Sabeel Women’s Retreat in Haifa & Tiberias
Theme: Beatitudes
September 28-29, 2012

We began the first morning with a reflection on the meaning of the Beatitudes by Cedar Duaybis. She led us in two sessions, speaking specifically on Matthew 5:1-12 and including both historic and modern-day examples. During these sessions, we meditated on how Christianity is characterized by tranquility, simplicity, and generosity. Christianity holds as its ultimate example the life of Jesus Christ. A group discussion followed, and Cedar answered questions.

In the afternoon, the participants spent time at the seashore of Haifa, enjoying fellowship with one other.

On the second morning, Aida Haddad led the first session: a reflection on Matthew 5:13-16, the verses following the previous day’s text. Aida gave a detailed explanation of the verse, and a group discussion followed. The session emphasized Jesus as our guiding light and how we then reflect that light in our homes and with colleagues in our society by telling the truth and doing good acts. We also discussed the role of the Priest as the first spiritual guide after Jesus Christ.

For the second session, Mary Sahhar gave an overview of the objectives and activities of Sabeel’s Women’s Programs. The ladies then completed the questionnaire about Sabeel programs and evaluated the two-day retreat.

In the afternoon, the group lunched at the Mount of the Beatitudes and later visited the Church of the Beatitudes and Capernaum before returning to Jerusalem.

Taybeh – 4-6 November 2012

As part of its ecumenical ministry, Sabeel hosts an annual retreat for church clergy from all over Palestine and Israel. This year, twenty-three clergy – representing different church denominations and coming from Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, Birzeit, Zababdeh, Ramallah, Jerusalem, and the Galilee – gathered for fellowship, study, and prayer.

Nov. 4
Clergy Program Coordinator Sawsan Bitar opened the retreat by greeting the participants on behalf of Rev. Naim Ateek, Director of Sabeel, who was on Sabbatical for 6 months. She conveyed Rev. Naim’s message to the clergy, thanking them for their commitment to the program and to each other. Ms. Bitar also introduced His Grace Archbishop Atallah Hanna, who greeted the audience with great satisfaction that all three traditional Christian churches were represented: Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestants.
Bishop Hanna then introduced the speaker, Patriarch Michel Sabbah, who delivered a talk on “What It Means to Pray.” Patriarch Sabbah described prayer as the continual process of coming before God, who is ready to give, and making ourselves ready to receive so that we can enter into God’s life. His reflection centered on the Lord’s Prayer highlighting the following lessons:
• Love is of utmost importance in all things, including prayer.
• Jesus said “Give us” not “give me” – which may well have referred to collective response.
• When I go to appear before the Lord, I don’t go alone; I take along all of his creation.
• “Your Kingdom come”: Creation works together with God to prepare for the full arrival of God’s Kingdom.
• “Your will be done”: We confess that God knows our needs.

In the next session, all the clergy participated in a discussion on the challenges facing Christians in the Holy Land as a result of both Jewish and Muslim extremists. The discussion seemed so needed that Patriarch Michel Sabbah and Archbishop Atallah Hanna suggested Sabeel plan a study day in order to further discuss how best to handle extremist attacks.
That evening, Rev. Saba Khair, Greek Orthodox priest from Beit Sahour, presented a meditation on the seven short statements spoken by Jesus on the cross.
1st “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
2nd “Today you shall be with me in Paradise.”
3rd “Behold you son, behold your mother.”
4th “Eloi Eloi, why have you forsaken me.”
5th “I am thirsty.”
6th “It is finished.”
7th “Into your hands I entrust my soul.”

Nov. 5
The second morning, the group convened in the chapel of Mar Ephraim’s home for the elderly in Taybeh, opposite to the Mar Ephraim guesthouse where the retreat was held. Rev. Ibrahim Simaan of the Baptist Church – Nazareth led the morning reflection on the topic of love. Spending this time at the home for the elderly was a great blessing, as the clergy were able to visit and talk with the residents after inviting them to join the prayer time.
Fr. Rafiq Khoury from the Latin Patriarchate has recently published a book called Towards a Theology Incarnated in Our Land, so Sabeel invited him to lead two sessions in helping the clergy reflect on two chapters from his book. The theme of the first session was from the chapter titled “Churches or Denominations.” Fr. Rafiq gave the historical background and summarized his lecture by saying that our relationship with God must intersect with the relationships we have in our communities.
After a mid-morning break, Fr. Rafiq divided the clergy into two groups to work on answering some questions he gave them relevant to the lecture.
In the afternoon, Fr. Rafiq led his second session on “The Word of God Within the Christian Community” and highlighted the following mandates of the Church:
1. To listen to the word of God and meditate on it.
2. To accept the word of God joyfully.
3. To make whole the word of God by discovering its various interpretations.
4. To incarnate it in history.
5. To declare it through theological and prophetic ministry.
This session also concluded with discussion groups.
After a busy day, the priests spent time before dinner in individual meditation to process the information. After dinner, the clergy enjoyed a tour of the village of Taybeh.

Nov. 6
On the last morning, Fr. Bishara Warwar led Morning Prayer according to the Orthodox tradition. The priests very much enjoyed the participation of the people from Mar Ephraim’s home for the elderly, who once again joined for prayer and fellowship.
For the third day’s first session, Fr. Suheil Khoury, originally from the depopulated village of Ikrat in the Galilee, spoke on the theme “Arise, let us be going,” inspired by Mathew 26:46. It was a thought-provoking presentation, followed by a powerful discussion. All the participants agreed to set aside more time to renew themselves through prayer and ecumenical spiritual gatherings and thanked Sabeel for continuing these ecumenical events.
Sawsan Bitar the Clergy Program Coordinator chaired the last session of the retreat, updating the clergy on the upcoming Sabeel events and encouraging them to take part in a variety of Sabeel’s community programs. The clergy filled out evaluations, also giving recommendations for themes to focus on next year. The retreat concluded with a nice lunch after which the clergy all returned to their respective villages.

“The Contribution of the Palestinian Curricula to Living Together”
Al-Liqa’ Center and Sabeel Center
Bethlehem Hotel – Bethlehem
11 October 2012

More than 160 people from all sectors of society: religious leaders, lay persons, school principals, teachers, and academics from different areas in Palestine attended this study day which focused on the Palestinian curricula and its contribution to living together.

The program included welcoming remarks by Sawsan Bitar, coordinator of Living Together programs, and by Dr. Geries S. Khoury, Mrs. Hind Khoury, and Archbishop Atallah Hanna.

In the first session, which was moderated by Mrs. Sima al-Ghawali, Muslim speaker Dr. Walid Mustafa presented a PowerPoint presentation about Arab history textbooks used in the 6th to 12th grades. He gave many examples of how these history textbooks could be improved to better inform Muslim understanding of the contribution of Christians throughout Arab history, even in the period before Islam which is often passed over as homogenously ignorant. Christian respondent Dr. Adnan Musallam, thanked Dr. Mustafa wholeheartedly, highly recommending these notes to the administration.

In the second session, moderated by Dr. Iman Sacca, the Christian speaker Prof. Qustandi Shomali presented an examination of the Arabic language textbooks used by the schools. He mentioned that in the Arabic textbooks there is no clarity about the contribution of the Christian poets and writers. He also referred to language lessons in which Christian students have to memorize chapters from the Qur’an while no Biblical passages are used. The Muslim respondent, Dr. ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘Abbad, who supervises Arabic language textbooks, discussed the careful choice of these texts. He explained that the Qur’an is the basis for proper use of the Arabic language and as such must be included in the books. The Bible, on the other hand, was not originally penned in Arabic, nor it is considered the linguistic base.

In the third session, moderated by Mrs. Haneen Abu-Sa’da, Sister Virginie Habib presented a study of texts used for Christian education classes. Sheikh Maher ‘Assaf presented on parallel texts used for Islamic education classes.

At the conclusion of the Study Day, recommendations were put forth:
• To host more study days incorporating more detailed, in-depth study of the curricula and inviting specialists who will better equip participants to suggest alternative strategies for using school curricula to deepen the foundation of living together, national unity, and shared history.
• To invite representatives from the Ministry of Education so that they can listen to suggestions and recommendations.
• To focus on concrete tasks that can be done and to be careful not to be hampered in progress by too much theorizing.
• To discard all texts that accuse others of unbelief, instead utilizing texts that focus on the dignity and freedom of all.
• To allocate one class period per week in all schools for teaching the importance of living together and knowing each other, and for increasing understanding of ethical and moral norms and religious beliefs.

Clergy Meeting on Sept. 24, 2012
Greek Catholic Church – Bethlehem

Nineteen clergy from different church denominations attended the Sabeel meeting held at the Greek Catholic Church in Bethlehem. We began the meeting with a Bible Study on Luke 5:1-11 given by Fr. Yacoub Abu Saada from the Melkite Church. As he reflected on the text, he highlighted the need for clergy to seek help from the lay people and those who are sometimes more qualified on the simple matters of our daily lives. Verses 6 and 7 of the Luke passage describe a catch of fish that was so plentiful that the disciples had to call for help. Fr. Yacoub compared this with the many things in which we need the lay people’s input and help. A very good discussion followed the presentation.

At this important meeting, Sabeel invited His Beatitude Patriarch Micheal Sabbah to speak about a “Christian position” towards the many recent attacks on Christians and their property. Following from this, he was also asked to inform participants about the agreement between the Vatican and the State of Israel regarding taxation of church properties, including those in East Jerusalem.

His Beatitude opened the discussion by imploring us Christians to keep our faith alive, to be humble and honest, and to always practice love among us. He cautioned that our congregations would realize if we do not practice true Christian love – that it would be reflected in interdenominational conflict within the various Churches.

Referring to the numerous desecrations and vandalism recently enacted by Israeli extremists towards Christian holy places, His Beatitude highlighted the importance of having a unified Christian voice to condemn these abuses and work towards stopping them. His Beatitude encouraged the clergy to love each other well and to spread the love to the congregations through their actions and leadership. History has torn us apart, and we have become very tired; love alone can now overcome all the differences and divisions. Within the Patriarchates, we face administrative challenges and misunderstandings in the congregation that stem from hierarchical structure. We must calm people’s fears and concerns by working together – both ecumenically and within our own church bodies.

Finally, His Beatitude discussed with the clergy a controversial taxation agreement being discussed between the Vatican and the state of Israel. The agreement, if signed, would allow for the taxation of the properties of all churches, even those in east Jerusalem, beginning in December. His Beatitude spoke about the pros and cons as he gave the explanation, and the Clergy raised their concerns. Then, Mr. Yusef Daher, coordinator for the National Coalition of Christian Organization in Palestine, shared with the clergy that the reaction of the CROs and local community to this agreement was similarly one of consternation because of how this step would affirm the legitimacy of occupation. The coalition thus crafted a letter that was sent to the Vatican expressing the local Christian community’s concerns on this issue. It stated that allowing this taxation in Jerusalem is a line that should not be crossed and that the Vatican should be aware of such.

At the meeting’s conclusion, everyone shared a nice lunch together.

On the 4th of July, 2012 twenty four young adults from thirteen countries arrived in Jerusalem as strangers and seekers. For 12 days we prayed, listened, saw, studied, discerned, sang, acted, laughed and mourned. We considered, how it might transform Israel-Palestine, our churches, and our own small lives if we took seriously the call to challenge oppression in creative discipleship through Christ-centered resistance. By the time we took flight to our originating communities, we left as friends, comrades, and a small (but strong) global community… Read More

We pray that all people of goodwill around the world will be aware that there are forces of evil at work to create tension and enmity between the different religious communities.

Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem, together with Friends of Sabeel around the world strongly condemn the intentionally provocative film and its denigrating portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. We categorically reject such vehicles as instruments of division and demonization.

We pray for calm and a cessation of violence in the wake of the reaction to this unfortunate film, and ask that potentially incendiary situations across the Middle East and Islamic world might be transformed into opportunities for respect of persons, whatever their religion or creed.

We reject all forms of violence, including verbal and other abusive reactions that will only inflame additional cycles of violence. We pray for the families of the US Ambassador and all those killed in Libya, whether their senseless death was provoked by the film or for political reasons.

May the God of peace bless the peace-makers throughout the region, that their efforts will be multiplied a hundred-fold.

On the 13th of September Sabeel held an Open Forum session entitled “How does a Palestinian Christian read God’s Promise to Abraham.”

Rev. Dr. Yohanna Katanacho emphasized the importance of reading the Bible. Some people believe that the current state of Israel is a fulfillment prophecy. Dr. Yohanna Katanacho, presented parts of his new book entitled “The Land of Christ: A Palestinian Cry”, a book that addresses the harsh realities on the ground in twenty-first century Israel/Palestine.

Then, the following verses of Genesis 18:15 were discussed: “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. Rev. Yohanna asked the following questions:

1) What are the boundaries of the land that God granted the people?
2) How do we understand the word Israel?
3) How did God give the land to Israel?

Faith in the Redeemer can be applied in daily encounters with the community, the enemy, the oppressed and all religious people. For Dr. Kanatacho there is no separation between faith and everyday activities. It is obvious that faith in the Redeemer leads a person to do “justice”, love, mercy, and to walk humbly with God – Micah 6:8. As we look up to this Redeemer, we realize that He is righteous and a God of Justice (Isaiah 30:18). As a believer in God, Dr. Katanacho wants to see changes on the ground, changes toward fairness and justice for all.

There was time for questions and discussion.

Rev. Yohanna thanked Sabeel for all its good work.

On June 27, 2012 Sabeel organized an educational trip to Haifa for women from Jerusalem. Seventeen women left Jerusalem for an eye-opening trip to Haifa where we met a young tour guide who led us on an “alternative tour “to the old city of Haifa. We visited the mosque and heard the story of that specific mosque that was under a demolition threat for so many years.

The group saw how the Arab area was turned into government offices including the Supreme Court, and what was left of the building that the government ruined.

The group ended the tour at the “House of Grace” and heard the story from Mr. Jamal Shehadeh, the son of the founder of this home, who died young but left behind him a great family that kept the father’s vision of protecting the released prisoners and the homeless people and gave them shelter where they found a healthy environment and felt the love of the community.

On top of Mount Carmel at Stella Maris Guest House, the group had a nice break, excellent lunch and a wonderful social gathering in the shade, after a long morning’s walk, enjoying the sea view and the entire city of Haifa.

In the afternoon, the group continued their tour and visited “Bustan Khayat”; which is the garden that belongs to the Khayat family in Haifa. This family is struggling with Haifa Municipality in order to get permission to develop this wonderful area. So far they have failed to get a permit for this project. We also visited the Baha’i Gardens down the slope of Mt. Carmel.

The group went back with mixed feelings. So happy for the wonderful time they spent together and also sad for the reality on the ground.

Twenty four clergy men and their wives joined Sabeel’s annual trip to Galilee. After so many years Sabeel managed through the Orthodox Patriarchate to obtain permits for the clergy from the West Bank to go to Israel. We had clergy and wives from Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, Jerusalem and Galilee representing different church denominations.

Our visit started at Saint Elias monastery “El-Muhraka” or “Place of the Sacrifice” at the Carmel Heights, Rev. Ibrahim Simaan from the Baptist Church in Nazareth gave full explanation about the place from both historical and biblical perspectives. We went up to the roof of the church and saw the beauty of the city.

The group went to Isifia village where we were met by the Melkite priest Fr. Samir Rohana, and visited the church and learned about its history and the service that the church provides for its people. We also learned about the population of Isifia who are Druze, Christian and Muslim. A nice reception was ready for us; we enjoyed very much talking with some of the congregation in the village. At the end we visited the old age home that belongs to the Melike church and met the people there, spent a wonderful time with them, prayed and listened to their stories. It was truly moving to be with these special people and hear their stories.

We headed to the depopulated village of Ein houd. The village was turned into what they call an “Artists’ Village” as its residents are artists from different fields. We had a wonderful lunch at the only Palestinian restaurant that belongs to one of the people of Eid Houd village who was driven out from his village but still has a place next to the village. Mr. Abu Elheja the owner of the restaurant guided the group on a tour of the village showing us his house, his family and relatives’ houses. We met an artist who was an American Jew who moved with his father to Israel in the 80’s and now he lives there, part of what this man said is “I know that the house I live in belongs to Mr. Abu Elheja, but I prefer that we don’t talk about the past but live our lives from now on”… this is what they call justice!

After an interesting tour in the village we headed to Nazareth and visited the Church of the Annunciation for the Orthodox, prayed together and left Nazareth each to his/her town and village

Day 6 of Sabeel’s International Young Adult Conference:

Key words of the day Hebron, courage, singing, weeping, Jewish and Israeli solidarity, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, Susiya village.
How does the (biblically based) folk song go? “A time to weep, a time to laugh.” Despite the warmth, courage, humor, and steadfastness we witnessed today in Hebron and Susiya village, today felt to many of us as a time for weeping. The severity of the occupation including regular harassment from soldiers and closed (even welded!) storefronts, among other factors, helped us understand another piece of the story of the struggle for justice and sovereignty in Palestine. Visiting Susiya village, where after decades of harassment and settler violence, there are immanent and pending demolition orders to level the TENTS of the families there, was a second shock to the system. It was such a gift to be with them and we were also relieved to come back to the hotel and try to process everything we had seen. We continue to help one another wrestle with all the good feelings (sadness, anger, confusion, fear) that came up today. We thank our friends Issa (our guide from Hebron) and Moriel and Alana (from Rabbis for Human Rights, among other great projects) for walking with us in all of it. For more information on Hebron please see the article below (detailing important findings by a Jewish human rights organization). For more on the immanent and pending demolition orders on Susiya, see Stand with Susiya – No to Demolition.

Day 5 of Sabeel’s International Young Adult Conference:

Everyone enjoyed sleeping in late this morning before our special tour of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, the site where it is thought that Jesus was born. Following (Roman Catholic) services we had a chance to explore the city of Jesus’ birth. Some of us visited an olive wood carving workshop while others had a tour of the Arab Women’s Union- we all had a lot of fun. Then it was off to Tent of Nations where there was more time for taking walks, journaling, and playing soccer. (Boy, if this is the revolution, sign me up;)) Kathy Nichols gave us a fantastic session on advocacy and we wrestled with the challenges of sharing our experiences here when we return home. Daoud Nassar took time to speak with us (one day before their special children’s summer camp!) about his family history on the property of the Tent of Nations, the struggle to keep the land despite harassment of every kind (legal abuse, property damage, increased isolation in the form of roadblocks, demolition orders for his tents and cisterns) and his incredible commitment to nonviolent resistance and bridge building. For more information on Tent of Nations (including their groundbreaking work to create financially and environmentally sustainable and self-sufficient community) and to support their work please visit: Stop the Nassar Family Farm/Tent of Nations Demolition (http://www.tentofnations.org/)

Day 4 of Sabeel’s International Young Adult Conference:

We spent the day at Aroub Refugee Camp. One of our participants has written a fantastic summary and reflection of the day. Check it out here: http://anikoinjerusalem.wordpress.com/

Day 3 of Sabeel’s International Young Adult Conference!

Today was our first full day with all of our participants and we’re really going now. After a great morning devotions led by Sarah Thompson, Omar Haramy gave us a quick overview of the political situation on the ground and then we departed for a two hour briefing with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). After a relaxing lunch at the Jerusalem Hotel (maklube, minty lemonade, Arabic coffee and baklawa- yum!) former Sabeel staff and all-around powerhouse Nora Carmi led us through Sabeel’s Contemporary Way of the Cross and then we left Jerusalem for Bethlehem. Key words of the day? The Nakba of 1948, refugees, settlements, checkpoints, Gaza, the wall, and international law. Yesterday we followed Jesus footsteps through Jerusalem; today we learned how he walked among the Palestinian people through the history of the occupation. A highlight of the day for everyone was meeting with a Palestinian family fighting to keep their home in Silwan; 1,500 people are at risk of being displaced for the sake of building a public garden (it is thought by some that King David may have had gardens in the area). The stark irony of planning to landscape lush gardens on the grounds where others have planted the seeds of their families, their memories, their hope- their homes!- was breathtaking, heartbreaking, and a challenge to us all. “What will the fourteenth station be?” The poem, “They have challenged us with Resurrection” by Julia Esquivel (Contemporary Way of the Cross, p. 48) says: There is something here within us which doesn’t let us sleep, which doesn’t let us rest, which doesn’t stop the pounding deep inside. It is the silent, warm weeping of women without their husbands it is the sad gaze of the children fixed there beyond memory… What keeps us from sleeping is that they have threatened us with resurrection! Because each nightfall though exhausted from the endless inventory of killings for years, we continue to love life, and do not accept their death! In this marathon of hope there are always others to relieve us in bearing the courage necessary… Accompany us then on this vigil and you will know what it is to dream! You will then know how marvelous it is to live threatened with resurrection! To live while dying and to already know oneself resurrected. Amen! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s update!

Day 2 of Sabeel’s International Young Adult Conference has come and gone.

Today’s highlights included a tour of the Old City, the most delicious falafel sandwiches in town, and an opening worship service in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Yeah, *that* Garden of Gethsemane.) During our tour, we counted security cameras, Israeli soldiers & flags, heads (our own), and of course, new friends from some 14 countries. (Way to go, Sabeel outreach effort!) While Omar led us at a super brisk pace and roundly ignored our pleas to slow down, we only lost two participants to the human soup that is the Old City and we think they’ll make a fantastic contribution to whatever street corner we forgot them at. (Just kidding! Nadine Bitar, Nicolas Sous, and Sarah Thompson did a great job of leading the back of the group.) Sabeel Board and Executive Council member Salwa Duaibis profoundly moving sermon shook us awake and encouraged us deeply as we prepared for the 10 days ahead. (Excerpt coming soon!) On our way back from worship, we walked passed a Palestinian family arduously moving into their new apartment and we all pitched into help, carrying couch cushions and laundry bags and boxes up the Cobblestone Street and right into their home! (These are the kinds of crazy and wonderful things you can expect when you’re hanging around Sabeel folks.) By nightfall, every participant had finally arrived in the country, completing our circle and promising an even better day tomorrow.

Day 1 of Sabeel’s 7th Young Adult Conference has come to a close!

Everyone set to arrive today did and we had a great dinner and first evening together at Knights’ Palace Hotel in the Old City of Jerusalem. One high point was playing a special Sabeel version of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey! We each shared our last experience with a donkey (hilarity ensued): “Wanted to take a picture but I ended up running away from it.” Nicholas “Fell from a donkey at 7 years.” Bonganjalo Mbenenge
“Seeing a donkey walking with children in the streets of Old Jerusalem.” Janelle “Learning that it’s never a good idea to take a donkey into a church.” Nicola “Having to listen to a donkey about to give birth. For 3 weeks…” Emma.