Nov. 20, 2013

PALESTINIAN PEOPLE RESILIENT, DETERMINED TO LIVE,
MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI TELLS SABEEL CONFERENCE

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Jerusalem
“Palestinians are people who are determined to live. Their resilience and determination are powerful,” Dr. Mustafa Barghouti told the Sabeel International Conference here Nov. 19.

Participants heard from Barghouti, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. More than 200 participants are attending the event 19-15 November 2013. Sabeel is the Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem.

Barghouti called the peace process currently underway “unfortunately, a cover for Israeli actions of land appropriation.”
“While peace talks happened during the last 20 years and while they are happening today, the same process is going on, the process of shrinking the space and the land for the Palestinian people,” Barghouti said. “The map of the West Bank today is an example of how impossible it is to build a state if these Israeli processes continue,” he said.

“Many people ask why the Israeli community turns to electing racist parties? The reason is that they are benefiting from occupation. They are making a profit from occupation,” Barghouti said.

“When I use the word `apartheid,’ many Israelis object,” Barghouti said, “but then I ask these Israelis to give me an alternative word describing the situation. The segregated roads and highways are unprecedented in human history. Israel segregated and separated Jerusalem from the Palestinian territories,” he said.

Barghouti described the current level of Israeli violence. “People suffer a lot at checkpoints but what is missed by the international media is the depth of the violation of human rights.”

“We are countering the occupation with a very noble movement” of nonviolence, Barghouti said. “There is a new stage of nonviolent resistance where people are determined to really break down this system of repression.”

“We encounter severe violence,” Barghouti said. “Even when international supporters come and demonstrate with us, they are also severely punished. Frequently you hear about Palestinian violence; nobody is speaking about this Israeli horrible violence,” he said.

“But we are not giving up. The people’s resilience and determination are powerful, Barghouti said. “The Palestinians are not victims though of course we suffer. But I want you to see Palestinians as people who are determined to live,” he said. “We Palestinians want to be like everybody else. We want to succeed. We want freedom, independence and equality.”

Naim Ateek Opens Sabeel Conference in Jerusalem:
Jesus refused to use scripture to call for vengeance
“Many of our people are being killed and oppressed by the way the bible is used and interpreted,” Naim Ateek told the Ninth Sabeel International Conference. But Jesus did not use scripture to advocate revenge, he said. Ateek is the founder and director of Sabeel, the ecumenical liberation theology center based in Jerusalem.

More than 200 international and local participants gathered today in Jerusalem for the Ninth Sabeel International Conference. The theme for the conference at the Notre Dame Center is “The Bible and the Palestine-Israel Conflict.” Ateek preached for the event’s opening worship.

“The Bible has been used to justify slavery, war, apartheid, silencing of women, and now the oppression and killing of the Palestinians,” Ateek said. Jesus can guide us in the use of scripture, he said.

When Jesus spoke to his hometown congregation in Nazareth, he read from Isaiah: The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free… (Luke 4L18-19) Then, the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him as he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Ateek said, “As Christians we recognize that Jesus Christ is the goal, center and climax of our biblical faith. In Him the Scriptures have been fulfilled.”

The words Jesus read expressed God’s concern for the poor, the sick, the disheartened, pronouncing God as their liberator. These were words of hope to people broken by oppression, he said.

But “Jesus adapted the text, he edited it,” Ateek said, making it “more relevant to his hearers… living under Roman occupation.” Jesus omitted Isaiah’s reference to vengeance, Ateek said. “He left out `the day of vengeance of our God,’” he said.

“Jesus refused to read that sentence. He left it out. He refused to call for God’s vengeance on their non-Jewish enemies. He refused to read what for him was theologically offensive and unacceptable,” Ateek said.
“We can only say scripture is fulfilled when we witness to God’s love for all people; and for us Christians, God’s love as seen and exemplified in the love of Jesus Christ,” Ateek said.

“To say scripture is fulfilled is to critique any misuse of scripture that justifies the theft of people’s land, the demolition of people’s homes, the uprooting of people’s olive and fruit trees, and the oppression of the people of the land,” Ateek said.

It was a lovely morning when the bus left from the Sabeel office with 53 people (mostly women) for an educational trip to Eilaboun, a village located on a hill in the eastern part of the lower Galilee.

This village was occupied on the 30th of October 1948, by the Israeli Military forces, which was a painful day as the Villagers suffered a massacre. During the massacre, 14 young men were killed in cold blood, and the people were forced to abandon their village. After 50 days away from their homeland, the people of Eilaboun were able to return to build a new life in what became the state of Israel. After a United Nations peace keeper observed and reported the event, Israel had to allow the people back.

We went to commemorate the massacre with the families in the village and joined them at a church service, where Bishop Attallah Hanna held a service in their memory.

Together the groups of Sabeel Jerusalem and Sabeel Nazareth made up 106 people coming together in fellowship and prayer. After the service the women and the community of the church offered refreshments, and speeches were given by the priests. We also watched a 20-minute movie that was produced by Palestinian artist and film maker Hisham Zreiq; then we shared our thoughts through tears and remembrance.

Afterwards, we went to the Catholic Church and Father Maron Tannous spoke a few words; then we went to Fr. Atanasyo’s house where we all gathered for lunch with his lovely family and community.

Next, we were ready for a little tour around Eilaboun. We saw the Ein (the village fountain), and then we walked to the Orthodox Church, which is the oldest church in the village, and then we proceeded to the cemetery to pay our respects.

Our program finished right after the tour, and we left Eilaboun in the late afternoon

The women gave great feedback and were looking forward to future educational trips.

The Sabeel staff started welcoming the young women at 5:00pm in order to start the program for the evening. This was the first meeting for the young women of Sabeel, and the age range was from 28 to 55 years old.

The program began with Sawsan Bitar of Sabeel introducing the event and giving a brief description about the work of Sabeel.

Mrs. Dina Khoury Nasser then began the session about health and family. Mrs. Dina is a licensed Nurse. She works at the Augusta Victoria Hospital and manages the infection control department.

The information that she passed on to us included how to care for ourselves and our family members by eating right and getting involved in a healthy life style. She also talked about what to do in case of an emergency and how to deal with it. Her talk inspired a lot of discussion and facilitated good communication among the women.

The 22 women who attended this event seemed to really enjoy it; they asked questions, gave comments, and had discussions. After the presentation, a paper was passed around for the women to fill out with their contact information so that Sabeel can keep them up-to-date on our meetings. We then discussed possible interesting topics for future sessions, and all of the women seemed motivated and excited. For future sessions, the women were especially interested in learning about stress management, coping with daily pressures, managing teenage children, learning how to balance a woman’s many roles (mother, wife, friend, etc.), and discussing how to bridge generational gaps in society, especially within a family setting.

The women then stayed for a lovely dinner, exchanged thoughts and enjoyed each other’s company. They are looking forward to the next session.

Twenty clergymen gathered for Sabeel’s annual 3-day clergy retreat October 14th-16h at the beautiful and peaceful Hortus Conclusus convent, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Garden in the village of Artas near Bethlehem. These clergymen – representing different denominations – came from their churches around the West Bank (Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala & Zababdeh), the Galilee and Jerusalem to visit this sacred oasis run by 6 nuns of the Daughters of Mary of the Garden.

Before the retreat, the clergymen joined a demonstration on opening day of the Knesset in solidarity with the people of the villages of Iqrit and Bir’am, whose villages were depopulated in 1948 and not long after, destroyed.

In Artas, the retreat officially began with a prayer and a greeting by Bishop Atallah Hanna, who spoke of the importance of such a gathering of clergy from the different churches. Rev. Naim Ateek then gave a presentation entitled, “The Development of Theology in the Holy Book.” He gave all the clergymen several Bible verses to analyze. In the evening, Orthodox priest, Saba Khair, led a prayer.

The following day, Father George Daboub gave a morning prayer in the Catholic tradition. Then, Father Peter Du Brul presented his paper on “The Three Challenges of the Bible,” which he will also be presenting as a speaker at Sabeel’s 9th International Conference (November 19th -25th). The group read the first letter to John and analyzed the text.

Next, Father David Neuhaus, also a speaker at the upcoming conference, spoke about Joshua and the destruction of Jericho in his presentation, “Where is the Word of God in Joshua 6?” The clergymen said they enjoyed the presentations of the retreat and recommended that Father Neuhaus be asked to lead the retreat the following year.

Rev. Suheil Bathish gave evening devotions after dinner, and there was continued discussion about the tough texts in scripture. There was a loving and respectful atmosphere as the group did evaluations of the presentations and made recommendations for the 2014 retreat.

On the last day, the clergymen went on an excursion of the village of Artas, which was led by a guide who spoke of the village’s history and how important it was to have the monastery in Artas. The group then hiked up to Solomon’s pools and visited the St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church.

After the excursion, the clergymen went back to the retreat site to evaluate the tour and the whole retreat and said their goodbyes after spending three days where God’s word was with them.

On Friday October 11, Sabeel hosted an open forum for the community, entitled “The Bible and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict,” with Sabeel co-founder Mrs. Cedar Duaybis as the key speaker.

We were pleased with the outcome: There were thirty people in attendance, excluding staff.

We began with refreshments—coffee, tea, and homemade cookies—and at 5 p.m., Rev. Ateek started the forum with a few words of welcome, after which we sang two hymns.

Immediately following the introductions and hymns, Mrs. Duaybis discussed the report that the Church of Scotland released earlier last summer, entitled “The inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land.’” The report, a culmination of 10 years of theology study, discussion, and debate, was overwhelming adopted in May by the Church of Scotland and has since caused waves around the world – both controversy and inspiration. In the report, the Church of Scotland rejects any premise that scripture offers any people a divine right to territory.

The title of the forum was chosen as “The Bible and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict” based upon the title/theme of our upcoming 9th International Sabeel Conference (November 19-25, 2013).

The audience engaged in an open discussion, and seemed very intrigued and motivated to learn more about the report.

Rev.Ateek ended the forum with an announcement about the new structure of Sabeel and introductions of the new staff.

Everyone enjoyed the event and was looking forward to upcoming activities of Sabeel.

Seventeen women gathered for Sabeel’s annual 2-day clergy wives retreat September 19-20th at the beautiful and peaceful Hortus Conclusus, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Garden in the village of Artas near Bethlehem. These women—13 clergy wives and 4 lay people — came from their homes around the West Bank (Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala & Zababdeh), the Galilee and Jerusalem to visit this sacred oasis run by 6 nuns of the Daughters of Mary of the Garden.

The first day the nuns received the group with a warm welcome, and Sawsan Bitar of Sabeel introduced the program and Sabeel. The first session was an academic one led by Sister Virginie Habib of Rosary Sisters, who is an educator of Christian religious studies at Bethlehem University. She is also in charge of the Catechetical Center of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and in charge of Christian education in primary and high schools in all of Palestine. Sister Virginie instructed the women to take turns reading and reflecting on Psalm 119 in order to analyze it and capture its meaning. Through this practice she gave the group tools on how to read the Bible: 1) read the text; 2) reflect on the text and analyze it; 3) internalize the text and 4) contextualize it and see what meaning it has for us today. Then, the women were divided into three groups and given parables to practice this.

After lunch, the group took a tour of the grounds, including a kindergarten and nursery and a clinic with free services offered to the community. It was explained that at the school the nuns neither teach the Bible nor the Koran to their Muslim students; but rather, they live out the Gospel through their actions of love. After the tour, the group debriefed with a discussion about the sessions and tour. Next, the women visited the Heritage Center in the village of Artas and met youth who explained how the center collected old things, such as old farming and cooking tools and clothes.

The women enjoyed a dinner prepared by the nuns and throughout the day sang hymns that lifted their spirits and created a joyous atmosphere. Sister Rosa, who has lived at Hortus Conclusus for 28 years, then gave a presentation about the location (also called Solomon’s Garden), which was built in 1901 in honor of the Virgin Mary and also includes a convent, cathedral, numerous gardens and orchards. This is also the location where it is believed that King Solomon wrote the Song of Songs.

On the second day, the clergy wives group was led in meditation by Linda Touma, wife of an Orthodox priest in Jerusalem. She spoke of the importance of encouraging young people to go to church and become active members of the Christian community, and led a discussion of this topic. Finally, Cedar Duaybis, a co-founder and long-time volunteer of Sabeel, taught a Bible study around the topic, “The Bible and the Palestine-Israel Conflict,” which is also the theme of Sabeel’s upcoming 9th International Conference in November. She also presented the adopted theology described in the ground-breaking Church of Scotland report, “The Inheritance of Abraham?” which was followed by a discussion.

Participants evaluated the program and their experiences, and although the location was far for some to reach, they felt the sessions were educational and spiritual. In particular, some felt the presentation of the Church of Scotland’s adopted theology (influenced by Palestinian theology) was interesting and eye-opening to them and they left with an appreciation for the discussion and new questions about interpreting the Bible.

On September 6th Sabeel Nazareth organized a study day on the issue of “The Identity Crisis of the Palestinian Youth Citizens of Israel.” As many as 15 participants from the different church denominations met in Nes Amim Village and were hosted by the Christians Fellowship Committee (CFC), whose chairman is Rev. Ibrahim Simaan.

The group was received and welcomed by Rev. Peter Drunkers and Judit Blom from Nes Amim. Next Violette Khoury, coordinator of Sabeel Nazareth, opened the session and was followed by Rev. Simaan who introduced the topic and gave a brief history of Nes Amim and the CFC.

Sabeel then showed “Road 60,” a new film produced by Alaa Ashkar, a young Palestinian Israeli from the Galilee. The film is “an itinerary beyond borders where a young Palestinian citizen of Israel personalizes the nature of occupation far from the clichés of the past, going deep into his identity crisis.” After a short coffee break, Rev. Simaan directed a live discussion on what Christian leaders can do about this situation. The debate was strong and brought up several challenges and questions:

• Christian faith and “dirty politics”
• Christians cannot remain silent on injustice
• Non-violent struggle
• Christian and national education
• Are we losing our Christian identity?
• Do we live our Christian faith?
• Islamization among the young Christians?
• Educate the Christian families on how to lead a “Family Altar”

Everyone expressed their appreciation and expectations that Sabeel will help them to deal with these issues. They requested and agreed to do more such study days, at least once quarterly. The day was concluded with a generous lunch offered by the N.A.C.F.C.

The Rev. Ateek recently met young Kareem and was impressed with his writing. Sabeel published part of Kareem’s poem in the summer issue of Cornerstone. Here is the full version of the poem:

A Ramadan Tale: Why I Starve (a slang poem)
by Kareem Sawalmeh, 8th grade
Friends Boys School, Ramallah

The other day I was walking when I found my brother smoking with his friends in Ramadan so I told him to come home for iftar and he said no and said just because you like to starve yourself doesn’t mean I have to…and one of his friends jumped up and asked: why do you guys starve yourselves anyways?

I starve because of how full I am, full of these blessings that I’m blessed with. I starve because of how blind we are, see although we can see very far it’s what’s put in front of our eyes that we’re blind to. See you and I we live the good life, we don’t have to struggle to survive and we don’t have to do much to feel alive…

but what’s inside, what’s inside is where the problem lies, no not what’s inside your stomach at the moment but what’s inside your heart and your mind. Now let me re-MIND you, even though you think you’re full you need this food more than I do, food for your thoughts that digest into your soul which you don’t have which is why you my friend you are starving, you’re starving from the lack of information you fail to receive from the media, see the media decides to hide it right in front of your eyes while they instead terrorize and victimize and then blame it on some other guys, you’re starving because you don’t even care about the other guys, you fail to sympathize or even recognize what’s happening to the other guys, wait wait wait…

let me ask you something: do you even know who I mean when I say the other guys? No, that’s why I starve. I starve because of the greed that has been installed in me for living so peacefully. I starve to get rid of this disease that consumes your heart and your mind and makes you think that everything in the world is just fine. Now I’m not trying to rhyme but please listen to this next line: us living like this is a damn crime, a crime that has been going on since the beginning of our time, a crime that when we commit instead of getting prostituted for we get rewarded, rewarded with commercialist communities, sex tapes and celebrities, luxurious amenities and killing each other for some heresies (type of drug), and last but not least the freedom that is life. I starve to remind myself of these blessings, I starve to forgive myself for over indulging while life offered me a taste of its sour apples, I starve to tame the ego that was created from within, I starve because I choose to not because I have to, I starve for the other guys.

Now you know why I starve but you still don’t know who the other guys are, do you? I starve for the forgotten souls out in Somalia, I starve for every drop of blood shed out by a kid in Syria, I starve for every tear shed out by a mother in Pakistan and for every bomb blown out in Afghanistan, I starve for the war the beloved Iraq had to go through before Barak and for every stone thrown by a fallen angel in Palestine, I starve for the tens of thousands of dead men, women and children out in Burma, it’s a public genocide of a whole nation that’s been kept silent!! (pause).

So now let me ask you, why are we dying to live while they’re just living to die.

That’s why I starve.

Around 30 people gathered at Sabeel’s Study Circle June 18 for a talk and discussion lead by Rev. George Shand of St. Andrews Church of Scotland in Jerusalem about the ground-breaking Church of Scotland report, “The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land.’” The report, a culmination of 10 years of theology study, discussion, and debate, was overwhelming adopted in May by the Church of Scotland and has since caused waves around the world – both controversy and inspiration. In the report, the Church of Scotland rejects any premise that scripture offers any people a divine right to territory. In his presentation, Rev. Shand presented three different understandings of Biblical scripture outlined in the report: 1) One that presents unconditional and literal promises, such as a territorial guarantee; 2) One that views the “land of Israel” as is conditional gift from God and a land held in trust that must be lived in according to God’s instruction; and 3) One that sees the land with a universal mission. This third understanding views the ‘promised land’ not so much as a place, but rather a metaphor of how things ought to be among the people of God, where justice and peace reign, the weak and the poor are protected, etc. It is third, inclusive view that led the Church of Scotland to make its conclusion about the scriptures.