wfn.org | The Palestinian Church During the Intifada

[JerusalemRelOrgs@aol.com]

Contact: 
Fr. Raed Awad Abusahlia
P.O.Box 14152  Jerusalem  91141
Tel.  (972 2) 628.2323 / 627.2280
Fax  (972 2) 627.1652
Personal E-mail: nonviolence@writeme.com
Latin Patriarchate E-mail: Latinpat@actcom.co.il
Latin Patriarchate's Homepage: http://www.Lpj.org
"Nonviolence Homepage": http://go.to/nonviolence

Mounting Unemployment Is Great Problem Today

JERUSALEM, April 4, 2002--A Palestinian Latin Catholic laywoman describes the 
role of the churches during the Intifada--the "shaking off" of the Israeli 
occupation:

By Dr. Maria C. Khoury

Many priests at different church communities made a great effort to create 
temporary jobs for people that are not employed during these tragic times in 
the Holy Land. 

The priests had to find ways to give money with dignity. Fr. Majdi Siryani 
created a new park in the Beit Sahour parish for small children especially to 
use during the summer months for entertainment, family gatherings, cooking 
outdoors and having swings and slides available. This park provides several 
people with temporary jobs in order to care for the playground area and serve 
the people visiting.

Also, temporary jobs were created during the restoration of the Church of Our 
Lady of Fatima. Furthermore, the convent had its doors open to people in deep 
need especially during November when at least two families needed a place to 
stay because their homes were in dangerous locations during the [earlier] 
Israeli invasion into Bethlehem. 

The convent was hospitable for over ten days.  Another way to help people in 
serious need is by having them select food items from the supermarket 
themselves and the parish priest will make the payment.

The Beit Sahour parish also provided a social worker during the last six 
months coming to the parish twice a week to take care of people in need.  Ms. 
Lydia Habash served as a bridge between the Beit Sahour parish and Jerusalem 
where the Caritas office is located and helps people in need of food and 
medicine and families with special situations. 

Many people are in deep need in the Beit Sahour area because their main sou
rce of income usually comes from olive wood handicrafts, tourism and mother 
of pearl items.  Fr. Shawki Batrian, the assistant priest in Beit Sahour 
reveals: "If you had rich families, in the last year and a half, they spent 
most of their money." 

Most of the 270 families amounting to about 1200 members belonging to the 
Beit Sahour parish, are categorized [as being] in need. Fr. Shawki estimates 
80% of his parishioners are not working. 

Also, a new phenomenon is taken place were you have the majority of women 
working as teachers and secretaries. It is unusual to have women be the only 
source of income to support large families. The social ramifications of this 
situation are great.
 
Fr. Ibrahim Hijazin in Ramallah also confesses that at least two people every 
day--Christians and Muslims--come to the church seeking financial help. His 
parish has 360 families with about 1650 members in the church and 127 
families are categorized as very needy. 

The St. Vincent de Paul Society has twenty-six volunteers helping these 
families especially at Christmas and Easter with whatever funds they receive 
from outside.  They periodically visit the families, make assessment of the 
need and provide as much support as possible.   Bingo activities raise money 
for the poor and having bake sales the first Sunday in each month raises 
local money as well.  Many of the needy families have not had work for over a 
year and a half not only in this parish but also in Palestine in general.

The Taybeh church, under the guidance of Fr. Ibrahim Shomali in his second 
year in this little Christian village, sponsored temporary jobs for people by 
creating a garden on the parish grounds.  He had workers take shifts in 
working on developing the garden in order to provide as a wide opportunity as 
possible for people to receive an income.  A handful of people started the 
work and a different group of workers completed it.  The Latin Church in 
Taybeh has 185 families with about 600 members.  The village itself has about 
forty families in serious need but at least twenty of these families are not 
able to survive at all without help from the church. 

Fr. Iyad Twal admits that with the 300 families in the Birzeit Latin Church 
he feels responsible to help more than just financially but to help all 
Christians and Muslims in their pastoral needs as well morally and 
educationally.  He has over 45 families that are very needy and poor.  He 
helps them find jobs if he can or provides them with food and money.  In his 
parish he estimates 50% of the people do not have work.  The worst of the 
Intifada Fr. Iyad feels is the high unemployment that has devastating affects 
in caring for large families.

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