My final PSE update

I'm finishing up my role as Middle East Fellowship's representative to Holy Land Trust as coordinator of PSE. Here is the final update I wrote for the HLT website:

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The second session of Palestine Summer Encounter is winding down to a close. This week, the participants finished up their Arabic courses for the session in addition to completing the Comparative Religions courses on Islam and Judaism.

For a guest speaker this week, the participants had the chance to engage a

radically different point of view on life in Palestine—that of an Israeli settler. The group travelled to Efrat settlement, not far to the south of Bethlehem, to speak with a settler who identified himself as politically “slightly right of center.” Participants found this to be an eye-opening experience, and posed a barrage of difficult questions for the settler. After the meeting, one participant expressed that she found the meeting very “interesting to see how the truth and reality can be twisted to justify actions that run counter to a society’s and religion’s own moral beliefs.”

On Sunday, participants encountered some of the holiest religious sites of all three Abrahamic faiths as they visited the Western Wall, Temple Mount (al-Masjed al-Aqsa & al-Haram al-Shariif), and Via Dolorosa in the old city of Jerusalem.

After the tour of the old city, the group met with a representative of Rabbis for Human Rights for another interesting Israeli perspective on the political situation of the country.

The next day, some PSE participants decided to forgo their regular volunteer placements and instead lend a hand for the morning at Holy Land Trust’s Home Rebuilding Camp in al-Khader village. The participants enjoyed being able to do a little physical work, but the real joy for the day came out of meeting the incredibly grateful family and sharing a meal with them. When work for the day was finished, participants and the family went to the roof to raise a Palestinian flag—a moving symbol of the nonviolent resistance to Occupation that continuing to rebuild the house is demonstrating.

To wrap up activities for the week and the session, the PSE participants, their host families and volunteer placement organizations, along with the Home Rebuilding Camp participants and benefitting family, gathered for a ceremony to honor all participants. The highlight of the ceremony was when a small troupe of the PSE participants gave a surprise Dabkeh performance, which they had been rehearsing for the past month.

With this session concluded, Holy Land Trust has successfully carried out its session with the most participants ever in its six-year history. This has been a rewarding month for the participants and also for the staff of Holy Land Trust/Middle East Fellowship as they have interacted with participants and become very close through all the activities and sharing throughout the session. We look forward to welcoming more wonderful participants arriving in a few days and enjoying more enriching experiences in the final session as we encounter Palestine together.

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I only have a tiny bit of time to reflect (publicly) on a personal level about how this summer has gone since things are very busy attempting to wrap up the session as I leave, lots of participants are leaving, and my co-coordinator has to take over the program. (I will have plenty of time to reflect personally as I travel in Egypt for three weeks with my best friend who is flying over to join me in the Middle East, but I want to provide at least a bit of a conclusion for the rest of you:)

I honestly didn’t think that I was going to get this position this summer—I thought I might be considered too young to be in my role (a number of the participants this year were older than I)—but I knew that I wanted it very badly. In fact, at the end of last summer, for my final comment on my program evaluation, I wrote something to the effect of “hire me to work with the program so I can come back!” I’m not sure if that message ever reached my supervisor or if that even played any role at all in my return as coordinator of PSE (probably not), but I meant it with all of my heart; I knew that I must come back and continue to at least attempt to make a positive difference here.

How much of a difference did I make this summer? There really is no telling: much of what I did was education and relationship building, and these are not things from which we see fruit immediately (except in some rare but exciting circumstances). I can tell you all without a doubt that whether I made a real impact here, this place has certainly, once again, made a huge impact on me. My experience as a leader with PSE has been stressful and challenging, and at times tiring because of the immense amount of constant responsibility. Yet, looking back, the results—working through the challenges to result in a successful program, the deep personal friendships with Palestinians and internationals all striving toward the same goal, and the sense that I have been doing something worthwhile and Christ-honoring with the past two months—make it seem so easy; I can’t imagine having spent my time doing anything else.

I feel very privileged to have had this opportunity, especially right out of school. I had been becoming increasingly antsy since the middle of my Junior year—I wanted to stop just reading about things and start doing things! And now, here I am—I have just done something, which I know is real and I know is significant. I also know this will not be the last of it; with all that I have experienced and learned, there is no possible way that I can go back to a “normal” life. How could I sit back at ease in the States, living my own life, working only to increase my own comfort level when I know what is happening here? Whether I receive the opportunity to work here long-term or whether I am advocating from afar, I look forward to continuing seeking to do what the Lord requires.

Be back soon, inshallah.

A little entertainment to tide you over

I really don't have time to write anything right now because I am pressed for time, trying to finish up many projects before I leave the West Bank, but here is a little video to enjoy while you eagerly await my next post.

This is our PSE group's dabkeh performance at our closing ceremony for the program. It was a ton of fun to rehearse and perform, especially with my friend Said as our instructor.

a poem

little girl

all dressed up

with no place to go.

you’re smiling at us

and I don’t understand why

you choose to show that emotion

in this place of all places—surrounded

by memories of death and a feeling of being

trapped

in poverty and injustice

barricading you in—a Wall whose harsh, raw concrete

glares down at you and tells you that you are nothing.

but it does not reflect your spirit, somehow intact within.

if God has any mercy, may God somehow leave that

gentle innocence untouched and untarnished by the

ugly reality forced upon you.

PSE Updates - Session 2, Weeks 1 & 2

I'm still pretty busy. I wanted to wait to put up these weekly updates because I worry that as soon as I make a new post, people may miss what is below the top post. (Please check below to make sure you don't miss a post!)

Also, I've added quite a few new photos, so be sure to check those out by clicking on the slideshow at the right.

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PSE Mid-Session Update

The second week of Palestine Summer Encounter Session 2 has now concluded, and the month seems to be moving very quickly! Despite only knowing each other for a few weeks, this has been a very tight-knit group, and it has been difficult to watch a few participants leave Bethlehem early and travel on to other summer commitments. Those who remain, however, have much to keep them occupied as they continue learning and exploring the life in the West Bank.

This week participants enjoyed a guest lecture with George Rishmawi, Executive Director of The Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People, who spoke on the nonviolent actions of the First Intifada. Additionally, two final Comparative Religions classes on Islam were given, helping to equip participants with a greater understanding of the culture by learning about its principal religion.

For a special cultural night, the PSE participants, along with members of the current Holy Land Trust Home-Rebuilding campaign and HLT and PNN employees, enjoyed a barbeque together at Osh Grab park in Beit Sahour. The barbeque was preceded by a competitive football match, pitting the PSE participants against the HLT/PNN employees. Although it was a tough struggle, the PSErs went down in the match, losing 3-6.

To wrap up the week, the group took a trip to the northern region of the West Bank, visiting Tulkarem district. First was a visit and discussion with the Governor of Tulkarem, which was covered by local news media. This was followed by a tour of parts of the district experiencing an especially difficult impact from Occupation. Participants visited the village of Baqa where residents of the East and West sides of the village can no longer visit each other because of the Apartheid Wall running through the middle of the community, separating families from each other and strangling the economy. The group also visited a site with numerous demolished homes deemed a security threat to the path of the Wall and viewed the toxic Israeli chemical factory placed in the district which has a raised the cancer level of the Palestinian area to the highest anywhere in Israel. After the visit to Tulkarem, the group headed to Jenin where they had the great opportunity to witness a performance by the Al-Harah theatre company from Beit Jala, which has been making a tour with their contact-dance drama Face-hook?! The show, centering around the problems that Palestinian youth face in their society, was performed in the Freedom Theater of the Jenin Refugee Camp, and it was especially meaningful for PSE participants to witness their own Debkah instructor, Said Zarzar, as one of the performers. After the theatre performance, the group briefly spoke with one of the residents of the Camp and then headed back to Bethlehem after a very long and impactful day of exploring the situation in the West Bank.

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Session 2 Week 1 Complete

The first week of a busy Second Session of Palestine Summer Encounter is now complete.

The new participants of Session Two gathered at the Holy Land Trust office Tuesday morning to meet the leaders of the Bethlehem-Area NGOs they will be working with for the coming month or two months. This session, new participants will be serving with numerous organizations: helping run kids’ camps, supervising in childcare, doing administrative work, and providing maintenance support.

New curricula for the second session began with two Comparative Religions courses in Judaism and Islam. These courses are aimed at helping participants gain a better grasp of the cultural and political implications of these important religions on the region. In addition to religion courses and Arabic classes, the participants enjoyed an engaging lecture from Mahmoud Zahwareh, the Director of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in the Bethlehem Area Villages. Mr. Zahwareh shared about the situation in the area villages and his committee’s extensive work in nonviolent resistance. In addition, he invited the PSE participants to join in the resistance by attending the weekly nonviolent protest at al-Ma’sara, an invitation which a number of the participants were glad to accept.

Later in the week, the participants had a great cultural evening learning to prepare the traditional Palestinian dishes of falafel, hummus, and Arabic salad. The staff of Afteem Restaurant welcomed the PSE participants into their facility for the evening, which was full of laughter and good food as the participants learned what goes into making these staples of the Palestinian diet. While enjoying the fruits of their labor, participants also got to enjoy listening to cultural music—the oud accompanied by the singing of a few traditional songs.

To wrap up the first week, the group took a trip to Hebron to explore the unique political situation of the contentious city where violent, ideological settlers live right in the middle of the large, conservative Palestinian population. Meetings with the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee and with Christian Peacemaker Teams in the city provided insight into the difficulties of life created by the presence of the settlers and soldiers there. Additionally, after being detained at a flying checkpoint and escorted by an Israeli Defense Force jeep to the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills (due to Shabbat security concerns), the group met with Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove team members along with one village leader of nonviolent resistance in the small community, which has faced continual harassment from settlers of the nearby Ma’on settlement.

This has been a very busy week with lots of information for the participants to take in. The situation has already begun to seem overwhelming to them at times, but in their presence and work here, the PSE participants are providing hope that comes with international solidarity and support of the Palestinians in their struggle for justice.

Finding Hope

I have much to say—too much in fact—and much more than I know anyone is going to take the time to read. So much is always happening and so many thoughts are always running through my mind that I would like to express here, but writing to people who are thousands of miles away is a very limited format. Let me give just a couple of quick highlights that have not been mentioned elsewhere in my blog yet and some of you may be wondering about if you have been paying attention to the pictures in the slideshow at the right.

-- I was interviewed by Al-Jazeera back on June 6. The occasion for this was that a crew from Al-Jazeera is doing a short profile on Marwan Farajeh, the Village Coordinator of Holy Land Trust. A group of the PSE participants went along with Marwan and the camera crew to the Wall around Bethlehem to write some messages about justice and peace. Say what you want about being used or brainwashed by the Arabs, but this is an activity which many of us would have or already have engaged in on our own, and the opportunity to share our viewpoints on the situation in the West Bank with an international television audience was something that is not only very cool but exactly the type of exposure we are looking for (and more than we could ever have hoped for!) in sharing our messages about the realities of the conflict. The interview was short, and I was asked basically just about my feelings about Israel building the [Apartheid] Wall. (Whatever clips they decide to air will only be on Al-Jazeera and not on Al-Jazeera International, so they will be dubbed in Arabic and there will likely not be a chance to get to see this piece, unfortunately.)

-- A short while after I arrived this summer, I met the conductor of the Bethlehem Bible College Choir who is friends with some of my friends from work last year. Ironically, I had seen him before when the choir visited Bluffton a few years ago and performed in Chapel. One of my other international friends here, a young Scottish lass, mentioned to me that she had been practicing with the choir, which I thought sounded really cool, so I joined as well. I practiced for about a month with them, and as a result I got to perform in two concerts with them. We performed in the Bethlehem Peace Center and at the Bethlehem Bible College graduation ceremony jointly with the Lee University Symphonic Band which was here for a tour. (A very odd mix of people and ideologies to be sure.) This was a very different and new experience compared with my years of Western choral music, but it was a great opportunity, and I had a lot of fun doing it.

I guess that’s all the updating I’ll do for now since this blog is going to get way too long.

It’s actually been 25 days since I wrote a new blog. I have posted some since then with the press releases I write for the HLT website, and I have added some new photos, but all in all, this has been neglected some because I have been very busy. In fact, I just worked for 20 straight days, and today is my day off. Despite the fact that I have today off, I’ve been doing work because when e-mails and calls come in that are labeled “URGENT,” despite my tiredness, I am not going to ignore them. I’ll admit that I am tired, but it’s only because of the volume of work I have been doing (probably coupled with the heat)—not because of the nature of what I am doing. In fact, this summer has been absolutely wonderful in the sense of finding a niche with something that I absolutely love doing. I don’t mind the long days spent with participants because I enjoy the work so much—organizing things, educating people, and building relationships.

Though I know what I am doing is good, it is difficult sometimes to feel like it is really providing any hope at all in the midst of the very dark situation I keep on realizing that this place is in. Part of my job is to set up and accompany participants on many meetings during which we hear of so many saddening threats and mistreatments of people’s basic rights and ways that Israel continually erects obstacle after obstacle to peace. Sometimes it is difficult to see that any hope is really coming out of my being here, and as you can imagine, that takes its toll on my energy as well—feeling hopeless and useless.

Thankfully, in recent days, two separate things took place, which helped abate some of this negativity. The first of these was our first group meeting with the joint Sessions 1 and 2. Part of the purpose of the group meeting is to do debriefing, where we talk about what we have recently heard/experienced that has made a significant impact. This group meeting took place after a whirlwind first weekend for the new participants—as soon as they got here, we took them to Nablus and Ramallah for a number of really powerful meetings and tours which brought the current situation of the West Bank into a stark reality, and it was obvious that it really hit some of them hard. While participants shared in the meeting, over and over again, they expressed how difficult listening to all of the information over the weekend had been for them, and they told of the feeling of hope draining out of them—a feeling with which I am well acquainted. It may seem odd that this experience of listening to others describe their feelings of hopelessness inspires hope in me. The matter of the fact though, is that listening to these participants gave me a lot of hope because: for one, it affirmed that my work truly is making a difference—it made a clear impact on them, giving them much information and evoking an emotional response to the plight they witnessed in just their first weekend on the ground in Palestine; and also, I was encouraged with hope because I felt the wonderful feeling of gaining support since I now have 20 new friends who are grieving with me. Because of my affinity for pithy quotes, I just must insert two (or three or four) from Gandhi here that apply very well: “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” I know that honestly am not making a huge difference here, but I also know that I am making a difference, and that may be all that I can ask of myself in this infamously huge and complicated conflict. Furthermore, Gandhi said that, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” (I ironically just found a t-shirt in Jerusalem with this printed on it.) Indeed, it is better for me to be here, working incredibly hard to make the insignificant impact that I can than it would be for me to be elsewhere, waiting for others to solve the problems. (Gandhi also said, “Hands that help are holier than lips that pray.”)

The second event which inspired hope in me occurred during one of our recent meetings with a political organization when something the speaker said struck me: Palestinians are still resisting. This was an incredibly welcome statement at the end of a long presentation about how difficult the situation is in the West Bank. This statement evokes a lot of hope in me because if there is continued resistance even now, in the face of so many obstacles and after 42 years (or 61 depending how you look at it) of Occupation, there is hope that resistance will continue. It boggles my mind to see how Palestinians have continued nonviolent acts of resistance despite this long history and ongoing struggle—there have been moments of brief “victories” like the First Intifada, but they are still entrenched in a long and arduous battle. It inspires me with much hope to realize that even as I am feeling beaten down by the conflict here, many Palestinians—who face the difficulties of Occupation much more fully than I—are still strong in their resolve to resist until justice is achieved. I will just end with one final Gandhi quote that encapsulates this discussion perfectly: “When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it—always.”

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As I was about to publish this, I had just one final, very hopeful, afterthought (which may seem odd to come as an afterthought and not as a forethought). God is not on Israel’s side; God is on the side of the oppressed. And “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8.31b). If you want more of an explanation, please let me begin to explain by watching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83P6MD35w84 & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PvRRWlL3vU&feature=response_watch

יְהוָה, צַדִּיק יִבְחָן: וְרָשָׁע, וְאֹהֵב חָמָס--שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ

The LORD tries the righteous, but the wicked and him who loves violence, His soul hates.

Psalm 11.5

PSE Update - Week 4 and Session 2 Beginning

Session One of Palestine Summer Encounter 2009 has concluded, and Session Two is now underway.

This past week, the group had to say tusaluu bilsalaameh (“safe travels”) to two participants from Session One who ended their journeys with PSE, but they have also been able to say ahlan w-sahlan (“welcome!”) to a great new group of participants joining for Session Two. With 11 participants continuing from the first session and 20 new participants joining them, effectively tripling the size of the group, this session is already proving to be a great opportunity to engage more internationals interested in volunteering and learning in Palestine. This session, we welcomed new participants from the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Canada in addition to the current participants from the U.S., Canada, Chile, and France. The excitement of welcoming the new participants was tinged with feelings of anger and sorrow, however, at the news that two incoming participants were denied entry by Israeli airport security upon their arrival in the country. This brings the total to three participants this summer to have undergone this frustrating experience; they did not ever have the chance to learn of the conflict through participating in the program, but they were confronted with it firsthand in the ordeal that each of them faced. Welcome to the injustice of the Occupation.

During a few free days in transition between Sessions One and Two, participants were able to spend extra time with their host families and do some traveling around the country on their own. While the first session participants socialized and traveled, the second session participants were busy settling in with their new host families and undergoing orientation to their summertime living, working, and studying in Palestine.

After orientation, Session Two got off to a quick start with a welcoming dinner to allow the continuing participants to get to know the incoming participants. Great fellowship was enjoyed over long tables filled with traditional Arabic salads during a dinner at The Tent Restaurant, followed by the opportunity to witness a great Debkeh performance. After the socializing, participants were whisked away for a weekend together exploring the culture and the conflict in regions of the West Bank outside of Bethlehem.

On Sunday, the group visited the city of Nablus which included a visit to the religious site of Jacob’s Well, a factory which produces the well-known Nablus olive oil soap, and an excursion into the old city to see a Turkish bath and try the renowned kanaffe dessert. After getting a cultural taste of Nablus, participants saw the harder side of the city, witnessing the incredibly difficult life of refugees in the Askar Refugee Camp.

Spending the night in Ramallah and having the opportunity to experience the nightlife of the city was an enjoyable end to the first day of the trip, and the next day was packed full of opportunities to learn more about how Occupation is affecting Palestine. The group met with a lawyer from the Addameer organization and heard of numerous egregious abuses of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli Apartheid legal system. Following was a meeting at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah to hear about how Occupation has negatively affected education. Finally was a visit to Stop the Wall, which included a presentation which both greatly informed and distressed participants—to hear of the gravity of the current situation in Palestine and future plans to further the negative effects of Occupation.

Participants have just begun the new session, but it has already proved to be a challenging and educational experience for all of them. We look forward to the even greater ways this session will expand participants’ views of life in Palestine and motivate them as they seek to find meaningful ways to respond to all that they encounter.

Weekly Updates

Apparently I've been forgetting to update my blog with the weekly update that I write for the Holy Land Trust website. Here are short summaries of the past three weeks:

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Finishing up Week 1

The participants of the first session of Palestine Summer Encounter have had just over a week now to settle into the program—adjusting to living with families in homes in Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour, and getting a handle on the work in their volunteer placements with non-profit organizations around the Bethlehem area. Participants are currently working at supervising children’s activities, reporting on events in the West Bank, translating documents, establishing fair trade business relationships, aiding the handicapped, and helping with facility maintenance.

It was a very full week for the participants with volunteering, classes, and other events every day. Arabic classes began to aid participants in communicating in their new environment. In addition to the Arabic classes, the other curriculum for participants with courses on Nonviolence, Christian Zionism, and Theology of the Land began. The Nonviolence course is being led by Holy Land Trust Nonviolence Coordinator and Trainer, Ahmad Al’azzeh, and distinguished faculty of the Bethlehem Bible College—Reverend Alex Awad and Dr. Salim Munayer—are teaching the Christian Zionism and Theology of the Land courses, respectively. These classes have already begun to help participants understand the political climate of the Occupation better, and they look forward to learning even more as the session continues.

Participants enjoyed two distinct opportunities to engage the culture this first week: first, taking part in a Debkah training session to learn the traditional Palestinian dance, and second, a cultural night which included going on a hike, touring a museum of traditional Palestinian artifacts, and then enjoying a homemade traditional meal in the home of a family in Artas village, followed by a Debkah performance after the meal.

On Sunday, the participants were engaged in learning more about how the Occupation affects the Bethlehem area itself as they visited two of Bethlehem’s refugee camps, stopping at the Lajee Center of Aida Camp and taking in an explanation and tour from a resident of the Dheisheh Camp. Also part of the day included a tour of the Wall around Bethlehem, viewing how it cuts into the city and has stifled commerce, and a visit to two areas under threat from settlers and settlement expansion: the Greek Orthodox housing project and Osh Grab park in Beit Sahour.

The coming week is shaping up to be very full of events as well, which will provide many more opportunities for encountering Palestine: learning the language, gaining understanding of the conflict, and engaging the people.

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PSE Update - Week 2

Week two of the first session of Palestine Summer Encounter has now concluded. This was another busy week, filled with more Arabic classes, other curricula, guest speakers, and more activities.

One highlight of the week for the participants was the opportunity to have a group conversation with a Bethlehem-area leader of Fatah who was able to help participants understand the first and second Intifadas and had interesting stories to share from his own work with the resistance. Participants were also engaged by hearing the story of Dahoud Nasser as they visited the Tent of Nations, a farm south of Bethlehem surrounded by Israeli settlements on three sides, struggling because of a lop-sided legal battle to keep their land.

Recently a film crew from Al-Jazeera has been documenting the work of Holy Land Trust Area Field Coordinator, Marwan Fararjeh, and on Saturday Marwan led a group of the PSE participants to demonstrate against the Separation Wall with the painting of creative slogans. A few of the international participants were also interviewed by the Al-Jazeera reporters on their feelings about the Wall and about the situation in the West Bank.

On Sunday, participants took the opportunity to travel to scorching Jericho and were finally able to relax from the busy week with a visit to the Dead Sea.

To view additional pictures from Palestine Summer Encounter events and hear in their own words more about the week's events and how the participants are finding their experiences, visit the Palestine Summer Encounter website: www.palestinesummer.org .

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Week 3 Concludes

The third week of Palestine Summer Encounter has now concluded. This was another full week of classes, volunteer work, meetings, and travel.

One highlight of the week was a meeting with a Muslim sheikh and imam who engaged in discussion with participants’ questions about Islam, its beliefs and practices, and its role in the Conflict of the region. Another highlight for the participants was having the opportunity to travel between each other’s volunteer placement agencies where they took tours and hear about the work that other participants have been doing. Together four agencies were visited where participants have been volunteering: Talitha Kumi School’s Environmental Education Center, Beit al-Liqa (daycare and community center), al-Basma Center (an educational and work center for handicapped persons), and Finiq (a community center of Deheisheh refugee camp).

Participants experienced a whirlwind of a cultural night by experiencing what a true Palestinian party is like. Participants attended a large Bethlehem Bible College graduation party put on by some of the graduating students from the Travel and Encounter office. This was a very enjoyable occasion for everyone who was able to attend and participate in the conversation and endless dancing.

The week concluded with an overnight trip within Israel proper. Participants witnessed some traditional religious sites around Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. Then they had the opportunity to meet with Duroob Association, learning about the situation of Arab Israelis and their struggles for equal rights within Israel. Another meeting in the Golan Heights village of Majd al-Shems was very enlightening as participants learned about the conflict between Syria and Israel and heard first-hand accounts of what Occupation looks like in the Golan.

Participants have been experiencing the difficult task of finding a balance between doing and seeing it all and finding time to process all that they are experiencing and rejuvenate with energy. Truly, there is so much to learn, and even with a month, two months, or three months, participants are realizing that the more they learn here, the more questions they have and the more learning they have yet to do as they continue to encounter Palestine.