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I dare to
ask your support and contribution for
THE OLIVE BRANCH FUND
Due to the actual difficult
situation of in instability in the Holy Land and the current economical crisis
that we pass through since last October, many families lost their source of
income and are really in need of basic daily bread. Our people in the Holy
Land is living gloomy days during which the dream of peace which seemed very
close, is now vanishing away. Violence, retaliation, fear, death,
unemployment, the end of the peace process summarize our situation today. The
absence of pilgrims rendered our Holy shrines empty and sad. Many of our young
people were working in the pilgrimage and tourism sector. Besides, the
difficulty in moving between Palestinian cities and the closure of the
Palestinian Territories rendered the economical situation very bad.
We pray the Lord that the
mediation and support of our brothers and sisters Christians all over the
world will be more efficient in the future. Otherwise, the Holy Land, the
Christian Community and our Catholic institutions will deeply suffer.
Thousands of families do not have enough resources to cope with the
requirements of human dignity.
In the last
months, we felt the strong solidarity of our sister churches through their
statements and clear positions concerning Jerusalem and the peace process. But
still their material solidarity is not enough or sufficient, therefore, we
appeal to all the communities on behalf of the bereaved and needy families,
the wounded, the homeless, the Catholic Schools of the Latin Patriarchate and
Bethlehem University which are struggling to keep upon.
To
tell you the truth, we are trying our best to help through the existing
Christian Relief Agencies such as Caritas, Pontifical Mission for Palestine,
Catholic Relief Services and World Vision. But, the needs are more than our
capacities. Therefore, I would like to suggest new ways of helping our people:
1)
All the catholic and private schools are in a huge deficit because
families who normally have several children in the same school are not able to
pay the small amount of scholastic tuition, which normally doesn’t cover
half of the expenses, and in this year the deficit doubled. Therefore, the
program of “Student sponsorship” promoted by the Holy Land Ecumenical
Foundation could be great, through which a family can sponsor a student in our
schools by paying around 300$ per year. Please contact:
2)
Many people lost their jobs and don’t have any kind of income,
especially workers who used to work inside Israel can’t anymore enter
because of the closure, and all those who were working in the tourism and
pilgrimage industry lost their jobs due to the absence of tourism. Therefore,
either you encourage people to come back and visit the Holy Places and this is
the best sign of solidarity with our small Christian community. Or you help us
to promote some small development projects in order to create some job
opportunities. Through the new-founded “Olive Branch Fund” we
opened some projects such as animal farms (cows for meat and milk, Chickens
for meat and eggs, rabbits…and many other projects. The principle is the
following: to help them to help themselves according to the popular and very
well known saying “Don’t give fish to peter but teach him to fish”.
Therefore, we give some loans which will be refund and we try to teach them to
share with poor people according to the principle “Love is not to talk or to
give but to share”, so they pay a small part of their income to poor people
so that we will be able to use this revolving fund in order to help creating
other projects, in a spirit of what we can call the “Communion Economy”.
3)
I see that many old people in our country don't have any kind of income
because we don't have any kind of social, health insurance, and unfortunately,
when they become old, they loose their jobs, they spend all their money and at
the end they have to lay on their children who are mostly poor and cannot
afford to help. Therefore, I have the intention to create a kind of a fund
which will provide them with some money through our parish priests... this
would be great if a family can sponsor an old woman or man… you can promote
this idea among old people in your country because, usually they have
everything provided by the state and they can share with other families in
need abroad.
4)
The last idea: We need to keep the remaining small community in the
country because many have already left. Immigration was always a temptation...
The church is trying to provide young and poor couples an apartment with a
very low rent by building some housing projects in our parishes... and here,
if any family or parish could sponsor such projects it would be great,
especially that we have actually three or four projects which are stopped
because of the lack of money... We can suggest that a parish will
sponsor an apartment, which doesn’t cost more than 50.000 $... In this way
we can finish some projects that we have which is normally around 30- 50
apartments, this means that 30-50 young families will remain in the Holy Land.
Practically
speaking, I will dare to tell you that we have already initiated and created
the “Olive Branch Fund” and I dare also to ask your support and help, by
choosing one of the up-motioned fields and sharing with whatever you can. You
can also spread this message around you, in your community, parish, village…
or to any charitable institution in your country.
Of
course we will provide any donor with full details about how his money was
spent and with acknowledgement letters signed by the Patriarch himself.
The best way is to send the money to our account in Jerusalem... and this
money will be directed to the Olive Branch Fund which will have a special
account that will be part of our account of the Latin Patriarchate registered
in the name of the Patriarch Michel Sabbah himself so that he will be aware of
each step we do. I am working with our general administrator of the Latin
Patriarchate Fr. William Shomali who will supervise this account with the
control of the accountant manager. This means that you will be sure that every
single penny will be spent in the right direction according the intention of
the donor.
You
have two possibilities to send your contribution, but we prefer the first
because it is the easiest:
1) Bank wire or transfer to our special account of the Olive Branch Fund under
the Latin Patriarchate account, to be sent to the following Bank account:
Mercantile Discount Bank
East Jerusalem Salah Edin
Branch No. 638
Latin Patriarchate - Olive Branch Fund
Account No. 982-01-946915
2) Check endorsement in the name of Latin Patriarchate - Olive Branch
Fund,
to
be sent to the following address:
Fr. Raed Abusahlia
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
P.O.Box 14152 Jerusalem 91141
Israel
You
can chose that your money be used for one of the following four needs:
1)
Student sponsorship of one of our students in our Catholic Schools.
2)
Small development project for a needy family.
3)
Health and social assistance to elderly, sick and handicapped people.
4)
Apartment in a housing project for young and poor couple.
We
thank you for whatever you can do to alleviate the suffering of our people and
we rely on your prayers and material support to our Christian Community of the
Holy Land.
With
sentiments of gratitude and prayerful best wishes,
Feel
free to contact me at the following address and visit our homepage for more
details:
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Fr. Raed Awad Abusahlia
Chancellor
of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
P.O.Box
14152 Jerusalem 91141
Tel. 00 972 2 6282323/6272280
Fax 00 972 2 6271652
My personal E-mail: nonviolence@writeme.com
Latin Patriarchate's E-mail: Latinpat@actcom.co.il
Visit the Latin Patriarchate's Homepage: http://www.Lpj.org
Visit my "Nonviolence Homepage": http://go.to/nonviolence
Visit Fr. Labib's Homepage: http://www.al-bushra.org
Jerusalem Journal # 23
Sister Mary
June,
30, 2001
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In
the first century during the period of the Roman occupation of Palestine,
John's gospel tells us that there was a wedding celebration at Cana, to which
Jesus, Mary and the disciples had been invited. It is to the traditional
site of Cana that thousands of couples have come over the years to renew their
marriage vows. Luke's gospel tells us of the betrothal of Mary to Joseph, but
no wedding feast is mentioned in Nazareth, the hometown of Mary, located not
far from Cana.
In
the twenty-first century during the Israeli occupation of Palestine, wedding
invitations went out from Nazareth inviting family and friends to come to the
wedding feast, held at the Abu Maher Hall, to celebrate the wedding of Rana
and Rami.
Even
though these are difficult times, as they were during the Roman occupation of
Palestine, this past week I took a taxi over to where a van with Jerusalem
license plates awaited the Jerusalem wedding guests. There I joined
Palestinian friends and internationals for the drive west to the coast, then
north along the coast of the Mediterranean, and finally to turn back east to
head over to Nazareth. It was a long, round-about journey, but it was the way
to avoid all Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank. As we headed inland to
Nazareth, one of the Palestinian men started singing traditional wedding
songs; the spirit of the wedding feast filled the van: fresh roses and song. The
anticipation of the celebration was tangible.
And
the wedding celebration was well worth the anticipation and the long drive. To
see two individuals so in love with each other, to experience the joy of the
parents, the rest of the family and the shared happiness of friends, who
numbered about four hundred, and to enjoy the music, song, dance and banquet,
were to realize the power of the human spirit to rise above the fear, the
mistrust and oppression that grips this land. That thought was brought home to
me even more powerfully when I realized that present in the banquet room with
us was a member of the Palestinian Parliament and a member of the Israeli
Knesset. A young couple had invited them to share in their joy and they
had set aside their fears and made the journey to Nazareth in order to
celebrate the primacy of love in all our lives.
BETHLEHEM
DIARY (32)
Toine van Teeffelen
June
18 – July 2, 2001
Once
I was visited by a foreigner who told me that even under the most
unpredictable circumstances people cannot do without some planning. You only
have to conduct your planning in a flexible manner. His advice certainly
applies to Palestinian traveling. These weeks we all are doing our best to
plan flexibly. For some weeks Suzy was hesitating whether to leave the country
through Tel Aviv Airport or though the Allenby Bridge. She had heard from
local people that persistence in applying for a traveling permit helped. In
one case, somebody applied three times: Sunday request submitted, Monday
request refused; Tuesday request submitted, Wednesday request refused;
Thursday request submitted, Saturday request … granted! Why, nobody knows.
As for Suzy’s own case, in the weeks preceding her traveling she was told
that “no mosquito” could leave the country through the Tel Aviv airport,
except for a medical emergency. She arranged her visa request with the
American consulate, whose staff met her at the Bethlehem-Jerusalem checkpoint
to receive from her the required documents. Now she travels through the
Allenby Bridge. This is not a pleasant trip at all, with long waiting queues
and searches. A few weeks ago, it happened that somebody I know who had a
somewhat weak health record but was not really ill got speedy access at the
bridge after being brought in an ambulance!
* * *
Mary
and I lately went to Jerusalem to arrange our summer trip. On the way to
Jerusalem we took the long and winding “Abou Hummus” road to circumvent
the checkpoint. (Taxidrivers finger a quick circle in the air to indicate that
road). On the way back Mary was not in the mood to go back that same long way,
and, notwithstanding my protests, urged me to the checkpoint where now all the
passersby coming back from Jerusalem have to show their ID to the military.
Since Mary has of course no Jerusalem ID or permit, the soldiers told her that
since she came through “the long way,” she also had to go back that same
way. But Mary is not the type to succumb easily to orders; she walked through
to only turn her head when the soldiers explicitly asked her to stop. She
said,“My baby is waiting to get food, don’t you have a heart?”
accompanying her words with dramatic hand gestures to express exasperation.
The argument went on for a while, Mary refusing to set even one step
backwards. After a while the soldiers conceded, and Mary walked through with a
smile of deep satisfaction on her face. A small victory.
My
Arabic teacher said that lately she and her husband also crossed the
checkpoint from Jerusalem to Bethlehem without permit. The soldiers asked her
whether they were “from Beit Jala.” Why they asked that was not clear.
Perhaps the soldiers felt that the people from Beit Jala had to be singled out
for punishment. She said that her husband, who is usually afraid at
checkpoints, now feels more confident and will join her on trips to Jerusalem,
every week she hopes.
Meanwhile,
Mary and I stayed for over two hours at the travel agent to arrange our
European travel plan. In fact, we have two plans, plan A and plan B. Plan A
concerns the trip we prefer to take, through Tel Aviv airport. This itinerary
is more comfortable and also very much cheaper. Plan B concerns the escape
route through the Bridge. That shadow plan will come into operation when we
don’t get a permit for the airport. Usually you know the permit situation
only at the last minute, so the alternative plan should be ready and reserved,
only to be canceled as soon as you know that the first plan can go ahead. The
prices of flights are very different in the case of a departure from Amman,
there are different air companies and itineraries involved. Our travel agent
said that she is now accustomed to the complicated requests from West Bankers.
Mary’s sister Rita, who is counting the days before the family and
especially Jara will arrive in Paris, tells that the Israelis are playing with
the nerves of the people. She herself seems more tensed than we are. Living
far away she feels the powerlessness even more than we do.
* * *
I
see in my environment how people protect themselves against the uncertainty of
living. Fuad says that he always prepares for the worst. Doing so prevents
frustrations.
Living
in uncertainty can beat people. Right now, people do not know what to believe.
The rumors in Bethlehem are that there is a movement towards war, a quick
deterioration of the situation after the likely breakdown of the ceasefire.
What kind of war, nobody knows. Another rumor is that the Israelis, with the
green light of the Americans, head for the collapse of the Palestinian
Authority, including Arafat, and are already working for the establishment of
an alternative authority. My own feeling is that such rumors are not based
upon real analysis but primarily express a sense of powerlessness. By
providing some foreknowledge of the future, the rumors give people at least
the feeling that they have some grip upon the situation – even though that
knowledge brings little solace.
Last
week I had meetings to discuss a new Dutch-sponsored campaign for sending out
international volunteers to the Palestinian areas. The campaign’s purpose is
to provide the population with some form of protection and to function as a
political signal for the need of having here an international presence of
monitors or observers. The campaign is supported and sponsored by the major
peace movements and development NGOs in Holland. The volunteers’ presence
may also, we think, help giving a boost to the development of non-violent
forms of protest. One remark of a local Palestinian with regard to the
initiative, which is generally lauded here, is that the volunteers should help
Palestinians to reach a local “victory” by peaceful means; for instance,
stopping a land confiscation by a settler outpost. Such a result would help to
create a sense of empowerment, a feeling that one can do something to control
the situation.
For
the preparation of this campaign I joined a Dutch representative of the peace
movement on a trip to Gaza. There we met among others the well-known
personality, Dr Hayder Abdel Shafi, - probably the most respected politician
in Gaza. He commented that the campaign can only succeed if the Palestinians
put their own house in order, and provide leadership, organization and
strategy to the present-day Intifada. He is skeptical whether the PNA can
provide that leadership. Lately, he conveyed his critical remarks to Arafat
who listened but did not respond. We also visited a family in nearby Jabalya
camp. An older member expressed his expectation that all Palestinians would be
killed, and that the Jews would be punished for that on the Day of Judgment.
Living in a refugee camp for over fifty years must be the background of such
apocalyptic fantasies. The younger family members told more realistically
about Gaza as a big prison. The unemployment and poverty is even higher than
in the West Bank. One young woman mentioned that she could not go to Jordan
two months ago to attend the funeral of her father.
* * *
We
ourselves are planning for the establishment of a youth house next year. To
plan a year in advance is a very long period for people here. “Maybe I am
dead then,” is one remark I heard. For planning you need a vision of the
future, and Karishma skillfully leads a workshop in which local youth make a
drawing of the house as they would like to see it developing. The drawings
project a homely house, with kitchen, greenery around (our Dutch visitors say
that they forgot about the green as they take it for granted), computer lab,
library, and workshop room. One youth draws a house especially for refugees.
Social
events are in general planned quickly here. Lately Mary, Jara and my family in
law visited a foreign lecturer at Bethlehem University who showed her surprise
about how an event like a concert was organized here. “If you tell people
two weeks in advance that something is happening, they forget and don’t
come, but if you tell them the day in advance they immediately tell each other
about it and come in groups.” When the Palestinian youth from our institute
visited Holland last year, they were surprised to hear that the Dutch
sometimes make a note in their agenda when a family member comes for a visit.
Here that would be unthinkable.
Although
we may be in need of more planning, it is of course also true that a certain
lack of planning gives salt to life. A youth staff at the media center PYALARA
lately told that she had everything ready to go for taking a masters in the
United Kingdom. Then, at the last moment, she decided not to go. In one way or
another she felt that despite our prison-like circumstances she was more at
home here. Also Karishma feels at home and seems intentionally to suspend
decision-making about her future life plans.
* * *
Last
night Jara made a drawing of Abu Ghneim, the hill north of Beit Sahour and
Bethlehem where an Israeli settlement is being erected. From my family in
law’s we have a clear view of the hill. She drew it with a cozy chimney and
encircled it with sea waves. The hill, a sign of the imprisonment under which
Bethlehem lives, became a boat, a sign of freedom.
The True face
of occupation
From: Sandra Olewine [mailto:solewine@compuserve.com]
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2001 1:08 AM
Dear Friends,
It has been a little over two months since you've heard from me. I wish I
could say this was because things on the ground were improving. I wish I could
say it was because the cycles of violence were ending.
Unfortunately, neither is true. Why haven't you heard from me? Well,
partially, it was due to trouble with me email account. But, mostly, it
was due to the fact I was running out of words to say the same thing again and
again.
THE OCCUPATION HAS TO END! THE OCCUPATION IS THE FIST LEVEL OF BRUTAL
VIOLENCE! THE 'CEASE FIRE' IS LITTLE MORE THAN A PR STUNT! SETTLEMENTS
ARE GROWING EVERY DAY! PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS ARE DYING ALMOST EVERY DAY!
THE SEIGE CONTINUES ON MANY WEST BANK CITIES, VILLAGES AND TOWNS!
THE ECONOMIC SITUATION IN GAZA AND THE WEST BANK IS CRITICAL.
SUICIDE BOMBERS CAN ONLY BE
STOPPED BY ENDING THE SUFFERING OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
Yes, many of us had grown weary after eight months of feeling as if we were
screaming at a mostly non-comprehending world. I and many others, whether
Palestinian, Israeli or International, basically just couldn't write anymore.
But, after a two week break in early June, which was critical for my own
mental and physical health (many thanks to my dear friends, Kathie and William
in Cambridge, who provided a remarkable trip to the Highlands of Scotland for
a time of healing and renewal) and assisting with a delegation from the World
Council of Churches last week, I'm able to get back to the important work of
keeping you informed about the situation here from a perspective which often
doesn't line up with what you hear in mainline news stories.
Unbelievably, we're beginning the 10th month of this current period of the
violence of occupation. Below is a story from Gush Shalom, one of the
most active Israeli peace/justice groups within Israel. It details the
activities of Friday's action in the month-old non-violent campaign that has
been going on around the village of El-Khader, a village just south of
Bethlehem.
Please read it carefully. Let others know of these actions. For those
of you who are Americans, continue to demand that our government listen to
these voices as well as the political leaderships, that they might understand
the heartache and frustration of the people living under the occupation and
the toll it takes on the occupier.
Pray for the villagers in El Khader who are struggling to develop a
non-violent strategy in fighting the occupation and at each step are being
meet with violence by the Israeli Occupation Forces and the
Settlers. Pray for the Israelis willing to demand a different reality from
their own government. Pray for the soldiers and settlers that there might be a
changing of heart. Pray for the Internationals who are joining with both
Palestinians and Israelis who are seeking a just peace for the well-being of
both peoples in this land.
Blessings to you all,
Rev. Sandra Olewine
United Methodist Liaison - Jerusalem
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