"Excerpts from Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem’s talk on the plight of Christians in the Holy Land at Westminster Cathedral on September 8, 2009
A constant theme in the life of the Christians in the Holy Land is the fact that we are a very small community, about two percent of the general population whether in the Palestinian Territories or in Israel. In Israel, Christians live as part of the Arab minority in a state that is overwhelmingly Jewish. In the Palestinian Territories, Christians live within a population that is overwhelmingly Muslim.. . . .
Christian demography, illustrates in a dramatic way, the situation of the Christians in the Holy Land. Whereas Christians constituted between six and ten percent of the general population in 1948, this has dropped to about two percent today. . . . Not only has the relative proportion of Christians dropped radically, but Christians often find themselves marginalised in both Palestinian and Israeli society.. . . .
At Mass in Jerusalem on 12th May 2009, [Pope Benedict] called on Christians to be pillars of faith and harmony: "Precisely because of your deep roots in this land, your ancient and strong Christian culture, and your unwavering trust in God's promises, you, the Christians of the Holy Land, are called to serve not only as a beacon of faith to the universal Church, but also as a leaven of harmony, wisdom and equilibrium in the life of a society which has traditionally been, and continues to be, pluralistic, multiethnic and multi-religious”. . . .
Many do not believe that the Israelis want to end the occupation, and the Palestinians are dramatically divided in how to resist the occupation, between those who use violence and those who seek diplomatic resolutions. Islamic fundamentalism that has sprung up as a response to the hopelessness of our general situation pushes Christians even further into the margins and alienates many of our young people.. . .
The issue of being a small community in a precarious situation is exacerbated by the fact that since the end of the 19th century Christians in the Holy Land in particular, and Christians throughout the Middle East, have been tempted to emigrate, seeking a more prosperous and promising future for their children elsewhere. One of our greatest challenges is to persuade our faithful to stay and build their future in a land where many of them feel hopeless, marginalized and even threatened.. . .
Many Christians continue to dream of a future elsewhere, in a place where they can guarantee their families jobs, housing, education, decent living conditions, equal rights and socio-political stability. . . . . The number of Jerusalem Christians, for example, is expected to fall from 10,000 to 5,300 in the coming seven years . . . Our young people, and the best among them, often cannot resist the temptation to leave and make their future elsewhere. They often do so with heavy hearts, but when they see no brighter future ahead, and no possibility to raise families in security, they emigrate and very seldom return.
However, despite the obstacles, we have a great treasury to sustain us. God chose this land, and this community, in which to establish his Church. We are a community of ‘living stones’ that has a rich treasury of ‘monumental stones’ that commemorate the major events of our salvation history. We are a Church called to be custodian of the Holy Places of our Christian memory, but we are also called to be custodians of life.
Our Churches are vibrant centers that sponsor a vast array of projects, that touch every aspect of daily routine. Our schools are among the best in the region, our hospitals among the most advanced, our housing projects are being constantly built, our clinics, our social welfare agencies and so on…. . .
It is this community of living stones that welcomes Christians from all over the world who come to the Holy Land, to drink from the sources of our common faith. We ask you to come and to pray at the Holy Places, but do not be satisfied with the monumental stones alone. Seek out the living stones, our Christian faithful. Pray with them, comfort them, strengthen them, and you too will be enriched by their testimony to the Living Lord, in the land that is His own.
We are called to be Christian and that means we must have hope, hope in a God of surprises: a God who brings life out of the tomb, a child out of a virgin womb, a created world out of the nothingness of chaos. . . . We know that we do not and cannot live this hope alone, isolated from our brothers and sisters in faith throughout the world. We depend on your prayers, on your support and solidarity, on your advocacy for our rights, on your lobbying for justice and peace in Israel/Palestine.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Christian Brewery Finds Success in the West Bank
The Taybeh brewery is the only brewery in the overwhelmingly Muslim Palestinian territories. It is located in the village of Taybeh, which is largely Christian. Economic conditions make operations difficult, including the extra costs and challenges of dealing with the checkpoints and delays that make up Israel's military occupation. And, on top of all that, they face the daunting challenge of trying to market their Palestinian beer to Israeli customers.
Located in the hills of the West Bank just east of Jerusalem, it will hold its fifth annual Oktoberfest, expecting to draw to 10,000 visitors, including tourists, but also Palestinians and Israelis!
The Taybeh brewery was begun by Nadim Khoury, a Christian, in the wake of the optimism that followed the Oslo Accords. He had left the village years before for Boston where he taught himself to brew beer at home. He returned to Taybeh in 1994 at the urging of his family.
There, unable to find a bank or aid agency to fund a Palestinian brewery, his family provided the $1.2m in funding for the brewery. "The banks and NGOs thought we were crazy to build a brewery in a Muslim country," says Khoury. "But now I think we were lucky we didn't take their money."He says that because all business in the West Bank virtually completely ceased during the second intifada, that is the Palestinian uprising that began in late 2000. While he was forced to lay off many of the brewery's workers the business survived because it had no mortgage or other debts and therefore no loans to be foreclosed upon.
Today the brewery is fully operational, producing three different lagers and, beginning this summer, a non-alcoholic beer, called Taybeh Halal, which is aimed at the young Palestinian market. In part, this is an effort to enter a new market, in part it is an insurance policy. "Just in case something happens and there is a change in the environment and political situation,"
Khourey says.Khourey is quick to note the decline of Christian population in the area. He reports having seen so many Palestinian Christians leaving for a life abroad that he says there are now more of his fellow villagers living in Michigan than in Taybeh itself.
Khoury sells his beer to restaurants in the more liberal Palestinian cities, such as Ramallah and Bethlehem, but many of the deliveries go into Jerusalem and further into Israel, to Tel Aviv, Haifa and Nazareth. This is a complicated process because of the occupation. Even though Taybeh is only a few minutes drive from Jerusalem, the beer deliveries must go through a checkpoint at near Hebron, about two hours’ drive away where the delivery trucks are searched and the beer transferred to Israeli trucks. This procedure often takes several hours , while the beer, which contains no preservatives, sits exposed to the sunlight. Khoury says "My beer is delicate. I cannot afford to have it sit in the sunlight,"
He would like to export more Taybeh beer to the Arab world but, for example, the Jordanians impose prohibitively high import duties to protect their own foreign-run beer industry.
Khourey sees signs of an improvement in the economy of the West Bank economy. "Demand has rapidly increased," says Khoury. "If there is peace and prosperity, people celebrate more." His daughter, Madees, 24, now helps him run the brewery and he expects she will take over the business some day.Khourey hopes his brewery will help to change opinions and biases.
"People don't believe that we have a product like Taybeh beer brewed in Palestine," he says. "On the news they see only violence, bombing and uprisings. Now we are trying to change this and to show the world we can live in peace with our neighbors. We are human beings. We have a right to enjoy life. Enough is enough with the fighting”
Located in the hills of the West Bank just east of Jerusalem, it will hold its fifth annual Oktoberfest, expecting to draw to 10,000 visitors, including tourists, but also Palestinians and Israelis!
The Taybeh brewery was begun by Nadim Khoury, a Christian, in the wake of the optimism that followed the Oslo Accords. He had left the village years before for Boston where he taught himself to brew beer at home. He returned to Taybeh in 1994 at the urging of his family.
There, unable to find a bank or aid agency to fund a Palestinian brewery, his family provided the $1.2m in funding for the brewery. "The banks and NGOs thought we were crazy to build a brewery in a Muslim country," says Khoury. "But now I think we were lucky we didn't take their money."He says that because all business in the West Bank virtually completely ceased during the second intifada, that is the Palestinian uprising that began in late 2000. While he was forced to lay off many of the brewery's workers the business survived because it had no mortgage or other debts and therefore no loans to be foreclosed upon.
Today the brewery is fully operational, producing three different lagers and, beginning this summer, a non-alcoholic beer, called Taybeh Halal, which is aimed at the young Palestinian market. In part, this is an effort to enter a new market, in part it is an insurance policy. "Just in case something happens and there is a change in the environment and political situation,"
Khourey says.Khourey is quick to note the decline of Christian population in the area. He reports having seen so many Palestinian Christians leaving for a life abroad that he says there are now more of his fellow villagers living in Michigan than in Taybeh itself.
Khoury sells his beer to restaurants in the more liberal Palestinian cities, such as Ramallah and Bethlehem, but many of the deliveries go into Jerusalem and further into Israel, to Tel Aviv, Haifa and Nazareth. This is a complicated process because of the occupation. Even though Taybeh is only a few minutes drive from Jerusalem, the beer deliveries must go through a checkpoint at near Hebron, about two hours’ drive away where the delivery trucks are searched and the beer transferred to Israeli trucks. This procedure often takes several hours , while the beer, which contains no preservatives, sits exposed to the sunlight. Khoury says "My beer is delicate. I cannot afford to have it sit in the sunlight,"
He would like to export more Taybeh beer to the Arab world but, for example, the Jordanians impose prohibitively high import duties to protect their own foreign-run beer industry.
Khourey sees signs of an improvement in the economy of the West Bank economy. "Demand has rapidly increased," says Khoury. "If there is peace and prosperity, people celebrate more." His daughter, Madees, 24, now helps him run the brewery and he expects she will take over the business some day.Khourey hopes his brewery will help to change opinions and biases.
"People don't believe that we have a product like Taybeh beer brewed in Palestine," he says. "On the news they see only violence, bombing and uprisings. Now we are trying to change this and to show the world we can live in peace with our neighbors. We are human beings. We have a right to enjoy life. Enough is enough with the fighting”
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