On Tuesday 14 June, Sabeel held its weekly Kumi Now meeting to talk about pilgrimage and tourism in historic Palestine. We were joined by Rami Kassis, the executive director of Alternative Tourism Group. The group discussed possibilities and options for ethical tourism and pilgrimage in Palestine.
On Sunday 12 June, 38 young women from Jerusalem travelled to the occupied Syrian Golan Heights on a solidarity visit. The group met with the Syrian people who have remained in the Golan Heights, connected with them, and shared stories. The month of June is a very popular time to visit and show solidarity among both of our people. For Palestinians, this is the anniversary of the occupation of the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem by the Israeli military in 1967. It is also cherry-picking season in the Golan Heights. For many decades, Palestinian communities have travelled there every year for the cherry and apple seasons to support the local farmers and buy their products.
On Friday 10 June, twenty Bible study facilitators from seventeen different communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem travelled to the village of Taybeh for a one-day trip. The group met with the local clergy, shared their experiences, and encouraged each other. Since 2015, Sabeel has been focused on encouraging women and young adults in the Holy Land to read the Bible and connect it to their own context and destiny. Unfortunately, many people around the world have used the Bible to justify the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and their dispossession. But Sabeel and Palestinian Liberation Theology offers a liberating reading of the Bible as a tool of liberation and inclusivity.
On Thursday 9 June, Reverend Fadi Diab from the Anglican Church led the Sabeel online weekly service. Reverend Diab is the Anglican Priest of St. Andrew’s Church in Ramallah and an active member of Kairos Palestine. He is a well-respected theologian in the Palestinian community and a prophetic voice for justice and peace. Father Diab serves in Anglican churches in both Ramallah and Birzeit. Rev. Fadi also provides leadership and pastoral support to the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School (AEES), the Episcopal Technological & Vocational Training Center (ETVTC), and the sister parish in Birzeit, which is constructing a retirement home and senior center. Also located on the Ramallah campus is the Diocesan-sponsored Diabetes & Cardiovascular Clinic, which provides outpatient treatment to those suffering from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
On Thursday 9 June, Sabeel Nazareth met with Bishop Rafiq Nahra to congratulate him on his new position as bishop. A committee from Sabeel introduced Bishop Nahra to our work. They also stressed the importance of partnership and cooperation to increase awareness around the world about our struggle for Palestinian liberation and equal rights in Israel. On Friday 30 April, Father Rafiq Nahra became Bishop (Auxiliary Bishop of Latin Patriarchate for Israel, Titular Bishop of Verbe). Born in Egypt, Bishop Nahra studied in Rome and at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has served in Paris and Palestine/Israel for many years.
On Wednesday 8 June, a group from the Palestinian Christian community in Jerusalem met at the Notre Dame Hotel Center to discuss the issue of the freedom of worship. The group talked about recent developments and how to better organize against the restrictions imposed by the Israeli government especially during Holy Week and other challenges. They also discussed the growing problem of family reunification faced by our community. It has become more difficult for families who are split between East Jerusalem and the West Bank to live together. Despite these and many other challenges we are experiencing, spirits are high in the Palestinian community. We are organizing to face these challenges.
On Tuesday 7th of June, a student group from Harvard university visited Sabeel. The students are taking a course, with their co-instructor Hilary Rantisi, called “Learning in Context: Narratives of Displacement and Belonging in Israel/Palestine,” which is a semester-long course followed by an immersive experience in Palestine for two weeks. Mrs. Cedar Duaybis and Rev. Naem Ateek, co-founders of Sabeel, spoke to the group, explaining to the students the history of the Palestinian struggle and how Sabeel centre came into being.
On Thursday June 2nd Fr. Marwan Di’des, the Franciscan friar of the Custody of the Holy Land, today parish priest of the Latin church of Nazareth, led the Sabeel on line Thursday service. Fr. Marwan felt the desire to put himself at the service of the Church from a very early age. With the simplicity of a fourteen year-old boy, he told his mother that he wanted to enter the convent and become “abuna” (this is how the priests are called in Arabic). Many years later, that seed grew and led him to start out on the path of formation in the Custody of the Holy Land.
On Wednesday 01 June, Omar Haramy from Sabeel took part in the ‘Daring Justice: Courageous Conversations Across Divides’ webinar organized by The United Church of Canada. The event focused on creating opportunities for faith-based leadership in the context of growing divisions and polarization. Omar spoke about what “courageous conversations” for the common good look like when power is so unequal under the occupation.
On Wednesday 01 June, the Sabeel General Assembly held a meeting. Meeting over Zoom, they discussed the narrative report and financial audit report for 2021. The General Assembly includes members from the lay Palestinian Christian community. The Assembly is Sabeel’s highest authority, and its members run for election every three years to fill in Board positions.
