Potpourri

Top left: Pr. Mark Holman, pianist Christiane Ahnert & guest violinist Stefan Bergen


The past week has been a potpourri of experiences. Last Sunday (November 11) Dale was the celebrant and Donna read the lessons for the English language service at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem, the Old City (al Quds al Qadime) where Donna and Dale worship each Sunday. Donna has also served as usher and sacristan over the past six weeks. Pastor Mark Holman has asked Dale to be the assistant each Sunday, and Dale will preach on Advent I.

The English speaking congregation meets in Redeemer’s St. John Chapel which is known as the “Crusaders’ Chapel” and was built in the early 12th century as part of a large pilgrims’ hostel and convent named St. Mary Latine Minor. It was one of many buildings erected in Jerusalem by the Crusader Knights of St. John. This past week the international order of the Templars had a service at St. John Chapel, because it is the Crusaders’ chapel, and inducted some new members into the order.

After worship a bunch from Redeemer went to a bazaar at the Jerusalem Hotel. There were wonderful jewellery, shawls, scatter mats and other examples of Palestinian handicraft for sale, and one table with Gypsy ware. Gypsies in Jerusalem? Dale spoke to one of the young women at the table, and it turns out that there is a small colony of Gypsies in Old Jerusalem who came from India in the 11th century to fight against the Crusaders, and stayed after the war. Their descendants call themselves the Domani and they speak a language derived from Urdu which is spoken in India today. They are negotiating with the Israeli government to be designated as an official minority.

Two things of special note happened in the lives of the Palestinian people this past week. On November 10, Yasser Arafat’s mausoleum was officially dedicated in Ramallah. It was built just in front of Arafat’s bunker where he and the Palestinian Authority were held prisoner the last years of his life. Mark and Marcia Holman, Donna, and Dale had to go to Ramallah on November 12 to get visas for a two-day trip to Jordan on November 25 and, so, they went to see Arafat’s burial place. It is a truly impressive memorial on the part of the Palestinians to his memory. Not every Palestinian loved Arafat, but he has become a folk hero since his death; he is remembered as someone who would never give up the right of Palestinians to return to their ancestral lands, even at Camp David where it appeared as if Barak and Bill Clinton were about to give him everything else that he wanted – except, of course, the right of return. It was moving to see the flowers and olive leaves on the tomb and visitors kissing the stone as they left. There was a scout leader there who had brought his boys to see the tomb, and he explained with great emotion what Yasser Arafat meant to him. Outside the tomb there is a minaret-like tower with a laser beam aimed at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Old Jerusalem where the Palestinians had wanted to bury Arafat. Of course, for political reasons, the Israelis did not want a Palestinian “saint’s” tomb in Old Jerusalem. But “some day”--Palestinians dream.

The 2nd event in the lives of Palestinians this past week was Independence Day. There was no school and the hospital administration had a day off. On November 15, 1988, the Palestinian Authority in exile in Algiers declared Palestine to be an independent nation. It was unilateral. No other country joined in the declaration. But November 15 is a day of hope for the Palestinians. “Some day”--Palestinians dream.
Friday, November 16 was the hospital administration’s day to pick olives. Another day off! Trouble was that all 800 trees had been picked. So, it turned out to be a fun day. Oh, we picked a few buckets of olives that others had missed. Then we had a BBQ, played some volleyball, and had a day of fellowship. It was truly an agape meal of mixed grill, Palestinian salads and bread, and Arabic coffee.