Wednesday, May 2 ~ Jeanne Hoek

Walking down Star Street, the street where Joseph and Mary traveled looking for a place to stay, is not what I imagined it would be. It was bustling with cars, people and shopkeepers wanting you to buy, buy, buy.

After hearing about the difficult life people in Bethlehem have under occupation; checkpoints, home raids by the IDF, not being able to travel, It was good to see how they make the best of life.

Our next stop was the Church of the Nativity, visiting both the Catholic section and the Orthodox section; both very beautiful in their own way. Could not help thinking about why the need for two separate churches when people from many different churches come to visit.

Rami Elhanan, Joan Deming, Usama Nicola, George Sa’adeh

We ended the evening meeting with Rami Elhanan and George Saadeh from the Parents’ Circle/Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families for Peace — a group of 600 from Jewish and Palestinian families that have all experienced a death of a loved one due to violence.

Rami, an Israeli Jew, noted that George, a Palestinian, is his friend and the closest person to him on the earth since they share the same pain, the loss of a child by violence. Rami’s daughter was killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber and George’s daughter was killed by IDF soldiers.

Out of these tragedies they both learned to forgive, and joined this group that not only supports one another but works to break the cycle of violence and hatred that is present.

They do this by telling their stories in many groups including schools. They stressed the importance of communication amongst people and wished they could live together.

The things that struck me were 1) Rami said that it was not until after the death of his child, he was 46, that he realized Palestinians were human beings exactly like him; 2) children In schools where they go to speak often times have not seen a Jew and a Palestinian together; 3) Many Palestinians and Jews call them traitors for working together; 4) Although George is occasionally able to get a permit to go to Israel, Rami must always sneak into Palestine where he would be arrested if caught (because it is against the law for Israeli citizens to enter West Bank cities).

For more on the Parents’ Circle:  visit their website at http://theparentscircle.org/en/pcff-home-page-en/, and the American Friends of Parents’ Circle Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/ParentsCircleFamiliesForum/.

After meeting with them and other groups this week it seems to me that the wall must come down for reconciliation to take place. Hatred will only go away when people can know each other and have empathy for each other. How is this possible now with the occupation?

Jesus created many races and in his village I know he wants love and acceptance, just as he loves us.