Israel, Palestine and Jordan with the
Israel, Palestine and Jordan with the American Friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem I have just returned from almost two weeks with the above group, under the able leadership of Phoebe Griswold. They are strong supporters and contributors to the Diocese of Jerusalem, which includes Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, three of which we visited. Besides the usual sightseeing for the benefit of much of the group who hadn’t been there before, we visited several institutions, schools and churches, supported by the Diocese under its Bishop Suheil Dawani. I was particularly impressed with the Princess Bauma Center for Disabled Children on the Mount of Olives. They care for many Palestinian children with every kind of physical and emotional needs. One therapist was working with a baby who had been born without arms, and she was learning to spin a ball around with her feet. The place was cheerful, with brightly painted pictures on the walls. Another highlight was the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School in Palestinian Ramallah. It serves many very poor Palestinian children, both Christian and Moslem, and has a vocational school for some in the upper grades. We profited by a good lunch served by students studying hotel management. We also visited St. Andrew’s Church there, where the Bishop both was married and had once served. Just above the church a new Diabetics Clinic is opening. On the Sunday, October 23, we drove to Shefa’Amr in the Galilee for eucharist in Arabic and English at St. Paul’s Church with Fr. Fuad, who later gave us lunch. They are just opening a new social service center, with help from funds from Bishop Bruno in Los Angeles. On the spiritual side, during our tour around the Galilee, we renewed our baptismal vows in a secluded branch of the River Jordan as it led to the fresh water Sea of Galilee, before we went on to view the holy places.. Next morning, we said good-bye to our great guide, Iyad Qumri, and crossed the Sheikh Hussein Bridge to Jordan, where our first stop was with Fr. Samir Sa’ed at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in the large city of Irbid. In the 2000’s, they started a school from pre-school through the 7th grade, adding a new grade each year. Some thirty-five of the students are visually impaired or blind, and we watched them work with both mothers and pre-schoolers as they begin to learn Braille. In Zarka, after a night in Amman, we visited St. Savior’s school, where I enjoyed some real interplay with some of the children. They also have blind children, as does the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf and Blind in Salt, with Brother Andrew. Other places in Jordan such as Jerush, Petra for most of the group, Mt. Nebo where Moses died, and the important 6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land in Madaba more than filled our time. Jordan itself is about the most stable country in the Middle East, with its 6,000,000 inhabitants, many refugees, a well-liked King, Abdullah,
who is going ahead with reforms, plus good relations between Muslims and Christians, many of whom come from the same families. All the schools had mixed staff as well as mixed student bodies. All the institutions, as one would expect, can use more support, and the American Friends group is an excellent way to make tax deductible contributions. Their web site is: American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
who is going ahead with reforms, plus good relations between Muslims and Christians, many of whom come from the same families. All the schools had mixed staff as well as mixed student bodies. All the institutions, as one would expect, can use more support, and the American Friends group is an excellent way to make tax deductible contributions. Their web site is: American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
