Dear Nancy,
Grace and peace to you. Since June 20th,
Nablus has been suffocating. What I mean is that life has ground to a
halt. We have been under curfew for 103 days now, unable to leave our
homes, unable to attend schools, unable to go to work, unable to worship
together. You name it, we can't do it...
You must be able to imagine how dreadful the
situation is. This doesn't only mean that life has been on pause, but it
also means that many homes, many institutions, and many lives have been
destroyed. The parishes of Nablus, Rafedia, and Zababdeh, along with their
four institutions (St. Luke's Hospital, two kindergartens, and the Pennman
Clinic), have been deserted. I fear that the long-term consequences could
be disastrous.
Let me give you more details. St. Luke's
Hospital, with its 108 employees, is facing the threat of bankruptcy, unable to
pay salaries. But at the same time, realizing the harsh reality of
unemployment, we do not wish to send anyone onto the street. These days,
employment is a vital ministry. From my desk, I want to extend my
gratitude and gratefulness to the Diocese of Jerusalem and all who have
supported and continue to support these families and our ministry.
This is just the tip of the curfew iceberg.
Our two kindergartens in Nablus and Rafedia should have opened their doors to
the children more than a month ago. It is only last week that we started
in spite of the curfew. Breaking the curfew is a dangerous enterprise, as
you well know. We have been particularly concerned, knowing that a ten
year-old boy was killed at the door of the Anglican Compound where our
kindergarten is located. It took us a great deal of energy to increase our
student enrollment to forty children through local TV advertisements and the
like.
Zababdeh is a different story altogether.
There is no curfew, but Zababdeh is like a deserted isle in an ocean of
battle. Personally, this means I am unable to travel to Zababdeh
much. For example, the last month I was only able to go there for one week
only. My "commute" (if you can call it that) was not only difficult -
having to walk up to two kilometers straight down hill across the Israeli army
road - but also extremely dangerous.
As for parish activities, it is only today that I
have started a Bible study after an undesired "leave of absence" (because of
curfew) of more than three months. We have lost important connections
between parishioners themselves and with me as a result. Parish
visitation, in a normal situation, is the most natural ministry of the
church. Here, it is only possible by ambulance, and even then it is
potentially dangerous. For example, I was stopped by the Israeli army for
three hours (in an ambulance!) by the side of the road, although I was dressed
in clerical vestments. As a result, I am only able to make emergency
parish visits.
On a more personal level, since my return to Nablus
in the beginning of August, I am still here and cannot leave the West
Bank. Even though I have family connections and social obligations outside
of the area, I have had to put all of this to the side - like the rest of our
lives here. Please pray for us, for the perseverance of our parishioners
and institutions, and for the important witness they represent and bear to the
world.
Love and Prayers,
Rev. Hosam Naoum