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Parents' Meeting at the Sumud/
Peace House
December 4th, 2008
The Arab Educational
Institute organized an event in the
Rachel's Tomb area, north of
Bethlehem. The mothers collected the
names of all the families that are
living in that area, and later
searched for their telephone
numbers. The AEI women invited their
neighbors, relatives and friends by
visiting or calling them. Even some
of them proposed to prepare the food
themselves, for instance. Mrs. Aida
Zarrouk made several kinds of
pastries, and they were very
delicious.
The AEI-Open Windows along
with the AEI parents and women's
groups as well the invitees
participated in a non-violent
activity in front of a military
watchtower in front of the Wall.
Some of the women dressed
traditional costumes, some held
torches, and some read wishes and
prayers for justice and peace
received from members of Pax Christi
and the World Council of Churches
from all over the world. Later on
all the participants returned
hand-in-hand to the Sumud/
Peace House, chanting peace
and Christmas songs.
The invitees celebrated
the Advent and the Adha Feast. Mr.
Fuad talked about the meanings of
the Advent and the importance of
preparing the hearts and the souls
for the coming of the Savior. Some
women insisted on the importance of
reconciliation with the other and
respect for the differences whether
social, cultural or religious
differences. Moreover, some other
women said that they got preoccupied
in cleaning and dusting the house,
preparing the cookies, decorating
the Christmas tree instead of
transforming their hearts and
becoming more tolerant and loving
people.
Mr. Fuad talked also about
the religious ritual traditions and
history of the Advent. He said this
custom started in Germany before
Christianity, when the people used
to gather around wreaths of flowers
and candles as a sign of hope for
the coming of spring. After
Christianity, this tradition was
kept as a sign of the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light.
He also described the periods and
the elements of the wreath and their
religious meanings.
Mr. Atallah Dannoun on the
other hand, talked about the Adha
Feast. At first, he confirmed the
importance of maintaining the good
ties between Christians and Moslems
under any circumstances. He also
pointed out that Moslems respect
Christmas "This respect is coming
from our hearts. This is not just a
nice talk. but a way of life".
Secondly, he talked about the
history of that feast from an
Islamic perspective: "In Islam, we
believe that God asked Ibrahim to
sacrifice Ismail, the son of Hajar (Hajar
is the mate of Sara)". He continued
saying: "He was just about to
slaughter the child, when an angel
appeared and offered a goat as an
offering to God instead of Ismael".
He narrated the story of Hajar and
her son Ismael in the desert when
Sara forced Ibrahim to dismiss them:
"The water was over, and Hajar went
looking for water back and forth
between the Safa and the
Marwa until she found a spring
of water near the child. This area
was called later as Zamzam
Well". Some of the Christian parents
noticed the difference in characters
of the story in the Bible and the
Quran. The Bible narrates that God
ask Ibrahim to sacrifice his son
Ishaq, the son of Sara.
Dr. Toine van Teeffelen,
AEI Development Director, talked
about the activities of the AEI
Sumud/ Peace House of the women and
parents' group at Rachel's Tomb
area, which aim at reviving the
neighborhood. He asserted that these
activities are non-politicized or
factionalized though many aspects of
the Palestinian daily life have
political dimensions. He pointed to
the importance of stories of daily
life realities about people who are
affected by the Separation Wall not
only by shedding the light on the
sufferings of the dwellers of that
area, but also by showing their
resilience and steadfastness in
facing these challenges.
The invitees showed some
interest in the initiative of the
AEI-Open Windows, however, they were
more interested in economic
activities. "These activities are
very nice. They could attract some
foreigners and locals, but the
impact of these activities is
limited, as they don't respond to
our economical needs". The
discussion was fruitful, rich and
informative, that a follow-up
meeting will be held after Christmas
season.
By the end of the
activity, the invitees enjoyed the
homemade pastries prepared by one of
the AEI women's group members. They
were delicious and the other women
thought that this could be a kind of
an income generating opportunity for
them.
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