We met up with our Islaem teacher, Adnan Musallam, who lives in Bethlehem. We heard a presentation from the ARIJ Appiled Research Center about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and how it is specifically affecting Bethlehem. Israelis are building more and more settlements in the West Bank, making it smaller and harder for Palestinians to live in that area. Every time I hear a lecture or presentation about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, I understand more and more about it.
We saw direct affects of the conflict later when we visited Bethlehem University, where Adnan teaches. We watched a presentation about the univeristy. In it, it showed one of the students whose home was destroyed again because it was on controvercial land. This student came home one day to his house demolished and ended up loosing his math book because of it. He had a test the next day. The students at Bethlehem U not only have to worry about school but about the many checkpoints on the way to school each day and their teachers have to be understanding when things like loosing your text book because your house was demolished, happen.
We had a discussion session with three of their students. It was supposed to be four but one of the girls got held up too long and the check points and wasn't able to make it in time. All of the students are Palestinian and many of them don't live by the University, so it takes many of them an hour and a half just to get to school each day because they have to go through so many checkpoints. It was eye opening to hear about the things that they deal with, just to get to school.
In 2002, Israeli soldiers occupied the campus and school came to a hault. We saw damage done to the school by an Israeli Anit-tank missle that went through their library during this time. It was mind boggling to hear how people my age were dealing with these situations. I was talking with one of the students afterward and he said that it's really frustrating sometimes to go through the checkpoints because depeding on the mood of the guards (which are in their twenties) you might get through smoothly or you might not. They never know.
It was defenitely an informative morning and broadened my perspective about many things. In a dinner conversation later on, a group of us were discussing the conflict and the settlements being built in the West Bank and about the two state solution. The views we were exposed to at Bethlehem University were very biased to the Palestinian side, of course, so we can't base opinions on just a few more things that we've heard. The only thing that was concluded from our conversation was that the more someone learns about this conflict, the more they know that they can't choose a side. The roots just run so deep for both peoples and it really is an issue that will take so much so resolve, if it ever is resolved.
The highlight of the day came when we visited the Church of the Nativity. On our way to Bethlehem that morning, we sang Christmas hymns on the bus which got me even more excited to visit the actual place of Christ's birth and now we were actually there.
Like every significant spot in the Holy Land, a church has been built over it. It was a beatiful chapel and at the head of it, steps lead to the cave underneath, where Christ was born and where his manger laid.
Shrines had been built around both of these spots and pictures of the baby Jesus with Mary hung around the room. I hadn't realized that it really was a deep cave that he was born in. The grotto (cave) has the manger where he was born and is encased by white marble, the site of his birth is marked by a 14 point star.
After viewing these two sites, we moved into a room, which at first I thought had very little significance. We had a devotional in this room led by Brother Brown. After singing a few Christmas hymns, he discussed with us what this room was. It was the place where Jerome, a priest who arrived in Bethlehem from Rome in 386 AD secluded himsefl to study and translate the Bible from Hebrew to Latin. This became the official version of the Old Testament for the Catholic church for the next 1500 years and known as the Vulgate. Brother Brown expressed his gratitude for this man, who dedicated his life to the study of the bible and because of him, so many have the bible and can study the life of Christ. He studied in that room, just to be closer to Christ's birthplace, and be closer to Christ. Brother Brown also let us know that he had been there with general authorities who felt that this was in fact the place of Christ's birth or very near to it. (You can't always believe what is said to be the spot where something happened, traditions sometimes change over time)
The spirit was felt as we sang Christmas hymns of Christ's birth and reflected on the important events that had taken place there so many years before. I loved the spirit we felt in Bethlehem. It was mind boggling to think that we were actually there, in the place where an event foretold of for generations and where the life of the single most important person who ever walked on this earth, began.
Statue of Jerome, the man responsible for translating what is now known as the Vulgate bible from Hebrew in Latin.
The graffitti on the Palestinian side of the separation wall, a complete contrast to the Israeli side. "To Exist is to Resist" is written in the middle.
Anne, me and Karyn in front of the Church of the Nativity.
My favorite Mosaic that I've seen in the Holy Land of Jerome, and people who helped him while he transalted the bible.
Stained glass portraying Jerome being visited by an angel, letting him know of his calling in the gospel.
The place of Christ's birth.
The manger where he laid, covered in white marble.
Me, Sidney, and Ashley sitting by where the manger was.
Evidence of the Israeli missle attack in 2002, in the library of Bethlehem Univeristy.
A herd of sheep in the streets of Bethlehem.
Howdy-Doodly-Do!!!
ReplyDeleteRachel, bo-Bachel, me-my-mo-Machel, Banana fo-Fachel (don't try that song with names like Chuck). How are you doing?! Holy cow! So, Ben just barely showed me how to use this whole blog thing. I've never really understood the whole concept very well, but now I feel dumb because it's incredibly simple, no? Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I miss you (truthfully, I do), and I'm also kind of jealous of you after looking at all of these sweet pictures. I hope you're having the time of your life. Don't worry about replying or anything like that; I understand that you're probably really occupied with everything going on around you... just wanted to check in. I think I'll become a faithful follower of your blog from here on out, now that I'm familiar with the ways of the blogosphere. And may I say that I'm anxiously waiting to hear about your mission call. My guess is Spain, just because it's so awesome there, but the chances are getting slimmer and slimmer for the Madrid mission because they're reducing the number of missionaries there by half. My second guess is the Philippines, just because it seems like a pretty safe bet these days. Anyway, have an awesome day.
-Jackson T. Brown