Regardless of how people label themselves, everyone here has shown me a humbling amount of hospitality and generosity. One day I was in a shop deciding what to buy, but they were closing soon. Instead of kicking me out, they invited me to eat with them before I made up my mind. Can you imagine that? Getting a free meal when you’re just looking at gifts? Arab hospitality really is something special.
Even the guys in the marketplace were friendly and chill. I should mention, however, that a lot of this welcoming came after I had been volunteering in a cafe for a couple weeks. I gradually met a lot of the locals and became a familiar face, and also the man who runs the cafe is quite beloved by his neighbors, which definitely didn’t hurt.
The place that I stayed at has both a hostel and cafe. The hostel is called Sim Sim (sesame in Arabic) and the cafe is called Liwan, which are both run by a Nazarene man and his German girlfriend. The hostel is definitely one of the nicer places I’ve stayed at here. Many other travellers had the same feeling. It was common that they would come for one night and decide to stay longer. The hostel reminded me of my sister’s place in Berlin, which I think is because of the German touch in decor and orderliness. Which I must say is wonderfully different than the other hostels that I’ve seen or stayed at in this country.
The first night I was there they had a movie night in the cafe. The film was called Al-sabbar, which means “the Sabra”. Sabra is a prickly cactus like fruit with spiky skin and a sweet inside. Many Israelis refer to themselves as Sabras. The movie was a documentary that followed the Arabs who were evicted from their homes in 1948. Some of the hard truths shown in the movie regarded Arab towns and villages that were abandoned, and subsequently left to become ruins. One of those towns is Iqrit, where the Israeli government is accused of planting trees and shrubs to overgrow and cover the ruins in an effort to hide them.
The film was also largely centred around a Swedish Doctor who had spent many years of his life helping the displaced Arabs. He and his wife relayed a tale about when the people were pushed out of their homes and were told to sign documents on their way out of the country. The documents were release forms for their property, which by signing they effectively declared their property and homes abandoned. Did they understand what they were signing? The Israelis say yes, but there’s a case to be made that that’s not true.
Many of those interviewed in places like Lebanon and other refugee communities were focused totally on returning to their land. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about the attitudes here amidst the conflict and history, it’s that land is more important to people than blood or faith.
Another interesting film that I saw was called “The great book robbery”. The film follows Israeli historians and librarians, Jews and Arabs, who discuss the looting of abandoned homes, and the books that were collected. Many of these books are still inside of libraries and universities. They’re still designated as AP (abandoned property) and waiting to be claimed by the rightful owners. The opportunity is there for people to claim them, but so far no one’s come. Or at least the film did not follow up on any of the stories of those who have reclaimed their books.
There’s a lot of bitterness, anger, and hopelessness in the Palestinian communities. They have fought and struggled against Israel, and have come up less and less successful. One evening a political journalist who leads tours to the abandoned villages in the north of the country brought a group of Canadians with him, and they were doing a question and answer period in the cafe. It surprised me to hear him say that “We should forget about the two-state solution. It’s not going to happen, and worrying about upsetting peace talks for a two-state solution doesn’t help us make any progress in the struggle for human rights.”
This caught me off guard. I’ve heard the position before but only from a pro Israel stance. I can say that I agree with his idea, but maybe not because we see it the same way. The charismatic Christians that I met have a position on this as well, in that their understanding of how they relate to Israel is more in line with what’s written in the Torah and the Prophets. They don’t seek a two state paradigm.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that my meeting with the charismatics was a divine appointment. I wanted to buy some guitar strings and maybe get my hands on an oud to feel how it plays, so I walked down to the new music store in Nazareth, which is about 5 minutes from the hostel and cafe. The shop is run by a couple of charismatics, which is where I met them. They invited me to attend a service with them, so I made some time take them up on the offer.
These guys were so much different than any other Christians I met in Nazareth. They recognize that God has a plan for Israel, this is His land, and they have to fit into that framework. Allow me to paraphrase what my friend Attaf said to me:
“Yes the history is difficult. It’s challenging for us, but we can’t always be stuck in the past, we have to look forward! We all pay taxes, everyone here supports Israel... yes, you see we pay our taxes, and the Jewish towns are good for us. No one wants to live in Palestine, it’s better for us here. Not good to be a Christian in the West Bank. And us, we read that we are supposed to submit to those who are in the power.”
I think he was quoting from Titus, where we as Christians are instructed to submit ourselves to the powers that be, to serve them and to minister to them, in humility before God and man.
(I also find it poignant that when Christ walked in this land the people were also dealing with occupation. He gave several lessons on how to carry oneself in the midst of it, openly speaking against zealotry and violent resistance.)
It was really refreshing for me to speak with Attaf. It was an answer to prayer for fellowship and encouragement. Everyone in his congregation was filled with the spirit of prayer and faithfulness, even amidst the difficulties of their people and their small church. What’s also encouraging is how they see what is written concerning how they’re supposed to carry themselves. This was a stark contrast to the resentment and bitterness I experienced watching the movie Al-sabbar. In fact, before I had watched that movie, which dealt with a people who have been exiled from their homes, I had watched this video about God’s instructions for His people when they were sent into exile. You can’t imagine my joy at meeting a group of Palestinian Arab Christians who understand and apply this concept!
The night that I went with them there was supposed to be a regular service of prayer and singing, but instead it turned into a night of prophetic speech, weeping, and intense prayer. It was heavy. But more than that, it was spiritually nourishing, like nothing else I’ve yet experienced here.
But that ended, and I had to head back to life in the old city, where churches are in abundance, and so is the veneration of Mary!
There’s a church built on the spot where it’s believed that Mary heard from the angel Gabriel that she was chosen to conceive Yeshua. The church is aptly named the Church of the Annunciation. The picture at the top of this blog post shows the top of the church. It’s an impressive building, with a lot of art. Want to see some?
Behold! Some of the most entertaining pictures of Mary and baby Jesus from around the world!
Up above you have Korean and Japanese Mary and Jesus, but my personal favourites are from Thailand and Ecuador. Long haired Ecuadorian Jesus is out of this world!
There’s also a picture in the middle of the church that shows Mary sitting at the right hand of God. To me this seems like heresy, or at the very least a distortion of scripture. That being said, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who is familiar with the excessive veneration of Mary, which sometimes gets near the point of making her higher than Christ himself.
Among the funny things I experienced in Nazareth, one of them is that of all the time I’ve spent in Israel I had the most opportunity to exercise my Hebrew skills here - in an Arab town! The reason is because there were a number of people here who don’t speak English at all, so to communicate I had to use Hebrew. The other funny thing was the main event that I participated in.
The cafe owners staged a political event, advertising to the public that the German embassy was moving to Nazareth. (Of course this comes in the wake of the USA moving it’s embassy to Jerusalem.) They did a good job of selling it! Many of the people who came had no idea that it was a hoax until some time after the event had ended. They even went to City Hall to get some clearance and permission for the event. The city official naturally asked “when is the mayor going to speak?”
The person from the cafe told the official that they had invited the mayor (which they had) but he declined. They’re not on good terms with the mayor. As it was explained to me, the mayor runs his office in a mafia kind of way. When they opened the cafe they refused any money or assistance to avoid him expecting any favours in the future. This made their lives more difficult, as they were on the butt end of real harassment from locals in the area and left without support. Apparently the downtown drug dealers and criminals were not happy to see them opening business there. It got to the point that they actually had gunshots through their windows. Other businesses that followed their example have also been subject to harassment. The shop across the street had it’s door lit on fire. Of course this makes no sense, but there it is.
Below is a picture of where I spent many afternoons drinking coffee and plucking away on one of the guitars they were happy to let me have my way with.
Again, the cafe is called Liwan, and it was a great place to land. Maybe the best place that the secular Palestinian world has to offer on this side of the wall.
Back to the event:
Several of Silke’s friends from Germany came to help out, and one dressed up as Angela Merkl. Without asking, they decided that I was to play her bodyguard. Sure, I could’ve said no, but I didn’t. It sounded fun. It’s strange, and really quite backwards, that I come to Israel and end up an accomplis to the staging of a German Political event....but again, there it is.
Here’s the video they put together of the event. Probably all of you will be able to tell that it’s not Chancellor Angela Merkl in the video, but Nazarenes were largely unaware!
With or without all of this weirdness, I really enjoyed Nazareth. The people were warm and welcoming, the streets were quiet and cool, and the city has a distinctly middle eastern feel to it, which sets it apart from many places in the Holy Land that suffer from all the trappings (and blessings) of modernity.
While it’s true that I kept my guard up for most of my time here, I learned a lot about how the Palestinians see themselves, got deeper into the dynamics of the conflict, and was blessed by the Nazarene hospitality.
Come to Nazareth.
Stay a while!
As for me...
I’ll be back.
Hi Zadok,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blogs. It's great reading a different perspective than the typical tourist. Thanks for sharing and keep up the awesome writing. You have a real knack for this.
Thanks and blessings,
Ben
Thanks a lot, man! really appreciate the praise and encouragement. I’ll see you in the spring
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