What's In A Name?

As accompaniers we often go out for a stroll in Tulkarm wearing our EAPPI vests.  Because we are quite recognizable, children will often come up to me and ask:  “What’s your name?”  When I tell them “my name is Susanne” they recognize that and say, “Ah, Susanne, you are welcome.”  Apparently Susanne is a common Arabic name and I am appreciative while living here that my parents gave me this name.  I was told as a small child that my name means lily. 

 After spending time in this area of the world, I find that my name is especially interesting.

Susan is a feminine given name, a form of Susanna, deriving originally from Middle Egyptian "sšn" (lotus flower), first reported on an 11th Dynasty sarcophagus dating from approximately 2000 B.C. However, the Hebrew root for the name for the lily, שושן is derived from the root שוש or ששנ , meaning "to be joyful, bright, or cheerful", which is the basis for the word and name ששון Sasson, meaning "joy of life". The Persian name for lily is سوسن sausan. The name of Susa, an ancient city of Persia, may be derived from the lilies which abounded in the plain in which it was located. (Wikipedia)

The EAPPI organization rents the flat we live in Tulkarm.  Our landlady’s first name is Susu which I understand is also a derivative of Susanne.  A contact person in a nearby village is also named Suzanne so I feel in good company with my name.  We are taking Arabic lessons from a neighbor and she has a 1 year old daughter named Noor.  Her name means “light” and this precious little being is a true ray of light.   

A local Christian businessman’s first name is Daoud which is a version of David.  The Christian  owner of a coffeeshop whose name is Samir has been very gracious to us throughout our stay.  His name means “a pleasant companion” and he represents his name well by being a genuine friend to everyone he meets.  His sister’s name is Mouna and her name means “wish.”

In our conversation classes we always introduce ourselves and then invite other members of the group to introduce themselves.  I have found it very helpful to remember people by their names and actually write their names down for future reference.  

Women's Conversation Group in Tulkarm Refugee Camp

Nearly everyone I have been in conversation with knows the meaning of their name.  That also is another way for me to connect and remember them.  I think it's wonderful that Palestinians choose the names for their children with great care and that children are very aware of its meaning. 

Susanne 

A Brief Ride Together

I returned to Tulkarm on February 4th after my placement visit in Jerusalem.   I left early because on Friday there is only limited transportation.  There was a bus from Jerusalem to Ramallah but I had to take a different route from Ramallah.  The Service drivers are always so helpful and they said I could only get to Tulkarm by going through Nablus.  It was raining quite steadily and even though it is a bit of an inconvenience for us, it is a very welcome rain for Palestine. It has been a dry winter and they have not received the average amount of rainfall for this time of year. 

In the middle of our Service van was a Palestinian family.  The mother was holding a tiny baby and it appeared to be a newborn.  The father was holding a one year old child.  When I asked if they spoke English they replied in Arabic “La” which means “no.”  My guess is that they were just returning from the hospital after the baby was born.  The Service driver stopped in the country and they got out in the pouring rain.  It did not appear that anyone was right there waiting for them.  She had made a call on her cell phone during the trip so hopefully they were rescued from the rain in a very short time.

Another baby born in this land of uncertainty.  I wonder what awaits him or her.  It is the same question that Joseph and Mary perhaps pondered not far from here.  Will there be opportunities to achieve freedom?  I hope and pray that there will. 

Susanne

Wadi Nar Checkpoint

When I was on my Placement visit in Jerusalem I was fortunate to be able to go along with other EA’s in their daily work.   Gernot, an EA from Germany,  took me on a tour of the Old City.  As a member of the Jerusalem team he is quite familiar with the area as we wound our way in and out of old streets and tunnels. 

 We ended up on the rooftop of a church in the old city where there was a beautiful panoramic view of all the places where we had walked and a clear view of the Dome of Rock.  He shared his insights and observations with me as we walked along.

In the afternoon we traveled to a checkpoint in a small village near East Jerusalem.  This is a checkpoint used by many Palestinians as they are leaving Jerusalem for the week-end or as they are coming in for the week-end.  The EA’s had been regularly monitoring this checkpoint on other days of the week but it was suggested they also come on a Thursday afternoon.  They had been told of problems at the checkpoint that some of the students from the University encountered at the checkpoint on their way home to nearby villages. 

It takes a long time to get to the Wadi Nar checkpoint because of the way the highway has been chopped up.  After a bus and a taxi ride we reached the checkpoint in time to monitor the vehicles going in and out of Jerusalem.  This was a new experience for me since I have mainly monitored agriculture gates and pedestrian checkpoints.  What also was new was the method used to search questionable vehicles.  Dogs are also used by the Israeli Military in their searches of vehicles.  Some college students in buses and vans had to undergo individual checks which meant that they had to get out of their vehicles.  Whenever there was that kind of search the traffic backed up behind as no one was allowed to pass until each individual search was over. 

It was cold and I readily accepted the offer to wear Gernot’s wool hat.    It was a little big for my head but it sure felt good to have it on while we were standing out there.  After the monitoring was over it was also good to head back to the EA flat and enjoy the meal Gernot prepared for us.  In real life Gernot is a therapist but I must say that he is also an excellent chef!!

Susanne

Kufr al Labbad

Today, Johanna and I held a conversation group with teen-age men age 12 to 16 at the new youth center in Kufr al Labbad.   

Heading down towards Kufr al Labbad

It’s about a 20 min. taxi ride from Tulkarm and then a walk straight down a long hill to a beautiful little village.  The ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) has projects associated with water and road restoration in villages around Tulkarm.  They assist farmers in accessing their land to tend to olive trees and other plants.  Kufr al Labbad is located between the illegally built Israeli settlements of Avne Hefez and Enav.   There are roadblocks on regular roads that the Palestinian farmers have to use.  Obviously this makes it more time consuming and difficult for them to access their own land.

Here is an article on the claiming of the land of the village you might find interesting:

http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=2044

It was a magnificent sight to view the beautiful landscape.  Palestine is a rocky place but everything seems to grow in between the rocks.  And of course the champion of them all is the olive tree which can live for hundreds of years under the right growing conditions.  That reminds me….Khaddouri University is having their first Olive Tree Conference next week at their fine arts center.  Our team has been invited to attend this special event.

Getting back to the discussion about our conversation group, it turned out to be a good session.  We had some introductory exercises in the beginning and then we moved on to a discussion about the situation in Egypt.   As the group discussed the topic we added their ideas on the blackboard.   Many things were shared and of course one idea led into other topics as well.  It appeared that this group really enjoys discussion and they are quite knowledgeable about what is happening around the world. 

After we ended the discussion, we mutually decided it would be good to tour the village when we come again.  The coordinator also suggested we stay for a barbeque on our next visit.  I am always amazed at the gracious hospitality offered to us wherever we go in this area.  A number one priority for those we’ve had the opportunity to meet is relationship.  People never seem to be too busy to pause and share a greeting and extend a welcome.  It’s something to remember wherever we are that life is not just a series of obligations and what we have to accomplish but rather it is how we care and relate to others.

Take care...............Susanne   

The Militarization of Israel

There was a very interesting presentation during our mid-term orientation when we toured Israel.  The presenter was Ruth Hiller of the New Profile organization.  http://www.newprofile.org/english.  It was the second time I have heard her speak.   The first time was at the Sabeel Conference I attended last Fall at Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN.

Ruth was born in the United States and came to Israel at the age of 17 to live in a kibbutz.  She is a citizen of the state of Israel, continuing to reside there while she and her husband raise their 6 children.   Her two older children were girls and when they graduated from high school they served a 2 year term in the military.  All women and men are expected to serve in the military after high school and before college.  Israel expects women to serve 2 years and men to serve 3 years.  When her 3^rd child (a son) was age 15 he told his family he did not want to serve in the military.  Since there has always been open communication and dialogue for everyone in the family, he voiced his decision quite adamantly to the rest of the family.  As a conscientious objector he told his family that he could not serve in the military.  It took 6 years before he was officially released from his obligation.  He and his family worked very hard to avoid imprisonment as a punishment for going “against the grain” so to speak.  There are other reasons men and women are excused from serving in the military such as religious or medical reasons but Israel does not recognize conscientious objection as a valid excuse.

Ruth said that New Profile was formed in October of 1998.  She has been a co-chair of this organization since that time.  She said:  “Our focus was to change the military mindset profile for the people of Israel.”  They work as teams to help teenagers who are questioning the system discern their decision about military service.  They offer support to allow people to think and explore other options.  Ruth gave several examples to the group about the subtle and not so subtle means by which defending the State of Israel is the number one priority for Israeli families.

She stated that the Israeli defense budget is 20% of their total budget, which is the highest military budget of any nation in the world.  Israel is also a democracy giving people the right to live as citizens with all the freedoms a democracy implies.  Since they have occupied Palestine for the last 43 years, it has taken a tremendous military work force to accomplish everything they have set up.  It takes lots of young people and much money to operate all the roadblocks, checkpoints, and various zones.  The IDF (Israeli Defense Force) protects the settlements built illegally on Palestinian land in addition to the borders, the Separation Barriers and all the designated areas.  Military service is promoted and glamorized.  But in actuality they receive very low pay as young people.  However, making a career in the military has many benefits and advantages. 

Parents are expected to assist their children monetarily as well as emotionally while they are in the service.  Parents and teachers are expected to promote national pride and the military idea from an early age.  “Never  Auschwitz Again” is a constant refrain that keeps the military mechanisms in place.   The Palestinian Occupation requires an Israeli military presence everywhere on the West Bank. 

Picture taken at peaceful demonstration in Hebron
by EA Erja S.

Since coming here to work with EAPPI, I have often wondered why there are Israeli checkpoints between Palestine villages if the whole purpose is security.   The answer is partially because land is consistently being taken from Palestinians.  



Road blocked to village of Shufa after establishment of
 settlement--giving settlers' and soldiers' vehicles access
while denying use to villagers. We walked a mile uphill!! 

Once a settlement is established, the settlers ask the government to “protect” them and link them up with Israel.  That means that land is confiscated for roads, schools and infrastructure.  And this means that more soldiers are needed.  The IDF allows settlers the right to be armed with weapons while it is illegal for Palestinians to have weapons. 



Checkpoint near Nablus

Commerce is becoming increasingly difficult for Palestinians as their land is being confiscated--split up like a jig saw puzzle.  Palestinians watch helplessly as the IDF defend the taking of their land and livelihoods.  All of this contributes to high unemployment.

And so after my trip into Israel and as I return home to my EAPPI placement in Tulkarm I have many more questions than answers. 

Susanne

p.s.  You might go to this site to read the charter of New Profile.  It is very interesting.

http://www.newprofile.org/english/?cat=7

Traveling Through Israel

As part of our mid term, the entire EAPPI group traveled through Israel last week. 

We stayed two nights in Haifa but took day trips up and down Israel.  I was impressed by the quality of life afforded its citizens.  They have beautiful highways, buildings, parks and schools. 

We got a glimpse of several water projects which was of interest to me as my father spent his career in the Soil Conservation Service in Montana.  The land is so beautiful and the Mediterranean is absolutely spectacular.  

Watershed project near Haifa

Akko, Israel

Even the roundabouts on their highways are sprinkled with beautiful pieces of art.  The ground, when given water, is very fertile and the flowers and gardens were truly impressive. 

Fish Market in Akko, Israel

The contrast on the other side of the Separation Barrier is stark.  Tulkarm is only 9 miles from the Mediterranian.  The people of Tulkarm, many of whom used to fish it's beaches and some of whom owned land very near the sea, now cannot even see it because of the Barrier.  I wonder if the same kind of development we saw on our trip could happen in Palestine if the occupation would end and the restrictions eased.  Palestinians struggle to get permits for building or remodeling.  They are forbidden to drill for water.  There is much less money for road maintenance or anything else that contributes to a good quality of life. 

Questions persist.

Susanne

Sunday's Activity

January 30, 2011  Back in Tulkarm

It’s the end of January which marks the beginning of the last half of my stay here in Palestine.  The time goes by quickly for all of us on Team 38 of EAPPI.  Even though Sunday is the start of the work week for most of Palestine, it is also a time when services are held at the 4 Christian churches in Nablus.  Our sending organization is the World Council of Churches and we are encouraged to attend services of our choice when there is an opportunity to do so.  

We took a bus to Nablus which is the second largest city on the West Bank of Palestine.  Then we took a taxi to Rafidia Street where there are four Christian Churches right in a row.  Today we decided to attend the Latin Orthodox Church.   The service was in Latin and so the connection for me was the music…..some of the melodies we familiar to me.  The order of service is also familiar and we were handed an English version of the Scripture readings for today.  As it turns out they use the same lectionary readings as what was read 8 hours later in my home church (Peace Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD).

It’s raining today and this is good for Palestine as they have not received the expected rainfall for this time of year.  We dashed between puddles and downpours as we found our way to the bus station for the trip back to Tulkarm.  Later in the afternoon I walked over to visit one of the Christian families as it is walking distance from our flat.  Mouna knew I was coming as we had talked earlier today.  A visit to her home is always filled with conversation and gracious hospitality.  My ability to converse in Arabic is limited to a few phrases and they only speak a little English.  We still manage to communicate and have a good time.  Mouna’s mother was sitting in a chair by their small open fireplace which is a very hot charcoal grill.  This is their only source of heat.

Several family members stopped by during the visit including her brother, Samir, another brother and sister-in-law and their 4 children.  The children age 6, 8, 10 and 12 study English in school so they were able to talk to me.   For dinner we had a meal of bulgar wheat and lentils.  We eat with our fingers.  We had several sweet taste delights and a banana followed by her delicious Turkish coffee.  They also have two cats who really like their spot underneath the little stove. 

Mouna (in red) and friend

Mouna was happy to have one of her little cats back after it was missing for the past month.  Besides being very kind to her pets, she is a loving caregiver for her mother as well as her extended family in this area and in the Gaza Strip.  

Susanne