Transcript SIGNS OF GROWTH IN A HARSH SOIL

CULTIVATING HOPE IN A HARSH
SOIL
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CULTIVATING HOPE IN A HARSH
SOIL
Yarabba salaami amter alayna salaam,
(God of peace, rain peace upon us,)
Yarabba salaami im la’qulubana salaam.
(God of peace, fill our hearts with peace.)
Yarabba salaami amter alayna salaam,
(God of peace, rain peace upon us,)
Yarabba salaami im’nah biladana salaam.
(God of peace, give our land peace.)
--An Arabic hymn by Father Mansour Labaki
THE
HOLY
LAND
Where the sun is hot and the sky clear
Where soil is hard and water dear
Where three religions watch and wait
And walls and rocks grow violence and hate.
Yet in the midst of fear and doubt
Seeds of hope take root
and sprout
And olive branches
still reach out
beckoning
that peace is near.
The Old City, Jerusalem
Olives and olive oil have been
important staples of the Palestinian
economy for centuries, and farmers
care for their olive trees like their
own families.
View from the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem
Both the people
and the olive
trees of Palestine
have suffered
great pain and
loss, but they
also bear witness
to the will to
survive in hard
living conditions.
CULTIVATING HOPE
IN A HARSH SOIL
THE SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS OF THE EVANGELICAL
LUTHERAN CHURCH IN JORDAN
AND THE HOLY LAND
The Wall at Bethlehem
CULTIVATING HOPE IN A HARSH SOIL
• THE SEEDS
• THE SOIL
• THE PROMISE OF GROWTH
THE SEEDS
The Schools of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Jordan and the Holy Land
(ELCJHL)
and
The Educational Programs of the ELCJHL
THE SEEDS
The Schools of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Jordan and the Holy Land
The Evangelical
Lutheran School in
Beit Sahour
THE SEEDS
The Schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Jordan and the Holy Land
The Dar al-Kalima
Evangelical Lutheran
School in Bethlehem
THE SEEDS
The Schools of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Jordan and the Holy Land
The Evangelical
Lutheran School of
Hope
in Ramallah
THE SEEDS
The Schools of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Jordan and the Holy Land
The Talitha Kumi
Evangelical Lutheran
School in Beit Jala
THE SEEDS
The Educational
Programs of the
ELCJHL
The Environmental
Education Center,
(EEC)
Beit Jala
THE SEEDS
The Educational Programs of the ELCJHL
The Martin Luther Community Development Center,
Jerusalem
THE SEEDS
The Educational Programs of the
ELCJHL
Al-Mahaba Kindergarten,
Jerusalem
A parent volunteer and class
THE SEEDS
The Educational
Programs of the
ELCJHL
The Evangelical
Lutheran Home for
Boys, Beit Jala
LOCATIONS
Hope School in Ramallah
is thirteen miles
northwest
of Jerusalem.
Bethlehem, Beit Sahour,
and Beit Jala are about
six miles south of
Jerusalem.
Hope School of Ramallah
is north of Jerusalem.
The schools and programs
in Bethlehem, Beit
Jala,and Beit Sahour are
south of Jerusalem.
All are in the West Bank
occupied territories
Serving the urban Bethlehem area with
50,000 residents and 14, 000 refugees in 3
camps…
• Dar al-Kalima in Bethlehem with 262 students
• Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour with
454 students
• Talitha Kumi in Beit Jala with 800 students
• The Boarding Home in Beit Jala with 50 orphans
and children from broken families, aged 5-18
• Environmental Education Center in Beit Jala
serving 4000-5000 annually
Serving the Ramallah area with 70,000
residents to the northwest…
Hope School with 440 students
In East Jerusalem and the Old City with
200,000-300,000 residents and
refugees…
The Martin Luther Community Development
Center in the Old City now serves daily 4050 people and will soon expand its
services.
The Al-Mahaba Kindergarten on the Mount
of Olives serves 25 children.
All of the Schools and Educational
Programs of the ELCJHL
are located in the West Bank
and East Jerusalem.
There is a fence growing around the children
of occupied Palestine, and it is shutting
them out.
THE HARSH FACTS ON THE GROUND
Bethlehem 2003
“Facts on the ground”
is a military phrase used by Israeli Prime
Minister Sharon. The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb,
Pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in
Bethlehem, has adapted the words to
describe the impact of the occupation on
students and families in the Holy Land.
These facts are grim.
The Harsh Facts on the Ground
The Socio-economic Reality of the
Students of the ELCJHL and their
families
Changes since 2000
• Of 11, 000 homeless in Palestine, 6000 are
children.
• 916 Palestinian children and 123 Israeli children
below the age of 18 have been killed.
• 1.2 million school-aged children live in Palestine.
• 900,000 children are below the poverty line.
• Half of all Palestinians are 15 years or younger.
Data fromThis Week in Palestine, May, 2004, United Nations Children’s
Fund and BtSelem
•
Although the Israeli government calls
the Wall a security measure, its route
absorbs 10% of Palestinian controlled
land and 80% of the wall is on
Palestinian land.
The Wall separates Palestinians in the West
Bank from
Jerusalem
and other
West Bank
cities and
villages.
Changes since 2002
Only 8 out of 80 businesses
operating in 2002 on the road
near the Wall in Bethlehem are still open.
Tourist visits in Bethlehem
averaged 92,000 per month in 2000 and
only 7,000 per month in 2004.
Data from the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
ISOLATION
The route of the
wall threatens the
prospects for a
future viable
Palestinian state.
UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment
West Bank residents
need special Israeli permits to
have access to Jerusalem’s holy places, medical
care, and commercial centers. Few can get them.
They are cut off from Jerusalem and confined to
their hometowns with little opportunity for
employment. The Wall has separated them from
their own neighborhoods, families, and farmlands
where they cannot harvest their crops.
AGRICULTURE
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
reports that since the last intifada in 2000,
2 million trees have been destoyed and
nearly 20,000 acres of Palestinian land in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip has been
confiscated.
ECONOMY
The wall, closures, and travel
restrictions prevent many from reaching
their work and from conducting
business.
Ramallah, 2003
HOMELESSNESS
As the Israeli government continues to
construct the Separation Wall on Palestinian
land, it demolishes existing houses along and
near the planned route. Building permits take
years to get and cost thousands of dollars.
Later the same day…
The same day
DISCRIMINATION
• Israeli settlers or
squatters build villages on
Palestinian land or move
into empty houses in
Palestinian areas without
permits and are not held
liable. There are now
about 450,000 settlers in
the West Bank which
includes East Jerusalem.
• Some Palestinians report
harassment and physical
abuse from these new
neighbors; some settlers
openly carry weapons.
In the background is an Israeli
settlement near Beit Sahour on the
West Bank. There are hundreds of such
settlements that dump their raw sewage
on Palestinian land below.
These students and their teachers used to
cross this check-point twice a day between
their homes and school; some days they
missed part or all of their classes.
Now they pass through a
modern and permanent
detention center.
The trauma and
stress on these
children have
produced bitter
fruit.
BEHAVIORAL DISTURBANCES
DEPRESSION
PHOBIASPHOBIAS
INSOMNIA
NIGHTMARES
SEPARATION ANXIETY
INABILITY TO CONCENTRATE
BEDWETTING
However,
most … in the
United States
are not aware
that…
Break time
at the Lutheran School
of Beit Sahour
…students in the Lutheran
Schools in Palestine come from families
where there is close to 60% unemployment,
where the average daily income is the
equivalent of $2, and where the
emigration of Palestinian Christians to escape
the effects of the occupation may soon lead to
the complete absence of Christians in the Holy
Land.
Rod Schofield, Chair , ELCA Division for Higher Education and Schools, in
“Lutheran Schools in the Holy Land: Challenges and Hope,” Evangelical Lutheran
Education Association Views and Vision Newsletter, Summer 2005
MORE GRIM FACTS ON THE GROUND
I have never been as afraid for
the future of Arab Christianity as
I am now. Many Arab Christian
and Muslim intellectuals and
leaders are also worried that the
continued witness of Arab
Christianity in the Middle East
will disappear.
Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan
ELCJHL
Easter Message for April, 2005
IN THE HARSH REALITY SIGNS OF HOPE
A MODERN PARABLE
Because Adnan knew
that the Wall would deny
him access to his olive
trees, he decided to give
them a quick and merciful
death by cutting them
down. After five months,
when he was finally
allowed to visit his land…
A MODERN PARABLE, cont’d.
…he saw new branches
growing from the stumps.
His Palestinian trees
were able to grow without
water or food because
their roots are in the land.
That is the hope
cultivated here.
Excerpted from ELCJHL
Newsletter, October, 2004
A LUTHERAN TRADITION
Someone once
asked Martin Luther
what he would do if
he knew the world
would end the next
day. “I would go out
and plant a tree.”
(Excerpted from ELCJHL
Newsletter, October, 2004)
The Schools and the Educational Programs
of the ELCJHL stand firm in Luther’s
testimony of hope and determination in the
midst of crisis and loss.
CULTIVATING HOPE
A Tradition in the Schools of the ELCJHL
First in the area to educate girls and boys
and Muslims and Christians together
45 %girls
55% boys
6% Lutheran
44% Greek Orthodox
10% other Christians 40% Muslim
THE COMMITMENT TO HOPE
CONTINUES
Through promoting the Values of
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Non-violence
Tolerance
Co-existence
Peace
Excellence
Creativity
an Affirming Community
Holistic Approaches
THE COMMITMENT TO HOPE CONTINUES
In late 2004 and early 2005 the Schools of
the ELCJHL initiated a needs assessment
of their work. It was the first project of its
kind in the area.
In 2005 a group of local and international
consultants conducted a site visit and
assessment of the Schools, which became
the basis for a continuing strategic plan to
meet the needs of students.
The Goals of the ELCJHL Schools
The basis of the strategic plan
1. To develop wholesome,
creative, and innovative
students in an ever-changing
world
2. To integrate peace values, reinforce
democracy, and encourage respect for others
3. To promote communication and cooperation
with the schools and local and international groups
4. To mold and reinforce Palestinian…
…and Christian identity
5. To provide quality education through
innovative methods
6. To create a healthy and
stimulating school
environment
7. To provide for students’
individual differences and
special needs
8. To reinforce and support the role of
women in Palestinian society
9. To practice financial responsibility
• More than 50% of actual student school costs
($1250 on average) in the ELCJHL Schools are
subsidized by the ELCJHL under normal
conditions. Since 2001 the ELCJHL has had to
subsidize nearly 70% of the costs.
• Many parents have not found work in four years;
unemployment is soon expected to reach 70%.
How to Help
• Pray and work for peace with justice.
• Read about the ELCJHL and its Schools
and Educational Programs (www.holylandlutherans.org).
• Learn about the Palestinian people and tell
their story.
• Call and write political representatives and
government officials.
• Join a travel or study group to learn more.
How to Help
• Contribute to the student scholarship or
sponsorship fund
– In the United States or Canada contact
Rev. David Lerseth
Division for Global Mission
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
8765 W. Higgins Road,
Chicago, IL 60631
Email: [email protected]
How to Help
• Residents of other countries can give to
the student scholarship or sponsorship
fund by contacting
Dr. Charlie D. Haddad
ELCJHL Schools and Educational Programs
P.O. Box 14076 – Old City
Jerusalem 91140
Phone: +972-2-626-6865
Fax: +972-2-626-6857
Email:
[email protected]
How to Help
Contribute to any of the following needs:
• A librarian’s salary and library resources
• Science lab facilities
• Computer laboratory
• Language laboratory
• Sports equipment and facilities
• Funds and volunteers for environmental
projects
How to Help
Contribute to any of the following needs:
• Additional classroom space
• Outdoor all-purpose playground for preschool program
• Daycare programs for mothers in the Old
City
• Sports program for the Old City young
people
• Continuing education and training for
women in the Old City
CULTIVATING A HARVEST OF HOPE
Yarabba salaami amter alayna salaam,
(God of peace, rain peace upon us,)
Yarabba salaami im la’qulubana salaam.
(God of peace, fill our hearts with peace.)
Yarabba salaami amter alayna salaam,
(God of peace, rain peace upon us,)
Yarabba salaami im’nah biladana salaam.
(God of peace, give our land peace.)
--An Arabic hymn by Father Mansour Labaki
HUMOR IS A FORM OF HOPE.
THE FUTURE HARVEST CALLS.
We have tasted a harsh bitterness: the
bitterness of occupation, of seeing our
people being killed, homes destroyed, lands
confiscated, and this apartheid wall being
built on our own soil. But let us not give up
hope. Justice will prevail, and freedom will
come. All we have to do is to stand together,
to keep the candle of hope burning, and to
work and struggle for our freedom.
Salaam Bannoura in her graduation
speech at Beit Sahour Evangelical
Lutheran School, June, 2005
All we have to do is stand together,
to keep the candle
and the olive tree
of hope burning…
growing…
Love goes on in spite of everything…
drawing by J. Qeissiyeh,
student at Dar Al-Kalima School in Bethlehem
chosen as the 2004 Christmas card
of the Lutheran World Federation
Please don’t forget we’re here.
A student’s remark related by a recent visitor
Dr. Charlie D. Haddad
Director of Schools and Educational Programs of the
ELCJHL
Photos by Andy Willis, Pastor Julie Rowe, Pastor Mark
Nelson, and Sister Sylvia Countess
Prepared by Sr. Sylvia Countess
Assistant to the Director of Schools of the ELCJHL
Written by the people of Palestine and dedicated to their
courage
Thank you for your interest and support.