out the olives from twigs and help put them in bags ready to be made into oil. I can’t pretend to have helped very much, but I enjoyed spending the day in the olive grove and being part of a tradition which goes back all the centuries. Olive oil is used in so many different ways, so is always prized. This year looks like a good harvest, and Maroun’s family have already over 20 gallons of oil.  A good day - and the breakfast was wonderful...!

Refugee
On Sundays you never know who will come to church. Last Sunday there were only a couple of people in the congregation, but half way through someone came in and stayed for the rest of the service. It turned out he was a refugee from Ethiopia and, like many Ethiopians and Sudanese, had come across the border into Israel illegally. Nebi has applied for permission to stay, but there seems to be a problem as he is technically Eritrean, though he has lived in Ethiopia all his life.  His employer was making use of this, making him work long hours without any protective clothing and being reluctant to give him an appropriate salary – always threatening to cause trouble with the immigration people. Needless to say, Nebi finds it difficult to complain. He hopes to find a better job, and we’ll do what we can to help.

Peki’in
Hanna is one of the chefs at the Hotel and lives in the village of Peki’in in the Galilee Hills. It is an old village, very attractive with winding lanes, and unusual in Israel as it has Moslems, Druze, Christians and Jews living together (though not without tension). More Jews want to move in and are prepared to pay double the asking price for houses. However, most of the Arabs would resist the temptation to sell to anyone apart from their own community, in order to safeguard the character of the place. I had accompanied Hanna to his church, the Melkite (Greek Catholic) church. Services are held in the old church in the village only once a month, so we were in the hall of the new church which is being built outside the village, where many of the Christians have now moved. Hanna is engaged and hopes to marry next year, so he is busy building his house on top of his parents’ house (i.e. adding a new floor). This is very traditional, as families are very close. It was good to meet Hanna’s mother especially, as she bakes the communion bread we use on Sundays.

Inter-faith?
On Tuesday I had travelled to Haifa to meet with Archbishop Elias Chacour of the Melkite Church, to which a majority of the Christians in the Galilee belong. The archbishop is well-known as the writer of several books, including ‘Blood Brothers’ which present the pain and inequalities faced by Palestinian Christians  in Israel, while calling for all faiths to live together peacefully. It was a privilege to visit with him. Afterwards I met up with a friend who is Anglican (again an Arab), but who was feeling particularly vulnerable after the terrible events in Iraq where many Christians had been held hostage and even killed in one of the churches. He bemoaned the rising extremism in Islam in the Middle East, and felt the Church was threatened throughout the region. It was immediately after this I visited Tareq, the restaurant manager at the Hotel, who lives in Haifa. He is Moslem and was on holiday celebrating the Eidh al-Adha, when Moslems remember how Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac. I went with him to his brother-in-laws house and was interested to find two orthodox Jews visiting him. His brother-in-law is involved in inter-faith dialogue, had spoken in several synagogues and also presents television programmes on the subject. It was a good antidote to the gloom of my friend earlier.

Tel Aviv
Tiberias is a small town with quite an insular mentality, so it is good to get out occasionally and go to Tel Aviv, the biggest city in Israel. I had travelled down with Moshe to visit a wine exposition and check out new wines for the Hotel, but we also had time to wander about and enjoy the atmosphere of the city. It is a city of many restaurants and cafes, with wide avenues with walkways down the centre. A good place to people-watch! Also lots of people on bikes and people out walking dogs (which I rarely see in Tiberias). Tel Aviv is a very secular city ( in contrast to Tiberias, which is becoming more and more religious) and somehow seems more friendly and welcoming – interesting observation?

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Hotel Outing

In September over 40 of the staff at the Hotel went on a day’s outing to visit the other institutions run by the Church of Scotland.

First stop was Tabeetha School, where the young children sang for us and where Antony Short, the Head, was able to explain the ethos behind the school. At least one of the managers was set to enrol his daughter - if only the school were nearer Tiberias!

Then we moved on to Jerusalem, and it was an eye-opener to see the guest-house and to experience the special atmosphere there. Rev George Shand took us round the church, which again impressed everyone.

After lunch we went into the Old City, where we visited sites associated with the various faiths, walking along the Via Dolorosa and ending up at the Western Wall with views of the Dome of the Rock and El-Asqa Mosque inbetween. Interestingly, my Moslem and Jewish colleagues found the Church of the Holy Sepulchre too lax in allowing people to enter who were ‘inappropriately’ dressed (e.g. in shorts).

Finally at nearly 9 o’clock at night our bus drew into Tiberias. A good day, away from the routine of the Hotel and an opportunity to view the ‘larger picture’ of the church’s work in Israel & Palestine. Also a chance to be together in the various holy places of our faiths, which was important.

Friday 29 October 2010

Tension

On Tuesday I travelled to Barta’a, a town which straddles the Green Line, which separates The West Bank from Israel. I was with a friend who has his dentist there, and all was very peaceful.

Yet the very next day the television pictures were of events in the neighbouring town of Umm el Fahm, another large Arab town, where extremists Jews had been given permission to march, waving Israeli flags. Confrontation was inevitable, and indeed it ended up in mayhem, with tear gas, secret police and arrests. The pictures were broadcast around the world, and Israel’s name is tarnished once more.

To me it is sad, especially as a lot of my Jewish friends were aghast at such a provocative march being allowed to take place. Only a week ago there was also some trouble in Safed, one of the four Holy Cities for the Jews and which stands in the hills to the north of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). The rabbi there had urged people not to rent out rooms to Arab students studying at the local College and to shun those who did. This led to a confrontation between extremist students on both sides of the ethnic divide.

In both cases, it seems that the extremists throughout Israel, who are very much in the minority, are gaining more and more power and are creating situations of tension. Once again it saddens me, as so many people in both communities want to live side by side in peace.

Monday 20 September 2010

Driving Test

Coming to Israel, I had to get used to driving on the right-hand side of the road and also an automatic car transmission, both of which turned out not to be a problem at all. However, I was also aware that my British license would only last me a year and that I would have to sit a driving test before the year was out. So, last month I started to have driving lessons! After 30-odd years of driving, a test should hold no fear for me – except I had 30 years of bad habits to contend with. ‘You are driving too fast!’, ‘Look in ALL three mirrors’, ‘ You are supposed to stop at STOP signs, not give way’, my instructor screamed!

Anyway the fatal day of the test came, and I was in the instructor’s car with two Americans who were also sitting the test. We took it in turns to drive. The test was fine, though all in Hebrew (!!). One of the Americans ‘kindly’ said that he thought I had failed (he himself had made two terrible mistakes), but I had to wait all day till the results were posted in the evening (one instructor was almost killed when he told someone he had failed, so results are never given immediately). Fortunately (and somewhat to my surprise), I had passed!

Friday 17 September 2010

Rosh haShana & Ramadan

Over the weekend, the promenade at Tiberias has been thronging with Arab families, celebrating the end of Ramadan. While not all Moslems fast for the month, many do, and I could see how some of the staff at the Hotel really suffered during the August heat, not even able to take a sip of water from dawn until sunset – a long time. So there was none of my usual Arabic coffee at the Maintenance Office, where Ahmed hopes to go on the Haj this year!

The end of Ramadan coincide this year with Rosh haShana, the Jewish New Year. Someone gave me a jar of honey, and I cut up apples to dip into the honey, which is typical for this time of year, a desire that the year to come will be a good and sweet one. Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, the most holy day in the Jewish year follows ten days later, and these 10 days are called the yamim nora’im, the ‘terrible days’ as someone translated it, or the ‘Days of Awe’. This is a time for introspection, to look at where you are and where you are going in life’s journey. It is also a time to reflect on mistakes made, those whom we may have offended and those who may have offended us, so there is an air of forgiveness and reconciliation. A friend of mine says that Tiberias has a special atmosphere during these days, and I have certainly noticed an air of goodwill. If only it would continue..!
It is always good to witness the festivals of other faith groups, and I always feel there is much to learn from them as Christians.

Tuesday 17 August 2010

House of Grace

Sunday, after church service at St Luke’s Anglican church in Haifa (and the inevitable lunch thereafter), we went to the business district where, surrounded by tower-blocks, government offices and roadworks, stands the House of Grace.

Just walking into the compound, one feels a sense of peace. The old church was once the Greek Catholic cathedral, but has now been restored to a most beautiful and serene sanctuary. One of the ikons was gifted by a drug addict who inherited it from his mother, but was terrified he would sell it to feed his habit, so gave it to the church! And that is maybe a clue to what else goes on here, for the house was set up 28 years ago by Agnes Shehade and her late husband Kamil as a half way house for prisoners, released from prison but with nowhere to go. This rehabilitation work continues to today, with the prisoners, Jew and Arab, living with the family in the house. The centre has had various emphases over the years, and today supports over 400 needy families and works to empower young people at risk. It also inspires the youths to volunteer in other projects.

The house is usually closed on a Sunday, but we were welcomed into Agnes’ living room, given juice and fruit and Arabic coffee and were just so overwhelmed by the hospitality and grace shown by this remarkable woman. Her four sons and one daughter were brought up in the house with the prisoners and the needy and amazingly all of them are still involved, giving of their skills. I was tremendously touched by what I had seen – it truly is a house full of grace.

Tuesday 10 August 2010

August update

A Wedding in Cana
Earlier this month I was privileged to be invited to the wedding of the daughter of Husni, one of the maintenance workers. Husni is from Cana and a Muslim (he was on the hajj to Mecca last year), so, unlike the wedding Jesus attended there, there was definitely no water into wine at this one. Interestingly the sexes were segregated, with the men sitting apart from the women in a separate hall – too bad, as the women seemed to have all the music and dancing. When the groom arrived he was hoisted on the shoulders of his friends and carried to the bride, and they danced together.

Disco on the Lake
I was visited by two friends recently, and for the first time in my 9 months here, I went out with them on a boat into the centre of the Sea of Galilee. We had rather expected a quiet spiritual experience, but we hadn’t reckoned with the arrival of a busload of acutely disabled children along with the young people looking after them. Suddenly the disco music started and the peace was shattered, but it was wonderfully touching to see the young helpers enthusiastically manoeuvre their friends in wheelchairs in the disco! And fascinating to hear the Birdie Dance in Hebrew!! (I am afraid we didn’t join in.)

Heat
Tiberias is sweltering in the August heat. We are into the 40s, but the ‘perceived temperature’ (taking into account humidity) is nearer 50. Even showers, turned to the coldest setting, are hot. I am surprised anyone comes to Tiberias at this time, but there are a lot of orthodox Jewish families around. We have also had a lovely group of about 30 young people from an Anglican church near the coast, who have been having seminars on prayer. It excites me that they are able to have access to the hotel and its facilities through the subsidy scheme (which comes out of the hotel profits). It also gladdens my heart to see such enthusiastic young people in the church.

Tuesday 13 July 2010

St. Andrew’s Galilee
Just back from Church. Yet again a fascinating group of people. A couple from Germany, a woman from Poole in Dorset (fortunately a good singer, who knew the hymns I had chosen), a couple of Armenian seminarians (one with a rich Canadian accent). It is always touching to stand round the Table with people from different countries and traditions. It is a must, apparently, for Armenian priests to have beards, so the Canadian seminarian wondered why not all protestant ministers are bearded (though admittedly I have stubble!!). If he stays in the Middle East, he will have to remain celibate, whereas if he returns to Canada, he can choose to marry.

For a tiny congregation, a lot seems to happen, and a few weeks ago, we had a special service admitting Andrew Donohoe to the eldership. He had been ordained in Dumfries about 25 years ago, but now that he has come back to Tiberias permanently, it seemed good to utilise his leadership skills. The following week was Shirley’s last Sunday with us. A Mennonite and Director of Nazareth Village, she has been coming faithfully to St Andrew’s for about 5 years, but now it is time for her to return to the States and to Maryland. She has been a good support, and it is sad to lose her, but exciting that she is moving on to new things.

Banners
We have been moving things around in the church. There are some bare walls, so we decided we needed some banners to add a splash of colour. We are not quite up to making any yet, so if anyone has some spare banners lying around, they would be most welcome! Also, one of the local scout groups in Sakhnin have a pipe and drum band, and are desperately looking for old bagpipes...!

Lutheran Young leaders
At the end of June we hosted a group of 20 young people, mostly from the Lutheran churches in the West Bank. It was touch and go whether they would be granted the necessary visas, but to our relief they were. They could never afford to stay at the Hotel on normal rates, but we are able to subsidise some groups (though the budget soon runs out!). It was a joy for them to see the Sea of Galilee (they can only dream of the sea in the West Bank) and visit the sites associated with Jesus. Bishop Munib, who is such a wonderful person, was there facilitating, which I found very encouraging, as sometimes leaders don’t associate with the youth. During their worship, their hymn-singing drew some of the Jewish and Moslem members of staff, and their excellent behaviour won the praise of all.

Jaffa & Bethlehem
Schools have broken up for the summer holidays, and Tabeetha was no different. I travelled down for the graduation ceremony, as the 6th formers said their goodbyes. I was amazed at how mature they were and also excited by their dreams for the future, which they so ably put across by video, as well as by speech. A good evening, and fortunately far cooler in Jaffa than Tiberias.

The next day I went with George (minister in Jerusalem) and Lindsay (a student on summer attachment) to Bethlehem to visit some of the projects supported by Sunbula. The one which stood out for me was the Ma’an Lil-Hayat project, which is based at the L’Arche community. It aims to ‘bring together people with and without intellectual disabilities, who share life through work, celebrations and mutual relationships of friendship and trust. They aim to ‘ celebrate the unique value of every person and recognise the need for one another’. As one of my friends at the Hotel commented, if only everyone in Israel-Palestine thought the same! It was so good to see how the wool was carded, then made into felt – and suddenly caterpillars and ladybirds and nativity scenes were created. There was lots of excitement as well, as the group had just been to a swimming pool, the first time for most of them. After the visit to Ma’an Lil-Hayat, we spent the afternoon with Usama at Wi’am, the centre for Reconciliation and Dialogue. He took us into the Aida Refugee camp, which was right next to the Wall which seems to encircle Bethlehem. A more chilling end to the day.

Friday 18 June 2010

Samir

Over the last couple of weeks I have been invited to visit the homes of some of the members of staff, and yesterday I went to Mughar, a Palestinian village which has a mixed population of Christian, Moslem and Druze. I had visited Ayman a few times, accompanying him to his church, but this time I visited Samir, one of the maintenance workers at the hotel. Samir is Druze, a Moslem sect with many members in Lebanon and Syria. The Druze are unusual for Moslems, in that they always support the state of Israel and participate in the army. However, like all Palestinians, there is a longing to visit relatives in Syria and Lebanon, many of whom they have never met, because there is no peace between these countries and Israel.

Samir lives in one of the nicest houses I have visited in Israel, beautifully decorated with antiques and with commanding views over the Galilee hills. Like many of the Arab houses, there were flags flying from the roof (in Samir’s case, an Argentinean one) – an indication of which team the family were supporting in the ‘Mondial’ (World Cup).

Tuesday 15 June 2010

Scots Festival

Every year in May there is a celebration of Scottish culture at the Hotel. This year it coincided with the departure of the General Manager, but the managers (departmental heads) are real professionals, and they pulled it off.

There was a superb closing concert, set in the hotel gardens overlooking the Lake and with wonderful music (admittedly Irish rather than Scottish), and other events such as a whisky seminar, a study of Macbeth through drama, opera and film and an evening of Scottish songs.

A Scottish chef (above) also appeared in a workshop, demonstrating how to cook Scotch Broth - not a patch on my mother’s! -and stovies, and then trifle (with jelly!).

Monday 14 June 2010

Tension

The siren sounded throughout the country, and people immediately rushed to their shelters. It was an air-raid practice, and I was at my Hebrew conversation class. So the 8 of us trooped downstairs to the designated room and joined all the others from the educational centre. Fortunately it only lasted a few minutes, as the room was full of junk – the thought of spending any length of time there something not to dwell on.

The following morning, quite early, I heard the boom of thunder from the Golan Heights, but it wasn’t thunder: rather the army testing their big guns! Rumours of possible war were suddenly rife in my Hebrew group!

Then to cap it all, there was the incident of the flotilla of ships bringing aid to Gaza, which resulted in several deaths and the almost universal condemnation of Israel. At the Hotel there is a policy (official/ unofficial?) not to talk about politics, and the Arab staff members were reluctant to talk about the incident, apart from in private, whilst the reaction of the Jewish members of staff varied considerably. ‘Why does everyone in the world hate us?’, one of the younger members asked me.

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Baptism and Mourning

Rather excitingly, we had a baptism on Sunday evening. Given the small numbers of the congregation here, it is not something which happens regularly – in fact, no-one can remember the last time a baby was baptised here! However, Adeck Mba, the father, is a professional footballer, playing for one of the teams here in Israel – and is a Presbyterian from Cameroon (The Basle Mission were active in that part of west Africa), his mother being an elder. So it was a privilege to baptise little Riya. Also a relief that there was a reasonable congregation of 18 there to witness it and offer support.

Having witnessed at the baptism the joy of new life a baby brings, a very good friend of mine from the hotel, Moshe (photo right), has just been through a very different experience, with the death of his father. Jewish burials take place usually within a day of the death happening different from Africa, where we often waited for days for family to arrive), after which the family hold shiva. This means that the family sit in the funeral house for 7 days. Mirrors are covered, and the family sit on the floor (or very low seating). They also rip their clothes as a sign of mourning. During shiva, a memorial candle is kept alight, and friends call for short visits. Men are not allowed to shave or have haircuts for 30 days, while women do not wear makeup.(At the hotel, the male staff are supposed to shave every day, but Moshe has been exempted for a month). After 7 days, a person can resume work, but in Moshe’s case, work at the hotel is combined with prayers three times a day (early morning at 5.30, late afternoon and evening) – and in Judaism, you need at least 10 people to pray, so it is not a case of rattling through some prayers in private, but of going to a synagogue for at least an hour.

Mourning for a parent actually lasts for a year, and during that time, the mourner is not supposed to go to parties or entertainment, nor is able to invite anyone for meals. Even music is avoided. Of course, many people do not necessarily keep all of this, but the religious would, and Moshe comes from quite a religious family.

Thursday 6 May 2010

Visit to Jenin

The very mention of the West Bank town of Jenin seems to set alarm bells ringing with many of the people here. The incursion of the Israeli army into Jenin was one of the flashpoints of the Intifada, and a number of lives were lost, especially on the Palestinian side. The town was ‘closed’ for some time, and even now I doubted how easy it would be to get in (when I mentioned I was going, one Palestinian friend said I was a brave man!). As it was, there was nothing simpler than getting through the checkpoint (though the vehicle and our luggage were thoroughly searched on the way back!), and Jenin itself was a friendly, bustling town.

I had gone there with Runa Mackay and Janet Powney from Edinburgh, and our main contact was Yousef at the Jenin Cultural Centre, which organizes drama, workshops for children, English lessons and computer classes among other things. [The photo is at the Cultural Centre at Jenin. From left, Yousef, Ahmed, Mohammed and me.] It was interesting to see the children’s paintings, which had been full of violent images of soldiers, tanks, blood, people being arrested. However, the more recent ones are of more peaceful scenes, including the sea – though this is something which can no longer be seen with ease on the West bank. It was also good to visit the Refugee Camp, which had borne the brunt of the fighting during the Incursion, and see the sculpture of a horse, made out of bits of cars (and even an ambulance) which had been blown up during the fighting. Again, taking something negative and turning it into a positive.

We stayed at Yousef’s home in the village of Burqin, and I was excited to find an old Orthodox church there, set in a peaceful garden full of roses. It is reputedly the site of the healing of the 10 lepers, and a church was built there in the 4th Century. The Christian population is small, but there seems to be a good relationship between the Moslems and Christians. Also near Burqin, is a centre for fair trade products (Canaan Fair Trade). There seem to be about 40 farms involved, seven of which are organic, as well as 6 women’s co-operatives. Farmers are given a good price for their goods, and the quality seems to be excellent (I bought some olive oil and some soap). A lot of the produce is sold to Europe and America, and I felt encouraged that the fragile Palestinian economy could be boosted by an organization seeking to benefit women and men in this rural community.

A good visit, and one which re-enforces in my mind both the goodness of people on all sides of this conflict, but also the dreadful injustices being borne by the Palestinians in the West Bank. But ultimately I left feeling more hopeful for the Palestinian people.

Wednesday 21 April 2010

Bir’im

Bir’im was a bustling village near the Lebanese border, with a population of Maronite and Melkite Christians. In 1948 the villagers had to leave, hoping that they would return, but it never happened. Many moved to the nearby village of Jish; others went into exile. Their case was taken to court, and the ruling was that they be allowed to return – except ‘for security reasons’ this has never been implemented. Though, interestingly, the people of Jish still bring their dead to be buried at the cemetery in Bir’im. (On Good Friday it is the custom for Christians to visit the graves of their loved ones, and I hear that at 6 o’clock in the morning, several hundred people had made the journey from Jish to Bir’im to continue this custom).

The area is now a national park, as there is an ancient synagogue there, but you can still see the ruins of the houses, though the stone crosses on the lintels seem to have been taken away. The Maronite church is still there, however, and services, hitherto held only once a year, will apparently be held there every Saturday. While I was there, a group of American Christians were looking at the synagogue and had spent 45 minutes there. When we mentioned about the church being just 50 metres away, their guide said it was time for lunch and quickly moved them to their bus. Perhaps the sight of the ruined village would have led to some awkward questions. Out of sight is out of mind.

Though, for the Jews, this is the time to remember, and there have been two memorial days, one for the victims of the Shoah (holocaust) and the other for soldiers who died in wars. A siren sounds over the land, and everyone and everything stops and stands to attention. Looking out my window, I could see vehicles stopped in the middle of roundabouts, with the drivers standing still beside them. This must have been broadcast widely, as I received a text message from the North-western province of Zambia, asking why it happened.

Thursday 1 April 2010

Blog down for 2 weeks

Please note: This Blog will not be updated for the next 2 weeks. Normal service will be resumed on 20 April.

Wednesday 31 March 2010

Weaving women, Passover and Easter

Kafr Manda is a sizeable Arab village in Western Galilee and is home to a basketry project, in which 9 Arab women, the oldest 53 and the youngest 22, weave baskets. In doing so, they keep alive an ancient craft. The project is run by Sindyanna, a fair trade organisation, which works mostly with the Arab community, but which seeks to promote co-existence between the different groups in Israeli society. In fact, the next basketry course will have 10 participants, 5 Arab and 5 Jewish women, which I find exciting. Even as it is, the workforce is mixed. The project seeks to empower the women, providing them with employment and thereby with money, but also giving them a space away from their home environment where they can chat and share problems. The baskets themselves are works of art, all individual. Needless to say, I bought two for the church in Tiberias! The women also make lunch for groups, so anyone planning a trip to the Holy land should consider stopping off there!

Passover
The Monday night of Holy Week – but also this year the beginning of Passover (or Pesach, in Hebrew). I had been invited, along with two friends from Scotland, to the Seder meal at Kinneret kibbutz just south of Tiberias. It was a wonderful experience, with over 300 people of all ages gathered in the kibbutz dining hall. This was the 96th time the Seder had been celebrated at Kinneret, and different families had their own bits of the ‘liturgy’ to read, as the story of the Exodus and the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt was recited. All this was interspersed with singing led by a band of musicians. The walls were also decorated by paintings by one of the artists from the kibbutz, using the ‘Exodus’ theme.

I found it an incredibly moving experience and was struck by a sense of continuity with the past, both immediately (some of the readings were read by children of the first settlers on the kibbutz), but also realising that this meal had been celebrated for all these centuries. I was also struck by the strong sense of community and oneness on the kibbutz. As a Christian, I could identify strongly with the Passover, whose message of liberation from oppression has meant so much to churches throughout the world.

Easter
The scouts are an interdenominational group in the Arab town of Reine, and their band beat the drums and led the procession with banners at the Palm Sunday procession, where we moved from the Anglican church (our partners) to the Melkite (Greek Catholic) church to the Latin (Roman Catholic) church, waving our palms and olive branches. A meaningful occasion!

On Thursday, we will hold our feet-washing and communion service, while on Good Friday we will have a series of meditations, as we move around the hotel garden and down to the church, remembering all the events of the day. A dawn service and communion on top of the Migdal in the hotel garden on Easter morning will be the culmination of our activities.

I hope and pray that Easter will be a blessed and meaningful time for all of you, wherever you may be.

Tuesday 16 March 2010

Yanoun

We drove up from the Jordan Valley through the rain and fog to find the small road leading us to the town of Aqraba and on to the village of Yanoun in the West Bank. Yanoun is surrounded by Jewish settlements and became a flashpoint in 2003 when settlers drove the inhabitants from their homes.

This reminder of the expulsion of Arab populations in 1948 caused Jewish Peace activists to protect the village from being taken over by the settlers, and since that time there has been an international presence in the village, though a few of the houses are still sadly left empty. As it is, shepherds cannot take their sheep up the hillsides to graze, in case of confrontations with the settlers, nor can children play or explore.

I had gone with a friend to visit Jan Sutch Pickard, who is there for 3 months with EAPPI (Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel). Their role is really just to be a presence in the village. Our visit coincided with that of a theatre group, Clowns without Borders, whose programme is called Laughter without Borders. They were spending just over a week in Palestine, before spending a few days in Israel playing to mixed audiences.

In Yanoun numbers were intimate, but it was so good to see the children laugh – there must be precious little of that. It was a happy day and the village seemed almost idyllic – until you noticed the looming presence of the settlements on the surrounding hills.

Thursday 11 March 2010

Meeting the Bedouins

I had an early start to join Clarence and Joan Musgrave & the visiting Guild group as they visited projects supported by the NGO, Rabbis for Human Rights, among the Bedouin of the Negev, the large desert region in the south of the country (turned green with the rain). In the morning we visited a Bedouin village, where we heard of the work of the Pre-Military Academy, which takes young people who have just completed school for a 10 month stint before they start their army service. Their presence seems to have made some difference in the village, in that some facilities had been provided and some women have been learning Hebrew, so they can communicate (though how many of the young people learned any Arabic is another matter), and the women could now read, for example, health pamphlets (which should have been provided in Arabic anyway, as an official language, but which rarely are). The young people from the Academy came from privileged backgrounds in the Centre of the country -unfortunately there didn’t seem to be any Arabs on the programme, but then not many Arabs do military service - and their interaction with the Bedouin had obviously had an impact on them, and I could see that they had had a positive mind-shift, appreciating more about minorities in Israel.

The men in the group were taken round the local primary school. The headteacher bemoaned the lack of resources, but it seemed a lot better to me than many schools in Zambia, so it is all relative. The Head himself was a local Bedouin, but most of the teachers seemed to come from the Arab communities in the Galilee, as few of the Bedouins seem to go in for teaching. Again young people from the ‘Academy’ teach some courses, and thus present a different view of Jewish Israelis to the Bedouin pupils, who are more likely to associate Israelis negatively with the police or army. I was certainly impressed by the young man who took us round and felt that, despite some initial reservations, that the programme was a positive one.

What the Bedouin are associated with is their hospitality, and the morning finished with a lunch of rice, potato and chicken from a communal dish.

Monday 8 March 2010

Purim

Dressing up, face-painting, parties and presents! Purim is a fun festival – and the only Jewish festival which apparently obligates you to get drunk, in order that you are completely happy!!! It focuses on the Book of Esther, which is probably my least favourite book in the Bible (apart from the wonderful character of Vashti!), as its ending encourages vindictive vengeance and slaughter. However, this seems to have been air-brushed out of the versions of the story I have read here, so obviously others are uncomfortable with it too. Indeed most people would be unaware of it.

Friday 26 February 2010

Evictions in Jerusalem

Recently I have had to travel to Jerusalem several times. Strangely I have not visited many of the churches or shrines, preferring to wander through the narrow lanes of the old city or the bustling streets of East Jerusalem, getting a feel of the place. The old city is fascinating, with every twist and turn revealing spice shops or jewellers – or, to my consternation, groups of soldiers with their loaded rifles. This is more evident in the Moslem quarter of the city and near the Damascus Gate.

I suppose they are a normal occurrence for most people, but to me it was a stark reminder of the tensions within the city and also that the old city is occupied territory. Saying that, I also noticed that some of the houses are now occupied by religious Jews, with the Israeli flags provocatively hanging outside. This seems to be a determined strategy, as many Palestinians are being evicted from their homes and the religious Jews move in. A major flashpoint is the area of East Jerusalem called Sheikh Jarrah, where several families have had to move out of their homes, to be replaced by extremists. One family have lived in their house since the early 1950s, after they had been expelled in 1948 from their original house. Now they seem to be being expelled again!

The one slightly positive thing is that many Jews have joined the protests against such actions.

Thursday 25 February 2010

Ulpan - my Hebrew lessons

The place where I go for my Hebrew lessons is also a centre for the neighbourhood, and last week I was invited to join a group of elderly people, who meet every day for tea and talk.

A group of handicapped children from a local school had come to act out how to prepare for the Shabbat meal. Many of the elderly people were obviously quite poor and came from the Sephardic community, Jews from Arab countries like Morocco or Yemen or Iraq, who often ended up in poorer jobs and were subtly discriminated against by the Ashkenazi (European) Jews.

Fortunately this situation has changed over the years, but there still seems to be a distinction between the various groups. Now there is another group, the Jews from the old Soviet Union, over a million of whom emigrated to Israel in the 1990s.

Half of my Ulpan class comprises of Russians who have never quite mastered Hebrew. Others come from Argentina, Hungary and France, along with a couple of Brits. Most are older than me and l have been in the country for far longer.

Monday 25 January 2010

Haggis-tasting, parties ... and a room for quiet

Living in Israel/ Palestine is certainly very different from living in Zambia. In Zambia several months could pass before a visitor from Britain passed through, but in Tiberias it seems that people come every week, and always very interesting. Another difference is that here there are Burns Suppers! The other day I was called to the hotel to taste chef Oded’s haggis – artichoke stuffed with haggis, haggis in pastry, etc – and give it the OK. Only problem is that I don’t think I have tasted haggis for 16 years! The hotel supper is next week, but on the 22nd I was invited to another Burns Supper on a kibbutz. Coming from Ayrshire, I was a bit of an outsider, as almost all the others were from the Southside of Glasgow, and still had the accents to prove it.

On a miserably wet January evening, the staff party was held in one of the local restaurants. I went along thinking I would ‘show face’ for 30 minutes, then leave BUT it was so good I stayed almost till the end. I was so impressed by the strong sense of togetherness and camaraderie among the staff. They are a real mixture of Arab and Jew, Moslem and Christian and Druze, but cooperate (and party) so well together. Lots of eating and music, and the dancing was traditional dancing often occurring at Arab weddings, which was wonderful. A real celebration, and a thank-you to the staff for all their work through the year.

‘Migdal’ is the Hebrew word for ‘tower’, and we have now turned the tower in the herb garden (part of the old Ottoman town walls) into a Quiet Room for meditation and prayer. It is quite simple with whitewashed walls, but with a rich Turkish rug (well, made in Belgium) and some Ottoman-style tables and lots of shelves and alcoves for books and candles.
I am absolutely thrilled with it and will use it as my base at the hotel. Hopefully it will be used by people of all the Faith communities - though I am becoming very possessive of it!

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Christmas Part Two!

Christmas seems never to end here! Last week, on 7th January, the Orthodox Christmas was celebrated, and I attended the service at Sakhnin. It was held in a new church they are building (memories of Zambia!), and they needed it, as I would estimate 350 people attended of all ages. Quite something, as technically it was a working day. It was a lesson in fashion, as everybody seemed to be in sharp suits and figure-hugging dresses. I felt distinctly informal in my sports jacket. Black was the predominant colour for both sexes. The service lasted for hours, but, as in Zambia, people were arriving at any time. After communion, everyone rushed to the back for the most wonderful cakes, leaving the poor priest finishing the service alone.

I was touched over Christmas and New Year by all the greetings of ‘Hag sameach’ or ‘Kol aam oul ento bkheer’ (happy holiday) by Jews and Moslems, and one of my high points was to receive a Christmas gift from Moshe and Tareq, two of the members of the hotel staff – one Jew and one Moslem (a plate with a picture of Santa and Rudolf in the snow. It is still up, while the other decorations have been taken down).

Another high point was being invited to the Baptist Church Christmas party in Haifa. Along with the bible quizzes (fortunately I was not part of a team, as I would have done very badly), there was the most wonderful Arab music and then a glorious spread of Arab food. Santa also appeared – and it seems that he plays a big role in the celebration of Christmas in the Arab communities.

At some point over Christmas, Galilee turned green – something to remember in the hot, arid months of summer. Amazingly while Europe freezes, Galilee glows with sunshine. Good for my guests at the weekend – Victor and Blessing from South Africa and Carol from the States, who have just finished the EAPPI programme, accompanying Palestinians on the west bank, as they sought to get through the checkpoints. A very different experience from mine, and I admire them tremendously. They have finished their three month stint, and a new team has just arrived. I feel I can offer hospitality away from their daily tensions.

Wishing everyone a good new year!