Dear All our friends at Pilgrims of Ibillin,

From MEEI we send you this message unlike other messages in the past. We feel emotionally a great need to share with you some of our reality without entering into details or siding with anyone against the other, since we attached a vital importance for our togetherness.

We are surviving physically and we are deeply wounded emotionally and spiritually.

Indeed we don’t understand the diabolic game that is unfolding in our beautiful country. That country which was chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ, for his incarnation.

It’s no secret to anyone that there is a satanic game and a competition between different parties who is capable of inflicting more victims on the other side, and meanwhile we shed tears for every child of God, be he a Jew or Palestinian, who falls down victim of this war which is most unjust. We believe that all wars are unjust, and they are rooted in evil inclination of the leaders of nations who believe that might is right, and whatever they wish, they can have it with their might regardless of their right.

….

Yours Sincerely,

Abuna Elias Chacour, Archbishop Emeritus of Galilee

Gratitude for your generosity!

Renovations are underway at Mar Elias to bring all the Safe Rooms up to code. The new requirements dictate that there must be a Safe Room within 12 seconds of each classroom — thus new rooms needed to be added on every floor of every school at Mar Elias.

Work continues and with your generous donations, we will be able to send Mar Elias the needed funds to complete the work.

We met our matching goal - to date we have raised $90,000 of our $130,00 goal!

Of this $90,000, $5,000 was raised during our Giving Tuesday campaign to supply new doors to the Nursery at Mar Elias — THANK YOU!!!

If you wish to help us get to the ‘finish line’ we welcome your gift here.

Let's get ALL the students back in the classroom!!

New Window for the Safe Rooms

A donor was moved by this paragraph in the October Pilgrims’ Post:

“We have a lot of difficulties,

some of our children have no devices

for the on-line, and some families have

only one device which cannot be used for two or three children at the same time.

We are stuck amid a very critical situation. We hope this will end soon.”

— Khader Saba, Director Hope School

The donor reached out to inquire about the possibility of raising funds to purchase laptops and tablets so that the students could continue their education even if they are not able to attend in person due to the road to Hope School being blocked by the occupying military, and families too poor to purchase the necessary devices for remote learning.

With our green light, she set out and informed friends and community members, many of whom responded generously and in total, her efforts raised $4,300 which is the equivalent of 30 tablets for the students.

We are grateful for Shirley’s initiative and desire to help in a concrete manner to support students who dream of a better tomorrow.

It’s not too late to join!

Dates: 5 Wednesday nights,

from Nov. 29 - Dec. 27

         Time: 7:30-9 pm ET / 4:30-6pm PT

         Where: on Zoom

Kelley Nicondeha’s book The First Advent in Palestine invites readers to examine the advent narratives of Matthew and Luke from the perspective of the original Palestinian context of resistance, abusive rulers, and an oppressive empire, while at the same time, learning stories and hearing the voices of today’s Palestinians in their current context of occupation. Into both contexts God is incarnate. 

For this upcoming advent, the Rev. Loren McGrail, pastor of Holmdel Community UCC and former Global Ministries mission co-worker in Israel and Palestine, and Pilgrims of Ibillin Board member, Rev. Gail Doering, are offering a five-session online book study of The First Advent in Palestine.

“From the tumultuous days of empires past to the present uprisings and military actions, the land of Advent still throbs with intense pain.” — Kelley Nikondeha

To register, email Loren McGrail at Pastorloren3@gmail.com.

To read an excerpt of the book and watch an interview with the author, go here.

Extending Early Bird Deadline to January 15 - from Dec 15

While it's hard to imagine being able to return to the Holy Land at this moment, we are still aiming to bring a group to the Holy Land in April 2024.

With so many uncertainties about the future, we are shifting the

Early Bird Deadline to January 15.

If you register for the upcoming Study Tour by January 15, 2024 you will receive a $500 discount off the price of $3,500 — or a total of $3,000 for what is guaranteed to be a life-transforming trip!

If the circumstances are such that we have to cancel this Study Tour, we will refund your payments in full, with no penalty whatsoever.

Providing that the ability to travel safely to Israel and Palestine resumes, we will return.

If you are curious, enjoy learning about culture, history,

politics, human and environmental rights, and

want to meet and engage with the people who have dedicated

their lives to a better world - this trip is for you!

April 7 - 19, 2024

Submit your deposit before January 15, 2024

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!

We have shipped over 850 copies of Father Chacour's story as captured in his book, We Belong to the Land.

I have heard from many that the reading and discussion groups with Father Chacour's book has opened hearts and minds in your community, church and family. During this very challenging time, it's been instructive in helping readers make sense out of the unfolding violence in Israel and Palestine.

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity while we still have copies available for you for the cost of postage. Approximately 300 copies remain -- don't miss out -- request your copies today!

Go to this web page: pilgrimsofibillin.org/we-belong/ and complete the form to request your copies of We Belong to the Land.

The form only allows you to select 10 copies, but if you wish to receive more than that, please let us know how many in the comment field.

We are grateful for a donation from Middle East Books in Washington DC of nearly 1,200 copies of Father Elias Chacour’s influential book, We Belong to the Land.

Pilgrims of Ibillin has been blessed with the talent, creativity, and passion of a graphic designer who volunteered with us for many years — Mary Sue Alexander. We are profoundly grateful for her years of service and commitment to the mission of Pilgrims of Ibillin.

The time has come for Mary Sue to step away in pursuit of other of life’s offerings. 

We are therefore seeking graphic design support and assistance. Perhaps you are looking for a way to plug in and support our work to foster a just peace for all in Palestine and Israel through education? And promoting Archbishop Chacour’s vision of building peace on the desktops of students?

Please reply to this email if you have graphic design skills and experience with InDesign, Photoshop, Constant Contact, Wordpress, or other sorts of design skills and would like to help out — I’d love to have a conversation with you to learn more about your skills, interests, availability, and all that! Thank you so much for considering!

Your donations support the ongoing work of

Pilgrims' Peace Partners in fostering a just peace

through education in Israel and Palestine.



Thank you.