Month: September 2015

NEWS FLASH: The Strike was settled on Sunday, 27 September. Classes in all Christian Schools start for the new school year on Monday, 28 September. Teachers and students are excited and ready. Watch for another blog entry soon updating the situation, but here is one of today’s articles with the basic information: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/christian-school-strike-israel-end-34077495

26 September 2015, just before the end of the strike:
A Message from Archbishop Emeritus Elias Chacour
after returning home to Ibillin from a speaking tour September 12-20 in Grosse Pointe, Ann Arbor, Adrian, Tecumseh, and Holland, MI; and in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, IN.

“The people I met in the many places where I spoke are for me part of the extremely beautiful face of America. These represent to me peace­ builders, which means they are children of God.

At home, I found everyone still very concerned about the school strike. We hate the strike and want our children back in school. Nonetheless, this strike revealed to us the very strong solidarity from our Muslim brothers and sisters in Israel. Had it not been for their outspoken solidarity, we would have been left on the side.

It’s also heart warming to see a very large segment of the Jewish society expressing their full solidarity with our Christian schools. We are harvesting what we have sown in tears and passion. Indeed, we don’t want to strike against Israel or to mar the picture of this country; we want to do anything possible to build a real democratic and just society. Our strike went on because we were hurting deeply. We were cornered by the Ministry of Education to shout enough is enough.

We risk the danger of becoming unable to fulfill our mission of justice and charity towards reconciliation within Israeli society. Our mission and our responsibility are only education. It means, we need to create a unity of the citizens within the vast diversity of affiliations, whether religious, political, racial, or any other legitimate diversity.

I urge you never to give up, what we are doing is of a unique importance. Be happy and proud and continue the way on.

Abuna Elias Chacour

Melkite Catholic Archbishop em. of Galilee, Israel

 

Thank you for your care for the Living Stones of Israel/Palestine!

The first of September should have been the first day of school for 2015-16 at Mar Elias High School, Mariam Bawardi Elementary School, and the Mariam Bawardi Kindergarten in Ibillin. Instead, the teachers and students from all the Christian Schools in Israel and East Jerusalem are out on strike. Since two years ago, drastic budget cuts from the Israeli Ministry of Education and restrictive rules disproportionately affecting the Christian schools have put them all in an untenable situation in which their very survival is at stake.

Negotiations have been going on for a year and a half, but the Israeli Ministry of Education and the government have not budged. Israeli President Reuven Rivlen hosted a meeting on August 24 between Christian School leadership and the Minister of Education, hoping for a breakthrough, but no real relief was offered.

This strike involves 33,000 students and 3,000 teachers. Almost 3,000 of those affected attend or teach at Mar Elias.

On the eve of the strike, Abuna wrote: “September 1st is the day on which all Israeli schools, among them our Mar Elias Schools, begin the scholastic year. Unfortunately, in the light of tight and unreasonable restrictions that the Ministry of Education has for years been implementing and imposing on our Christian schools, we have collectively decided not to open our schools unless we reach a fair agreement through which to grant our students their rights to study fully and equally as their Jewish peers. Please share this sad news all around in the hope that it would reach people with authority.”

Because of your care for Mar Elias, we wanted you to know. To read the full statement about the strike and its background from the Office of Christian Schools in Israel, please visit the “Come and See” website. In addition, I’ll post articles on our Pilgrims of Ibillin Facebook page or check back here on our website blog page as I find more resources to help those of us “outside the loop” understand the situation.

Additional resources:

• Excellent article from Middle East Eye online news, from http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/schools-starved-funds-christians-question-their-future-israel-1522645081
• Jonathan Cook’s article on Church-Run Schools in Israel face Death Sentence, June 29, 2015

Thanks for your prayers and care! In solidarity and still with great hope,

Joan Deming
Pilgrims of Ibillin Executive Director
joan@pilgrimsofibillin.org