Tuesday 22 December 2009

Christmas in Tiberias

Tiberias is one of the lowest places on earth. Coming from Nazareth, there is a sign proclaiming ‘Sea level’, after which the road rather dramatically plunges down about 650ft to the lakeshore. It means that it is often hot and muggy. Last Wednesday was an incredibly clear day, however, and Mount Hermon appeared so visibly to the North, covered with snow. It was so wonderful to look at – an early Christmas present. Certainly to be savoured, as the next few days were horribly dreich – cold, grey and wet!

Tiberias is, of course, a Jewish town, so you have to look very hard for any sign of Christmas (unlike Nazareth, where there are Christmas parades).The Scots Hotel is, however, rather tastefully decorated for Christmas, as are the church and manse – Joanna my elder came with a bootful of holly, ivy and pine-cones. At the church we began our Christmas services with Lessons and Carols on Sunday evening – interesting, as half the congregation were Jewish! On Christmas Eve, we’ll have a carol service, and it will be interesting to see who turns up to that. After it (or after the mulled wine at the end) we’ll join our friends at St Peter’s Fransciscan Church for a meal. There is a new priest who is very keen on ecumenical links. There will be a communion service on Christmas morning.

Christmas is about God’s commitment to humankind, and I continue to be touched by people’s commitment to justice issues. Yesterday I visited Sindyanna, a fair-trade organisation run from Cana in Galilee by a remarkable Jewish woman, Hadas, which seeks to empower the women from the local Arab villages. They market soap from Nablus, as well as local herbs and olive oil. They are also just about to open a visitors’ centre nearby, where women are involved in the most marvellous basketry, talk about their experiences and offer a ‘Palestinian’ lunch. A good place for tours!

Wishing everyone a peaceful and joyful Christmas and a blessed 2010.

Friday 11 December 2009

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish festival, celebrated in the middle of December, celebrating how the Temple light was miraculously kept alight, even though the oil had run out (from Macabees). In practice, most Israelis would light a candle each evening on the menorah for 8 days.

At my Hebrew class, we had to learn two songs about Hanukkah, and I was also invited to a Hanukkah party in the church. The school which meets above the Church is for the children of messianic believers (Jews who accept Jesus as the Messiah), so they held their party which included acting out a version of the story, and of course there was special food at the end. Most are part of the Peniel Fellowship which has 450 members.

Interestingly,many would not celebrate Christmas, and those who do, might not necessarily celebrate it in December, but in October!

HIV and Aids

I wear an Aids red ribbon on both my jackets, and it is amazing how many people here stop me and ask what it represents. It makes me aware of the difference between Israel and Africa. In Africa, the ribbon was everywhere and easily recognisable, and everyone was affected by Aids. In Israel/ Palestine it seems that it has a far lower profile.

In early December, just after World Aids Day, I travelled to Shafa Amr, arguably the 2nd biggest Arab town in Israel (after Nazareth), to visit the Galilee Society, whose HIV and Aids work is supported by the Church of Scotland’s HIV/AIDS Project.

The Galilee Society is actually one of the longest established NGO in the Arab community, and I was amazed and impressed to discover a modern building with superb facilities, including several labs and a staff of over 40. The Society has several different wings, including research (into wastewater, for example), environmental concerns and data processing. Their HIV and Aids project is part of the health justice wing, run by Mohammed Khatib. There is no hospital in Shafa Amr, so most patients prefer to go to the hospitals in Nazareth, which are run by the churches (like the Edinburgh Medical Mission Society hospital), though the government hospitals in Haifa are also very good. One problem is that many of the medical pamphlets are written only in Hebrew, and many of the Palestinian women especially do not necessarily read Hebrew, so miss out on advice.

The HIV pamphlets are all in Arabic. Numbers in the Palestinian community who are infected are relatively small - only 10 new cases in the last year - but that doesn’t mean to say that we can relax. Mohammed and his team go out, for example, to schools to raise awareness and try to train young people as peer educators. They recognise that young people in the Palestinian community are more open than ever before to outside (particularly Western) influences and thus more open to infection. They also continue to meet resistance, as the stigma of being HIV+ is still great in Israel.

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Travels in the West Bank

Route 6 takes on a familiar hue when you have been up and down it a few times. It was obvious on the map which road we were supposed to take, but actually finding it was a different matter. Maybe a symbol of how difficult it is to access the West Bank from Israel because of the ‘Wall’. The ‘wall’ is sometimes a fence, and sometimes a wall, but always excludes. Before the wall was erected, thousands of people from the West Bank were able to go into Israel every day for employment, but with the wall, numbers have been cut to a tiny dribble, and always with the uncertainty of whether your work permit will be removed. It was ironic that we were making this journey at the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.


We were making for Jayous, where the Church of Scotland Guild is supporting a crèche, which allows mothers the opportunity to have time to work whilst their children are cared for. Jayous is termed a village, but was far bigger than I imagined. After visiting the crèche, we experienced Palestinian hospitality with a wonderful lunch.

After lunch, we were taken down near the checkpoint which is the only way through the ‘wall’ for inhabitants of Jayous, so they can have access to their some of their fields and olive groves. An Israeli jeep was heard approaching (people develop a keen sense of hearing), so we had to retreat back to the village. There is a group of EAPPI (Ecumenical Accompaniement Programme in Palestine and Israel)volunteers at Jayous. This is a World Council of Churches scheme, whereby volunteers from all over the world (the four we met were from South Africa, Sweden, England and Norway) spend 3 months, accompanying people to the checkpoint and observing, helping to minimise any abuses. The EAPPI volunteers are also a symbol of the World Church standing with the Palestinian people. We sat down with the volunteers for a cup of tea, but almost immediately there was the sound of Israeli jeeps roaring through the town - and then a shot is fired... I think it was just into the air, but it destroys the peace.

It is difficult for me to explain what I have seen to my Jewish friends in Tiberias. Some refuse point blank to go into any conversation about politics, because they know it will prove divisive. Others struggle to justify, saying that the wall has stopped the suicide bombings, which had created such fear among the Israeli population. However, for the people of Jayous, they were unanimous over lunch that they looked forward to a day when everyone would live together peacefully in one state (but who would have the power?). ‘And the lion will lie down with the lamb...’ ?

The name Nablus conjured up to me pictures of the Intifada, and it was with some trepidation that I set off to join friends from Jerusalem, especially as we would drive in cars with Israeli number plate. My fears proved groundless, as it seemed the easiest thing in the world to get there. Interestingly, there were two Israeli women standing at the checkpoint into the city, monitoring any possible abuses – it was good to see. We joined Sheena Boyle from Prestwick, who is involved with a charity, Children of Amal, which seeks to use music therapy with the children in the refugee camps, who are often traumatised by curfews or by the security forces blowing up houses in search of militants.
We were in Balata Refugee camp, which has 30,000 people living in it and is in fact one of the most densely populated places on the planet. The children took it in turns to play the various musical instruments and also to conduct. Then at one point some music was played (In fact, it was ‘Out of Africa’) and the children had to let their imagination run riot. This has apparently led in the past to quite harrowing accounts, but on this occasion they seemed to imagine trips to far away, beautiful countries which. in its own way, was quite sad.

The following day I had been invited out in the evening for a Shabbat meal by Lavi, who works at the hotel and who lives with his wife in a caravan by the lake. It was quite a bohemian setting and a thrill to listen to 5 young Israelis talk and put the world to right. I felt enormously privileged to be part of the gathering. Yet, such a different world from Balata camp.

Friday 13 November 2009

Incense, icons and co-operation

The Sunday service in Tiberias is an evening one, so it allows me the opportunity to worship in other churches in the morning. Last week I went along with a friend, Margaret, to her Greek Orthodox church of St George in Sakhnin, a large Arab town, 45 minutes drive from Tiberias. Sakhnin is famous in Israel for its football team, who are the only Arab team in the Israeli premier league (There is a massive stadium, built with money from Qatar rather than Israeli government cash).

The orthodox service is very different from your run-of-the-mill Scottish service. Like in many churches I was used to in Africa, the women sat in a different part of the church from the men. Every space on the walls was covered with icons, and there was wonderful chanting throughout. To me, there was a real sense of the presence of God. The wonderful thing was that all generations were present at worship, with the young especially participating in the processions, etc. A strong sense of identity, I imagine.


After the service was over, the priest, Abuna Saleh Khouri, invited us to his home for lunch (the man sitting next to me had also invited me – people are very hospitable). The priesthood of the Orthodox church in Sakhnin is a family affair, with Abuna Saleh the 6th generation of his family to be priest there. He had been a teacher before his father retired. Interestingly, Abuna Saleh’s son, Fadi, was there, leading the choir, and I wondered if he would also one day be the priest? He has just returned from a 3 year course in Pennsylvania and is an optometrist in Tiberias, travelling from Sakhnin each day.

Sakhnin is a predominately Moslem town, with less than 2000 Christians (Orthodox and Catholic) out of a population of 27,000. However, there seems to be a sense of togetherness, which isn’t always the case in the villages of Galilee, with Moslems contributing towards the massive new church the Orthodox are building, while the Christians bought flowers and organised a feast for those coming out of the mosque at the end of Ramadan. They seem to take a pride in working together, and the priest is shown the same respect as the imam from the mosque.

After lunch, we went back into the church, where the Sunday School was on – not so many children, as families are still involved in the olive harvest, but maybe about 20.

Monday 2 November 2009

Encounters with some saints

Almost a month has now passed since I arrived in Tiberias, though in many ways it seems far, far longer. A good sign, as I feel very much settled here. What’s more the unbearably hot weather which has been characteristic of my stay here so far has ended, and the heavens have opened with rain. Not just that, but the wind has been strong, rattling the windows and banging doors all night! The last few years has seen the level of the Sea of Galilee fall drastically, as there has not been much rain, so people are really excited, as a several inches have been added on over the weekend. Maron the reservation manager at the hotel, has linked the weather to my coming, but I think he is just being kind.

I am gradually getting into a routine, with my Ulpan lessons a priority – Ulpan is my Hebrew class, and it is going really well, though with just too much homework. I do try to practise, but inevitably people answer back in English! I always try to be at the hotel, chatting to guests and staff. At the moment I find that I need the staff more than they need me, just to help me feel more rooted here, but saying that, I like the staff immensely and find them incredibly welcoming.

I also spend some time at the office down at the church, which is situated on the road down to the waterfront. I like to keep the church door open, and it is amazing how many people look in. Some are locals who are just curious, but many come in specifically because it is a church. One was a young woman, fashionably dressed, who entered the church and fell prostrate in front of the cross, and stayed in this position for several minutes. Later she told me that she was Russian living in Tel Aviv (one million Russians have emigrated to Israel in recent years: many are Jewish, but some are Christian with a Jewish connection in the family). She was married with a baby, and she said she missed church so much!


Last Sunday, immediately after the service, a young Palestinian couple walked in and sat in a pew. They had been living in Chicago for the last few years, but have now decided to move back to Israel. She was obviously pregnant, and they asked for prayers. Again, a couple of days ago, it was a Japanese girl, working on a kibbutz, who came in. Her boyfriend is Jewish (and from a very religious family) and she needed to talk to him about her faith, because she is a Christian. She was delighted to find a church. Just a few examples, but in these and many other cases, they seemed ‘holy moments’, somehow charged with God’s presence.

It is a different kind of ministry here, in that I talk with so many people, whom I will never see again. Yet to me, there have been many memorable encounters, and I pray that I will somehow be used!

Happily I had my largest congregation to date yesterday (1st Nov), with 40 there. Again, because I left the church door open on the Sunday afternoon, and a few Dutch people came in, found out that there would be a service, so phoned their friends to come (which accounted for just over half the number). It did through me into a panic, as I had to rush to get more bread for communion (it was a bit like Loaves and Fishes, especially with the wine) and print more orders of service. We also need to invest in more hymnbooks! Still, a nice position to be in.

Thursday 29 October 2009

Wee photo gallery








The Scottish flag flying over Galilee. A view over the Scottie garden. The small turret is part of the Ottoman city walls - I would love to turn it into a small chapel, but we'll see!




The view from my balcony, looking over the southern part of the Sea of Galilee to the Golan.
Tiberias is not the most attractive of towns,but has an earthiness which is appealing.

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Shabbat

The Shabbat (Sabbath) is the Jewish holy day, and starts from dusk on the Friday till dusk on the Saturday. Shops shut, and traffic grinds to a halt. Often it is the day that families join together for a special meal, so I felt really privileged to be invited to join in a Shabbat meal last Friday. I was invited by Joanna, who is originally from Bristol and my sole full member (!) at St. Andrew’s Galilee. She is married to Lenny, who is originally from Newton Mearns in Scotland, and they live on a kibbutz on the Golan, some 40 minutes away from Tiberias, up a road full of hair-pin bends. They had also invited Mary and Paul, an American couple from the Mid-West living in Tiberias and active in the small Catholic Church.

The meal was like any other meal, I suppose, except at the beginning Lenny put on his kippah (skull-cap) and said a prayer over the bread and then another over wine, which we then ate and drank. Only then, did the meal begin with some liver pate, then chicken soup, etc. I found it deeply moving to be part of such a tradition and, of course, reflected on communion.


Last week, I caught the bus to Jerusalem, where I joined my colleague, George Shand (Minister at St Andrew’s Jerusalem), to attend a meeting of the Lutheran clergy, one of our strong partners, for a Bible Study. Towards the end, the Lutheran Bishop in his pastoral role advised us all to be conscious of how we moved and what we said in Jerusalem. I had been aware that Jerusalem was far more tense than Galilee. The Goldstone report had been published on War crimes in the recent Gaza conflict, and there had considerable disappointment among Palestinians over what they saw as the seemingly soft approach of Mahmoud Abbas (Palestinian President) concerning it. As many Palestinians gathered for Friday prayers at the mosque, there seemed some likelihood of the tensions spilling over into violence, but fortunately the imam had cooled the temperature.

We travelled an hour west of Jerusalem to Lod, once the predominately Arab city of Lydda. Now it is a mixed city, with Israeli Jews in the majority. Many Arabs had to flee their homes in the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe). Here we visited an Anglican school called St George’s (St George was supposed to have come from Lydda or was martyred in Lydda.). The headteacher is Christian, but 99% of the pupils are Moslem, but that doesn’t seem to bother anyone. The human side of people of different faiths living together! I was impressed by their obvious desire to learn, as well as the warmth of their welcome.

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Religious holidays, driving in Tiberias and learning the language

This week the Jewish community is celebrating the Feast of Sukkot (or Tabernacles), which lasts for roughly a week. It is a traditional holiday time, so Tiberias is full of holiday makers, mostly religious Jews, who like to come to Tiberias as one of the 4 ‘Holy’ cities in Judaism. Sukkot is a time for families to build booths in their gardens, where they will eat and even sleep. It commemorates the time the Israelites wandered in the Wilderness, and so needed to travel light and with structures that were easily dismantled and put up again in another location. For a Christian, I feel it speaks to us about how we clutter our lives with unnecessary possessions, habits, etc and need to learn to ‘travel light’.

I have now begun to drive. After having a pick-up in Africa, I find the Peugeot here both lower and lighter. I am getting used to both the automatic transmission and also driving on the right. Israelis also have a bad name for aggressive driving, but after 7 years of Lusaka driving, I am used to anything.

I have also found a good supermarket, though Israelis seem to do their week’s shopping in one go, so have their trolleys piled up, which is frustrating if you only have a few things. Most of the packaging is in Hebrew, so it is often a lottery whether you choose the right thing. Certainly, I bought what looked like a butter spread, only to find it was something else completely. Anyway, that should be remedied in the near future, as I start my language lessons at the Ulpan. With so many immigrants, everyone learns the language together, so everything is in Hebrew. You either sink or swim! As Tiberias is a predominately Jewish town (and with my background in Biblical Hebrew), I felt it might be easier to learn Hebrew first, and try to pick up Arabic as I go on (although the alphabets are different, the two languages are related). It is vitally important, not least to converse with the staff.

Friday 9 October 2009

Shalom from Tiberias

I am now one-week old in Tiberias, but needless to say, it seems far, far longer! It is SO good to be here, and I have been welcomed so warmly, especially by the staff at the hotel (I am desperately trying to learn names, and am not doing too badly). Already I feel very much at home. Talking of home, the manse is a double storey flat, a 15 minute walk up the hill from the church and hotel (or a 10 minute down!). It is a lovely spacious flat with views over the Lake (Sea of Galilee), so it is good to sit out on the little balcony. THOUGH, we are below sea level, so the temperatures can be quite high. Fortunately there are air-conditioners in the flat – how did I last 15 years in Zambia without them.

The first few days I ate at the hotel – marvellous food, but just too tempting. However, I realised I that I needed to eat at home, so I am trying to remember how to cook. In Zambia, Stephen cooked dinner for me every day, so I have become lazy.

Sunday was my first service. It is held at 6 o’clock in the evening, as Sunday is a working day here. Officially there is only one member, Joanna (I will double the membership!), but often we are joined by visitors to Tiberias. On Sunday, we had eight! Two Dutch visitors (both of whom had marvellous voices and who also knew the hymns), while the rest were all local. The church is situated close to the front, so people are always walking past. Some look in, take a snap and go; others look and stay, which is super. Certainly I was delighted with the way the service went – very informal, with a special atmosphere.

Tiberias has been packed with holiday-makers this week – not necessarily pilgrim groups, but local Israelis. Mostly religious with lots of the Orthodox Jews in their black clothes and prayer shawls. And lots of children! The reason is that it is the Feast of Sukkot, which lasts for just over a week. This is the time when many Jewish families build booths in their gardens – made out of reed-mats, branches, anything which is available. It commemorates how the Israelites wandered in the Wilderness and had to dismantle their homes and put them up again. So they had of necessity to travel light. Lots of good symbolism there for Christians, but also it hit home on a personal level, as I have been giving away various bits and pieces in order to travel light to get out here. Also, regarding Sukkot, the booths have ceilings made of twigs, which means they allow the light in through the cracks (and also the rain!). So, according to my source, God’s love shines unexpectedly on us.

Too much to take in and too much to say!

Tuesday 29 September 2009

Tiberias, here I come!

The bags are more or less packed, but there is always something I have missed which I somehow have to squeeze in. Yesterday I even resorted to buying a bigger suitcase to give me more space (just hope that at 06.30 in the morning, the check-in person will not be awake to just how overweight my case is!). I have of course been in this situation so many times before, but I always seem to end up wearing 2 layers of clothes, whilst my fellow passengers travel wearing T-Shirts!

It really shouldn’t be like this, as the manse at Tiberias is apparently pretty well furnished, with plenty of furniture, bed linen, plates, glasses, etc. It is a far cry from Zambia, where ‘furnished accommodation’ in my first two ‘stations’ meant a steel bed frame and a couple of metal chairs with one piece of foam each to sit on. No wardrobe, so I would just hang my clothes on nails on the wall! No problems like that in Tiberias. In fact, the manse has a walk-in, re-enforced cupboard (a dressing-room, in fact), which doubles as my bomb shelter in case of emergency.

Over the last few weeks I have managed to meet up with a number of people with Tiberias or Israel/Palestine connections, which has been so valuable. Thus, I am filled with a tremendous sense of excitement and anticipation, as I enter this new phase of my life/ ministry, but also almost overwhelmed by the responsibility of it all. It will, of course, be good to return to a place where I was a volunteer 27 (!) years ago, but of course the place has changed and I have changed in the intervening years, whilst the issues of Israel/Palestine seem to have become even more complicated. However, I relish the challenge of being part of the church’s ministry in that troubled but fascinating area.

Your prayers, as always, will be much appreciated!