26 October 2017, by Jerry Gray

After seeing the Basilica of the Annunciation this afternoon, we went deep underground to the level of homes at the time that Jesus lived on earth.  Our guide at the Sisters of Nazareth Monastery was a nun from Ireland.  Sister Mary Marguerite took us down at least three flights to a home cut out of rock during the period when Jesus would have lived in this neighborhood.

Sister Mary Marguerite

She made the connection between two very important churches that were built, first in Byzantine times and again later during the Crusader years, directly over this first century home. She let us draw the conclusion that we might well be looking into the very home where Jesus was raised—the word she used was “nourished”—by Mary and Joseph.

Below the level where Crusader Church steps were found, Sister showed us an opening in the stone which led to a cavity that exuded odors that seemed like those that may be the result of perfumes used in the preparation of a body for burial – showing that this might have been the burial place of family members from the adjacent home. (A location made possible by the solid rock wall between the home and the downhill tomb.)

Descending deeper we saw rooms that may have been used for preparation and others for burial of bodies.  She showed us a round stone, one of the 9 to 12 known round stones that once sealed tombs in Israel/Palestine.  She demonstrated how one could try to roll the stone away from an opening.  She told us that she is 87 and I could be her baby brother at 83.

Jerry Gray and Sister Mary Marguerite

The International Center of Mary is maintained a religious community, the Chemin Neuf, from France.  Sister Mary Beatrice was our tour guide; she also showed us early homes hewn from rock.  She showed us one of the International Center for Mary’s educational videos explaining how the Quran reveres Mary – the only woman in the Quran whose first name is given. After the video, Sister Beatrice took us to the beautiful Sky Chapel with paintings of Jesus, the Holy Family, and Disciples. She explained the icons that emphasize how in Jesus, God made the ordinary holy.

Jerry and Sister Beatrice

26 October 2017

Since arriving in Ibillin, and leaving behind our new friends in the West Bank, I’ve felt a sadness that is difficult to explain. But also easy to forget during our mornings, which have been spent in the company of vibrant young people at Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI). The students, who are Palestinian citizens of Israel, have freedom of movement, access to MEEI’s award-winning education, and are not subject to the physical and civil barriers of occupation, like checkpoints, military arrest, or land theft by settler colonies deemed illegal by the international community. But there are drawbacks. In addition to experiencing discrimination as minorities, they may lack access to the saturation of Palestinian arts and culture, historical truth telling, and models for peaceful resistance that we experienced in the West Bank.

Sally Azzam, Liwan Cultural Center, Nazareth

“You’re not faced with the Occupation, but you live the Occupation,” says Sally Azzam, one of three partners responsible for Liwan Culture Cafe in Nazareth. “It’s a mental occupation.”

Liwan is a small business and community gathering place that celebrates Palestinian culture, and seeks to spur sustainable, participatory neighborhood economic development through conscious consumerism in Nazareth’s old city. Listening to Sally share her experience growing up as a Palestinian Christian in Nazareth, I felt I finally had some language or framework through which to interpret the tensions I’ve been feeling since crossing the Green Line. As a child, Sally always felt that something was missing from the story she was being told about Israel’s history, and her own identity. Because of their collective trauma and desire to keep Sally safe, her family remained quiet about their experiences, and it wasn’t until her University experience that she developed full appreciation for Palestinians’ displacement, the Occupation, and her own position as a Palestinian Christian woman within Israeli society.

“The unknown is very hard,” she told us. “Not telling is a kind of lie.” Now, she helps prevent this experience of mental occupation for others, by fostering hope, and pride in identity through Liwan’s programs. She is also working to improve the conditions within Nazareth’s old city, where the Israeli government’s protracted, ten-year redevelopment project in preparation for a visit from the Pope led to the closure of many longtime businesses, and the creation of a semi-ghost town at risk for violence and crime, as well as gentrification by Jewish Israelis with speculative agendas from outside the community. Liwan is helping build a new, Palestinian arts and culture-focused conscious tourism district that helps build power and pride for local residents. We left our visit feeling well-fed— in both our guts (the food was DELICIOUS) and souls.

Vegetarian lunch of Mujadarah, Palestinian salad, hummus, and yogurt

Sally Azzam with our group

~ Tim Jones-Yelvington