Living Together Program
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center
and
Al-Liqa’ Center for Religious and Heritage Studies in the Holy Land

“Shared Living in the Coming State of Palestine”
1 December 2011

One hundred and forty Christian clergy and Muslim sheikhs from Ramallah, Jerusalem, Nablus area, Hebron, Bethlehem area, Aboud village and Galilee came together for a one day conference in Beit Sahour, West Bank (or Occupied Palestinian Territories).
Reverend Naim Ateek from Sabeel and Dr. Jeries Khoury from Al-Liqa’ center welcomed the participants and thanked them for coming to the important event.
His Beatitude Patriarch Michael Sabbah and His Honor the Mufti of the Holy Land, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, spoke together on a panel entitled “The Stand of Religious Leaders with regard to the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations”. Sabeel board member and former Palestinian Ambassador to France, Ms. Hind Khoury, moderated the panel.
In this session both speakers addressed the importance of having a Palestinian state, and affirmed the Palestinian Authority’s decision to apply for statehood. They also highlighted the importance of working together as one body in our state, despite religious differences.
The second session was a panel about “The Future of Shared Living in Light of the Establishment of an Independent Palestinian State”. The participants focused on different aspects. The comments of Father Dr. Rafiq Khoury and His Honor Sheikh Abd Al-Majeed ‘Ata centered on religious aspects and discourse. Mr. Musa Darwish focused on the educational curriculum (his comments were shared by proxy of Jeries Khoury), and Attorney Mary Rock commented on the legal aspects. Sabeel board member Ms. Jean Zaru moderated this panel. Significantly, all speakers were honest and open. They debated with immense respect and acceptance of each other.
After a short break participants divided into Group Sessions in which they discussed what they heard throughout the day.
After Sharing a meal together the program concluded with the final Panel: “Practical Suggestions for the Upcoming Period.” The participants for this were the Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek, Mr. Zuheir al-Dab’i, and Dr. Jeries S. Khoury; moderated by Rev. Ibrahim Nairouz.
In this session the speakers again were very open and each one of them expressed how he saw the relationship should ideally be between Palestinians as they face this important historical period. Each emphasized the importance of carefully and constructively sharing these sensitive topics with our people, taking the chance to address them during ceremonies, preaching times, and other opportunities.

The second Sabeel Advent program was held in the ancient city of Jericho. Over 25 women gathered at the Roman Catholic Church “The good Shepherded.” Archimandrite Joseph Saghbini from the Melkite Church in Jerusalem reflected energetically on the spirituality of Advent and the religious rituals related to it that have developed over the centuries, beginning in the 4th. He continued by saying that the term spirituality refers to the personal relationship with God through individual prayers and litanies; our communication with God and how we nurture it. Rituals are the collective litanies and worship practices in which Christians corporately engage. Unless they are infused with a believer’s spirituality, they become empty and meaningless. As an example of spirituality, he gave the women the icon of the nativity and taught them how to interpret it. It is important to examine the icon closely and look for details—instead of simply gazing at it and not grasping its true meaning.

Basking in the warm weather of Jericho, the group went to Rawda restaurant and enjoyed a delicious Palestinian meal for lunch. Afterwards the women gathered into four groups and played a simple game. Displayed on the wall were pictures from the ritual of a birthday party (pictures of: cup and plate, hat, bag of sweets, gift etc.) and game leaders gave each participant seven Bible verses. The goal of the game was to create a match between each Bible verse and an image, and give rationale for why they chose that certain picture.

In the afternoon the participants were given free time in the city of Jericho to shop and enjoy the rest of the day socializing.

Sabeel started its programming for Advent 2011 in the West Bank at Beit Jala, at the Cremisan Convent and land. Recently, the Israeli government unjustly confiscated hundreds of acres in preparation for the construction of more segments of the separation wall, so it was a blessing to still be able to meet at this place. Sixty-three women from Sabeel Jerusalem and Bethlehem’s Wi’am Center for Conflict Resolution gathered. They took part in a joint retreat, which featured inputs from Melkite priest Yacoub Abu Sa’da , Roman Catholic priest Louis Hazboun and Greek Orthodox priest George Shahwan. Each of the clergymen shared a spiritual reflection about Advent.

Though from different denominations, all three priests agreed that the meaning of Advent lies in its message of love, hope, peace and expectation, and that these are the basic and main elements of our Christmas celebrations. Despite the hustle and bustle of the season, we should focus on preparing our souls and spirit for receiving baby Jesus. Christmas is not about Santa Claus, gifts, ornaments and Christmas tree lights. It is about the joy and anticipation of the new born king, our savior.
After the Advent reflections, the women joined together for a simple meal of falafel sandwiches, and socialized. In the afternoon the women joined the people of Beit Jala, Christian Palestinian owners of the confiscated lands, and Cremisan nuns to celebrate the Eucharist. This Eucharist is special because it takes place amidst the threatened olive trees and it is both a service of thanksgiving and protest (officiated by the Roman Catholic priest Ibrahim Shomali). The celebration of the Eucharist is a testament of the hope, faith, and steadfastness that we have as Palestinian Christians. A statement that Jesus, justice, and care for all of God’s creation are at the center of our faith.

Additionally, after the service a young Palestinian woman brought pieces of wheat bread and Zeit and Za’ater(olive oil and seasoned thyme) to the people who were at the service, exemplifying the importance of the land and showing pride of what the land can produce. We pray that the Cremisan lands and convent will still be accessible to Sabeel programming next Advent season

On the 22nd of November Sabeel held the last session of the “Open Forum,” for 2011. Throughout the year the community forums examined the topic of “Betahone, (security) the new god of Israel.”

Reverend Naim Ateek asked an important question to the group: How do we gauge God’s love for us? We together examined two readings from the Old Testament, and one from the Gospel of John. In the two scriptures from the Old Testament, God is said to have ordered people to kill, destroy, and occupy lands of others. While this was an accepted understanding of justice and society in Jesus’ day, Jesus would often comment on these Scriptures saying, “you have heard that it was said…but I say unto you…” showing that a new way of being in the world—one which breaks the vicious cycle of violence—was now possible. Jesus’ example of willing sacrifice and death on a cross, rather than participate in systems of displacement, destruction, and killing sets up a new pattern for us to emulate as disciples.

There was time for questions and discussion. The refreshments provided by Maha Ateek were delicious, as always. The referenced Scripture passages are copied below.

Numbers 33: 50-56
Directions for the Conquest of Canaan
50 In the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 51Speak to the Israelites, and say to them: When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their figured stones, destroy all their cast images, and demolish all their high places. 53You shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 54You shall apportion the land by lot according to your clans; to a large one you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small one you shall give a small inheritance; the inheritance shall belong to the person on whom the lot falls; according to your ancestral tribes you shall inherit. 55But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they shall trouble you in the land where you are settling. 56And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.

Deuteronomy 20: 16-18

16But as for the towns of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes remain alive. 17You shall annihilate them—the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites—just as the LORD your God has commanded, 18so that they may not teach you to do all the abhorrent things that they do for their gods, and you thus sin against the LORD your God.
1 John 4:7-11, 20-21

God Is Love
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 20Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters,* are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister* whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters* also.

Yabous Cultural Center and Yabous Productions

Sabeel paid a visit to Yabous Productions’ new center. It is located in a refurbished cinema building in East Jerusalem, which had closed its doors due to the First Intifada and the resulting closure around Jerusalem by the Israeli government. With the help of few donors, Yabous Productions finally fulfilled its dream of having a spacious cultural center. Inside there are two cinema halls, a library, a coffee shop, a literature hall (to host writers, book reviews, discussions, etc.) and a professionally-staffed nursery for participants to leave their children at while they enjoy watching their movies.
Mrs. Rania Elias is the Director of Yabous Productions. She is an ambitious Palestinian woman originally from Bethlehem, and married to a Jerusalemite. She is able to work at Yabous because of a temporary Jerusalem-access permit through the family reunification application. She gave a brief presentation on resisting the occupation through culture, and indicated the significant role that arts, music, and literature play in the process of strengthening Palestinian resolve.

Resistance through Culture

The Palestinian identity and culture had been continuously suppressed by the Israeli occupation in different ways and means; trying to make us ignorant about our history and culture, preventing artists from coming to Palestine, denying entry visas to international artists, prohibiting cultural events, renaming of street names, and closing institutions just to name a few. But as an assertive society with a rich heritage, we Palestinians have been able to express ourselves with our powerful voices through culture and art and pursue activities and events with a greater challenge. For us cultural resistance is carried out in many forms such as establishing a national orchestra, creating an exhibition, building a school of music, renovating a theatre, organizing a festival, publishing of writings, organizing conferences, seminars and lectures etc…

Resistance through Culture is our ability to implement cultural activities and determination to work and continue working and to highlight the occupation’s brutality towards even the most peaceful manners of resisting occupation “through culture and arts”
Yabous certainly does play a part in helping to unify the city and the region, in the face of increasing isolation from the larger West Bank due to Israeli occupation.
Our visit concluded with a tour of the facilities led by Mrs. Elias. She elaborated on the future plans of Yabous for each area that is not yet completely renovated. Yabous Cultural Center has many accessible programs for people of all ages. We pray for Yabous Center and its employees as they continue to cultivate and celebrate the Palestinian heritage in Jerusalem.

On the 8th of november Sabeel conducted a book review session of Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land by American writer Mark Braverman. Not incidentally, Braverman considers himself a Palestinain Jew. More than 30 participants listened attentivelyto Sabeel Board member Cedar Duaybis as she presented Braverman’s book and his journey. Braverman left his career as a psychiatrist and devoted his working life to the search for peace and justice in Palestine/Israel. He is passionate about uniting a force for peace from all religious viewpoints, and invites adherents to overcome the ideological beliefs that stand in the way in resolving the Palestinian Israeli conflict.
Duaybis presented the book with great passion and sincerity. She described it as a challenging, bold and exciting read. It brings the reader out from their usual thinking and challenges their assumptions. After the review the audience asked several questions and for more information. Luckily, they will all have the chance to meet Braverman in the beginning of December, during his visit to this area.

On the 15th of November 2011, 45 women and men gathered at Sabeel office for the second session of the alternative medicine series entitled “Exercise and Stress Management.”

Dr. Saleh Majaj, a Naturopathic doctor, shared his wisdom about achieving health of the mind and body. The three key factors are healthy nutrition, exercise and stress management.

Dr. Majaj highlighted the importance of exercise and physical activity in sustaining a healthy body, mind and soul. He presented numerous options of how to include exercise in our daily life. He emphasized how to transform negative events into positive thinking.

To conclude he spoke about the stress that affects Palestinians greatly, primarily because of life under occupation. Periodic closures, the separation wall, and humiliation are all stressful factors that are constant (to a greater or lesser extent) each day for us. Dr. Majaj demonstrated some techniques and ways for relieving stress that could control our mood swings and low self esteem as a result of this stress. Even just these few pointers were helpful as we continue to seek to find ways to help us face the occupation and remain steadfast.

On the 18th of October 16 women from Sabeel went to visit the Saint Vincent Hospice in Jerusalem. It is a charitable institution run by the sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul. Their mission is to offer help and service for the poor, homeless, elderly, and physically or mentally impaired. To begin our day we gathered at the small church in the compound where Father Khalil Maroon from the Maronite Catholic Church led Biblical reflections.

He chose as his scripture text Matthew 25:35, “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” This verse reflects exactly the services that St. Vincent offers for the community.

Alice, a sister of St. Vincent de Paul, led us on a tour. She explained the different departments and services. They provide homes for 90 children (40 boys and 50 girls) ages 6-16 who face social and physical difficulties. They house three elders with physical impairments and 40 mentally handicapped people. The 40 mentally handicapped people grew up at St. Vincent de Paul because their families had abandoned them.

The visit ended at the nursery. There they have around 30 children—babies and toddlers—that were sent to them by the Israeli social affairs office for Jerusalem. The Sabeel women left the compound, grateful for the work of St. Vincent de Paul. We saw the face of Jesus in the hungry, naked, and sick. We pray that our hearts will continue to move us to respond to the needs of the less fortunate, and with the desire to work for a life with dignity for all.

Sabeel conducted a field trip to the Galilee region of Israel as one of its women’s joint programs. On the 28th of October 82 women from the West Bank, Jerusalem and Galilee toured through the region and visited three depopulated villages that are part of the Acre district. The villages of Ruways, Al Damun and Al Birwa witnessed firsthand the Palestinian exodus in 1948. The women heard stories that catastrophe (called Nakba in Arabic) and how the people of those three villages were driven out to the nearby villages or refugee camps in Lebanon for the sake of their children and their lives. They left in 1948 assuming that they would be able to return within a matter of weeks to their homes and villages.
Unfortunately, the villages were completely destroyed by the Zionists who denied the Palestinian refugees the right of return. The army deleted their lively features, and later planted pine trees over thier ruins in an attempt to erase their existence and the onslaught that happened there. Ruways has the most ruins still visible. Al Birwa was changed into a Kibbutz, and the land of Al Damun is used by settlers for agriculture.
Afterwards, the women went to the villages of Makr and Jedaydeah (also in the same Acre district). They met with Father Ibrahim Daoud from the Melkite Church of Makr. He gave them a brief history of the two villages. The visit concluded with a hymn.
The buses then headed to the village of Kafr Yasif, where they ate a delicious Middle Eastern lunch—a combination of traditional Palestinian cuisine and exquisite Lebanese cuisine—at the Greek Orthodox Church. Lunch was prepared by the women of the Arab Orthodox Charitable Society.
After lunch the women of Kafir Yasif joined us and met with Father Atallah Makhuleh, a Greek Orthodox priest. He explained the amicable Christian and Muslim relations in Kfar Yasif where Christians make up 70% of the population. The remainder of the population is Muslim; additionally there are about 250 Druze living there as well. The sojourn ended with prayers for all the families of the region, and for a safe journey home, led by Father Makhuleh.

On the 6th of October, Sabeel convened around 130 local Christians, Muslims, and internationals to pray for justice and peace. This ecumenical and interfaith gathering took place at the Dominican Church in East Jerusalem.
In light of the ongoing meetings at the United Nations, Sabeel called for an ecumenical prayer service to lift up the voice of truth, justice and peace and the removal of the chains that shackle the Palestinians. The service began with readings for peace and justice and the song led by Teddy Abdullah, called “Yarabba issalami,” a traditional Palestinian melody with words that reflect the desire for God’s peace to envelope the world. Then the former Latin Patriarch Michael Sabbah spoke about the importance of prayer and truth-telling. He reminded the assembly that lifting up prayers on behalf of the oppressed does not require a special occasion. However the call for this service is a plea coming from the Palestinian people for acknowledgment of their human rights. Their lives are a constant prayer to God for the recognition of their dignity. They face a situation similar to that of the psalmist, when he wrote, “In my distress I cry to the LORD, that God may answer me: Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue” (Ps. 120:1-2).
Sabbah commented on what it felt like to be surrounded by deceit that is unjust, and bombarded by events and images that keep Palestinians from access to true peace. Each day the lies grow; giving strength to those who think themselves better than others, specifically, to those here and around the world who are blind to the injustices perpetrated on the Palestinians by occupation. The bid for statehood is a plea for deliverance, and its denial strengthens the shackles and distress.
The patriarch ended his speech by noting that even though the world is in a situation where it prefers lies over truth, those gathered for prayer, together from their different perspectives, persevere in their desire to put the spirit of truth at the foundation of a new state. The service concluded with candle lighting and prayer offering in several languages.