Fostering a just peace in Israel and Palestine through education | |
Greeting Card Designed and Created by Supporters | |
Message from the Executive Director | |
Dear Friend,
Today is Giving Tuesday - this year our focus is on raising funds to renovate a Safe Room for the Mar Elias Nursery - you’ll see more about this below. We are combining the Giving Tuesday and End of Year campaigns to support this need at MEEI — with a fundraising goal of $65,000 to end the year. Our colleagues at MEEI are most grateful for whatever support you can contribute to this effort!
As we enter the darkest days of the year (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), the darkness occurring on the global stage weighs heavily. I hope you will join me in praying for the light of peace with justice for all to rise out of this darkness and to shine brightly upon all the souls embroiled in the unfolding horror taking way too many precious lives from us.
I hate to be so weighty during what ought to be a joyful time, but the reality is, until we see an end to ruthless slaughter, it’s very difficult to feel otherwise.
May your holidays bring some joy to you and yours,
Essrea Cherin
Executive Director
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Christmas Message from Archbishop Chacour | |
Dear friends,
We are still living in a kind of miracles survival amidst the ongoing brutal war. We are all deeply affected with almost a daily course of rockets and of similar war machines against the neighboring countries. Meanwhile, we are trying our utmost to keep calm, and as much as possible to keep living in peace. We are experiencing the fact of keeping the hope alive and the peace overwhelming. Our students have been at home for two months, while the campus looks like a desert. We learn once more to appreciate the presence of our beloved students.
We start feeling the winds of Christmas. It's our pleasure and honor to wish you a very special celebration of Christmas. We would like to join the angels and urge you to come see the salvation of God, that the angels brought to the Shepherds. This kind of peace counteracts the way of war and overcomes the defiling sound of the rockets.
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Our students are back to school, it is such a joy to see them around. In my name and in the name of all our students as well of our staff and maintenance team, we wish you a real Happy Christmas and we thank you for your friendship and for your assistance through the good care of Pilgrims of Ibillin.
I wish to remind you that the presents of the Shepherds were not less important than the presents of the Magi. The Shepherds were delighted and overwhelmed with the message that they received from heaven: "Be not afraid, today a savior is born for you". This is the message we want to convey to everyone among you, we don't forget the importance and the very much needed gifts of the Magi who came with Frankincense, with Gold and with Myrrh. Although it was not needed by the child, we dare place ourselves in His place, these gifts are also much needed and appreciated as do the gifts help us to survive and we are determined to continue spreading the good news: "Be not afraid, a savior is born for you".
May I end our wishes with a dream that I want to see implemented that all of you would have the opportunity very soon, as soon as the war is ended and the weapons are calmed and peace becomes prevailing, and you dear friends come to visit us and be our distinguished guests. We love to welcome you and invite you to see what we are doing and to share our dream of being "ambassadors for reconciliation" since this is the message of our school, have courage, God is good, he is in control.
Yours with deep friendly relations and daily prayers for all of you,
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Abuna Elias Chacour
Archbishop em. Of Galilee
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Giving Tuesday and End of Year 2024 | |
We have received a request from the Amuta (Governing body) of Mar Elias Educational Institutions to help cover the cost of renovating the Safe Room in the nursery for students aged four months to three years old.
The need is great not only because of tensions on the northern border (thankfully have paused with the recent ceasefire and hopefully the ceasefire will hold even with violations still occuring), but also because without the Safe Room, the children are not allowed to attend in person schooling. Of course parents prefer that their children can go to school and be with their friends and teachers and often choose to place them in local schools that do have the Safe Rooms. Ultimately this reduces enrollment at MEEI with negative long-term impact over time seeing a decrease in attendance.
The Amuta has deemed this the highest priority at the moment at a cost of $65,000. This Giving Tuesday, today, and for our End of Year fundraising campaign, we invite your support to help provide a Safe Room for the MEEI nursery children.
Thank you for your generous support!
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Supporting MEEI in Creative Ways | |
My family (Jordan, Rosa, and Leo) is raising money to donate to MEEI.
My 7 year old son and I came up with a design for a Christmas card (see below), and he, his dad, and I have been printing, coloring, and selling them to family and friends. We will continue to sell them until Christmas, and we will then send all the money we collected to MEEI.
We've also told our church about MEEI and want to spread the word so that many people in our community will continue to pray for peace in the Holy Land, and for the vision and mission of MEEI to thrive.
Click the button below to order your own set of holiday cards - the button will take you to Instagram where you can then send a direct message to Rosa to request a set of cards.
One of the cards:
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Leo and Jordan working on cards | | |
My name is Bader Abu Hagool, and I’m originally from Shefa-‘Amr, a small town in the Lower Galilee. I graduated from the Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI) in 2017, where I majored in physics and chemistry. My twin sister, Rana, and I both attended Mar Elias, sharing many of the same unique experiences. Rana studied in the biotechnology class. Those years at Mar Elias were a time of growth and discovery for both of us. The values of tolerance and respect have truly stayed with us ever since.
I am currently in my final semester as an aerospace engineering student at the Technion Institute of Technology. Throughout my academic journey, the education I received at Mar Elias school has played a significant role in shaping my path.
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Growing up in a diverse community where I had the privilege of learning from Arab and Jewish teachers and studying alongside classmates from various religious and cultural backgrounds, I was fortunate to develop an understanding of the value of respect for others early on. These lessons have stayed with me throughout my time at college.
During my time at MEEI, I also had the incredible opportunity to participate in several exchange programs, traveling to places like Canada, Northern Ireland, and the USA. These experiences — made possible through the connections of Father Elias Chacour and the facilitation of Dr. Emil Halloun — broadened my horizons and reinforced the importance of engaging with different perspectives.
In Canada, I visited Westgate Mennonite Collegiate, where I was introduced to the unique and peaceful Mennonite culture. During my stay, I learned how their values of humility and community service shaped their way of life. The people I met were open and welcoming, and I had the privilege of engaging in discussions about their faith and history. This experience has deeply impacted my understanding of how faith and culture can drive positive change in society, it is something that we aim to achieve at various levels in Galilee.
In Northern Ireland, I stayed in Derry where I encountered a community still grappling with the long history of political and religious division between the British and the Irish. My host family and the local people I met were generous in sharing their personal stories of living through "The Troubles," a period of violent conflict involving the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the British Army, and loyalist groups. I visited key landmarks, including the Peace Bridge and the Derry Walls, which symbolized the ongoing efforts for reconciliation.
Both of these exchange programs left a lasting impression on me. In Canada, I learned how peaceful values can be lived out in a community dedicated to service, while in Northern Ireland, I witnessed the challenges and importance of reconciliation in divided societies. These experiences not only broadened my worldview but also shaped my personality, reinforcing the values of tolerance and above all a true empathy.
I’m excited to see where this journey will take me next.
Thank you for reading.
Bader
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MEEI English teacher Ranin Zedan Jarrous studied at Mar Elias High School and is now in her 14th year of teaching English language and a mother of three.
Ms. Jarrous just published “Blue Shadow,” a poignant exploration of societal expectations, gender roles, navigating complex identities.
Set against a backdrop of violence and oppression, the novel, written in Arabic, follows Yaffa, a woman trapped in a suffocating marriage and a world that seeks to define her. As Yaffa grapples with betrayal, harassment, and the challenges of motherhood, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and rebellion, ultimately defying societal norms and reclaiming her agency.
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Longing for escape, Yaffa dreams of immigrating to the United States and finds solace in a virtual connection with an American man, a connection that offers a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness.
Congratulations to Ms. Jarrous for this exciting milestone!
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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
essrea@pilgrimsofibillin.org
www.pilgrimsofibillin.org
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