The Hardest Day - May 31

Friends,

Today was the hardest day. Those of you who have been here will understand what that means. It was the day when the emotional impact of the situation hit with full force.

The day began simply enough - with a visit to the Lutheran World Federation's Vocational Training Center - which has been in existence since 1951. They teach metal working, auto-technology, woodworking, plumbing/electrical and telecommunications. Their students have done quite well. However, in recent months, fewer and fewer students and teachers have been granted permits to go to the school. The school cannot obtain reasonably priced materials from their usual suppliers and so have to purchase more expensive materials from other vendors. In addition, the market for their work has grown smaller. It is increasingly difficult for all involved.

After the VTC, we moved on to Augusta Victoria Hospital. Some of you know that the Israeli government has been trying to extract taxes from this institution which has to date been tax exempt (like other similar institutions). That case has been in the courts for 7 years and has caused the hospital to live precariously for some time. However, the greatest threat to the life of the hospital is due to the responses of other nations to the Palestinian elections. As the hospital administrator explained: They ousted a corrupt government (Fatah). Out of frustration that nothing had been done - and as a result of the fact that Fatah ran multiple candidates in districts in which Hamas ran only one (in some cases, two Fatah candidates combined received more votes than the one Hamas candidate), Hamas was elected to power. These democratic elections were held peacefully and without incident. But still, the US and others have chosen to withhold funds from the Palestinian Authority. This is not hurting Hamas. It's hurting the Palestinian people.

Augusta Victoria's largest insurer has been the Palestinian Authority. Since the PA has not funds (and has not paid salaries in 3 months), the hospital has been informed that the insurance program cannot pay for patient care. For Augusta Victoria, that's like an American hospital receiving notice from Medicare that it cannot pay for healthcare. And yet, the hospital must keep its doors open. Health care is its mission. If it were to close, chances of reopening would be small. Further, if they were to close and then reopen, the hospital would be subject to new regulations (building codes, etc.) from which it has been exempt as it's been grandfathered into the current system.

Augusta Victoria is the only hospital that provides pediatric oncology and pediatric dialysis for Palestinian children. It is a struggle for patients even to get to the hospital for treatment. Although all had the proper permits to get to the hospital, the soldier at a checkpoint once told the cancer patients in a group that they could continue on but refused passage to the diabetic patients. Of course, diabetes can become life threatening very quickly. The hospital administrator has had to negotiate passage for these patients as well as one person each to accompany patients to hospital. (It's tradition in the Palestinian culture that family members care for a patient while hospitalized.) With the checkpoint restrictions, it is almost always difficult and sometimes impossible for family members to be with their loved ones who are ill.

Since the Palestinian economy is so depressed and people are fearful of healthcare, they are seeing third-world type maladies, especially cancers that have gone undiagnosed for extended periods. The hospital provides first world cancer care but much of their work is palliative as diseases have often progressed to stage iv by the time patients are seen at Augusta Victoria.

We were in the dialysis center when it was switching over from adult to pediatric dialysis sessions. I don't think any of us will forget the sight of a little five year old boy coming in for dialysis...

Augusta Victoria is atop the Mount of Olives. There are 800+ olive trees on the land. As I stood atop the Mount of Olives, overlooking the valley and the wall surrounding Bethlehem, I broke down and wept.

Bishop Schreiber pointed out the irony that today, we stood in the same place as the disciples did after the ascension wondering, "What do we do now?" and we are wondering the same thing.

My heart is heavy today.

Sue

Hello from Hebron! May 30, 2006

Hello from (or rather following) Hebron!

I forgot to mention that yesterday afternoon we spent a couple of hours talking with Bishop Younan. It was a good dialogue and he is pleased with our growing partnership. It was a lively conversation!

Okay. Today. We went to the little village of Tuwani, a tiny village mostly of shepherds, where we met with members of the Christian Peacemaker Team currently serving there (including a young Lutheran woman who had been a member of our bishop's wife's first parish - got that?). They have neither electricity nor running water. They must carry their water from a single well. On the hill above Tuwani is a settler outpost. Twice, the settlers have scattered poison on the fields where the sheep graze. Sheep died before the poison was discovered and cleaned up. No people seem to have been effected except for a woman in the village who was pregnant at the time (about 14 months ago) was delayed in giving birth. (The same was true for one of the mother sheep.) At one point, the settlers put chickens into the village well in an attempt to poison them. That has since been cleaned up.

Tuwani's biggest challenge has been that the settlers have harassed (stoned) the village children (and those of a nearby village) as they make their way to school. CPT folks have been busy accompanying children to school for some time. A couple of CPT folks were severely injured, prompting the authorities to assign to the police and military the task of accompanying and protecting the children from harassment and danger. Unfortunately, the children now have to take a much longer route to school (10 vs 2 km) and can go only when the police or soldiers show up. Well, the police were harassed by the settlers, so they refused to accompany the children in the future so now it's up to the military to look after the kids. Unfortunately, the soldiers don't always show up on time or at all in order to fulfill this order. (Julianne was right; Tuwani is INCREDIBLY dusty.)

The villagers are so appreciative of the work done by CPT and an Italian group called Doves of Peace, that they built a simple home for the volunteers.

Women in the village - over the objections of their husbands - established a handicraft co-op to help raise funds for their families which are in direeconomic straights these days. Then men have come around as they have seen the women's work help to support their families!

After Tuwani we went into Hebron. We had been standing in the market for only a few minutes when a few settler kids (who occupy a house ABOVE the market) came running out and throwing things down toward the market. Since that area of the city is overseen by the Palestinian Authority, the city installed either chain link fencing or a more sturgy heavy wire mesh above the marketplace to limit injuries. However, one of the boys threw something like a thin pipe through the screen into the market where people were working and shopping.

The city has suffered under 72-hour curfews in the past, causing many shopkeepers to leave. Businesses are seriously depressed. People are seriously depressed but they continue on. It's a Palestinian tradition called "samood" = steadfastness, patience, forebearance.

We had a wonderful (cozy) falafel lunch in the market ($100 shekels for 12 people; 4.4 shekels per $1 US) and that included drinks! Then, we went on to the Ibrahimi Mosque, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rachel, Jacob and Leah are said to be buried. We had to go through a check point to get there. Easy for us but not so for the Palestinian men who were detained as we went in and still being detained as we departed an hour later! Our tour guide has been doing this for 57 years. He speaks in a low voice, very quickly, and tells jokes that amuse him. (What was Adam and Eve's phone number? Hint: It consists of three numbers and a word. Give up? 2 8 1 Apple)

This is the mosque at which there was a massacre in 1994. 29 people were killed on site. Many others were killed outside the local hospital while waiting for word of their loved ones. A curfew was called in the midst of the chaos and the soldiers fired on the waiting family members, bringing the death toll into the 90s. Abu Hani witnessed these events firsthand. He showed us the marks of the bullets in the marble columns around the nook in which the Imam sits. (But you should see the Imam's pulpit! Holy Homiletics Batman! It goes up for days!)

We did a little shopping in the market, toured a local center and then dragged our weary bodies back to the van. Fortunately, it was parked next to a little store so we could purchase popsicles and cold drinks. We needed them!

Following this, we went to the Palestine Child Art Center (www.pcac.net), an amazing place committed to helping children discover their talent, express their feelings and cultivate a culture of peace through art. It was a great visit with some wonderfully talented and committed people. Ask me about the 100 doves project. Amazing!

One more stop: At the Hebron Glass Factory. Beautiful stuff! Oh, my...I restrained myself. Pretty well. You'll just have to see!

Tonight, we are off. We were to have a speaker from Rabbis for Human Rights but they were having trouble finding someone and we are pooped, so we have a chance to sleep longer than usual (which is a blessing!).

I'll put in my ear plugs, set the alarm and...zonk...until 6:30 tomorrow morning when we get going again: Augusta Victoria Hospital in the AM and Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Memorial) in the afternoon, then Armenian dinner. Whew!

I thought I knew what it meant to be exhausted...have I learned!

Shalom, Salaam, Peace from Jerusalem,
Sue

Jammin' in Jerusalem May 29, 2006

Greetings from Jerusalem!

(YAY! The hard returns work on this computer!)

I'm writing to you from an internet cafe by Jaffa Gate, the Old City. On Sunday morning, Marty and I went to worship with the Arabic speaking congregation at Redeemer in Jerusalem. What a wonderful group of folks!The pastor trained at Tubingen. Though he preaches in Arabic, his style is clearly German. Naturally, everyone in the congregation is multi-lingual (couldn't say that in the States) so there was no need to translate my greeting or Marty's. Very hospitable folks. They worship at the same time as the English speaking congregation at Redeemer (there are also German and Danish congregations) so they share coffee hour together in the beautiful courtyard. Funny Lutherans. They provide only HOT beverages: tea and (argh!) Nescafe! (Nescafe is all over the place! Even the Swedes serve it!)

As we waited to be picked up near Jaffa Gate, the Armenian priests and seminarians came through. (They have marshalls at the head of the pack who bang something like maces on the ground as if to say, "Make way for the Armenians.") Well, there Marty and I stood in our black clerical shirts! Did *I* ever get looks! It was pretty funny!

We spent the afternoon with the pastor and his family (three daughters; what was JEd Bartlet told when the man found out he was the father of daughters? I've lost that line. Carey?) as well as Bp. Younan's brother, who is a riot. They fed us until I thought that we would burst! I did learn how to say "Thank you" and "Yes" (politely) and learned the word for lamb. Important stuff, eh?

Sunday night (was that just last night?) we moved into the Lutheran Guest House. As I said to one of my cohorts, "We're not in Bethlehem anymore." The difference between the hospitality we were offered by our Palestinian hosts and the German innkeepers is marked!

After dinner last night, we heard a presentation by two men, one Israeli and the other Palestinian, both of whom have lost loved ones in the conflict and have translated their grief and anger into energy and action in service of the cause of peace through an organization called The Parents Circle. Their stories were powerful and deeply moving to all of us who were in attendance. You can read more at: www.theparentscircle.org.

Today, we went on a tour of settlements with Jimmy from ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions). Jimmy shares his time between Chicago and Jerusalem, doing peace work of various kinds in both locations. He was wearing a Jerusalem Garden t-shirt (from Ann Arbor); we liked that. VERY nice guy and very dedicated to peace & justice issues.

Our first stop was an illegal Israeli settlement in West Jerusalem and our second was at the portion of the wall at Abu Dis. Rather than dividing Israelis from Palestinians, it cuts right through a Palestinian neighborhood. They put razor wire atop the concrete barrier because the Palestinian youth, being thin, strong and nimble (oh, to be those things) would find 2 inch cracks between panels of the wall and "Free Climb" up and over. No longer.

Jimmy took us to Ma'ale Adummim, a huge settlement (it's likely to top 80k residents when complete). It was like going into a gated community in Orange County, CA. Lush, green, with all of the amenities one might ever need or want. It has an industrial section outside the residential zone.

Then, Jimmy took us to a Palestinian town (the name escapes me at the moment) where all 33 houses in the town are under demolition orders. Once such an order is issued, it can be put into effect after 3 days (the military can come on the 4th day and take the house) or anytime after that. One family lived in this precarious situation for 7 years. When the forces show up to demolish a house, the family has 15 minutes to vacate.

While in this little village, we saw camels grazing near a Bedouin encampment and met a few little kids in the town. (Having gum and finger puppets to hand out proved popular.)

I almost forgot. We were stopped at TWO checkpoints today. Both times, we had to pass forward our passports for examination by the Israeli soldiers. It's a bit unnerving to have someone with an AK-47 standing in the front of a mini bus, looking at the photos on our passports and then searching out our faces. Since these were not national borders, the action was illegal (internationals are allowed to move freely throughout Israel and the West Bank) but they do what they choose.

We had a little free time for shopping in the afternoon and then walked (oh, how we walked!) mostly uphill to the Swedish Theological Institute in West Jerusalem. What a GORGEOUS place! Swedish hospitality was wonderful.

We began with an hour long presentation by an Orthodox Woman from Machsom Watch, a group of Israeli women (now numbering 400-500) who work in 4 hour shifts observing the goings on at the checkpoints. Her parents emigrated to Israel in 1933 but her grandparents, aunts and uncles perished in the Holocaust. Her perspective was a very helpful one for us to have.

We concluded the evening with dinner in the garden at STI. What a lovely setting! The bouganvilla was blooming abundantly and the air had cooled down significantly. It was an enjoyable way to end the evening. (Well, it was almost the end. We walked back (mostly downhill, thanks be to God) and then dropped into the internet cafe.

Tomorrow will be a tough one.

Stay tuned!

Sue

Breathless in Bethlehem -- May 27, 2006

Whew! I'm finally online! God willing, this will actually go through!

We're here! It's our second night in Bethlehem and we've been running flat-out since we arrived. Or so it seems. Our flights were tiring but without incident. Our first night, at the 7 Arches in Jerusalem (Jeff, there were a lot of guys wearing potholders on their heads; what's that all about?), found us all collapsed in our individual heaps following dinner with Bishop Younan, Russ and Anne Siler.

Friday, we spent much of the day in the village of Jayyous in the northern part of the West Bank. Jayyous is a village of farmers. The fence surrounds Jayyous and farmers must go through the gates only during specified times in order to tend to their farms. Sound simple? It's not. But you'll have to wait to hear more (Sorry! I'm hoping that this internet connection lasts long enough for me to get a little bit of info to you! I'll make it up to you, really!) We visited with three people from the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program, who serve as observers at the gates. They serve in 3 month cycles (this was the 17th such group) and the folks with whom we met just arrived in early May. (BTW, I apologize for this runon paragraph; the program isn't allowing me to insert hard returns!) One from Sweden, one from Switzerland, one from the U.S. (Detroit born), a Maryknoll. Very interesting for a largely Muslim village, like Jayyous, to have two single men and one single woman living together!

We had a wonderful guide who shared his family's story with us and then welcomed us to his family home for a marvelous lunch of local fare (Fresh veggies and OLIVES from his family's farm, fresh chicken from the village; only the rice was imported).

Last night, we had dinner with Bishop Munib and Su'ad Younan and the pastors of the area. Su'ad is charming! Principal of the Helen Keller school in North Jerusalem! (Jeff and Cheryl, you would LOVE her!) (Julianne, Hani sends his warmest greetings to you!) I've decided that Hani, the Lay Evangelist at Beit Sahour, will henceforth be known as "Lay Evangelist and Stand-Up Comedian." We had jokes after dinner and Hani and Russ were the funniest ever! (Sorry, Marty, but you've GOT to work on your timing!) Even Bishop Younan joined in the joke telling! (He has the cutest giggle but don't tell him because the word "cute" might offend him! He is truly a warm and wonderful man!)

Today, we went to visit the Lutheran school at Beit Sahour (two of the first grade girls sang "the Bear went over the mountain") to us and we joined in! The kids start learning English in first grade and German in third grade! Their boys AND girls basketball teams both won the championships in the area - and THREE girls on their football (e.g., soccer) team are stars on the national football team. Their principal is VERY proud of them! We also visited Dar Al-Kalim (House of the Word) School, an AMAZING school (again, Cheryl and Jeff, you would have been fascinated!). We had a LOT of interaction with the kids, which made clear to me that WT REALLY missed out! The kids were at recess (they don't have bells to mark periods the way we did; they have chimes that play songs: Happy Birthday, etc.) when we were getting ready to leave and they absolutely MUGGED for the camera!

Digital cameras are a must here as the kids LOVE to see their photos. BTW, making "bunny ears" over the heads of friends is a universal kid thing! (Roland, Environmental education is one of the main elements of their educational program.) Whew!

At noon, we came back to the International Center here in Bethlehem (a beautiful facility!) to shop at the gift shop (Julia, I got your purses but they were a little on the pricey side - authentic red and black and a real contribution to the economy, however!), then went to lunch (schwarma) at a lovely place in Bethlehem and then went to the RC version of Shepherd's Fields and the Church of the Nativity. (We were thrown out of the Orthodox Church; "yes, leave, quickly" and then the RC church of St. Catherine (Virgin and Martyr, who would not renounce her faith despite the admonitions of her pagan father and was imprisoned, cut into three pieces and buried in three places) because there was to be a funeral.

We went down to the chapel of St. Joseph and saw where St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin (Vulgate), which was kinda fun (I found a doorway that fit my height just right!) We then walked back up hill (ala Oxy big time) to the Center. Rose Kormann, one of our folks, fell last night and broke her ankle! We're talking about making her a t-shirt that reads, "I went all the way to Bethlehem and all I got was a lousy broken ankle.") She was having a tough time this afternoon. It's been unseasonably warm (so we're told). The humidity has been a tad on the high side, so folks are wilting a bit. (Okay, okay, even I am wilting a little bit!) We're in for a couple of cooler days on Sunday and Monday and then it's supposed to exceed 100F on Tuesday and Wednesday, when we go to Hebron. (That means it will be intense both emotionally/intellectually and meteorologically.)

A note about entering Bethlehem...The wall is pronounded, replete with guard towers. And yet, just to the side of the entrance - on the wall itself - is a huge greeting from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism: PEACE BE WITH YOU. This evening, we are to have dinner with the elementary school principals and the superintendent, (once again, Cheryl and Jeff: wish you were here!).

A couple of fun cultural notes...So far, I haven't embarrassed myself (which is to say I've kept my feet on the ground)...we're adjusting to putting toilet paper into a trash can rather than flushing it (but suspending a 40 year habit is tough!). Light switches may go up OR down...depending...I've learned to say "Thank you" and "Let's go" (learned that from the school principal at Dar Al-Kalima when she was trying to get a few boys to straighten up and fly right. Funny thing? "He did it" and "No, HE did it" sound the same in ANY language! (I really loved the kids. They were delightful! It's a great school!)

Hospitality is AMAZING! EVERYWHERE we go, we're offered something to drink (at least!). We went to an olive wood workshop this afternoon and even there we were offered lemonade... Our tour guide today is an official multi-lingual tour guide (Arabic, English, German) and he teaches at Dar Al-Kalima (German); he's also a deacon, so he leads chapel once each week. (The kids have chapel every other day; when not in chapel, they are in reading time.)

Well, I'll close this first entry. I'm sorry it's so long in coming and a bit disjointed. More to come!

Peace, Shalom, Salaam from Bethlehem....Sue

Weather Report for Jerusalem

Here's the latest weather report for Jerusalem:

Thursday, May 25th: High: 82; Low: 62; Chance of precipitation: 0%
Friday, May 26th: High: 85; Low: 65 ; Chance of precipitation: 0%

We've been told to be prepared to fry in the desert. Gosh, to me this sounds like pretty much perfect weather! Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...back to the DRY warmth! I expect to be quite content!

: )

Sue

8 Days to the Holy Land

In 8 days, a dozen folks from the Southeast Michigan Synod will begin our journey to the Holy Land. Preparations are well underway. Packing has begun. Tasks are being checked off of the lists.

For those who are interested in learning about some of the organizations with which we will be meeting, here is the list given us by the synod:

holyland-lutherans.org
The web site of our companion synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), serving in Palestine, Jordan and Israel.

elca.org/peacenotwalls
The ELCA's direct connection to information on the Middle East.

peacenow.org
Americans for Peace Now is a Jewish Zionist organization dedicated to enhancing Israel's security through peace and supporting the Israeli Peace Now movement.

cpt.org
Christian Peacemaker Teams

eappi.org
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.

annadwa.org
The International Center of Bethlehem operated by Christmas Lutheran Church (it also offers a link to the Abu Gubran Lutheran Guest House, where we will be staying in Bethlehem).

icahd.org
The Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions

luth-guesthouse-jerusalem.com
The Lutheran Guest House, where we will be staying in the Old City.

loga.org (under issues click Middle East)
Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs

machsomwatch.org
Israeli women who place themselves at checkpoints/barriers in the hope of reducing the frequency of harassment.

lwfjerusalem.org
Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem (Search Middle East)

mtofoliveshousing.org
Mount of Olives Housing Project

walktheroadtopeace.org
National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East

palestinemonitor.org
The Palestine Monitor

ochaopt.org
United Nations Humanitarian Information in the occupied Palestinian Territories