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.
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