April 2020
Weathering the Storm
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Dear Pilgrims Family,
Pilgrims of Ibillin is an organization welcoming those from all faiths, people with no religious affiliations, and those everywhere in between. This is a fact that makes me especially proud to be your Executive Director. That said, the Presbyterian (USA) pastor side of me has to note the confluence of Holy Week and the Covid-19 pandemic. We find ourselves in a time of definite trials with deep spiritual resonance for many of us, and our peace partners at MEEI, Wi'am Center, the Seraj Libraries, Hope School, the Gaza water project, and more are all weathering the storm as best they can. The challenges are new, but the perseverance remains as strong as always, and your support is more valuable than ever.
We are a resurrection people. The communities we pray for, love, and support throughout Israel and Palestine are communities that embody resurrection over and over again, rising from the destructive forces of hatred and division to reclaim the promises of peace. Thank you for continuing to hold them in prayer! Read on to learn more about how they are coping with the pandemic circumstances and how you can continue to sustain their remarkable work!
with gratitude,
Rev. Laurie Lyter Bright
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“Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie” is no longer just a Christmas carol. It is now the daily experience of all Bethlehemites. An eerie stillness has descended on Bethlehem.
Zoughbi Al Zoughbi
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Abuna Chacour Asks Pilgrims to Pray
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Dear Pilgrims of Ibillin,
During this difficult experience with the Coronavirus, we pray. We pray a lot asking our heavenly Father to protect and bless our friends and all the world. This is a unique opportunity to turn to God for help. It is also a time of reflection about the meaning of our life and the importance of being able to communicate with each other. I am sitting alone in my office. There is no one else on campus as it is closed for already more than a week and for nobody knows how long. The school is not beautiful without the children. I MISS THEM ALL!
So far, no students or teachers are infected with the virus. Hopefully they will all rest and overcome this dangerous world crisis. I try to be in touch with the teachers and with some students by telephone. What I am sure of, is that all of them and everyone with no exception is staying at home waiting to come back to school. Many among teachers and among the students called to say being forced to stay at home is making us see how vital the school is because it brings us all together.
We think of you, dear beloved friends in the United States. Our prayers include you and your country.
We yearn for the day when we would be able to welcome you here and to fly to the US and meet with, as many as possible, of you. You all are very dear and extremely important in our lives.
We pray the Almighty God to protect you and to protect humanity from this strange virus. This virus is teaching us that we are one again. No black no white no man no woman no child no adult but we are equal in the eyes of God We hope that humanity will be converted too much tolerance, much more compassion. May the lord bless you and bless all of you.
Abuna Elias Chacour
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Greetings from Wi'am Center
We have been quarantined since March 3rd, and the once vibrant city of Bethlehem has turned into a ghost town. No businesses, no educational centers, no institutions, no tourists, or visitors. Prior to the Corona virus pandemic, our unemployment rate was at a staggering 31%, and now it has sky-rocketed.
Fear, hopelessness, helplessness and despair, are the overwhelming feelings of the mass population. People are worried and paranoid and fear a bleak future. Many have lost their jobs, especially those previously employed in the tourism sector, which is a major component of the Bethlehem and Palestinian economy. Groceries, bakeries, pharmacies, and health services are all that remain operational. We have turned into couch potatoes that are glued to the screens of their news networks and channels. Churches and mosques are closed, and have found a new spirituality, one that can be found in our confinement to our homes, connections to our neighbors and friends, and house prayers.
We pray that Corona virus will soon meet its end and that we may continue to actively struggle against occupation and injustice and continue celebrating life and the global village to which we all belong. Prayers heal, and solidarity strengthens, and we are both giving and in need of both.
Best wishes,
Zoughbi Al Zoughbi
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Hope School - Beit Jala Update
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Hope School is a Christian charity school for orphans and needy children located near Bethlehem. The school provides education for both boys and girls ages 11 to 18 years old – providing spiritual, academic and physical growth of every child we serve.
by Khader Saba, Director of Hope School
As we enter into our fourth week of lockdown due to COVID-19 here in Beit Jala, we want to share with you and update about the impact that these weeks have had on our staff and students, their families, and the greater community. Along with all other schools and in compliance with the social distancing instructions given by local authorities, we are continuing to keep our doors shut until it is safe to open again. As an institution greatly familiar with our community and those most vulnerable within it, Hope School is uniquely positioned to identify and attempt to address the needs of the most vulnerable families in this crisis.
Together, our director along with other community leaders, institutions and individuals has been working to provide food packages and other necessities have been donated to the families most in need. In terms of education, this has been continued as best as it can through online platforms, and our director as well as teachers have been available to students and checking in with them their parents throughout this time. For any boarders that needed a place to stay, Hope School has been open for them and continuing to care for them.
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Seraj Library Project in these Days of Global Pandemic
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Bethlehem and the Coronavirus
Zoughbi Al Zoughbi, Director of Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center, and Paul Parker, Peace Program Co-coordinator, Mennonite Central Committee, Palestine.
“Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie” is no longer just a Christmas carol. It is now the daily experience of all Bethlehemites. An eerie stillness has descended on Bethlehem and the surrounding towns. Virtually every public and private gathering place has been closed on the orders of the Palestinian Authority (PA). All schools, universities, banks, stores, hotels, restaurants, mosques and churches have been shuttered—even the Church of the Nativity. Only a few pharmacies and grocery stores are open. With very few exceptions, Israel has closed the checkpoints for all West Bank ID holders.
Israel’s Minister of Defense ordered a quarantine of Bethlehem, and the PA moved decisively to contain the virus by declaring a state of emergency for the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip. There is no curfew, but it feels like one.
For the first time in my life, I am happy to see more Palestinian military in the streets enforcing the state of emergency. The PA has made a good decision here. Since the Palestinian healthcare system has been crippled by Israel’s military occupation, it cannot handle a large number of infected people. [In all of Palestine, there are 295 ventilators and 375 ICU beds.]
It is good that the quarantine and business closures seem to be working. Air pollution has also dropped since there are no cars on the road. I have also noticed that with all the business closings, people are repairing their properties, doing spring cleaning, plowing their fields, and planting trees and flowers. (Last week we planted thirty-eight fruit and almond trees at Wi’am.) The closure and quarantine are like a sabbatical.
Coronavirus is a pandemic that crosses the state borders of Israel and Palestine and affects Jews, Muslims and Christians alike... The new name of the game is inclusivity and equality.
The Seraj Aida Refugee Camp Library is located in Bethlehem.
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This virus proves that we are all one, equally threatened by Coronavirus.
We must live together in peace, working together for everyone’s well-being—Israeli and Palestinian—Jews, Muslims and Christians
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Volunteering at the Mar Elias Educational Institutions
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by Ted and Jane Settle
On February 2, 2020, we returned as volunteers for the sixth time to the Mar Elias Educational Institutions in I’billin, Israel. We plan the dates of our flights around the length of time that tourists are permitted to stay in Israel, 90 days. Accordingly, our flight home was scheduled for May 1
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, not knowing that the Coronavirus would be upon us and require us to change the date for our return home.
We come at this time of the year to help prepare the high school seniors for the oral part of the state English exam, the Bagrut Exam. This year for the first time, the students do not meet in person with an inspector. Instead, the exam is conducted through a computer program. Students have 30 minutes to complete the oral exam. There are three parts to the oral exam: in the first part of the exam, the students are given the option of selecting between two topics about which they are to answer questions (there are about 30 different topics in all); in the second part, they are asked questions about a research project they have written, either alone, or with other students. The final part is new this year. The students have to watch a minute-long video. The video has no speaking, but each video has a problem/dilemma the actor or actors face and have to resolve. The students are asked to identify the problem and the solution given in the video. They are also asked if they agree with the solution, if so, why? If not, why not?
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Rev. Laurie Lyter Bright
she/her/hers
Executive Director, Pilgrims of Ibillin
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