Lunch With the Kawwa Family & Old Nablus

 
When we arrived at Workcamp Lilian's apartment, her dad, Samer, was hanging out the window to greet us!  Most families have extended family living with them.  No land is available, so the buildings grow taller with the next generation building above.
I knew Lilian was quite a spitfire and was told she took after her father. (Lilian is in pink....her dad standing in front of the door)  Her parents met when they were in university together.  He has been politically active all his life.  He and Sami have been friends for almost a lifetime.  Several stories were rolling around the lunch table.

In the 70s Sami and Samer were arrested together after the six days war.  They along with 46 others were held in a room the size of my kitchen for 17 days.  They were fed the scraps from the plates of the Israeli soldiers.  They slept like sardines on the floor with no gaps between them.  Each morning the soldiers would count them to make sure no one had escaped.  They did this by marching on the chests of the men lying on the floor and counting with each marching step.  When new men would arrive, they had them strip so they could spray them with a de-licing spray....and after the soldiers finished a cigarette, they would put out the hot end on the skin of the prisoners. 
During this meal they told us of the "BINGO" list.  This is a list that the Israeli officials have of local activists.  During any holiday, parade, or celebration, Israeli soldiers would enter homes during the dark of night and take away fathers, sons, uncles, grandfathers....anyone they thought might speak out during the public gatherings.  Lilian's dad was ALWAYS picked up.  If the "BINGO" list was leaked in any way, they formed a calling tree to let people know they were on the list and needed to hide out until the soldiers stopped searching. 
One time the Israelis picked up Father Ibrahim as a young man.  After some exchanges of words, the guard handed Father Ibrahim back his papers.  Little did he know, but he had also handed him the top secret "BINGO" list.  Needless to say, they started calling everyone on the list to let individuals know that the soldiers were coming for them! He still has that list tucked away today...
The meal was delicious....like a giant Philly sandwich with grilled onions and peppers.  Everyone ate this dish with their hands, dipping it into fresh yogurt.  Our conversations at this table were deep and difficult.  Mr. Kawwa has been through so very much.  He reminded me very much of my father, a Vietnam vet that had a soft heart, but life had required him to be tough and hard. 



The oldest barber in Nablus...

Samer and Lilian led us through the streets of Old Nablus.  It was like stepping back in time....Cobblestone streets, venders selling their wares.  He took us to an antique store and showed us all of the old things that he loved.  We bought some of the famous olive oil soaps .  As it grew dark venders still recognized this man and greeted him as we walked along city streets.  I recalled the big
red warning sign we had seen our first night telling us not to enter this area because of danger.  All that we experienced here were warm smiles and tight hugs...

STILL MORE WEDNESDAY :)

 

We left the church and headed up Mount Gerizim, the holy mountain where the Samaritan village is.  Pictures above show Father Ibrahim looking down on Nablus from atop the mountain, and his daughter, Ranim to the right.  The beautiful palace on one of the hills belongs to the wealthiest man of Nablus.  He is responsible for building the new university and hospital in Nablus.  He's an incredibly generous man with a heart for his Palestinian brothers and sisters. 
As we wound our way to the top, we went through a closed checkpoint. Settlers have found there way to this mountain...they are also employed to work at an ancient excavation site.  As we entered the village, there was a museum and the sacrificial area for worship and slaughtering offerings just as they have done for thousands of years.  As of 2012, there were only 751 of this sect of people in the world.  To try to explain their history would take a whole blog unto itself, so I suggest going to the following link from a reporter or using Wikipedia for information. 
We were invited into the home of one of the high officials and made welcome for Allie's visit and interview.  He talked of his linage and family tree traced back to Adam as his son and grandchildren ran in and out of the house.  His wife came in long enough to serve us tea and wrapped sweets.  There are strict laws about touching and eating certain foods. 
I asked about the wire rack above our heads in the living room and his son flipped open his phone to show us a picture.  During Passover, the rack is filled with a large design made of fruit that is share by the family during the holidays.  Although they accept only the first 5 books of the Bible and claim their lineage from the tribe of Levi and the son's of Joseph, they are quick to reprimand if called Jewish. 

 

If you want to learn more about this group here is a link also:
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2009/06/03/visiting-the-samaritans-on-their-holy-west-bank-mountain/



The family graciously allowed us to take photos in the living room.  This was truly a rare opportunity.  We gathered up our things and headed down the mountain to meet some of the workcamp gang to visit the university where they attend school. 

 

The An-Najah National University is right in the center of Nablus.  The old campus has quickly become overcrowded, so a Palestinian philanthropist built a new campus and also a hospital where the medical students also serve internships.  Nidal, Fadi, Ranim and Ameed all attend classes here.  The curriculum is outstanding.  We were taken around to all the buildings by our workcampers and a host guide from the university.  Out of over 20,000 students only just over 50 are Christians.  The university , like the city is predominantly Muslim.  It's beautiful and full of life.  Below are photos of the campus and our tour group....so impressive, and they are so proud of the campus! 



 





WEDNESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

After a good night's sleep in the Nairouz home, we were ready to go!  As I said, the family lives above the church.  Also, Allie was to interview several Palestinians for her thesis.  This first morning she had an appointment downstairs with the imam from the mosque next door.  It is his minerette that wakes us each morning.  The four of us sat in Father Ibrahim's office for about an hour with Allie asking questions about how he became an imam and more importantly the relationship between he and the other religions in town.  (his photos is to the right with Allie  and Father I).  A well educated man, he talked of radicals, education and also of the long standing relationship with the local Christians.  The two men have been friends a long time.  It was very telling and informative. 
Afterward we talked as we wandered around the school yard and playground for the St Philip's school which has both Muslim and Christian children. 
Speaking of the children, after the interview we visited with teachers and a kindergarten class downstairs.  Oh my goodness!!! They sang and danced for us and were so precious!

 

TELLING STORIES

As I begin this series of postings I have thought long and hard how to present our trip to our friends.  Allie and I traveled to Palestine and Israel and were there November 18 - 27.  I am going to try to adopt the thought of Father Ibrahim Nairouz, our host and friend.  He says , "Come and feel and see.  I do not want to persuade you or convince you to think as I do.  Once you see and feel Palestine and Israel, then you can make up your own mind"
In this blog, I will only present the facts that I have seen with my own eyes and heard from first hand accounts.  Once you have read....then it is up to you to decide where you stand on issues of the Middle East.  So.... here we go. 
The photo above is of the predominantly Muslim city of Nablus, Palestine on the West Bank.  It is from here that our Palestinian workcampers have come for the past two years. There are only 700 Christians in the entire city and it's villages.  There are 4 Christian churches...two Anglican, a Catholic and a Greek Orthodox.  Father Ibrahim Nairouz is the priest of St Philip's Episcopal Church in the old city of Nablus and also Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Rafedia.  We were invited to stay in their home. 
Allie is finishing up her Master's degree at Columbia Theological and is writing her thesis on the Palestinian issues.  She interview many people and we both photographed many things.  Allie also took some videos that I will try to display here. 

 We were told when we flew into Tel Aviv not to mention Nablus or any of the Palestinian cities we were going to when we went through security and customs.  Above is a photo of Sami & Rula.  Sami is not permitted to be in the Tel Aviv airport because his paperwork is Arab/Palestinian.  Rula, his wife is an Arab, but was born in the Israel city of Haifa, so her paperwork and license plate have Israeli documentation.  We expected Rula to be picking us up because Sami could be placed under arrest if stopped at the checkpoint or airport. 
Our flight from Paris to Tel Aviv was filled with Hasidic Jews dressed for prayers, a smattering of French tourists and at least one Zionist.  I know that to be true because I sat beside her for four hours on the plane.  No one spoke to each other.  It was a very solemn flight.  Before the plane took off, the lady next to me and I struck up a conversation.  She told me of her "chicken" business and how she traveled to many cities throughout Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.  I felt comfortable saying to her that we were staying most of the time with friends in Nablus.  Her demeanor changed.  She turned to me and asked if they were Palestinian.  I said yes.  She asked me if they knew they were on "God's peoples' land" and immediately I knew I had made a wrong decision to talk with her.  She began to tell me how dangerous it was where I was going, not to go to visit the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem because the Arabs had caused some troubles there in the past few days.  She said to hold tight to Allie's hand because she would go for a "pretty price" in this area where we were with our friends.  She said to not be surprised by the smell in West Bank because Palestinian like to burn things, especially their trash. She asked is she was being too personal, and I said yes.  She offered me cough drops and we didn't speak again until landing.  It was then as she departed the plane she said," Well, you two can be our little spies and maybe our little spies will bring back a good report from the other side of the wall."
Above is a picture of Sami & Rula.  There is no denying he is a tall Arab man that stands out in the crowd.  During our customs questioning we said only that we were visiting Jerusalem and visiting holy sites and Christmas shopping.  As we rounded the corner, the airport was solemn and quiet except  (I do not exaggerate or embellish) for Rula & SAMI jumping up and down and waving a welcome sign made by their children.  They hugged us, scooped us up and said we needed to get out of there quickly, that Sami was there illegally.  It was the beginning of my new appreciation of the word "freedom". 
We left the beautiful architecture and lights of Tel Aviv and drove through the night to Nablus.  As we rounded the dark Harwarwa checkpoint, I was thankful there were no soldiers on duty.  We were told 7 people had died at this checkpoint.  Three of them were pregnant women begging to be allowed to go to a hospital in Israel to give birth.  They were shot by Israeli soldiers. 

This is the sign we were greeted with as we entered Nablus.  As we drove through the night passing a fire alongside the road , burned out cars and the refugee camp, we got closer and closer to the old city and the church.  Above also is a photo of the ever present black water tanks atop all Palestinian homes .  They because a familiar site. and also a way to identify Palestinian homes from occupied homes.  Nablus' water and electricity are regulated by Israeli control.  Our friends in Nablus only get water flowing into their homes twice a week, so everyone runs as much as they can and collects it in the large black containers on their roofs to ration for daily use. 
We turned up the narrow driveway to the school, church and rectory of St Philip's Episcopal with Sami honking the car horn loudly.  Inside the church were about 30 families with about a buffet of about 23 dishes  spread out for a feast and our welcome.  After our long journey, we were finally among loving and hugging friends.  It felt so good....

VETERANS DAY

Today is VETERANS DAY.  My dad was so handsome in his uniform.  When I was young I didn't appreciate just how dark and handsome he was.  He was stationed in Kentucky with the 101st Airborne for a time but mostly I remember him in Vietnam.  He ended up being a crew chief with the Razorbacks  (helicoptors) in Vietnam for two tours.  I wish I had listened more to his stories. 

This time next Monday, Allie and I will be making our way to Dulles International and then on to Tel Aviv and Nablus.  I can't even wrap my brain around all of it!  Two years ago, I would never have entertained the idea that we would be making this trip.  I know it will be a life changing event for me and that's saying a lot at 61 years old!  My biggest anxiety around the trip is leaving John for 10 days.  The older we get, the more challenging it is to be apart.  Ben and Ricky will be staying here at the house and commuting to work in Richmond each day.  I cringe when I think of what we will come home to on NOV 26th.....Al says the bachelor digs will smell like onions!

John continues to venture out into the cold each morning to the golf course.  We are trying to keep up with the falling leaves and haven't closed up the pool yet.  Procrastination!  We plan our evenings around whether VCU is playing basketball on TV or the latest DVD television series that we are watching together. 

Tomorrow I begin visiting houses for WORKCAMP 2014 and that's another thing I find hard to wrap my head around! 

I Will Remain Quiet Until We Return

There are two sides to the olive harvest time in Nablus.  First I'd like to share some photos of our friends spending a fun, family time in an olive orchard.  It can be compared to taking our families up to Shenandoah for apple picking fun. 

 

 

 

The ugly side of harvest time is pictured below and in the links below.  Zionist attack farmers and cut down hundreds of olive trees during this time. 

 

 

http://www.haaretz.com/news/palestinians-settlers-cut-down-200-olive-trees-near-nablus-1.175232

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920808001244

A Little Bit of West Bank Info

Allie and I LOVE Rick Steves and his travel videos.  Here are a couple of takes he did in the West Bank just recently.  This first one is of the food!  YUM!!!  Also, the picture above is of an olive grove near Nablus. 

http://youtu.be/sEkVacQpmrc


The next video is of Ramallah, the unofficial capitol of Palestine.  Note that he points out all of the water tanks on the buildings.  The Israelis limit water that comes into the West Bank, so each building has to gather as much water as they can when they get it.

http://youtu.be/Bj19Uy1Bt9g


This next video is of Hebron.  Rick Steves even does not get it that the conflict is not solely between Muslims and Jews.  The conflict is between PALESTINIANS and occupation ISRAELIs .  In Nablus, Father Ibrahim says that they all live together:  Muslims, Christians and Samaritans. 

http://youtu.be/Bj19Uy1Bt9g


Here is footage of the Palestinian refugee camp in Nablus.  It's a no brainer.  There are no Israeli refugee camps.....who is the aggressor here?!

http://youtu.be/A2aKaVN9ZcY

Here Is THE PLAN

I have been a slug this weekend.  Not sure if it's the weather or not, but I have been worthless!  I got a shot in the arm though this afternoon when I received a FB message from Ranim in Nablus!  We have a schedule of activities.....OMG....I have forgotten about the cultural part and how they LOVE to get together in Palestine and celebrate just about anything!!!  Here's what our time with them will look like:

TUES., NOV 19 - Our plane arrives in Tel Aviv.  I don't know how we'll be picked up because none of them except Sami's wife are allowed in Tel Aviv.  In any event, we will arrive about 4pm..."everybody" and their families will be waiting for us in Nablus for a big welcome and birthday celebration for the Nairouz' youngest son.  Note to self:  birthday gift!   
We have been instructed at the airport not to mention Nablus and to say we are staying at the Anglican Church guesthouse in Jerusalem.  If we say we are going to Palestine....big no-no:)

WED., NOV 20  - Allie is meeting with the local Islamic Imam and we will visit the Samaritan village.  We'll get to see the local university where some of our workcampers go to school and then we will have lunch with Lillian's family.  Allie is very excited to talk with her father who is an activist.  Then we'll go to the Old City Nablus with the them.  Afterwards we will be having dinner with Fadi and his family in their home. 

THURS, NOV 21-  We will walk around the corner to Jacob's well and then meet Sami, Ibrahim J, and Alaa for lunch.    That evening we will go to Merna's house for dinner with her family.

FRI, NOV 22 -  EVERYBODY is going to Bethlehem and Jericho.  We plan to visit with the Nassar family in Bethlehem at TENT OF NATIONS, and visit with them. 

SAT, NOV 23 - We will spend time in Nablus with Sama & Sabastia , Nidal and Ahmeed.....that evening we share dinner with Majd and her family in their home. 

SUN., NOV 24 - We attend Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Rafedia with all of them and Father Ibrahim.  Afterward we meet in the church fellowship hall and then have lunch with the Nairouz family. 

Sometime after that they will get us back over the wall and Allie and I will make our way to Jerusalem.  We will stay at St George's Episcopal Guesthouse right there in Old Jerusalem.  We will stay there until we catch our plane in Tel Aviv to fly back home the day before Thanksgiving.  It should be really interesting though because at sundown that day, is the first day of Hannakah!  It will be fun to be in Jerusalem seeing all the preparations

The picture at the top of the page is of the soap factory in Old Nablus.  They have produced the olive oil soap there for hundreds of years.