Fostering a just peace in Israel and Palestine through education. | |
Executive Director Message | |
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Hello,
We have been very busy with preparing for two pilgrimages this year and pulling materials together to offer you a Book Discussion Group made easy (more details below).
If you are considering joining the May Living Stones Pilgrimage - we have extended the early bird discount until February 15 – instead of a $500 deposit – pay just $400 by the 15th to hold your spot!
This trip is a very special offering with travel instructor Dr. Celene Lillie who is a scholar of New Testament and the early Jesus movement. Dr. Lillie works at the intersections of ancient language and context and contemporary questions of gender, trauma, justice, and community to ask meaningful questions of early Christian texts:
What can the life and death of Jesus tell us about how to live our lives? What does it mean to be vulnerable in a violent world? What does it mean to be in community? How can we live lives in the service of all that brings life rather than that which deals death? Among several articles and co-authored books, she has authored The Rape of Eve: The Transformation of Roman Ideology in Three Early Christian Retellings of Genesis which engages responses of the early Jesus movement to Roman conquest and sexual violence.
Her expertise will contribute to a thought-provoking journey through the Holy Land and we hope you can join us to deepen our connection to the people, places and land. You’ll see more about this further down in this newsletter.
If the timing does not work for you to travel with us in May, perhaps you would like to join us in the fall, Nov 5-15, 2023 – where the focus of this Living Stones Pilgrimage will be connecting meaningfully with what we call the ‘living stones’ of Palestine and Israel – those individuals who have dedicated their lives to a just peace in the Holy Land, where all may thrive regardless of religious or ethnic identity or background.
You’ll hear, and witness, their stories, their struggles, the hurdles that are daily placed before them and how they manage to overcome each and every one with grace and informed by the teachings of Jesus Christ. This is guaranteed to be a trip of a lifetime!
Warmly,
Essrea Cherin
Executive Director
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MEEI 10th grader, Mouneera Yaseen, won the first prize in a bikes competition in Galilee. | |
The 9th graders from the high school took part in a tech program at the University of Haifa and presented algorithms. | |
One of our 11th grade students scored a very high grade in the psychometric exam. The highest score is 800 and what is particularly notable is that he scored a 712 as a JUNIOR! (More common is for seniors to obtain results such as these.) | |
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We are grateful for a donation from Middle East Books in Washington DC of over 1,000 copies of Father Elias Chacour’s influential book, We Belong to the Land.
Nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize, world-renowned Palestinian Archbishop Emeritus, Father Elias Chacour, narrates the gripping story of his life spent working to achieve peace and reconciliation among Israeli Jews, Christians, and Muslims. From the destruction of his boyhood village and his work as a priest in Galilee to his efforts to build school, libraries, and summer camps for children of all religions, this peacemaker’s moving story brings hope to one of the most complex struggles of our time.
Because this book is so impactful, we wish to offer it to you, free of charge, if you wish to host a book discussion group in your community, using this book. We have created a discussion guide and will ship as many books to you as you’d like, we only ask that you cover the cost of postage.
Go to this page: pilgrimsofibillin.org/we-belong/ and complete the form to request your copies of We Belong to the Land.
Please Note: The form only allows you to select 10 copies, but if you wish to receive more than that, please let us know how many you need in the comment field.
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Living Stones Pilgrimages - May and November | |
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Pilgrims of Ibillin
Study Tour
in Palestine and Israel
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A unique tour to listen, learn, and
meet people working for a
just peace in Israel and Palestine
May 16-27, 2023
This learning tour offers the opportunity to dive into political realities on the ground and to hear from people of faith. This is a tour that invites curiosity and deep listening with heart and mind. You will have the opportunity to reflect and contemplate on then and now.
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Travel with Instructor and Early Christian Historian Dr. Celene Lillie, West Bank Guide Usama Nicola, and Pilgrimage Coordinator Brenda Mehos
Dr. Lillie’s expertise, an historian of early Christian history, will be a springboard to not only appreciate the holy sites but also to consider the human condition and human rights issues playing out in this area of the world that a third of humanity calls “the Holy Land.”
Early Bird Discounted rate is $2,900 double occupancy ($200 single room supplement for trip) for 11 nights including hotels, ground transportation, tips, honorariums, and meals with exception of airfare and trip insurance.
Early Bird Deadline Extended to February 15!
Pay your deposit by February 15, 2023 to receive $100 discount off the $500 deposit — or $400 if you register before the early bird deadline.
Cost of Pilgrimage goes up to $3,000 per person as of February 16, 2023.
Complete the form on this page: pilgrimsofibillin.org/pilgrimages/ and let us know in the comments which trip you are considering; we’ll be in touch with more details.
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Fall Pilgrimage
November 5-15, 2023
On this trip we will do a deep dive into education and youth services for the Palestinian community both in Israel and Palestine.
Trip coordinators for the November pilgrimage are Pilgrims of Ibillin Board of Directors member Rev. Gail Doering and Executive Director Essrea Cherin.
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Gail, a member of the Presbyterian clergy, in addition to half a dozen visits to the Holy Land, spent a 3 month sabbatical in Israel, studying the theology of hope and how it is maintained in the face of conflict, oppression, and occupation. Essrea, the co-founder of the Boulder-Nablus Sister City Project, is a conflict resolution professional and has worked in the region for almost 20 years. Both have led groups to the region multiple times. | |
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We will visit entities that are ‘off the beaten track' of many Holy Land tours: heartwarming and inspirational places such as a Bedouin camp and school, Hope Flowers in East Jerusalem, Seraj Libraries and Hope School. We will also visit holy and historical sites of great significance, in addition to time in nature and built in opportunities for contemplation and prayer.
What contributes to a Living Stones Pilgrimage's often most meaningful moments are those chances to connect with the people of the Holy Land — and we will have many of these, to hear their stories and to deepen our understanding of a fraught land.
We invite and welcome you to join us.
When you submit your deposit before July 15 you not only receive a $500 discount off the pilgrimage fee (or a total of $3,000 rather than $3,500), you also hold your spot on what promises to be a trip of a lifetime!
Complete the form on this page: pilgrimsofibillin.org/pilgrimages/ and let us know in the comments which trip you are considering; we’ll be in touch with more details.
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A sample of places and people we will visit on both spring and fall pilgrimages: | |
Jerusalem: Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque, Church of Holy Sepulcher, the Western Wall | Ibillin: Mar Elias Educational Institution and meet with founder Fr. Elias Chacour, author of Blood Brothers | |
Bethlehem: Separation Wall, Walled Off Hotel, and Aida refugee camp | |
Human Rights groups such as Parents Circle in Jerusalem, and Community Peace Keeper team members in Hebron | |
Ride on a boat on the Sea of Galilee and holy sites in the Galilee region | |
Click on "Interested in Joining Us" button and let us know which tour (May or November) you are interested. The pilgrimage coordinator will be in touch with you. | |
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We have created a brief survey that we invite you to complete. Responses to the survey will guide the Pilgrims of Ibillin Board of Directors in discerning future direction in terms of activities we engage in and Peace Partners we support.
Please take a brief minute to complete the survey by going to: bit.ly/POISurvey
Please take a brief minute to complete the survey by going to: bit.ly/POISurvey
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Your donations support the ongoing work of
Pilgrims' Peace Partners in fostering a just peace
through education in Israel and Palestine.
Thank you.
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Essrea Cherin
Executive Director, Pilgrims of Ibillin
(303) 928-0923
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