  The
sounds of Zababdeh:
4:30 AM, Rooster (3 sec.) 4:45 AM, Muslim prayer (40 sec.) 6:00 AM, Church bells (40 sec.) 6:30 AM, sheep 7:30 AM, National Anthem (40 sec.) 24-7, Electrical generator (5 sec.) Night-time, shooting (5 sec.) |
  10/1/01:
It's been a long time since we've had a chance to walk in the hills around
Zababdeh. The landscape isn't nearly as stunning now as it is after the
rains in the spring, but it's still
quite beautiful, and the evening weather this time of year is spectacular.
We ran into our shepherd friend as we walked around the hills between Zababdeh
and the university. We also took a look at stone ruins that seem to indicate
there had once been a village here. There was a large hole (probably a
well of some kind) as well as the ruins several stone walls. Given the
shape and orientation of one building, our friend told us it was likely
that it was a mosque. Nights are getting shorter, so our walk ended up
in darkness lit by the full moon. Not a bad way to head home. |
  10/2/01:
Meetings with the English Club are progressing, if slowly. We are trying
to encourage the students to develop their own leadership in the club.
We're beginning by developing ideas around a school newspaper which would
talk about the activities of the club (in English, of course). The students
are excited about it. Kids are also rallying around their flag here - something
in common between Americans and Palestinians. There's something about the
power of that symbol that causes people to gravitate to it when people
are killed. It was another beautiful night under the full moon... |
  10/3/01:
One of the English teachers from the Latin School is offering a course
in conversational English at the nearby Martyr Naim Khader Center, part
of the Palestinian Agricultural Resource Committees (PARC). Naim Khader
was a native Zababdehian who was involved with the PLO. In the 1980s, he
was killed by Mossad (Israeli secret service) in a car bomb explosion in
Belgium where he was the Palestinian ambassador at the time. The
center was named after him and provides post-graduate practical training
in agriculture for engineers and scientists. The hope is that the theoretical
background they received at university will be enhanced by this training,
and that the whole area will benefit from better understanding of agricultural
practices. Marthame came to lend a hand with conversational pieces, particularly
introducing oneself. After the initial questions (name, age, etc.), the
usual questions about politics arrived. We pointed out that the lesson
was about introductions, not politics, and proceeded. The students were
very eager to practice their English with a native speaker - there's not
much opportunity for this in the Northern West Bank. |
 10/4/01:
Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Elizabeth,
happy birthday to you! Today was Elizabeth's birthday, and she got what
she had always wanted - a lovely vacuum cleaner (who says gender roles
don't take hold here? - video - 5 sec.).
Who'da thought that our first very own vacuum cleaner would be bought in
Palestine? We also had a chance to have a small party with ten or so fellow
ex-pats, friends from the Arab-American University
of Jenin . Certainly topped last year's birthday, where we knew hardly
anyone and were simply trying to figure out how to survive in the midst
of a new culture, new language, and an Intifada and siege. 
Definitely a better birthday. One bummer, though, was that a friend of
ours was supposed to visit from Jerusalem. He's from Australia and studying
at the Hebrew University as a post-doc. He met the back-up Zababdeh taxi
at Qalandiya (between Ramallah and Jerusalem) - the first one couldn't
get through. They began the journey back here. The whole time we were communicating
by cellphone to make sure things went as smoothly as possible. When he
got to the Hamra checkpoint, the Israeli soldiers refused to let him pass
- no foreigners or Israelis allowed into the Jenin area. Too dangerous,
he was told. He argued, pleaded, begged, said he had important meetings
at the University, etc., but all to no avail. Too dangerous. (Oddly, in
our experience, it's usually the exact opposite. Foreigners are allowed
through, but no Palestinians.) So he got out of the taxi and began walking
along the road towards the Jordan Valley road (a good hour away) where
he could hitch a ride up north to visit friends or back south towards home.
Yeah, that's far safer that heading into Jenin. Fortunately, he made it
no problem, we later heard, but he and we were tremendously disappointed
and left feeling completely helpless. It's hard to express how such little
things add to the daily emotional toll of this place, but when friends
can't visit for a weekend (even when they really want to), we begin to
understand the isolation that many Palestinians feel a lot of the time.
Just makes you mad. Glad to have a party to balance it out. |
 10/5/01:
Elizabeth headed south with some of the teachers from the school to the
village of Maithalun. There, one of the teachers at the school was having
her farewell party - not from the school, but from the village. She was
getting married that evening in her husband's village and this was her
symbolic farewell from home. This was the first Muslim wedding party either
of us has attended. The big party, as is traditional for both Christians
and Muslims here, was the previous day. Today, there was a small farewell
party for the women to send the bride off with best wishes and gifts. We
teachers pooled our shekels and got her a very nice wall tapestry of al-Aqsa
Mosque. The marriage itself, we are told, is often a small affair of signing
documents only attended by immediate family. Like most parties, this was
full of music and dancing ( video - 9 sec.).
The room was full of women and children; as we left, we saw where the men
were gathered nearby, drinking coffee and chatting. |
|
10/7/01: Today we worshiped at the Latin Church of Visitation. Many people were out in the hills picking olives, and so attendance was rather slim. No one has invited us to join them this year, but that's because the harvest this  year
is particularly light. We didn't have a 
strong rain last winter, and that has affected the harvest tremendously.
The olives are few in number and small in size. Usually there's a good
harvest every other year, so this is no different. But given the brutal
economic situation, a good harvest would have been helpful to say the least.
Today was a special day in the Latin Church - it is Rosary Sunday, particularly
important because we have three Rosary Sisters serving in the village and
working in the school and parish. After Mass, we headed over to the Orthodox
church - today was the fortieth day after the death of a young man from
a neighbor's family. He died of cancer only months after being diagnosed
at age 25. Obviously, the grieving will go far beyond the forty days. Tonight
the air raids started on Kabul and Afghanistan - one of our friends in
the States pointed out with great irony that today is Peacemaking Sunday
in the Presbyterian Church. Having seen for
ourselves the aftermath of the Gulf War in Iraq, we fear what may be in
the days ahead for the people of Afghanistan. Reports came on CNN of stadiums
full of football fans chanting "USA! USA!" when hearing the bombing had
started. And we're confused as to why there're anti-American sentiments
in the world? |
|
10/8/01: Our radar for anti-American feelings is on full alert. Marthame had planned to make a bank trip into nearby Jenin today, but given that the bombing had started last night (and that everyone was glued to their TVs watching it), he wanted to be very careful. He asked several people about the wisdom of such a trip - including one person in Jenin. They all said, "no problem" - and apart from the unusually long road to get there (by way of Misilye to the West, Qabatiya to the North, then Jenin to the East), it was remarkably unremarkable in its character. Quiet. |
 10/9/01:
Just a day of hanging out. One of our friends invited Elizabeth to come
visit at her falafel restaurant and play some ping-pong. Her English is
quite exceptional, and the falafel is pretty good, too! Most of the people
who come to the restaurant are teenage boys from her extended family and
their friends, but students from the University are helping business a
bit. It's still nowhere near the level it was before the Intifada
and resulting seige. One of the draws is the ping-pong table (to Marthame's
disappointment they removed the foosball one), and we both got in a couple
games. Marthame was beaten by one of his ninth grade students - we'll chalk
it up to rusty muscle-memory for now (just to make him feel better). |
|
10/10/01: We headed up to the University today to visit friends and also to get a good backdrop for a project we're working on. Marthame's sister is working at First Presbyterian Church of Maitland, near Orlando in Florida. She's working part-time leading their young adult ministry, and continuing as a volunteer for the youth group. She had been asked to prepare a talk on "Living It Out," particularly because of the work we are doing here in Zababdeh. So we put together a short presentation for her to use on Sunday. She'll be showing it on Sunday, and afterwards we'll be doing an on-line chat with the youth (at some hideous hour of the night for us). Should be interesting. Putting the final touches on it before the weekend made for a late night, though! |
|
10/11/01: No teaching on Thursday has given Marthame the chance to develop our ministry (as well as  giving
him some freedom to move around a bit more). Thursday begins the University's
weekend, and a crew of them were headed up to Haifa in the "Mystery Machine"
- the nickname for their funky VW Van. They dropped Marthame off,
and he found his way to the Melkite Bishopric to meet with Bishop Boutros
Ma'alim. The Bishop is a Palestinian Israeli, and has been in the position
for three years. Marthame met with him (and then later shared lunch with
him) to talk about the situation for the Melkite church and people of Zababdeh.
We hope that we can do something to help the ministry for them here, but
the decision rests with him. It was a very good meeting, though, and we
will see where it goes from here. He then headed to Nazareth with two pastor
friends, one a fellow American Presbyterian who runs The Harbour, a ministry
of support for pastors in the Galilee - one of their focuses is English
language education. The other pastor is a Palestinian Anglican pastor in
Shefa'amer, where we visited last March.
They have been good friends for a long time, and Marthame enjoyed spending
some time with them. He spent the night with the Presbyterians in Nazareth
at The Harbour, and together they talked about what it means to be foreigners
doing ministry here in these unprecedented times. Who knows what will happen,
but we're all drawing up our contingency plans as much as we can. |
|
10/12/01: One disappointing piece of news we have received of late is that Fr. Hossam, the Anglican priest of Zababdeh and Nablus, will probably be relocated to Nazareth. Every few years priests are moved around, which is - in theory and in practice - a good idea. But we have really enjoyed working with Fr. Hossam, so this transition period will be difficult for us on both a professional and personal level. The priest who will be coming to Zababdeh, Fr. Zahi, is currently working as a chaplain in Nazareth at the Anglican Hospital, so Marthame took advantage of this weekend's timing to meet him this morning. He also should be a joy to work with, but he won't be coming for a while - since he lives in Nazareth with his family, traveling to Zababdeh means crossing into the West Bank according to the permission of the Israeli soldiers. He has two strikes going against him there: he is an Israeli citizen (only settlers and soldiers are allowed inside the West Bank), and he is a Palestinian (soldiers are not famous for their kindness to Palestinians, regardless of citizenship). Marthame told him that he was happy to help in whatever way possible, and Fr. Zahi was clearly grateful. Marthame then caught a couple of shared taxis to meet Elizabeth in Jerusalem - travelling by bus is not recommended these days, and the shared taxis are more comfortable anyway. They also provide an opportunity to meet interesting people - in this case, an African-American from Joliet (IL) who converted to Judaism and is now spending a couple of years living in Tel Aviv. Marthame told him that we live in Jenin - the man responded that he had almost rented a very nice house in Jenin with a swimming pool for a great price, but that there were two checkpoints to pass in and out of to get there. It was only then that Marthame realized he meant "Ganim," one of two nearby settlements, the very existence of which has meant the siege of the entire Jenin region. He estimated that, out of 100 houses there, probably 30 have people in them. The rest are owned, but vacant. We have a three day weekend (Fri to Sun) due to the olive harvest and the Muslim holiday on Sunday (commemorating Mohammed's night-time trip from Mecca to Jerusalem, the reason for the Dome of the Rock),  so
we took the opportunity to see as much as we could outside Zababdeh. We
had gotten an email this  morning
that there would be English-language worship in Bethlehem tonight at the
Christmas Lutheran Church near Manger Square. Redeemer Lutheran Church
in Jerusalem has regular English-language worship. Until the last year,
those who live in the Bethlehem used to come as well. Because of the difficulty
of travel for many people, Redeemer Lutheran has been bringing that worship
to Bethlehem. We tagged along with the few but faithful, including a German
NGO worker, a Methodist pastor, a Lutheran pastor, an American married
to a Palestinian, and an NGO worker who was in Afghanistan last year. He
knows the people who are being detained there for proselytizing, and hasn't
heard word from them since the bombing of Kabul began. We lifted them up
in prayer. We got a chance to sing a lot of hymns (audio
- 35 sec.) and to do some Bible study. The passage for Sunday's lectionary
is the healing of ten lepers, which is traditionally believed to have taken
place in the nearby village of Burqin - we visited there in December
with Elizabeth's family. We had dinner with friends in Jerusalem before
returning to the youth hostel near Damascus Gate - a surreal scene if there
ever was one, with Billy Joel music, Dutch backpackers, a friendly licking
kitten (video - 7 sec.), and an air of
paralysis. |
   10/13/01:
We made our way early this morning to St. Andrew's Church of Scotland in
West Jerusalem, one of the few pieces of official Presbyterianism here.
We met with the pastor, who has become a good friend - even despite our
rare trips to Jerusalem. Our conversation was interesting, touching on
the situation and contingency plans, but also on the possibilities for
the relationship of our ministry to theirs and the possibility of re-forming
(no pun intended) the Presbytery of Jerusalem. We got a quick stop in their
Sunbula shop (which sells traditional needlework and other crafts from
women's cooperatives and other self-help groups. It's also finally on-line!)
before heading off to Ramallah to meet our ride back to Zababdeh (by way
of the Galilee). Many years ago, the president of the Arab-American
University of Jenin started a learning center for young, gifted science
students, and their programs have expanded throughout Gaza and the West
Bank. We met up with him at the center in al-Bireh. Our wait at Qalandiya
was at least an hour (since we were in a private car, we couldn't walk
across and hop in another taxi, as usual). We headed up to the ancient
port city of Akka (or Akko or Acre, depending on which language you prefer)
which still has a significant Palestinian population within Israel. Because
of our wait at Qalandiya we didn't get sufficient time to wander too much
around the Old City with its Ottoman era walls, or fully explore the Crusader
castle, but we did get a chance to eat fresh seafood overlooking the Mediterranean.
We then headed to Nazareth for the night, where we stayed at The Harbour
again, getting the chance to meet the director of Nazareth
Village, an historical reconstruction of Jesus-era Nazareth. We haven't
had the chance to visit it, but from what we've heard it's fantastic. We
hope to get the chance soon. |
 10/14/01:
We joined our friends from The Harbour as we headed up north to Shefa'amer
for worship. The last time we were there was an evening worship in March,
and this was another wonderful chance to be with their community. Marthame
assisted in the multi-lingual worship service. Work continues on their
fellowship hall - in the meantime, the fellowship ritual means that everyone
exits to greet the clergy then re-enters the sanctuary together after a
few minutes, moves the pews into a square, and drinks coffee and eats sweets
together. The spirit of the congregation is wonderful, and their singing
is wonderful - the choir was spread among the congregation today. We rendezvoused
with friends from the Arab-American University to head back to Zababdeh.
At the Jalame border, we were told by the soldiers that no way would be
be allowed to enter Area A, as that was strictly forbidden. After one of
us promised we wouldn't enter (fingers may have been crossed), we left.
When we reached the Israeli tank along the road, we were stopped again
and held for a few minutes while our passports were scrutinized. Finally,
we made it back. At times, it seems to be getting harder and harder to
enter this area, for no clearly-defined reason. It all just adds to the
frustration that even we foreigners feel here. After some technological
smoothing over, we chatted with the First Presbyterian Church of Maitland's
youth group. It was an interesting experience (if a bit late Zababdeh-time),
and it's something we hope to do again. |
  10/16/01:
Abuna Aktham is with the other priests of the Latin Patriarchate for spiritual
training in Jordan, which means that Marthame has picked up his religion
courses for the week. During break time, there are soccer matches held
between the grades in a round-robin tournament. Today, 9th grade played
11th grade (which decimated the English Club - most of our members come
from the two classes), with 9th grade winning. Mabrouk (congratulations).
We spent the afternoon visiting with one of the Muslim families of Zababdeh
whose daughter teaches religion in the school to the Muslim children. Despite
our less than perfect Arabic, we have had quite a few interesting conversations
with her and her family. The hit of the visit was, of course, her one year-old
nephew, who enjoys dancing with Grandpa ( video
- 5 sec.). |
   10/17/01:
Yesterday was an extremely long day - about sixteen hours of work, which
has left us both a little weary. Between the full school schedule and writing
obligations, as well as catching up from a weekend away, we're ready for
a little rest. Elizabeth took a walk in the hills
with neighbors, where it was very obvious that the weather has changed
and winter is on the way. Still no rain yet, but it should be coming soon.
In the meantime, the winds have gotten cooler and the clouds have begun
to appear. The wanderings brought them to our nearby shepherd friend, whose
kids were keen to show off the new baby goats. The baby goats were truly
captivating as they jumped around and suckled on our fingers. Expanding
the herd is one of the best ways for him to make money. Later on, a friend
of ours visited us at home. We had a couple of visitors a few nights ago,
and Marthame had casually mentioned that he wanted to get a galabiye
, or a dishdashe , the gown worn by men at home here. They're very
comfortable, and in the summer they're extremely cool. This friend brought
one of his for Marthame as a gift - it's humbling. Be careful what you
ask for, right? Our friend explained that he had worn it when he was studying
to be a monk and living in Bethlehem, working with the Franciscans at the
Milk Grotto. So not only is it an authentic Arabic galabiye, it's
also authentically Christian. And it looks good. The news came today about
an assassination - this time not of a Palestinian leader, but of an Israeli
one. Minister Zeevi (who had just announced his resignation from Sharon's
government because it was "too leftist", and who has called for the expulsion
of the Palestinians to Mecca as a solution for the problems here) was killed
in a hotel in W. Jerusalem. The PFLP has claimed responsibility in response
to the assassination of their leader Abu Ali
Mustafa. Like many others, our worry was "what will happen tonight?" |
  10/18/01:
Some, but not all, of the students from Jenin and beyond came to school
today - Israeli tanks surrounding the city had something to do with it.
Word filtered through later in the day that an eleven year old girl had
been killed on her way to school by Israeli soldiers who had invaded Jenin.
Needless to say, those of us responsible for the safety of students are
concerned by such reports. We adjourned school one hour early today to
give students enough time to get home. The vice-principal accompanied the
bus to Jenin and asked Marthame to go along as an "international presence."
The driver steered clear of all roads with tanks and of all places where
clashes might be. The children were agitated, especially after we turned
around from the fifth dead-end and headed off into the dirt "roads" near
Burqin, our last chance to get the kids home. The older kids were clearly
worried, but they also took very seriously their job of making their younger
siblings feel safe. The younger children pointed out the tanks and the
cows with equal excitement. We entered Jenin to find everything completely
shut - it was the first time Marthame had seen it like this. The streets
of Jenin, even on a Friday, are usually full to bursting  and
bustling with excitement. Today, it was dead. Worried parents flagged down
the bus, grateful that their 
children had made it home safely. At one point, we had to drop off some
young children at their homes less than 100 yards from Israeli tanks. The
adults on the bus all got off to help them feel safer in their shadows.
We could also see the destruction from the last incursion into Jenin, and
the Palestinians had set up make-shift roadblocks to slow down the tanks
should they come further - old car parts, dumpsters, rocks...All in all,
it took almost two hours to get there (from one dead-end to another), and
an hour to come back - normally a half-hour round-trip. On the road home,
outside of Misilye, we saw the burned-out wreckage of a car. Three suspected
Palestinian militants had been inside when Israelis assassinated them with
Apache helicopters back in June when we were in the States. Everywhere
there's a reminder of what the reality of this place is. Marthame stopped
for lunch at the vice-principal's home, calling Elizabeth - who by this
time was rather worried. She had tried the cellphone, but was told all
circuits were busy. Not the most reassuring news at the time. Zeevi's funeral
was being broadcast on Israeli TV in the background. |
10/19/01: Today, Friday, is half of our weekend - the other half
being Sunday. That's what happens when the students and teachers
are split 50-50 Muslim-Christian. We were invited for lunch with
one of the teachers and her family. They live in Zababdeh, and she
teaches Islam to the Muslim students from grades 4-12. Elizabeth
went early to learn how to cook a new dish, stuffed squash in yogurt sauce.
Marthame arrived at lunchtime, after a busy morning at home, running scientific
experiments studying the effects of sleep on a mattress. We spent
the better part of the day there with them. Her brother, who is married
to a woman from Akka, has Israeli citizenship.
Her whole family was in Akka in 1948, but part of them fled and settled
in Zababdeh eventually. The same brother had just had a new son,
and so they were splitting up the meat of a goat to deliver to friends
and neighbors to share the celebration. This seems to be an old Muslim
custom, like what we saw in Gaza during 'Eid al-Adha last March.
Other news? We had phone access today, after waiting since yesterday for
service to be restored. |
 10/20/01:
We accompanied the school busses again this afternoon as they took students
back to Jenin. The journey was less lengthy than the last time, because
we asked the right people where the road was open. Palestinian policemen
lined the roads, staying away from police stations, which are frequently
targeted by the Israeli military. At one point, we were descending towards
the main road to Jenin from a dirt hill (the main road had been bulldozed
up). Two Israeli tanks were on the move on the opposite hilltop,
sending the children into equal fits of fright and intrigue. The
same could be said for the teachers (us included), though we were less
vocal about it. One teacher expressed her clear frustration with
all of this nonsense - she's been patient and waiting for some kind of
resolution, but for how long? We entered Jenin by the main street,
formerly the nicest street in the West Bank (apart from the settlers-only
bypass roads). Tree-lined with wide, clean, smooth lanes, it was
something noticeable amidst the poorly-paved roads around here. Now
it has been scarred by the deep grooves of tank tracks. One trench
that was dug throught it has been filled in with dirt by the municipality.
A new trench was dug by military bulldozers this time, a most impressively-deep
structure. What little traffic there was re-rooted around it through
a side dirt road. Winter rains will mean stuck cars. We returned
to Zababdeh without incident, thankfully. The Vice-Principal awarded
us with lunch for our efforts - stuffed eggplants in tomato sauce. |
|
10/21/01: Marthame was supposed to preach this morning at St. Matthew's Anglican Church (can you see where this is going?). He even got the right lectionary this time - the epistle passage was Paul's letter to the Ephesians in which he says, "Be angry and do not sin." Somehow appropriate for today. We got an early call from Fr. Hossam that he would not be coming to 
church today - Nablus was completely closed. Even the place where
we normally would walk across was closed, and there are soldiers and tanks
and shooting and tear gas. Be angry and do not sin...We headed off
to the Orthodox Church instead to worship with them, since there would
be no worship at the Anglican Church without a priest - Marthame's Arabic
isn't that good. In the afternoon, we were scheduled to go up to
the Arab-American University of Jenin
to lend a hand with a conversation class they were holding. Word
filtered down to Zababdeh that the class had been cancelled - the university
was on strike due to the sieges and recent rising death toll. We checked
around to find out that it wasn't true - the university has a strict no-strike
policy. Also, it turns out, so does the Palestinian Ministry of Education.
When general strikes are called, businesses are supposed to be closed,
but schools are supposed to remain open. The purpose, of course,
is that education is vital. We headed up and, along with a couple
other foreigners, talked about ourselves, our religion, and our culture.
We had a lively discussion with the students about the role of women in
society - there was as much variety in opinion among the all-male, mostly-Muslim
students as you would expect to find in an American classroom. |
   10/22/01:
Marthame went into Jenin today - not because he wanted to, but because
he had to. Our telephone bill came, albeit extremely late, and we
didn't want to face the prospect (once again) of having our phone disconnected
for late payment. The destruction of the latest incursion was evident,
almost apocalyptic in its appearance. He returned back to the school
in time for the soccer finals between Grades 9 and 10. Grade 9 was
triumphant, 1-0. They were ecstatic - a coup for grade 9 to beat
all of the high school grades! After school we headed over to the
Na'im Khader Center at the edge of Zababdeh.
Two of our friends from the University wanted to see how they might be
able to develop relationships that would help benefit the Center and the
University. It seemed a productive first conversation, and there
was much interest in seeing where things might lead together. As
we talked outside, Israeli aircraft flew overhead - their blinking lights
barely visible, but the sound unmistakable (video
- 5 sec.). Wonder where they're headed tonight. We returned
home to find an email invitation to Bethlehem tomorrow. The heads
of the Jerusalem churches have planned a solidarity march. Bethlehem
has been under heavy bombardment. Particularly disturbing to the
Christian community is the recent death of several Christians, including
a nineteen year old altar boy, shot as he played with his young nephew
at the entrance to the Church of the Nativity. If we can get there
tomorrow, we'll go. |
 
10/23/01: We made it. We left Zababdeh at 6:30.
The first two checkpoints were a cursory check at best. The third
was fairly thorough, but surprisingly quick - only half an hour.
One of the soldiers had scrawled in English on his army jacket, "F*** the
world." Somehow appropriate. We made it to Jerusalem
by 9:00 and headed off to meet up with friends at the Tantur
checkpoint. All of the churches were represented - Orthodox, Catholic,
Protestant - as well as a Muslim cleric and several Jewish peace activists.
The major news' folks were there, including ABC, BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera,
as well as print media. An Israeli soldier was capturing it all on
video tape - not sure why. We entered by the thousands, meeting up
with friends from Bethlehem on the other side - they had been pinned down
in their houses for the last three or four days. It was good to see
friends, both internationals and students from Zababdeh, and we're sure
it was good to be seen! One of our friends from the Jewish peace
camp was there - we asked him about the mood in Israel these days, particularly
in the wake of Zeevi's assassination. He said that, in general, the
Israeli people want peace. But they're not prepared to disassemble
the Apartheid  regime
which now exists in order  to
do it. A discouraging time for all. The procession headed along
the main road by Rachel's Tomb (the first time in a year that this road
has been open to any but soldiers and Jewish worshippers). As we
walked, a young boy picked up a handful of rocks, ready to throw.
He was scolded by the men in the crowd and he relented - the closest we
came to any semblance of violence in the demonstration. We headed
along roads littered with spent live ammunition, the burned out shell of
the Paradise Hotel (this time in the midst of renovations after the first
Israeli fire hit it a year ago), church bells pealing their welcome as
we walked (video - 5 sec.). By the
time we made it to the Church of the Nativity, we were 5000 strong (video
- 23 sec.). At the worship service, leaders of many different churches
spoke, including the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Anglican
churches - as well as the Muslim cleric. From there we drove to the
Latin Seminary in Beit Jala. The members of several grieving Christian
families were there, and we greeted them. Among them was the family
of Rania, a twenty-two year old mother of two, buried in her wedding
dress. We also met up with three of our old students from the School
in Zababdeh who are studying at the seminary in grade eight this year.
They were thrilled to see us and gave us letters to pass along to their
families.  They
also impressed us with their additional English skills added this year;
their French teacher seems to have improved their French, too. We
also met an Israeli writer whose work we have come to know over the last
year. He has been one of the braver voices to come out of the Israeli peace
camp - a Russian Jew who immigrated to Israeli in the 1960s, his idea of
the solution is: "One Man, One Vote." It sometimes sounds like a
pipedream for this place, but it's probably the only viable solution.
Which means it will be avoided at all costs. We went from there to
Al-Aida Refugee Camp, but didn't stay long - shooting soon broke out, which
meant it was time to go home. We escaped by car through the now-empty
streets of Bethlehem and back to Jerusalem. For some reason, we went
to bed early, a little weary from the day perhaps? |
 10/24/01:
We met up with friends from the Arab-American
University of Jenin who had been in Jerusalem for a meeting.
We bummed a ride with them back to Zababdeh. We headed along the Jordan
Valley road and then back around through the checkpoint at Jalame.
A good two dozen soldiers were gathered there, but the only check we got
was a soldier who bid us "Boker Tov" (good morning) and then waved us on.
We arrived at school to discover that Marthame's face had appeared in the
Al-Jazeera (Arabic news) coverage of the Bethlehem demonstration.
Every one, teachers and students alike, had seen it. They were surprised
to know we had gone (we hadn't had time to tell many people), and even
more surprised to discover we had already come back. Marthame headed
into Jenin again today, this time to work with a printer there on new letterhead
for the school. He arrived to discover that they were using Macintosh
computers - even here they have a corner on the graphics' market!
As school let out, we were met with a demonstration led by University students
through the streets of Zababdeh - one of the people killed in Tulkarem
today had two cousins who are students here (video
- 5 sec.). No matter how quiet it may be, we're never far away... |
10/25/01: Marthame went back into Jenin to deal with the new
letterhead. Nothing to report - travelling by one of the older paths
to get from Zababdeh to Jenin, with a detour through the fields.
Brings back memories of the first time we took the Palestinian version
of the bypass road...We also got a chance to visit with one of our dear
friends here who has been outside of Zababdeh since last Easter.
Her son lives in Chicago, and we met him before we came to Zababdeh.
We have missed her - and her cooking! - dearly. We had a nice visit
as we sat out on her porch and looked over her fruit trees and the rest
of Zababdeh. Neighbors came by to say hello - they had missed her,
too. Visiting is more than just an activity here, it's a way of life.
And her porch gives a great location for people-watching. |
  10/26/01:
We headed up into the hills with some of the University ex-pats.
The day before, they had gone to scout out the perfect spot, and today
we picnicked in it. We called it our "War Time Picnic." It
was a great chance to not think about any of the stuff that goes wrong
from day to day. We went and returned without incident, the food
cooked without interruption (except for the sound of the sheep bells ringing
in the nearby hills - audio - 5 sec.),
and we relaxed. Long overdue and well-needed. We walked back
to town by way of our shepherd friend, getting acquainted with the new
baby sheep (video - 5 sec.). |
  
10/27/01: On Thursday, three of Marthame's students had approached
him with the idea of leading the morning assembly completely in English.
They did it all - introducing the National Anthem (video
- 14 sec.), leading the Lord's Prayer (which grades 9-12 know at least
in part) and Scripture reading, as well as adding a little "Do You Know?"
section (little trivia points about literature, science, etc.). They
were very, very nervous. And while very few could understand them
(a combination of the sound system, public speaking skills, and English
abilities), they did quite well. Today was also the first day of
rain - and how! Not sure what this will mean for how people get to
and from places, since there is a lot of reliance on the dirt roads, but
the rain is sorely needed. Here's irony though: we have no water.
Normally, when we run out of water, we just turn on the pump outside of
the house, which refills the roof tanks from the reservoir. But today,
while working on the new addition to our building, the workmen dropped
a load of heavy steel supports - right onto the motor. Water, water,
everywhere... |
|
10/28/01: Once again, we were scheduled to worship at the Anglican Church (no preaching this time, but definitely worship leadership). Once again, it was impossible for Fr. Hossam to get here. This time, shots apparently hit very close to the Anglican Church compound in Nablus. As he worked on his sermon last night, he was pinned down in his study. We're not sure when we would see him again - nor is it clear exactly how he's supposed to get to his new assignment in Nazareth, depending on when it starts. So we went to worship at the Latin Church of Visitation - the music is getting better and better there. Abuna Aktham has worked very hard to add to the sense of worship there. |
   10/30/01:
"Give us this day our daily bread..." We have begun a new schedule
of getting up early and taking a walk - directly to the bakery to get our
fresh bread for the day. It's not the must strenuous exercise, but
the food is healthy, and it gives us a good start to the day. We'll
see how long it lasts. Today at break the teachers' team played against
the 11th grade soccer team. The students were all dressed and ready
- the teachers, well, less so...the goalie was dabbing his sweat away with
his tie, and Abuna Aktham loosened his collar to jump in the game.
The final score? 4-4. Marthame scored a goal. A completely
impartial observer said, "It was the nicest goal I have ever seen - Reynaldo
has nothing on you." He gained some prop points with the high school
students for his old (now almost retired) skills. Now the 10th grade
is itching to take on the team. We'll have to wait for tired muscles
to strengthen a bit. We also got running water in our apartment again
- the new water pump motor arrived! We smell a heck of a lot better
now. |
 10/31/01:
Marthame went into Jenin to get the letterhead exact - hopefully for the
last time. The road was the worst so far, the road from the Arab-American
University of Jenin. Every road is closed, and so every "road"
is necessarily a dirt road through the fields. Since the rain has
begun, it won't be long before it's completely impassable. People
are joking that every village is becoming an island, but no one is laughing.
We headed up to the University later on in the afternoon to see a basketball
game between the Zababdeh club team and the University club team (video
- 5 sec.). The game, which was supposed to start at 3:00, began at
5:00 - either we were on "Arab time" or Greenwich Mean Time - one of the
two. Unfortunately, the Zababdeh team got creamed. Better luck
next time... |
|
|