Life in the West Bank
Saed Abu-Hijleh was a prisoner at Al Fara’a prison in the West Bank near Nablus. Â He was there four times as a young man. Â Join him on a brief tour of the prison, which is now a camp for kids.
For more information about Al Fara’a prison, check out Totem(s) Trope(s) by Michael Kennedy.
Watch this video! It’s a deep well…
To help local women earn money to supplement their family’s income, Fr. Firas and his sister, Dema, started a sewing project in Zababdeh.
Dema manages a staff of six women, both Muslims and Christians, who sew clothes for an Israeli company. Â Fr. Firas considers it a sweatshop because of the unfair wages the women are paid by the Israeli company for their product. Â Each of the women make about 700 shekels a month, enough to pay for basic needs. Â Dema receives about 1,000 shekels per month. Â With that she pays the buildings rent, water and electricity and is able to pay for some basic needs of her family.
The price tag on one pair of pants was 171 shekels, 25 percent of one woman’s salary for one month. Â But, the women continue to work because work is scarce and they have no other choice.
Fr. Firas and Dema are happy to be able to provide work for women in Zababdeh, even if it pays little. Â Dema hopes her children will have a better life, not having to depend on others for help.
Listen to Fr. Firas and Dema talk about the sewing project.
I met Abu Fadi when I was mailing a package to the U.S. for a friend. Â He was abundantly helpful and welcoming, even during this short business transaction. Â Awhile later, I stopped by his office just to say hi, and he invited me to his home for a Ramadan dinner. Â He and his wife cooked together and cracked jokes, while I chopped vegetables for a salad. Â After a delicious meal, we sat on the porch drinking coffee and chatting about Ramadan.
Here are some of the things we talked about.
People go to their respective places of worship everyday. Â They go up the steps and walk in the door, maybe to the sound of birds chirping, buses whirring past or a choir beginning to sing. Â Here in the West Bank, the Call to Prayer is a beautiful sound of celebratory prayer, especially the evening prayer immediately before Muslims break their fast during Ramadan. Â Each time I hear it, I think about those waiting in line to pray at the mosque in Hebron.
This is what it sounds like when Muslims try to enter the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron to pray, guarded by Israeli soldiers with machine guns and two turnstiles.
Abuna (Father) Firas is determined to make a difference for his congregation and his town, Zababdeh, close to Jenin in the West Bank. Through out my time in Palestine, I look forward to Sunday visits to Zababdeh for church and some time with Abuna Firas and his family. In the video below, Abuna Firas describes the activities of his church and welcomes visitors to experience the Holy Land with the living stones.
Abu Moammar is a farmer in Iraq Burin who has faced much loss. He told us about life as a farmer in the village.
Watch a video of Abu Moammar discussing life in Iraq Burin (English with Arabic subtitles).
Abu Nasser is a farmer, but his children must seek other forms of employment. He spoke to us at his beautiful home, describing interactions with Israeli soldiers.
Abu Nasser at home
In the below video, Abu Nasser describes being asked by Israeli soldiers to leave his land.
I spent the first few days of my time in the Middle East in Jerusalem, wandering the winding streets of the Old City. Here’s how I spent my time.
A shop in the Old City