Archbishop’s Reception
Hard on the heels of the Moderator’s visit, the Church in the Galilee welcomed the Archbishop of Canterbury. He had come on a ‘private pilgrimage’, but obviously had to connect with the Church, so on a Saturday evening there was a reception in Nazareth for, not just the local Anglican community, but leaders of the wider Church. The clergy came in all their finery, with pectoral crosses, purple piping and flowing robes, and I felt distinctly underdressed in my suit and clerical shirt. After various speeches by local dignitaries and an Arab member of the Knesset, Dr Williams spoke, and the thing which stuck with me most was when he said, ‘We pray for you every day in the Chapel at Lambeth Palace’. The Church here can feel very vulnerable, and somehow it is empowering to hear that every day prayers are said for the church in the Holy Land. We know it, but it is sometimes good to hear it.
Snow-capped Mount Hermon
It is always good when groups from Scotland stay in the Hotel. There have been a few groups in February, including one from Cowal led by my predecessor here, Jen Zielinsky, and the ‘Guild’ group led by Clarence and Joan Musgrave. This year, the weather in February has been a bit ‘iffy’ however, with rain and wind and even some snow. The views over the Lake have been shrouded in mist, and sailings on the Lake were cancelled a few of the days. However, it has been wonderful to hear the sound of the water on the lake, and now suddenly the weather has cleared, and Mt Hermon covered in snow stands majestically over the Lake. There is no snow in Tiberias, but I travelled up to the Druze villages on the Golan with a friend to show him the Syrian border, and the streets were packed with snow. Such is the novelty that people from Tel Aviv drive up in order to build snowmen and have snowball fights! One friend even collects snow in a bucket to make ‘snow’ soup!
AIDS Awareness Sunday
Aware that Clarence’s group would be at Church on the Sunday, we decided to hold our AIDS Awareness Sunday to coincide with their visit, so that at least there would be a few people there. As it turned out we also had a group of Presbyterians from Atlanta, as well as some Methodists from Atlanta and a group of Dutch pilgrims, as well as some individuals. It was the fullest I have seen the church! Baker Awawdy, the Director of the Galilee Society, spoke about their work with HIV, especially in the Palestinian community in the Galilee. Admittedly HIV affects a far smaller percentage of the population than in Africa, but they face similar difficulties from stigma and taboo.
Price Tag
The’ price-tag’ phenomenon has been with us for several months, a disturbing tit-for-tat which has seen graves desecrated and mosques set alight. I picked up the ‘Haaretz’ newspaper recently, and there was a prominent article on Christians in Jerusalem being the latest victims of ‘price-tag’ attacks. A Baptist church had been vandalised and cars spray-painted with nasty slogans. It also reported that Armenian priests were spat upon when walking through parts of the Old City. The writer of the article indicated that this wasn’t part of any organised ideological attack, but was probably ‘just’ hooliganism carried out by individuals jumping on the price-tag bandwagon. I have certainly never experienced anything like this and nor would most Christians going in and out of Jerusalem. However, I did think that the article brought out the vulnerability Christians can sometimes feel in this Holy Land.
Mar Elias School in Ibillin
It was good to visit the Mar Elias school in Ibillin, a town near Haifa. It is run by the Melkite Church and is the brainchild of the now Archbishop Elias Chacour. Although a Christian school, many of the 3000 pupils who attend the kindergarten, elementary and senior schools are Moslem, and there are even some Jewish and Druze pupils and teachers as well. The school has an excellent academic standard and the exam results are among the top 10% in the country. However, what impressed me as I was taken around was the emphasis on peace, reconciliation and acceptance. Everywhere there seemed to be mosaics and murals on the theme of peace, while much of the ironwork also incorporated doves. The school sees it as so important to impart such values, so that the pupils on leaving the school may work towards a better future. It was also good to visit the church, which had the most amazing ikons and pictures, which focused on the Beatitudes and included modern ‘saints’ like Brother Roger of Taize and Dorothy Day, who embody the values the school aims to inspire within the young folk. It was also good to meet several volunteers from UK and America who are spending several weeks helping at the school.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Orthodox Christmas
By 6th January people are usually putting away their Christmas decorations, but here the season is slightly lengthened, as the Orthodox celebrate Christmas almost a fortnight later (and the Armenians later still!). I was privileged to attend the Christmas celebrations in Sakhnin this year, firstly at a choir concert, when Bishop Theophilus of Acre conducted the Sakhnin choir in what was very like a ‘9 Lessons and Carols’- but in Byzantine chant. It was wonderful, and even the children’s choir sang a few pieces. On the Saturday (7th January) I attended the Christmas Day service, which in many ways reminded me of services in Zambia, with people coming in and out and wandering up to the front in groups to have a blessing from the priest, who was enormously patient about it all. There must have been a good few hundred people there, of all ages and all dressed in their best. Usually the women in the Arab communities dress very conservatively, but the younger generation here is certainly moving away from that! I somehow get the impression of a well-educated and reasonably prosperous community. It was held in the new church, a massive structure, but which the families themselves are building – and it is heartening to see how well it is progressing.
After the service, families gather for their Christmas dinner, thus breaking their 40 day fast (no meat) with chicken. I was invited to one of the homes, where Abu Hanna, the patriarch, has 10 sons and 1 daughter, all of whom were there with their own families, so very busy, but extraordinarily welcoming.
Segregation?
In the Greek Orthodox church (and even at the concert), the men and women sit separately, though interestingly the choir itself is mixed. Interesting, especially since there has been a lot in the news just now about female soldiers singing at army functions and provoking a walk-out by the more religious male soldiers. Israel has tended to be a very secular state with women reaching the highest offices (indeed, the leaders of two of the main political parties are women). However, there have been a number of issues recently which seems to undermine this. In the more religious parts of Jerusalem, streets were segregated during religious holidays, shops vandalised for not having a separate entrance for women; while certain buses have also been segregated with women having to sit at the back. A female soldier who refused to do so was verbally abused and had to leave the bus. Even adverts on buses or shelters featuring women have apparently been removed, in case they are vandalised. This all came to a head recently in Beit Shemesh, a town in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where a 9 year old girl had to run the gauntlet of ultra-orthodox Jews, who want schools there segregated and who regarded her clothing as provocative (ironically the girl is from a religious family, and her clothing would probably be regarded as acceptable by most!). This has led to rallies by both the more secular, who are afraid of freedoms being eroded, and by the ultra orthodox, who have grown in number and want their voice to be heard.
After the service, families gather for their Christmas dinner, thus breaking their 40 day fast (no meat) with chicken. I was invited to one of the homes, where Abu Hanna, the patriarch, has 10 sons and 1 daughter, all of whom were there with their own families, so very busy, but extraordinarily welcoming.
Segregation?
In the Greek Orthodox church (and even at the concert), the men and women sit separately, though interestingly the choir itself is mixed. Interesting, especially since there has been a lot in the news just now about female soldiers singing at army functions and provoking a walk-out by the more religious male soldiers. Israel has tended to be a very secular state with women reaching the highest offices (indeed, the leaders of two of the main political parties are women). However, there have been a number of issues recently which seems to undermine this. In the more religious parts of Jerusalem, streets were segregated during religious holidays, shops vandalised for not having a separate entrance for women; while certain buses have also been segregated with women having to sit at the back. A female soldier who refused to do so was verbally abused and had to leave the bus. Even adverts on buses or shelters featuring women have apparently been removed, in case they are vandalised. This all came to a head recently in Beit Shemesh, a town in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where a 9 year old girl had to run the gauntlet of ultra-orthodox Jews, who want schools there segregated and who regarded her clothing as provocative (ironically the girl is from a religious family, and her clothing would probably be regarded as acceptable by most!). This has led to rallies by both the more secular, who are afraid of freedoms being eroded, and by the ultra orthodox, who have grown in number and want their voice to be heard.
Moderator’s Visit
After 5 weeks in Scotland on furlough, I returned to Tiberias in early December. As always, it was good to be in Scotland, but equally good to return. I feel very much at home in Tiberias, especially now that I have moved into Yakfie. One reason for my slightly shortened furlough was to get back and prepare for the Moderator’s visit. David Arnott had been my ‘bishop’ during my probationary year in Netherlee, so it was good to be with him and Rosemary again. They had a busy time, including visiting Gaza and culminating their visit by spending Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, but it was also good to welcome them to Galilee. On the Sunday morning we worshipped in the Anglican church in Haifa, which was incredibly welcoming. It was also good to see here and also at the House of Grace, so many food parcels ready to deliver to those in need in the community. In the evening, just before preaching at the service in Tiberias, David dedicated the Peace garden at St. Andrew’s in Tiberias. The water was running in the fountain, as we gathered round the Peace pole, lighting candles to show our commitment to peace and reconciliation.
Olive Grove
During the afternoon of that Sunday (we seemed to pack in so much!), we had had an audience with Archbishop Chacour of the Melkite church, before visiting our partners at the House of Grace and Sinyanna. However, before we rushed back to Tiberias for the service, we made our way to the countryside on the southern side of Nazareth, where we are working with Sindyanna to plant an olive grove. The Moderator dedicated the Grove and unveiled a plaque in memory of Nesreen Abdo, who had worked so faithfully in the Hotel. It was lovely that her parents and family were able to attend. Trees will be planted there for members of staff at the Hotel on their birthday, for example, and hopefully it will be a place where the Hotel staff or the children from Tabeetha School can come on an outing.
Jane Haining
On the way to Jerusalem to meet up with the Moderator and his party, I found myself stopped in the Jordan Valley waiting for a whirlwind to pass. It was like something out of the ‘Wizard of Oz’, but fortunately I wasn’t whisked over the rainbow and could make my way to Yad Vashem, a museum complex which commemorates the Holocaust and where David would lay a wreath. It must be almost 30 years since I was last there, and I found it a deeply moving experience. The new museum is very impressive, but somehow it was walking round the gardens afterwards which I felt humbling, looking at names under the trees or at a railway carriage, in which people would have been transported to a concentration camp. I also spent time searching out the Garden of the Righteous, to look for the name of Jane Haining, the Church of Scotland missionary from Budapest, who had died in one of the camps along with her pupils. It was good to see it.
Olive Grove
During the afternoon of that Sunday (we seemed to pack in so much!), we had had an audience with Archbishop Chacour of the Melkite church, before visiting our partners at the House of Grace and Sinyanna. However, before we rushed back to Tiberias for the service, we made our way to the countryside on the southern side of Nazareth, where we are working with Sindyanna to plant an olive grove. The Moderator dedicated the Grove and unveiled a plaque in memory of Nesreen Abdo, who had worked so faithfully in the Hotel. It was lovely that her parents and family were able to attend. Trees will be planted there for members of staff at the Hotel on their birthday, for example, and hopefully it will be a place where the Hotel staff or the children from Tabeetha School can come on an outing.
Jane Haining
On the way to Jerusalem to meet up with the Moderator and his party, I found myself stopped in the Jordan Valley waiting for a whirlwind to pass. It was like something out of the ‘Wizard of Oz’, but fortunately I wasn’t whisked over the rainbow and could make my way to Yad Vashem, a museum complex which commemorates the Holocaust and where David would lay a wreath. It must be almost 30 years since I was last there, and I found it a deeply moving experience. The new museum is very impressive, but somehow it was walking round the gardens afterwards which I felt humbling, looking at names under the trees or at a railway carriage, in which people would have been transported to a concentration camp. I also spent time searching out the Garden of the Righteous, to look for the name of Jane Haining, the Church of Scotland missionary from Budapest, who had died in one of the camps along with her pupils. It was good to see it.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Bringing you up-to-date
The summer was eventful in other ways. Sadly we lost one of our really good staff members, Nesreen, who passed away at a relatively young age after a heart operation. Nesreen was an Arab Christian from Nazareth and had worked for many years at the Hotel, and for her, it was more than a job. She was so much part of the place, that I would never have imagined her leaving of her own choice. She was very much a woman of faith, and that makes such a difference. I found her incredibly supportive, and we are all quite devastated by her death.
On a happier note, I moved house during the summer. I had lived in a very nice, modern, open-plan apartment with lots of space. Many would have loved to live there, but it wasn’t ‘me’, and I never really felt at home there. I think I have been too used to living in manses with their ‘decaying grandeur’. Anyway, the Church owns a building nearer to the church and hotel, which has now been renovated, and I have moved into the flat on the upper floor, which has ‘character’, views and a wonderful balcony – what more could one ask for. I had happy memories of Yakfie (the name of the house) from my time as a volunteer, so am absolutely thrilled to be living there. My previous flat had been in a commercial area, surrounded by roads and alarms (which rang continually through the night). Here, I have neighbours and also peace and quiet (apart from the occasional noise of a party on the beach) and even a large garden. I had better discover some green fingers soon! Though there is a scheme in Tiberias where ex-prisoners learn gardening, and we are hoping to employ them.
I am in Scotland (from the end of October) for just under six weeks. However, the Moderator will be visiting Israel and Palestine later in December, so I will need to be back in time to prepare for that!
On a happier note, I moved house during the summer. I had lived in a very nice, modern, open-plan apartment with lots of space. Many would have loved to live there, but it wasn’t ‘me’, and I never really felt at home there. I think I have been too used to living in manses with their ‘decaying grandeur’. Anyway, the Church owns a building nearer to the church and hotel, which has now been renovated, and I have moved into the flat on the upper floor, which has ‘character’, views and a wonderful balcony – what more could one ask for. I had happy memories of Yakfie (the name of the house) from my time as a volunteer, so am absolutely thrilled to be living there. My previous flat had been in a commercial area, surrounded by roads and alarms (which rang continually through the night). Here, I have neighbours and also peace and quiet (apart from the occasional noise of a party on the beach) and even a large garden. I had better discover some green fingers soon! Though there is a scheme in Tiberias where ex-prisoners learn gardening, and we are hoping to employ them.
I am in Scotland (from the end of October) for just under six weeks. However, the Moderator will be visiting Israel and Palestine later in December, so I will need to be back in time to prepare for that!
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Gaza
In the summer I visited Gaza, albeit only for a day. I had gone with lots of preconceptions, thinking that I would be entering a war-zone with destroyed buildings all around. There may very well be evidence of destruction, but not where we went in Gaza City. In fact, it just seemed like a normal, rather dilapidated town. What did strike me was that there were people everywhere, and Gaza is the most densely populated place on earth. Sadly it probably has the highest unemployment rate of anywhere on earth as well, as it has little industry. One person commented that most people are at university, because there is nothing else to do!
We had gone to visit several projects supported by Church of Scotland, including ante-natal clinics run by the Near East Council of Churches and a hospital run by the Anglican Church. The Christian population of Gaza is very small, so these institutions are very much run for the needs of those who are unconnected with the church.
We finished our day, by visiting the Atfaluna School for Deaf Children, which is housed in a beautiful building paid for by German partners, and we were amazed by the high standard of all the furnishings and education materials. Because of the dire employment prospects in Gaza, especially for those who have a disability, Atfaluna employ former pupils to make furniture, carpets and crafts, which are then sold (including, I believe, in the Hadeel shop in Edinburgh).
All in all, it was an interesting visit, not least to be made aware of the sufferings of those living in Gaza with the regular disruption of electricity and food supplies, all of which are delivered through Israel.
We had gone to visit several projects supported by Church of Scotland, including ante-natal clinics run by the Near East Council of Churches and a hospital run by the Anglican Church. The Christian population of Gaza is very small, so these institutions are very much run for the needs of those who are unconnected with the church.
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| Photo from http://www.atfaluna.net/ |
We finished our day, by visiting the Atfaluna School for Deaf Children, which is housed in a beautiful building paid for by German partners, and we were amazed by the high standard of all the furnishings and education materials. Because of the dire employment prospects in Gaza, especially for those who have a disability, Atfaluna employ former pupils to make furniture, carpets and crafts, which are then sold (including, I believe, in the Hadeel shop in Edinburgh).
All in all, it was an interesting visit, not least to be made aware of the sufferings of those living in Gaza with the regular disruption of electricity and food supplies, all of which are delivered through Israel.
Friday, 1 July 2011
Short summer break
Please note, no access to update this blog or approve comments for the next few weeks – see you after that!
Peace Garden
Our Peace Pole had become quite a familiar sight, propped up in the back corner of the church, but all that changed last Tuesday when workmen from Tu’ran arrived and proceeded to dig a hole in the garden, and by lunchtime the Pole was duly cemented into the ground. A few of us were meeting for a bible study, and we were caught by surprise by the speed of the work, but it is wonderful that it is finally in the ground with its message of ‘Let peace prevail on earth’ in the four languages: Arabic, English, Hebrew and Russian. Interestingly, as the workmen dug the whole, they discovered a one mil coin, inscribed Palestine (In the three languages), 1939. Not valuable, but fascinating to speculate how it ended up in the garden. Was a schoolchild reprimanded for losing it?
On Sunday we had a dozen people at the service, from Seattle and London, Germany and Holland, so we dedicated the peace pole and cracked open some sparkling red wine (which proceeded to splash over my white cassock!). The official dedication of the garden will be later in the year.
On Sunday we had a dozen people at the service, from Seattle and London, Germany and Holland, so we dedicated the peace pole and cracked open some sparkling red wine (which proceeded to splash over my white cassock!). The official dedication of the garden will be later in the year.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Eating Out
Peter, the general manager at the Hotel had decided to take the hotel managers (who head the different departments of the hotel) on a team building exercise. They went rock climbing near the Dead Sea, learning to depend on each other.
It seemed to go well, and in the evening I joined them at a restaurant in Jaffa, which is called ‘Black Out’ –appropriate, as the restaurant is completely dark, and the waiters are all blind. The waiters have obviously no problem with the darkness, but we, the diners, certainly did! Going in, we had to cling on to each others’ shoulder and follow our waiter conga-style. Once seated we had to feel around for our cutlery and take the risk of pouring water into our glass, without knocking it over or filling it too full.
We had ordered our food beforehand, but it was a different experience to eat it without seeing it. How much of our dining experience is usually linked to the sight of the food before us?! It was delicious however, and I made use of the dark to just use my hands to eat, just as I often did in Africa.
All in all, it was a good exercise in role-reversal and certainly put us in the shoes of those who are blind. Not all my group enjoyed the experience, but I am sure we all learned something from it.
It seemed to go well, and in the evening I joined them at a restaurant in Jaffa, which is called ‘Black Out’ –appropriate, as the restaurant is completely dark, and the waiters are all blind. The waiters have obviously no problem with the darkness, but we, the diners, certainly did! Going in, we had to cling on to each others’ shoulder and follow our waiter conga-style. Once seated we had to feel around for our cutlery and take the risk of pouring water into our glass, without knocking it over or filling it too full.
We had ordered our food beforehand, but it was a different experience to eat it without seeing it. How much of our dining experience is usually linked to the sight of the food before us?! It was delicious however, and I made use of the dark to just use my hands to eat, just as I often did in Africa.
All in all, it was a good exercise in role-reversal and certainly put us in the shoes of those who are blind. Not all my group enjoyed the experience, but I am sure we all learned something from it.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Sederot
It's May, and incredibly the hills are still green and the lake is filling up nicely after the good rains we have enjoyed, right to the very end of April. Not sure if all the pilgrim groups have quite appreciated the mist and rain, but certainly those of us resident here very much did.
We have had a lot of interesting people pass through the Hotel and Church, including a number of groups from Scotland. The Guild group was one such, under the leadership and Clarence and Joan Musgrave. They came to church in Raineh on the Sunday morning, only to coincide with a crowd of people coming the other way, following a casket with relics (including a footbone) of St Theresa of Lisieux. She died as a young woman, but she would walk around helping people, so the Catholics in Raineh were very inspired by the foot bone! The relics moved around the churches from village to village and town to town around the country for almost two months, so it was a big thing.
A couple of days later I joined the group again, as we went to Sederot, a town near Gaza (and which has been frequently on the receiving end of rockets). The Guild support a project at the Sapir College there which brings together Jewish and Bedouin women in a special social work course. We had visited at the very start of the course last year, but it was exciting to see how positive the students were and to hear their stories about the course and of the various projects they were setting up, including, for example, a park in a village without any green space.
The students were varied in age and background, but apparently they were the talk of the campus, because Bedouin and Jew would be studying together, eating together, chatting together. All barriers down. Well done to the Guild for supporting this course!
Interestingly a couple of waiters from the Hotel have just about to complete their first year at University. Ayman, a Christian guy, is at the Technion at Haifa, one of the top institutions in the country, while Ahlam, a Moslem girl, is at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Both seem very happy and talk of their friendship with students from all the different faith groups (so Sederot isn’t too unusual) – but then that is what they did at the Hotel!
We have had a lot of interesting people pass through the Hotel and Church, including a number of groups from Scotland. The Guild group was one such, under the leadership and Clarence and Joan Musgrave. They came to church in Raineh on the Sunday morning, only to coincide with a crowd of people coming the other way, following a casket with relics (including a footbone) of St Theresa of Lisieux. She died as a young woman, but she would walk around helping people, so the Catholics in Raineh were very inspired by the foot bone! The relics moved around the churches from village to village and town to town around the country for almost two months, so it was a big thing.
The students were varied in age and background, but apparently they were the talk of the campus, because Bedouin and Jew would be studying together, eating together, chatting together. All barriers down. Well done to the Guild for supporting this course!
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| Members of the Guild group along with participants in the course sponsored by the Guild at Sapir College, Sderot. |
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Feasts
The siren sounds, and everything stops. It is Memorial Day (6 May), a bit like Remembrance Day in Britain, and at the sound of the siren at 11am, everyone stands still wherever they are. Even cars stop and the drivers get out.
Last night many people gathered at the memorial wall near the promenade in Tiberias to hear the names read out of those who had died as soldiers in the IDF (Israeli Defence Force). Many were in tears.
I find it a very meaningful time, though one is conscious that it is for only part of the community, as most of the Arab community would not particularly join in. Next week will be Nakba Day for the Arabs, when they remember the catastrophe of 1948 when many had to leave their homes and even go into exile. Only Nakba Day is not a recognised holiday, and now it has become difficult to teach about it in schools.
This has been a time of holidays. We had Pesach (Passover) just a couple of weeks ago, often a time when Israelis take their holidays. It begins with the Seder meal, and this year I was invited to a friends’ home, where ten of us sat round the table and went through the Haggadah, the Passover liturgy and ate the traditional food.. Quite different from the kibbutz seder which I attended last year, where hundreds of people had come together. I feel privileged to have had the experience of both.
For Christians it was, of course, Holy Week and Easter, and I had started it on Palm Sunday at the Anglican Church at Raineh, which I often attend. After the service we process round the village waving our branches and joining with our friends from the Latin and Greek Catholic churches and led by the Scout band. I think it is a boost to the Christian population and strengthens their spirits in often difficult times. As the week progressed, we held services for Maunday Thursday and Good Friday in Tiberias, then a Dawn Service on Easter morning (to which 5 people came, to my surprise) at which we witnessed a marvellous sunrise over the Lake. Then, even more to my surprise, 35 people attended the evening service (mostly Dutch pilgrims, but not exclusively so).
Easter Monday was also the final day of the Pesach holiday, but also was the holy day for the Druze, and my friend Samir from the Hotel had invited me to the Nabi Shu’eib shrine for the celebrations. Druze from all over Galilee came, but only men. For this particular day, women are not allowed for some reason. There was a festive atmosphere, and everyone seemed to have their portable stoves to brew up some Arabic coffee. Government officials and also leaders from the other faith communities gave speeches to wish the Druze, ‘Hag Sameach’ (Happy Holiday!).
Last night many people gathered at the memorial wall near the promenade in Tiberias to hear the names read out of those who had died as soldiers in the IDF (Israeli Defence Force). Many were in tears.
I find it a very meaningful time, though one is conscious that it is for only part of the community, as most of the Arab community would not particularly join in. Next week will be Nakba Day for the Arabs, when they remember the catastrophe of 1948 when many had to leave their homes and even go into exile. Only Nakba Day is not a recognised holiday, and now it has become difficult to teach about it in schools.
This has been a time of holidays. We had Pesach (Passover) just a couple of weeks ago, often a time when Israelis take their holidays. It begins with the Seder meal, and this year I was invited to a friends’ home, where ten of us sat round the table and went through the Haggadah, the Passover liturgy and ate the traditional food.. Quite different from the kibbutz seder which I attended last year, where hundreds of people had come together. I feel privileged to have had the experience of both.
For Christians it was, of course, Holy Week and Easter, and I had started it on Palm Sunday at the Anglican Church at Raineh, which I often attend. After the service we process round the village waving our branches and joining with our friends from the Latin and Greek Catholic churches and led by the Scout band. I think it is a boost to the Christian population and strengthens their spirits in often difficult times. As the week progressed, we held services for Maunday Thursday and Good Friday in Tiberias, then a Dawn Service on Easter morning (to which 5 people came, to my surprise) at which we witnessed a marvellous sunrise over the Lake. Then, even more to my surprise, 35 people attended the evening service (mostly Dutch pilgrims, but not exclusively so).
Easter Monday was also the final day of the Pesach holiday, but also was the holy day for the Druze, and my friend Samir from the Hotel had invited me to the Nabi Shu’eib shrine for the celebrations. Druze from all over Galilee came, but only men. For this particular day, women are not allowed for some reason. There was a festive atmosphere, and everyone seemed to have their portable stoves to brew up some Arabic coffee. Government officials and also leaders from the other faith communities gave speeches to wish the Druze, ‘Hag Sameach’ (Happy Holiday!).
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Monday, 28 March 2011
New places
It is almost a year and a half since I arrived in Tiberias, but I still find myself stumbling across places which I have never visited before, yet which are on my doorstep. One such place is the ruins of Herod’s palace at Bereniki, a hill overlooking Tiberias. This was built by Herod Antipas and is a possible site for the beheading of John the Baptist (and also Salome’s dance!). It is a lovely place, not least because it is so undeveloped and is off the tourist trail. Not a single tourist bus there! But a place of wild flowers and lizards and the most marvellous views over the Lake. I had been to the Sabeel Conference in Bethlehem, whose theme was ‘Empire’, and I could see how imposing the palace must have been to the inhabitants of newly-founded Tiberias down below. Very much a case of ‘I am boss’. Even now, settlements are built on hills overlooking the Arab villages, such as Nazareth Illit overlooking Nazareth.
However, in the case of Bereniki, it is now overlooked by the ‘Swiss Forest’, a wooded area (forest is too grand a term) planted from donations from Switzerland. A super area for walks (and views), but also there are some memorials to those who have died, including parents who ‘vanished in Theresienstadt’, a reference to one of the concentration camps.
Another place which I discovered is again just outside Tiberias - Nebi Shu’eib. This is a sacred site for the Druze, who believe it is the tomb of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. In fact, the Druze believe that Jethro passed on rules about justice and monotheism to Moses. Nebi Shu’eib is extremely well-developed, with gardens, viewpoints and picnic areas, as well as a complex of a mosque, library and the tomb (which includes an impressive chandelier from Druze in Damascus, who sent it in lieu of coming on pilgrimage, as the current political situation means they are not allowed to visit their relatives in Israel). When I visited, there were a couple of hundred people there, mostly families, enjoying the peace and quiet.
The Druze are an interesting Moslem sect, found in the Galilee and Golan, in Syria and Lebanon. They wear a distinctive dress, the men wearing white tarbooshes and baggy trousers, while the women cover their heads in a white cloth. They are loyal to whatever state they reside in, and so, while other Arab citizens (Christian and Moslem) of Israel are exempt from serving in the army, the Druze perform the same military duty as Jewish Israelis. At Nebi Shu’eib the Druze flag (a multicoloured affair) flies alongside the Israeli one.
However, in the case of Bereniki, it is now overlooked by the ‘Swiss Forest’, a wooded area (forest is too grand a term) planted from donations from Switzerland. A super area for walks (and views), but also there are some memorials to those who have died, including parents who ‘vanished in Theresienstadt’, a reference to one of the concentration camps.
Another place which I discovered is again just outside Tiberias - Nebi Shu’eib. This is a sacred site for the Druze, who believe it is the tomb of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. In fact, the Druze believe that Jethro passed on rules about justice and monotheism to Moses. Nebi Shu’eib is extremely well-developed, with gardens, viewpoints and picnic areas, as well as a complex of a mosque, library and the tomb (which includes an impressive chandelier from Druze in Damascus, who sent it in lieu of coming on pilgrimage, as the current political situation means they are not allowed to visit their relatives in Israel). When I visited, there were a couple of hundred people there, mostly families, enjoying the peace and quiet.
The Druze are an interesting Moslem sect, found in the Galilee and Golan, in Syria and Lebanon. They wear a distinctive dress, the men wearing white tarbooshes and baggy trousers, while the women cover their heads in a white cloth. They are loyal to whatever state they reside in, and so, while other Arab citizens (Christian and Moslem) of Israel are exempt from serving in the army, the Druze perform the same military duty as Jewish Israelis. At Nebi Shu’eib the Druze flag (a multicoloured affair) flies alongside the Israeli one.
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Against the odds
We travelled up into the Galilee hills to visit a factory! It was situated in an industrial park and seemed ordinary enough, but behind it lay a fascinating story of a woman fighting against the odds.
Gamila is a Druze lady, and in her childhood she learned all about the medical and healing qualities of herbs from her family. She put this knowledge into good effect by making soap using the various herbs. It started in the family home, but gradually it became a business, as Gamila wanted her children to go to good schools and have a chance in life.
As a woman she encountered much opposition; her fellow villagers felt her place was in the home, rather than running a business, and she had to suffer their taunts. In the end, however, she succeeded, and her soap has hit the luxury end of the market and exports all around the world. Her family have benefitted (her son was the first from the village to go to university), and so has the community.
It was good to visit the factory and see that Moslems and Christians, Jews and Druze, were all employed. As part of its procurement policy, the Hotel is going to use Gamila’s soap. It is also buying its olive oil from Sindyanna, a fair trade company based in the Galilee and is at present sourcing bed ‘throws’ and rugs through Sunbula.
International Womens' Day, 8 March 2011
Gamila is a Druze lady, and in her childhood she learned all about the medical and healing qualities of herbs from her family. She put this knowledge into good effect by making soap using the various herbs. It started in the family home, but gradually it became a business, as Gamila wanted her children to go to good schools and have a chance in life.
As a woman she encountered much opposition; her fellow villagers felt her place was in the home, rather than running a business, and she had to suffer their taunts. In the end, however, she succeeded, and her soap has hit the luxury end of the market and exports all around the world. Her family have benefitted (her son was the first from the village to go to university), and so has the community.
It was good to visit the factory and see that Moslems and Christians, Jews and Druze, were all employed. As part of its procurement policy, the Hotel is going to use Gamila’s soap. It is also buying its olive oil from Sindyanna, a fair trade company based in the Galilee and is at present sourcing bed ‘throws’ and rugs through Sunbula.
International Womens' Day, 8 March 2011
Friday, 18 February 2011
Fanatics
The BBC must have recently aired a programme in Britain set in one of the settlements on the West Bank, featuring religious fanatics. People must think that Israel is full of extremists, and yes, there are quite a few about.
However, so many people simply want to live at peace with one another. I was chatting to one of our newer workers at the Scots Hotel, who has just finished a 3 year stint in the army, after school. Interestingly, he said that what the army had taught him was that everyone was equal, regardless of ethnic group or religion, and that you just had to be open and treat everyone the same. I don’t think he would see eye to eye with a fanatic from the settlements! One of the joys of the Hotel is the make-up of the staff, with Jew and Moslem, Christian and Druze all working closely together, a paradigm for what could be.
However, so many people simply want to live at peace with one another. I was chatting to one of our newer workers at the Scots Hotel, who has just finished a 3 year stint in the army, after school. Interestingly, he said that what the army had taught him was that everyone was equal, regardless of ethnic group or religion, and that you just had to be open and treat everyone the same. I don’t think he would see eye to eye with a fanatic from the settlements! One of the joys of the Hotel is the make-up of the staff, with Jew and Moslem, Christian and Druze all working closely together, a paradigm for what could be.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
New starts
At long last the rains came in January, turning Galilee green, though not quite filling the Lake unfortunately. The houses here are built for the long hot summers, so when the temperatures drop, it feels very cold indeed in the house. It is only when you go out, with several layers on, that you discover that it is actually a pleasant Spring Day!
January also saw the departure of two good friends from the Scots' Hotel in Tiberias. Sad, as I related well to them, but at the same time I am happy that they are moving on to better positions. In hotels people are always moving on, and you just have to get used to it. However, new people also come, and January brought a new general manager to the Hotel. Peter is German, but has lived in Israel for 16 years and is married with two children. He has already made a positive impact on the Hotel, and I am enjoying working with him. In many ways, the last several months have been difficult without a manager, and I have spent more time at the Hotel trying to be supportive. We were, however, very fortunate in having our accountant Shaul as acting manager; I think his wife will be glad to see more of him now.
January also saw the departure of two good friends from the Scots' Hotel in Tiberias. Sad, as I related well to them, but at the same time I am happy that they are moving on to better positions. In hotels people are always moving on, and you just have to get used to it. However, new people also come, and January brought a new general manager to the Hotel. Peter is German, but has lived in Israel for 16 years and is married with two children. He has already made a positive impact on the Hotel, and I am enjoying working with him. In many ways, the last several months have been difficult without a manager, and I have spent more time at the Hotel trying to be supportive. We were, however, very fortunate in having our accountant Shaul as acting manager; I think his wife will be glad to see more of him now.
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| The Scots' Hotel, Tiberias |
Monday, 13 December 2010
The Galilee Society
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
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.
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.
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.
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