Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Palestinian Christian in the Occupied West Bank by Audeh G. Rantisi & Ralph K. Beebe

After returning home following my 3-month stay in Jerusalem, I have to say it took me some time to get back into the ‘swing of things,’ and deciding what to read next was turning into a real time-consuming feat…

So I finally decided to go with Audeh G. Rantisi’s Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Palestinian Christian in the Occupied West Bank. I had purchased it before leaving on my trip and since it seemed like a quick read, I felt it was a good place to pick up from.

I was correct in that it was definitely a quick—but not always easy—read; at 164 pages I finished it in 2 days. It is basically Audeh’s life story as told by Ralph K. Beebe (written in 1st person). The narrative starts with the events of 1948, when Audeh was 11 years old and driven from his home in Lydda (now named Lod) to live as a tent-dwelling refugee in Ramallah. Later on, Audeh studied at the Bible College of Wales as well as Aurora College in Illinois. Audeh also spent some time in the Sudan as a teacher before returning to Ramallah. He eventually married, opened a school for boys with his wife, and became involved in politics as mayor of Ramallah in 1980. Since the narrative’s events span from 1948-1990, this account is clearly a bit ‘dated,’ but still a highly relevant and powerful read.

It is always bittersweet reading these kinds of stories as they are full of pain, but also of love and hope. What touched me—if not also somewhat surprised me—were the various instances of miracles, either big or small, that Audeh witnessed and which constantly guided him in making important life decisions. It is definitely inspirational and a reminder to remain steadfast in our faith, and to remember that if something is meant to be, God will guide you to it.

Another thing that touched me was Audeh’s influence on Muslim Palestinians while serving as mayor of Ramallah. Audeh shares stories of Muslims asking for help and wanting to read and own their own copy of the Bible, which he would provide them. In a part of the world where religion can be so divisive, it warms one’s heart to read about a Palestinian Christian having close personal relationships with Palestinian Muslims and even opening up their hearts to Christianity.

I also enjoyed seeing other Palestinian Christian figures being mentioned and quoted such as Elias Chacour ("Blood Brothers") and Raja Shehadeh (Palestinian Walks). In closing, I share this powerfully-written passage by Raja Shehadeh in his book The Third Way, as quoted by Audeh in his narrative:

“States of mind cannot be forced on you. This is where you are free, your own master—because your mind is the one thing that you can prevent your oppressor from having the power to touch, however strong or brutal he may be.”

I hope always to remember this truth.

+

Ajami film review

Oh, Ajami.
First I was upset that you were only playing in the East Coast, and I living in the Bay Area, felt rather deprived. Then I was delighted to try to catch you during my visit to NYC and thus make it even more special of a viewing experience.
But of course, I soon discovered--during my NYC stay of course-- that you would be showing up to Bay Area screens after all. Oh, the irony! But one which I actually welcomed...
So I finally was able to see this movie, and I must say I was rather pleasantly surprised.
I have seen many movies surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and I must say Ajami provides a very convincing narrative. The setting of Ajami, a neighborhood of the Jaffa - Tel Aviv metropolis, ensures that a variety of people and situations-- Jewish, Christian, and Muslim-- will be encountered. An Arab - Jewish creation (Palestinian Scandar Copti and Jewish Israeli Yaron Shani), with a virtually unknown cast and a natural, unrehearsed feel, this film will not disappoint.
Expect twists and turns, expect issues you’ve probably never thought of as part of this conflict, expect a surprise ending.
It is not a “happy” movie, but few worth seeing ever are.

Christians in Palestine - Jean Rolin

Last night, I read Jean Rolin's book called Christians in Palestine (Chrétiens en Français) in... about 2 hours. I'm not sure if I absorbed it so quickly because I wanted to know what was going to happen next or because on so many levels I felt I, or close family members, could relate to it so much... Probably a mix of the two. It's basically his account of his encounters with Christian families and church leaders while in Palestine/Israel, as well as Christian-Muslim-Jewish relations there. I felt like I was right there with him, in Bethlehem and Jerusalem and Ramallah visiting those places and families... It definitely made it more personal now that I've actually been there and could visualize the areas in question. The geography there is so complicated that reading the names of the locations without having visited first would have probably left me majorly confused...

I'm so glad I read it, and now own the book (which for some reason was pretty hard for me to find in the first place), but it definitely felt bittersweet. Bittersweet because it's such a complex situation, and because this book highlights another layer of complexity within that very complex situation...

I definitely can't and won't pretend that I know what Jean Rolin felt during or even after his experience that led to the writing of his book. But I just got the impression that his conclusion was a sort of "this was a rather pointless effort on my part"-kind of closure. I felt like maybe he went into his project with so much hope and enthusiasm only to end up feeling a bit let down by the shocking and unexpected reality of things... of course that's my own interpretation of it.

But regardless of how he felt, if I could, I would honestly thank him for going through all that and for caring enough to write a book about it because it really moved me. Thanks to the personal writing style, I was so absorbed that I sometimes felt like he was writing it specifically for me, like I was witnessing something that so few others care about...

Just as Edward Said's biography moved me, this did as well (although of course, in an entirely different manner). Jean Rolin, a French journalist and self-proclaimed non-believer (at least at the time?) didn't have to care and to decide to take on a project all by himself concerning Christians in the Holy Land. But he did. And for that, I truly respect and praise him. And I'm sure others more familiar with his work (like the whole country of France perhaps? since that's where his work is well-known) do as well.

(*book purchase courtesy of amazon.com* :) )