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Messages from partners International Center at Bethlehem
Intercultural Conference in Bethlehem April 2, 2007 Dear friends, Salaam from Bethlehem. Our 4th Bethlehem intercultural conference has been scheduled for the period August 26-Sept 1, 2007. A group of about 100 people from different countries will come together to discuss the topic of “God’s Reign & People’s Rule: Religious Communities, Political Entities & Civil Societies in Palestine.” At a time when sectarian identities are gaining ground and becoming more vocal, leading several countries to war, many choose to ignore the issue of "religious identities versus national ideologies” and see it as being too controversial. Yet at this time of local and regional turmoil we believe that Christians are not spectators but actors, and that their reflection is crucial for determining the identity of the region. The conference will give us the chance to look into different contexts, both regional (Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt) and international, in order to facilitate a new discussion that is crucial for the future of our region and our world. Registration forms, tentative programs and details are available online; we would like to encourage you to visit our website: www.annadwa.org We hope to see you this year in Bethlehem. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb General Director: The International Center of Bethlehem Senior Pastor: Evang. Lutheran Christmas Church Paul VI. Str. 109 Bethlehem 2006 Christmas Message from Bethlehem Dear Sisters and Brothers: Salaam from the little town of Bethlehem. Our Christmas message this year will not focus on the Separation Wall or the struggle for political control between Fateh and Hamas. Rather, we would like to invite you to visit the people living behind the Wall as they prepare for Christmas. We invite you to watch a short clip produced by the students of Dar al-Kalima College; to listen to a short Arabic Christmas hymn performed by our Bethlehem Star choir; to enjoy a few snapshots featuring our program for the elderly “Ajyal”; to get introduced to some of our artisans as they produce a Christmas banner; to enjoy the work of one of our art teachers exhibiting his oil paintings for Christmas. It was around this time that the Divine opened a window for humanity to see and know Him through the child of Bethlehem. This is why we open this window to invite you to see the people of Bethlehem, our beneficiaries, as they celebrate the coming of Christ to their town. www.annadwa.org We wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a blessed 2007. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb The Staff of the International Center of Bethlehem, Dar al-Kalima College and the Health & Wellness Center
2006 Easter Message from Bethlehem April 12, 2006 Dear Friends, Salaam and Easter Greetings from Bethlehem! “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” The people approaching our Center often have similar questions as the one asked in Mark 16:3. Who will help us to tear down the Wall?; who can roll away the 40 year old Occupation?; who will open the doors of the little town of Bethlehem so that pilgrims and visitors are welcomed amongst us? But once they cross the gate into our Center, they encounter a different message: “He is not here, he has risen”. They experience a place bursting with life, in contrast to its context that is still dominated by the forces of death. They see signs of hope and grace in the midst of desolation and despair. They foretaste the promise of lives transformed and resurrected. Our ministry is simply a ministry of resurrection. Because He lives, we can have life, and have it abundantly. Thank you for being partners in this vital ministry. Christ has risen. He has risen indeed. We’d like to take this opportunity to update you on some of our ministries in Bethlehem:
Visit the new website www.mitriraheb.org Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb General Director: The International Center of Bethlehem & Dar al-Kalima Academy Senior Pastor: Evang. Lutheran Christmas Church Paul VI. Str. 109 Bethlehem Tel. +972 2 277 0047 Fax. +972 2 277 0048 Dec. 1, 2005 Dear friends, As the eyes of the world focus once again on Bethlehem as the Advent season begins, we encourage our brothers and sisters worldwide, as they meditate on Christ's birth here 2000 years ago, to be mindful of what is going on in Bethlehem today. The psalm for the first Sunday in Advent is Psalm 24, which proclaims, "Gates, lift up your heads; open wide, eternal doors, here is the King of Glory!" The mention of gates and eternal doors strikes us in Bethlehem as a chilling reminder of the events of the past few weeks. As the psalmist calls us to open wide the gates and doors to welcome Christ, our King, the Israeli Government has shut the gates and doors to our town and opened what they call a "terminal." This terminal is an early Christmas present to Bethlehem that seeks to keep locals in and foreigners out, with the inconvenience of waiting for entire busloads of visitors to be processed one-by-one and the intimidation from armed soldiers patrolling the queues from an elevated walkway. Yet despite this latest insult to human rights and peaceful coexistence, over 120 friends and professionals from 23 countries came to Bethlehem in the beginning of November to build bridges and discuss together how two peoples with multiple identities can share this one land. If you cannot come to Bethlehem this season, we invite you to visit our website to read these stories and more, so you may get a sense of the hopes and fears which suffuse life in Bethlehem today. Many thanks for your ongoing prayers and support. We are praying for you, too. Sincerely,
The staff of the International Center of
Bethlehem August 21, 2005 At a time when the focus of the world attention is on Gaza, we invite you to visit our websites featuring:
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb General Director - The International Center of Bethlehem Dar al-Kalima Academy Senior Pastor - The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church
Paul VI. St. 109 Bethlehem Tel: +972 2 276 4696 Fax: +972 2 277 0048 _________________ March 8, 2005 Dear friends, Salaam from Bethlehem. We would like to share with you some of our coming highlights as well as some reflections and news. We invite you to visit our websites, www.annadwa.org and www.bethlehemmedia.net, which were updated on the 8th of March 2005, including the following: Annadwa: DANDANAT- Bethlehem Youth Festival: Palestinian Swedish Cultural Encounter ARK: Global Journeys of Hope for Young People, to take place in Bethlehem, Palestine
Art
Competitions:
dealing with issues concerning Land, Peoples, and Identities
Bright Stars Summer Academy 2005: Preparations are underway to offer the children of Bethlehem unique opportunities Intercultural Conference 2005: Shaping Communities in Times of Crisis: Narratives of Land, Peoples and Identities Installation art project: Advocacy Tool for Youth Concerns: International Center of Bethlehem holds weekly youth Installation Art exhibitions Bethlehem Media Net:
Speaking To Presbyterians About Selective Divestment Lenten Reflection: Seeking an 'acceptable' fast... Holy Land Lutheran Church Changes Name to Reflect Realities Statistical Monitoring of the Socio-Economic Conditions of the Palestinian Society Palestine Hotels Survey, Fourth Quarter
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb
Dec. 24, 2004 Dear Friends, Christmas Greetings from Bethlehem. We would like to invite you to Bethlehem during this Season by stepping into our Home page http://www.annadwa.org that has experienced a new birth and acquired a new look. Please read the latest from the ICB including Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb’s Christmas message “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Office of the Special Coordinator for the Peace Process in the Middle East (INSCO)’s December 2004 study “Cost of Conflict: The Changing Face of Bethlehem”. Also, we would like to remind you that our media website http://www.bethlehemmedia.net has been updated with the latest messages from the Churches and the latest news from Bethlehem. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Joyful and Peaceful New Year. Yours, The General Director and the Staff of the ICB Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb General Director - The International Center of Bethlehem Dar al-Kalima Academy Senior Pastor - The Ev May 26, 2004 Our websites www.annadwa.org and www.bethlehemmedia.net were updated on the 25th of May 2004. Among many other titles in both sites you will read: Latest Book by Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb “Bethlehem Besieged”… Released this week Like The Diary of Anne Frank, Bethlehem Besieged is a riveting story, beginning with the siege of Bethlehem in 2002 and continuing into today’s scene of occupation…. more Bethlehem Lutheran Guest House “Abu Gubran” Re opens and hosts two groups In spite of the extremely low tourism flow into Bethlehem and the whole of the Holy land, the Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church with the International Center of Bethlehem have decided to go ahead with...more Hope Campaign The conflict between Israel and Palestine is a conflict about land. In order to reach a solution of this long-standing conflict that has been going on for many years …more Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb Speaks in Chicago and DC Find out Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb’s trip itinerary in Chicago and Washington DC this June 2004 …more On Rafah The city of Rafah and Rafah’s refugee camp in the Gaza Strip are being ravaged by Israeli occupation forces, creating a massive catastrophe in this already devastated Palestinian refugee camp…more Double standard about deaths in the Middle East Maybe we are too used to death and destruction in the Middle East. Or maybe it is a racist attitude that decides which deaths are more outrageous than the other. In April, for example, more than 61 Palestinians were killed, according to several Palestinian sources including the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Of those deaths, 15 were children… more Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb General Director - The International Center of Bethlehem Dar al-Kalima Academy Senior Pastor - The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church Paul VI. St. 109 Bethlehem Tel: +972 2 276 4696 Fax: +972 2 277 0048
Easter Message from Bethlehem Dear Sisters and Brothers, Salaam from Bethlehem during this Passion Week. In our country, there is seldom a week that passes without losing many Palestinian and Israeli lives. Everywhere you look, you see signs of death controlling our lives. Funerals of young Palestinian people have become an everyday experience. Pictures of assassinated political leaders, posters of suicide bombers and websites with names and pictures of victims of violence are spreading like mushrooms. Liturgies of death are filling the air of the Holy Land. Many Israelis are claiming a monopoly over suffering. And many Palestinians are feeling comfortable in the role of victims. The cries of women over lost loved ones are heard in so many villages and towns. And yet in this very context, the message “He is not here” must be heard loud and clear in this country. Nowhere else the proclamation of resurrection has so much meaning than in this place. Our ministry here is to witness in word and deed the power of the resurrection in a context still dominated by powers of death, violence, occupation, hopelessness and helplessness. This witness is transforming people to find life before death, a life worth living here and now. This ministry is echoed daily by beneficiaries responding through empowered lives: “He is risen indeed”. Thank you for being part of this ministry. We wish you a blessed Easter. For the latest stories, news and updates please visit: www.annadwa.org and at www.bethlehemmedia.net Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb Generral Director - The International Center of Bethlehem Dar al-Kalima Academy Senior Pastor - The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church
Paul VI. St. 109 Bethlehem Tel: +972 2 276 4696 Fax: +972 2 277 0048
February 7, 2004 Dear friends, Salaam from besieged Bethlehem. At a time when tourists are finding it more difficult to visit Palestine, we invite you to pay us an online visit at www.annadwa.org We would like to share with you the latest from our ministry at the International Center of Bethlehem/Dar al-Kalima: 1, Two New Contracts to Expand Two Ministries, by Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb 2. Opening of the Internet Club, by Rana Khoury 3. Lebanese Clotaire K in Ad Dar, by Carol Michel 4. Inger Jonasson: A new Co-worker at ICB 5. Bright Stars Program "Karate Training", by Jeries Abu Ghannam 6. New at al-Kahf Gallery, by Faten Nastas Mitwasi 7. Textures from Palestine: An Online Exhibition by Samia Halabi More friends are now used to check our www.bethlehemmedia.net for human stories from the Holy Land, and many are starting to send us their own point of views to share with a wider public. International journalists visiting our Bethlehem Media Center are continuing to provide the site with their insights and stories. The website which was launched in mid December is now in its sixth edition and you can read there the following articles: 1. Feature: News From the Holy Land, by Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick 2. Feature: Bethlehem Revisited, by Carol Sansour Dabdoub 3. Point of View: Why avoid the truth, by Peter Nagle 4. Point of View: News Media Ignore Israeli Terrorism, by Mazen Qumsiyeh 5. Diary: One Fine Curfew Day, by Dr. Nuha Khoury 6. Diary: Suicide Bombings, by Bob May We would like to thank you for the trust you are putting in all of our ministries. Your support is very important to us. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb Generral Director - The International Center of Bethlehem Dar al-Kalima Academy Senior Pastor - The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church
Paul VI. St. 109 Bethlehem Tel: +972 2 276 4696 Fax: +972 2 277 0048
Dec. 23, 2003 Christmas, Peace and the Wall Dear Friends, Our Christmas message this year might sound a little unusual. For many it might not be too “Christmassy”. Christmas has become the feast of “a sort of peace” that no one really can fully describe. In fact, it is kind of a “cheap peace”, which is something to preach about when one is not well prepared, or a bit of wishful thinking, when one is not ready to do much. Personally, I am bored with all of this talk about peace around Christmas time. Christmas has become a season for “joyful peace talkers,” rather than “blessed peacemakers”. In our Palestinian context, “peace talk” is often a good recipe for managing the conflict rather than resolving it. As the world continues to talk peace, Israel continues to build the wall and while Christians continue singing “O little town of Bethlehem”, Israel makes sure that this town stays as little as possible. As little as 2 square miles, surrounded with walls, fences and trenches with no future expansion possibilities whatsoever. No one understood what peace really is like St. Paul. He himself, a former Jewish leader, a zealot, a persecutor, and a hard liner; he committed himself to making sure that a wall of separation is built and kept between his community and its enemies. He was ready to attack and even terrorize whoever dared to question the importance of this wall for the security of his community. However, this same radical person was radically transformed. He had a unique encounter that made him discover what peace really means, and he described it as “breaking down dividing walls of hostility.” (Ephesians 2, 14) From that moment, the zealot Saul became the passionate apostle Paul. His great discovery was that if God himself in Christ has broken the walls of hostility between the human and the divine, then there is no place for walls between peoples, tribes, cultures and nations. For his conviction, he was ready to pay a heavy price. At a time when a wall of hostility is being built around our little town, we at the ICB commit ourselves anew to breaking down all walls of hatred and hostilities, be it concrete walls or ideological, racial, political, social, and economical ones. From the hometown of Christ we have no other message this year but this of St. Paul: “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us”. We wish you nothing less than to experience this transforming power of Christmas to strengthen you in 2004 in your commitment to breaking down walls, to peacemaking and to bridge building. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb Pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church General Director of the International Center of Bethlehem
For the latest from Bethlehem, please visit the Center’s website: www.annadwa.org And our new media website: www.bethlehemmedia.net
Paul VI. St. 109 Bethlehem Tel: +972 2 276 4696 Fax: +972 2 277 0048
12-15-03 Dear friends, Salaam. It is with great pleasure that we announce to you our new media website, www.bethlehemmedia.net. The ICB launches its newest project here from Bethlehem during this Advent/Christmas season. It was here 2000 years ago, that Christ gave God a face, a flesh and a name. The new website aims at promoting the human face of the Palestinian people and their religious communities. By empowering the Palestinians to tell their stories, this new media ministry strives to be the Voice of the Voiceless. Working with media has become a top priority, since the Palestinian reality is not communicated fully to the outside world. Bias in news coverage exists and is practiced. Recent events confirmed the crucial need to develop and work more on the media coverage of Palestine. There has been some improvement in this regard, but we still have a long way to go. Our new media website is certainly not another hard news site, rather it covers what is not usually covered, namely the personal, human and every day stories. Many Palestinian media websites exist. What make this websites unique are not only the quality feature stories written by Palestinian and International journalists, but also the professional pictures provided, which have a high resolution and are easy to download. Another important feature of the website is that it has a special interest in the fate and ministry of the Palestinian Christian community. The www.bethlehemmedia.net is one of very few sites where you can read good news, at a time when good news elsewhere is considered as no news. Even under occupation and at times of great fear, there are points of light and stories of hope. Therefore, we want to highlight peacemakers, since so much focus is put on troublemakers. An important target group for this website is the many small groups interested in our region and struggle. We hope that they will discover the website to be an address they can visit regularly to look for interesting stories, to look for pictures for their bulletins and to news to shares with friends. We hope that this site will prove to be an important tool for advocacy. Another important target group for this website are smaller international media outlets, who do not have a permanent base here, and individual journalists who come here on their own and need help, facilities and a reliable address. Many journalists from over 40 countries have already used the services of the Center just in the last year. Almost on a daily basis there are journalists calling for interviews or updates from the field. The media center will be a place offering future Palestinian journalists and media persons opportunities for continued growth through hands-on-training. The website is just the first step in a long journey. We are thankful for the Lutheran World Relief through the Lutheran World Federation, who provided the seed money for this site. We would love to hear your comments and feedback of what you find helpful and/or things to be improved. We hope that many of you will become regular visitors of this new site. At a time when many are afraid to visit the Holy Land, now they have this site to visit at least. Please do not hesitate to share this new address with friends, colleagues, and people working in the media around you, because you too can give a Voice to the Voiceless. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb General Director The International Center of Bethlehem 11-22-2003 Dear Friends, Salaam from Bethlehem. Two months have already passed since the official inauguration of our much needed new facilities, Addar Cultural and Conference Center and Dar Al Kalima Health and Wellness Center, during which a lot occurred, both on the political level as well as the cultural and health levels. Today we are sharing with you stories and perspectives in an effort to shed a light on what has been developing, including:
We invite you to visit our website www.annadwa.org Blessings Sept. 22, 2003 This September was a month we regarded with mixed feelings. On the one hand it was a month of great celebrations because of the openings of our new ad-Dar Cultural and Conference Center and Dar al-Kalima Health and Wellness Center; while on the other hand, we had experienced deep worries about an escalating conflict and tensions. We were inaugurating state of the art facilities with an enormous potential for Bethlehem and Palestine; while being haunted by a history of conflict, revenge and apartheid. We were worried that tensions might escalate at any minute and we might be forced to again postpone the opening of our new facilities. It happened to us twice before. We know what it means. It is like sitting on the top of an active volcano, not knowing when it will erupt again. Living in this part of the world taught us to never take life for granted. Every day is a new gift. But it is exactly because of this that we insist on investing in a better future. At a time when a wall of separation and apartheid is being built around Bethlehem we are here investing in people who dare to cross boundaries… At a time when the Holy Land is suffering under the culture of violence we are here to proclaim that the power of culture is what is needed to transform a society and to empower a community… At a time of destruction we invest in beauty… At time of bombing and shelling we set new tunes, play new songs of freedom, justice, reconciliation and compassion… And at time of great tribulations we create room for wellness and space for hope… We appreciated the visit of many friends who came from far and near to be with us, to see the wall of apartheid encircling Bethlehem, but also to celebrate with us these grand openings. For our partners, especially the Ministry of foreign Affairs in Finland and Wheat Ridge Ministries, and for many people here in Bethlehem, these two projects were a great dream come true, in a context where people are getting more and more exposed to nightmares. Yet we are not at our goal: One of the goals set for the coming two years is to work on the Wellness Center Part II, planting half a million plants and roses thus creating the biggest natural park in the Bethlehem region. All this aims for brighter and greener Bethlehem. Our biggest goals remain Justice, Peace and Reconciliation; these are just steps and stations on this road. People here are tired of hearing about a road map leading to no where. These small stations and celebrations give them space to breath on what it seems to be still a very long journey. We invite you to visit our website and to experience for yourself the context, the facilities and ministries: www.annadwa.org Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, General Director The International Center of Bethlehem Dar al-Kalima Academy Senior Pastor, The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church Paul VI. St. 109, Bethlehem Tel: +972 2 276 4696 Fax: +972 2 277 0048
August 8, 2003 At the same time that a wall is being built around Bethlehem by the Israeli Occupation Forces in an attempt to isolate us, we continue to break down walls by reaching out and connecting with the rest of the world to join us in the “House of World Wide Encounter”. This time it was through the music festival “Songs of Freedom” when we invited many international music groups to come to Bethlehem and share with us tunes of liberty, thus defying the siege that is imposed on us. Nevertheless, the reality of occupation could not be escaped as one of the artists, Mr. Marwan Abado, was denied entry at the airport, and therefore could not join us in this celebration. It was also a very exciting moment for the Arts & Crafts Program at ICB as we hosted the Palestinian American artist, Ms. Samia Halabi for an art workshop as well as a lecture. This further enforced the connection between Palestinians in the Diaspora with the local Palestinians here. Ms. Halabi wrote an article describing her experience and time here in Bethlehem. Another highlight of this summer was the Bright Stars: Summer Academy 2003 during the whole month of July. Many children registered, and we reached a record high of 200 children while many others were on the waiting list. We hope to expand the number for next year’s Academy if funding and resources are secured. We like to draw special attention to the countdown for the opening of Ad-Dar Conference Center and Dar al-Kalima Health and Wellness Center which shall take place early next month. If you would like to send a special greeting in regard to the inauguration of both facilities, please address it to Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb at Greetings@annadwa.org. We shall select some of those greetings to be read at the celebrations. Thank you. We invite you to read about our events at our website: www.annadwa.org Following are the Highlights: 1- Summer Academy 2003 (link to a webpage that was designed by the kids themselves). 2- Songs of Freedom Festival: A Photo Gallery of the festival nights. 3- Marwan Abado as “Article of the Month” published in This Week in Palestine. 4- “Where Joy is Possible” By Rev. Sandra Olewine. 5- 1st Bethlehem City Run. 6- “Students and Artists in BeitLahem” By Samia Halaby. 7- On line Exhibition (Painting on Silk By Gabriela Baddour). 8- Ann Hafften Opens Stream of Living Water in the Holy Land Desert. 9- Diaries of Bethlehem By Viola Raheb. 10- Upcoming events. |
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