Thursday November 28, 2013 Open house at ATTA Resort Center in Ramallah

Nora Kort, behind Blaine, invited us to the inauguration ceremony of a senior care facility in Ramallah. Nora is a people person with a lot of energy.  It seems that everyone knows and loves Nora.

Clayton, in the back, used to volunteer for Nora.  He is now a theology student at Oxford. He returned to Jerusalem for a week to interview the brotherhood at the Greek Patriarch at Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Greek Orthodox Church does not have a heirarchy like the Roman Catholic Church with a pope over everyone. There are several groups that meet periodically to coordinate, but one group does not have authority over the other groups.

We met four volunteers with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). They are in Israel / Palestine for 3 months, then rotate out with others who come for another 3 months. They monitor human rights violations. Some days, they are up at 3:00 am. They monitor checkpoints, they record how long people have to wait at check points, they monitor if Palestinians are harassed, etc. If they learn a village is scheduled for demolition, they go to the village to try to stop it. They were leaving to interview a Palestinian family whose house was burned by Israelis from a nearby settlement as retaliation for the death of a soldier in the North, completely unrelated to this family.

They give their findings to the UN, they use social media to publish human rights violations, they try to get newspapers back home to publish the stories (with minimal success), and they speak at least 10 times when they return home about their experiences. There were 4 people on this team - from Norway, England, Brazil, and Canada. The objective is to educate the world about human rights violations.

Tuesday November 26 Visit Bedouin Village with Sidreh in Negev

We visited a Bedouin village in Negev with Khadra. She took us to visit a woman in another Bedouin village to show us the results of her program for Bedouin women.

 The women speak Arabic, but they don't speak Hebrew. They can't read or write either language. When they go to a doctor for medical care or to the store, they cannot communicate in Hebrew and they cannot read in Arabic. Her organization, Sidreh, hires 2 teachers to educate Bedouin women. One teaches Hebrew and one teaches Arabic. It empowers the women and improves their self esteem.

Women in the first village study each language for 4 hours a week.  It is not enough, but the organization can't afford to pay a teacher for more time. They have been studying since August. They meet in a building without any utilities.  The government will subsidize teaching if the building meets code, including utilities.  It is a catch 22 because without the aid, they can't afford to upgrade the building to get the government aid.

The woman in the second village completed two years in the program.  She was able to manage her daily life in a Hebrew-speaking society, and she also testified before the Knesset in Hebrew after going through Sidreh's program.

We asked the teacher what she wishes she had for her classroom. She wanted a larger white board so she doesn't have to erase so often, and more dry erase markers. When we asked to take pictures, some declined, some accepted but covered up more, and others were comfortable with a picture.

Khadra and Linda with the woman in the second village. She agreed to a picture, but only after she covered up.  She was not covered during our visit - just for the picture.

Monday November 25, 2013 Teaching at Silwan Elementary School

Linda, Erin, Jan, Joann, and Joanna teach periodically at Silwan Elementary School.  Blaine is the teachers' aide. We are there for a half hour each time. The children enjoy having us there. I think they appreciate the different experience and the positive individual feedback we give.

 We asked the Jerusalem Center if students could help at Silwan. We were turned down because Silwan is too dangerous. Silwan is in East Jerusalem, and Israelis have built housing in the neighborhood. There is tension between the Palestinians and Israelis that could suddenly erupt into violence.  The Israelis would like to have the land in Silwan to excavate as part of the old City of David. The administration was ok with volunteer couples and professors' spouses going there as long as no one felt pressure to go. 

Linda is in her element - in charge of the classroom, interacting with the students. Jihan, at the back of the classroom, directs the English program in the school. 

This class has 35 students in a small room.  Often students have to climb over desks and chairs to get out.

Linda and Erin prepare the lesson plans.  We have been teaching 2nd graders for a few weeks, but Erin taught a 3rd grade class today.



Sunday November 24, 2013 Exploring Cassel and hiking at Safta

We went hiking in the morning in Safta in the Judean Hills.  It is near Ein Karem where we hiked a few weeks ago. On the way, we stopped at Cassel. Cassel was a Palestinian village that overlooked the pass to Jerusalem and became a battleground between the Palestinians and Israelis in the 1948 war. 

 

At the site of the Mufti's house looking toward Tel Aviv where Israeli convoys traveled to take supplies to Jerusalem. The Mufti was the community religious and civic leader in a Palestinian community. This site had a clear view of convoys coming from Jerusalem, so it was a strategic point in the war.

Looking toward Jerusalem at the Mufti's house, which is now an Israeli memorial.

 Map of the Safta hiking trails.  Each color marks a different trail or section of a trail.  Rocks along the trail are painted with the color on the map so we can verify we are on the right path.

We hiked down for about 25 minutes, and then turned around and hiked back up to the car.

Saturday November 23, 2013 Auditorium at the Jerusalem Center

We had district conference today. Elder Callister, a member of the presidency of the Seventy, was the visiting authority. He was accompanied by Elder McMillan, executive secretary to the Presiding Bishopric, and Elder Katcher, area Seventy who lives in Abu Dabi. Elder Katchers' daughter, Amelia, was Anne Marie's roommate at BYU.

 

There was a question / answer meeting for the students in the evening. The first question was how to balance dating, studying, working, etc.  Elder Callister said dating is most important, and then everything else. After the meeting, Jan played the organ in a mostly empty auditorium overlooking Jerusalem at night.

Friday November 22, 2013 Hygiene Kit assembly and Kearl dinner

The students assembled hygiene kits in the garage. The previous record was about 390 boxes. This group assembled 603 boxes today! 

Carolee Childs showed us how to cut plastic bags into strips that can be woven into purses. She does this in Africa to help empower women. After the African women make the purses, the organization buys them for $10 and then sells them in the US for $10.

Jim Kearl was visiting the Jerusalem Center on business for BYU.  He took the volunteer couples to dinner in the evening to thank us for our service. We ate on the top floor of the Legacy Hotel. The restaurant had delicious food and a great view of the Jerusalem Center.

Wednesday November 20, 2013 Christian Quarter field trip

Student field trip to the Christian Quarter of the Old City.   

Many visitors etched their names in this door and other spots in Our Saviour Church.

 Some believe this was etched by Orson Hyde when he dedicated the land of Palestine.

Picture of Mary and Jesus is in the Syriac church. They believe Luke painted this picture of Mary firsthand.

Ossuary in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Bodies of the deceased were put in these openings until only the bones remained.

In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, this is the spot where the earth began as well as the Garden of Eden.

Courtyard in Church of the Redeemer. This church is very near Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Archaeologists excavated under Church of the Redeemer and believe they found the city wall dating to Herod's time which would prove Church of the Holy Sepulchre was outside the city walls in Jesus' time.  This supports the claim that Jesus was crucified there.  The New Testament says the crucifixion was outside the city walls.  Church of the Redeemer and Church of the Holy Sepulchre are inside the current city walls.

 Views of the Old City from the tower at Church of the Redeemer. The pictures include Dome of the Rock and the gray domes of Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Queen Helena believed Jesus was crucified and buried on the site of Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Tuesday November 19, 2013 Outreach visit to Beita-Nablus and Ramallah

We went to Beita near Nablus and to Ramallah with Ghadra of ATTA services to see the distribution of school and hygiene kits. Both places are in the West Bank where we are not allowed to drive.  ATTA picked us up from the Jerusalem Center in their van.  Ghadra is a program coordinator for ATTA and gave her perspective in the comments below.

There are Israeli settlements at several places along the road to Nablus. The road we traveled is a good road because it is used by Israelis to reach their settlements.  The roads to Palestinian towns and villages are generally not as good. The Israelis put money into infrastructure for their benefit but not for Palestinians.

Most Israeli settlers are from the United States. The Israelis post guards while a new settlement is built.  A settlement refers to an Israeli town which is built in what is considered Palestinian territory. Palestinians object to the settlements and the confiscation of the land, but no one listens, including the media.

We passed through the Zaatrah checkpoint. It is in Palestinian territory and was one of the first Israeli checkpoints. It is in Palestinian territory because there are Israeli settlements in the area. There is sometimes a long wait to get through the checkpoint, which adds to the Palestinians' frustration.

Ghadra used to work in the Palestinian Authority government.  There is a lot of corruption in the Palestinian Authority - people clocking in but not staying to work, for example. The Palestinian government officials are the 2nd highest paid in the world.

 On the way to Nablus, we passed an upscale Palestinian town. Ghadra said the homes belong to very wealthy Palestinians from the United States and are used as second homes.

We visited with Beita Women Development Society. The president of the Society, Basim, is on Linda's right and Ghadra is on Linda's left.

Thirty-two women work in food preparation and distribution.  Two or three are paid staff and the rest are volunteers.  The pay is about $200 per month. Volunteers are the success of the society. 

The women prepare and serve food to 10 elderly people in the village.

The women also sell food to raise money for the organization. 

Palestinians are very giving.  Linda accepted a bottle of olive oil they made.   A Bethlehem University project provided a machine to sterilize bottles for olive oil.

The main building has offices, a large work room, and pre-school classrooms.  The women feel it is best to send their young children to pre-school because the mothers are illiterate.

The smaller building has a kitchen and was funded locally. One of the ATTA's best projects was to furnish the kitchen and supply a washing machine so they can wash clothes for the elderly. Traditionally, communities are embarrassed of the elderly and hide them from the public.

The women packaged edible shell peanuts in the workroom of the main building. ATTA will support an organization for 2 years. The organization must be self-supporting after 2 years.

Beita is a very conservative Muslim community. When the society started, women would not allow pictures. Now they are very open.  Some even shook my hand, which is taboo for practicing Muslim women.  This project reminded us of a LDS Relief Society meeting. 

The peanut shell burst in my mouth and tasted like I was eating peanut butter.

The women like to get together even if they are not working on a project.

They gave us an ornament, 2 figurines, 2 bottles of pickled olives, 2 large pitas, and edible shell peanuts. The gifts belong to the Jerusalem Center since we represent the Center.

One of the women was weaving a basket.  I put my hand on her shoulder at one point, without remembering she wouldn't want a man to touch her.  Ghadra said the women in the society have become very open - a few years ago it would not have been possible for me to touch her shoulder. I left my hand on her shoulder for a long time and it didn't phase her.

"Let's see, is this how you do it?"

We gave each of the women a hygiene kit. There are about 62 women who volunteer for the organization in an area of 12,000 people. Other projects include digging wells, raising chickens, selling eggs, establishing home gardens, raising bees, selling honey. They ask the wealthy to help with the support of the elderly.

We gave each of the pre-schoolers a school kit.  Will a pre-schooler really use a school kit, we wondered?   There are 4 classes for 82 children ages 4 - 6.

These are pre-schoolers, but the teachers in the public schools are on strike over pay. The children attend 2 periods and then are sent home. Mothers and fathers are illiterate and even though the mothers don't work, they send their children to this pre-school to learn.

They insisted we have lunch with them. It was delicious.Unfortunately, they have had to install security cameras. There is a lot of poverty which has led to theft.

We stopped in Ramallah to visit 4 elderly people ATTA helps.  We gave each one a hygiene kit. Their living conditions are very bad. They were very happy to see Ghadra - we could tell she cared about them.

Hashim is a geriatric nurse and Manal is a social worker for ATTA.

Linda gave a hygiene kit to the wife who is bedridden...

... and Blaine gave a hygiene kit to the husband.  He is the second husband.  The children are well off and are willing to take their mother into their home but they are unwilling to care for her husband.

There is no door to their home.  They live in the room upstairs.  The kitchen is straight ahead.

The last visit was with a 105 year old woman. She was still sharp and lives independently.

We passed through the checkpoint and left the West Bank.  The separation wall is on the right.  This was a major road connecting Ramallah and Jerusalem before the separation wall was built. Now the wall runs down the center of the highway dividing it into Israeli and Palestinian sides.