Abu Ghosh

Today there are roughly 1.3 million Arab Israelis in Israel. They represent approximately 20% of the population. About 82% of them are Muslim and the remaining 18% is divided almost equally between Christians and Druze. They are living in a state which makes attempts to be both Jewish and Democratic, leading to some interesting conundrums.

On Saturday I went on a Field Study to Abu Ghosh, the only Arab village allowed to remain along the Jerusalem Corridor during the war of 1948. There we met with their Head of Education, Issa Jaber who told us some of the history of the town and offered some insight about how it was to live as a Muslim in a Jewish state.

We met him at our first stop of the day: the Church of Notre Dame de l’Arche d’Alliance. The church was built over the remains of a Byzantine church - ceramic tile work is still visible in many places. The current church was built in 1917 and commemorates the house of Abinadab in Kiriath-jearim where the Ark of the Covenant stayed for 20 years, until David brought it to Jerusalem. (See 1 Samuel 7 and 2 Samuel 6). The church even has a picture of David playing "the organ" before the ark.

The church is visible for miles around, along with the statue that sits atop it: Mary, holding Jesus, standing on the Ark, facing towards Jerusalem.

The Christian population in Abu Ghosh is basically non-existent. The church is kept up by a few nuns who live there and run a guest house, but no services are held in the church. It does see use, however, twice a year when the town has its semiannual Classical Music Festival.

Our second stop was also a church and monastery. This church, the Church of the Resurrection, dates back to the crusader period, for the most part. It was built on top of a fort of some sort constructed by the 10th Roman Legion. It commemorates the New Testament site of Emmaus. The tradition connecting this place to Emmaus is quite late, as far as traditions go, and therefore seems rather unlikely to have settled upon the correct location, theologically appealing though it may be. At any rate, the church has some lovely, newly restored, crusader-era frescoes and wonderful acoustics.

After this second church Issa took us to his house where his wife had spent all morning preparing an amazing lunch for us. Throughout our time with him he told us about various issues affecting him and his community. Education is a huge issue for him, as the head of education in Abu Ghosh. Biblical studies are required in the curriculum prescribed by the state, as well as Jewish history and literature. Islamic studies are not required, nor is space alloted for Islamic History and Literature, which is clearly something of an issue for the Islamic community. It would be like America being required to teach Chinese history and literature - instead of American history and literature.

We also learned about various other pars of life - marriage traditions and the importance of coffee. (Note: never serve coffee until nearly the end of the visit, make sure to use sugar, and if you are offered coffee, drink it!)

Over all, it was a refreshing visit. Abu Ghosh has a very unique history in Israel. It's a nice contrast to Jerusalem where religious tensions always run high, especially in this recent news. Issa reflects the general desire there for peace among the three major religions of the country as a chairman of ICCI.

After we left Issa and Abu Ghosh we stopped at Castel (pronounced kast-el...like it looks, but coming from the same word as castle). Castel was a site of great importance in April of 1948 as the Jews fought to gain access to Jerusalem. It also has great grass.

On top we took some time to discuss the events of April 1948, the taking and re-taking of Castel which allowed the road to Jerusalem to be held for 11 days. We then looked around at the view. For a geography geek like me it was a great view.

It was a good day. Quite informative. Lots to think about. And, of course, as on any good field study, there were flowers:

Little Town of Bethlehem

For many Christians a mention of the "little town of Bethlehem" will bring to mind nostalgic images of manger scenes, shepherds, starry nights, and, ironically, maybe even snow.

Mention Bethlehem here in Israel and very different images come to mind. Refugee camps, razor wire, concrete walls, and checkpoints are among the first things that come up. Especially the wall.

Tonight I went to the "world permier" showing of the movie Little Town of Bethlehem by EMG films. The movie follows three men, a Palestinian Christian, a Palestinian Muslim, and an Israeli Jew, as they talk about the conflict in Bethlehem (where the two Palestinians live) and their pursuit of a non-violent solution. It is aimed at a more American audience, but because it takes place here and was filmed here, the world premier of the movie is here. It was interesting to hear the Israelis and Palestinians who attended the showing comment on it afterwards. It was an interesting film, and they had some very valid comments, both supporting and criticizing the film.

While I don't want to spend lots of time talking about the issues presented by the movie and the comments afterward, I do want to encourage other Christians to not forget the modern Bethlehem as they celebrate events in the ancient Bethlehem this Christmas season. Remember our brothers and sister (there is even now a large Christian population there) who have lived under oppression their whole lives. I don't want to make a statement about whether Israel is right or wrong in its actions towards the Palestinians, but the fact is that life is not easy for them. Remember them and pray for them as some start to try to stem the tide of violence and as they yearn for peace.

A recurring thought

As I live here in Israel, hear stories, and talk to people, the desire and need for peace in this conflicted region is clear. However, daily it also becomes clearer that peace is complex. As I talk to my flat-mates, I find their words reflecting my thoughts: there will never be peace...apart from Christ. Only in Christ will Israelis and Palestinians both be able to let go of their victim-hood and their demands long enough to truly live at peace.

There is work being done and progress being made by organizations working to reconcile believers from both sides. One such organization is Musalaha. Here's an encouraging article I read on it, too. It's good to know that the whole Christian community hasn't forgotten about "us" here.

...and the winner is....

Yesterday was election day in Israel. Which means that by today, most of the results should be tallied and we should have a pretty accurate idea of who will be the new prime minister, right? Well, maybe not.

Before I elaborate any further, I wish to make it known that I make no claim to any great knowledge of Israeli politics. However, a couple people have asked, so I will attempt to explain the little that I've learned in the last couple weeks. (If you have any further questions, you're on your own, but maybe this will help you know where to start looking.)

First of all, when you vote in Israel, you don't vote for a person. You vote for a party. There were somewhere around 30 different political parties vying for votes in this most recent election. While the main ones would probably seem fairly "normal" to us (right, left, stances on the economy, and Gaza being sort of main points of discussion) they range to the utterly bizarre (Holocaust survivors in favor of legalizing marijuana). Each party gets a certain number of seats in the Knesset (120 seats total), depending on what percentage of the vote they get. To get any seats, they have to get at least 2% of the vote. Other than that, if your party gets, say, 20% of the popular vote (which could be enough for that party to "win" the election), then you get 24 of the seats (or possibly more-to make up for the parties getting 1% and no seats), to be filled with the top members of the party. No one party ever wins a majority. The prime minister usually (or maybe always thus far) comes from the party that received the largest percent of the popular vote. He or she then has to form a coalition government. (Obviously, if only 20 percent of the legislative branch agrees with the prime minister, not much will get done. So they make deals and apparently "recruit" other parties to agree with them. They need at least 61 seats in the Knesset to form a coalition government. When the coalition falls apart, they hold new elections.)

This time the two main parties in the running were Likud, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, and
Kadima, headed by Tzipi Livni. The Likud party had been leading in the polls, with an ever decreasing margin over the last couple weeks. As of yesterday, however, it appears that Kadima actually won a slightly larger percentage of the popular vote, giving them one more seat. (Though apparently this won't be totally certain for another week or two). Does this mean that Livni will be Prime Minister? Well, maybe.

The thing is, first of all, it's a very narrow win. That gives them less bargaining power with the other parties. Second, Livni already tried and failed to form a coalition government this fall after Ehud Olmert stepped down. There are various other reasons too, but suffice it to say that Netanyahu still has a shot at being Prime Minister.

Whether this is good or bad, and what all this will mean for Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, well, only time will tell for sure. I'm sure analysts are attempting to predict what might happen, but I will not.

Fortunately, as I was reminded in our own elections, our hope is not built on who our president or prime minister is. Our hope is in the God who created the universe and who is still in control of it. Our hope is in the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. Our citizenship isn't really here - it's in Heaven. So as you pray for America, please pray for Israel too. And then remember to trust the God who establishes and removes rulers.

Samaria - Joseph's Inheritance

This impression report is rather long. I apologize. I will try to add some pictures to help break up the monotony, though. If things decide to work better than they have been. Bear with me. :) I might have to post first and come back and add pictures tomorrow.

Samaria Field Study (Ephraim and Manasseh)
September 28, 2008

These days are so full; when I come to write it down it is difficult to clearly and cohesively organize all the random swirling thoughts in my head. Perhaps I should start journaling as we ride along.

I would have to say that today was one of my favorite days in the field so far. I must admit that part of my enjoyment probably stemmed from the break in the unrelenting heat – I really enjoyed the clouds and wind and even a couple rain drops. The rest of my enjoyment, though, was based in two areas. The first is the land itself. Of all the areas we’ve been in, I think that this area of Ephraim and Manasseh is one of the most beautiful. It’s not majestically beautiful with high mountains and sweeping vistas, nor is it exotically beautiful with tropical plants and flowers. Actually, it was rather rocky with brown, prickly plants. Some plants were green, though, and in spite of the drought, there were still little yellow and purple flowers that bloomed on the rough hillsides. Then there was the fresh scent of the wind. It reminded me a little bit of eastern Montana – beautiful in a lonely, deserted sort of way. Of course, that area is anything but deserted. It is contested territory to this day.
My dad may want land in the Judean Wilderness:

But if I were to choose a place to live, the hills of Ephraim and Manasseh would be higher on my list:


The second thing that made today enjoyable might sound a bit odd, but it was the emotional response I had to some of the stories and places. I will explain that further as I go along.

The first major stop of the day was at Elan Moreh, a Jewish settlement overlooking Shechem. It was a high point and we were able to see various towns (Tirzah, Sychar, and Shechem, surrounded by the Mountains Ebal and Gerizim)


and routes/valleys (Michmethah Valley, Wadi Beidah, Wadi Faria, Salim Valley, and the Shechem Route) through the region of Samaria. It is clearly a much more open area than the Judean hills, or even the Benjamin plateau. It makes sense that many would try to rule a kingdom from this region. It also has good soil and better water than most of the region ‘down south.’ Lots of advantages, and yet for some reason, its position in history was usurped by Benjamin and Judah and Jerusalem. I wonder if the failure of the Northern tribes to follow God (as compared to the rare but occasional success of the Southern tribes) is due in part to the land. Life in the north would almost certainly be easier. In the south agriculture is more difficult, trade is more difficult, and the desert is ready to gobble up the fertile land. Perhaps this difficulty in life made the southern tribes more dependent on God by necessity whereas the northern tribes found it too easy to trust in the richness of their inheritance.

One of the unique opportunities at Elan Moreh was Phineas (I think that would be his equivalent name in English, it was pronounced more like “Pinkus”). He was the guy who allowed us onto the settlement and who then showed us around. He mostly told us what we were looking at (for the views) and gave a little bit of the Jewish history in the region (or at least his version of history…I’m sure there are many who would disagree). He did not talk very much about his own ideology or the ideology of the settlement to the group, but a few people asked him questions about that so we were able to hear a little. It was interesting. And rather tragic. I’ve always had sympathy for the Jewish point of view, but I’ve been trying to see all points of view and remain mostly neutral for now. The thing is, Jews and Arabs are not all that different in many ways. They both value the land, and have somewhat similar reasons why it should belong to them. Perhaps one side is more right than the other. Perhaps not. I really feel that I know too little to be saying anything, but my impression is that both sides have this attitude: “The land is our and ours alone. We should not have to share with anyone. Our claim takes precedence. Our rights are the only ones that count – you are not even human and therefore don’t matter.” It reminds me of 3 year olds trying to hog all the cookies. There are enough cookies for each child to get one or two, but each child is trying to take all of them and will not be satisfied with only one or two. I suppose this is true of most interracial conflicts. There is room for everyone to live and there is really no reason for segregation - only the human propensity to hate anyone who is different from you. It’s tragic.

From there we went to Mt. Gerizim and listened as Brad proclaimed the blessings from Deuteronomy 28.
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”
This almost made me cry. God promised the people of this land so much, and they failed so bitterly. We were overlooking modern day Nabulus with the attached refugee camp. We heard the blessings of peace and prosperity promised on this hill over 3000 years ago, only to see the reality of conflict and poverty (at least for some people). How badly the fulfillment of those promises is needed! Also, what a warning it should be to us as Christians: the grafted in olive branch is easily cut off again. May God use us to bring His truth and peace to this region.

On Mt. Gerizim we also talked to the High Priest of the Samaritans and saw where they sacrifice the sheep every year for Passover. He told us that the five tenets of their faith are (as I understood them):
1. There is one God
2. Moses was the prophet of God
3. Mt. Gerizim is the holy place (it is where Israelites built their first alter after entering the land, its where the Temple of Moses stood and where the temple will be rebuilt, and it is where Abraham brought Isaac for the sacrifice)
4. The five books of Moses (the Torah) are true
5. In the last days another prophet like Moses will come
There are only about 700 Samaritans around today. Their story is also rather tragic, in many ways. They are so close to the truth, and yet so far.

The last stop of the evening was at Shiloh: the location of the Tabernacle and the cultural center of Israel following the conquest. I really liked that area. It may be considered the remote interior of Ephraim, but perhaps that’s why I liked it. We talked about the Philistine capture of the ark and the evidence that they then came and destroyed Shiloh. Later Jeremiah uses the example of Shiloh to warn Jerusalem that they too will be destroyed if they don’t repent. Yet another tragedy: they don’t listen.

To sum up the lessons from today: it is absolutely vital to obey God and to teach the next generation to fear and obey God. The land of Ephraim and Manasseh, both past and present, gives numerous examples of what happens when God is pushed aside, forgotten, or even used selfishly. We must take Him on His terms, not ours. Only in Him is there hope for Shalom.