How many stories can you tell?

I left San Jose last Thursday and I am now back in Salt Lake City for a few weeks. Before leaving, I had another opportunity to present my EAPPI experience to a group of faculty, students, and other interested persons at the University of Costa Rica's main campus in San Jose. After my presentations of the EAPPI program in Costa Rica, I am coming back with some ideas for the presentations I will give this coming fall. For sure, the most powerful element of the presentation is the support of the pictures. However, it is not enough to show them only; it is essential to take time to talk about each picture and to tell each personal story behind the picture. This is indeed the role of the witness. One question will stay with me while I will be preparing other talks: How many stories can you tell? Which ones do you share? And at the end, what becomes of the ones you cannot bring back?

Singing with the choir

Thursday, I was invited by the Centro de Amigos para la Paz [http://www.amigosparalapaz.org/] to give two presentations about my experience with EAPPI. It has been wonderful to meet the people of CAP here in San Jose. They are all dedicated to social justice, lobbying local politicians, and contributing to numerous humanitarian projects. Needless to say that my presentations at the CAP were not about educating an audience, but rather about sharing information and giving some first-hand tools to help the advocay efforts made in San Jose. By Thursday, a petition had already been sent to the Costa Rican government to ask for sanctions against Israel after its raid on the international flotilla.

After my second presentation, the group decided to create a committee to work on raising awareness regarding the economic boycott against Israel; apparently, many Costa Rican businesses have strong ties with Israel and (in)directly support its politics. The expression goes: "Preaching to the choir;" however, on Thursday, I didn't feel I was preaching, but rather joining in and echoing words and actions already underway! It's good to hear the choir sing!

They shall not hurt or destroy...

June 2, my birthday and the first of my EAPPI talks. I am currently in Costa Rica, San Jose, visiting various groups and trying to learn Spanish! Among the people I met here are the staff, professors, and students of the Universidad Biblica Latinoamerica [see: http://www.ubila.net/]. A rich and diverse community, with individuals coming from several countries, shaped by many stories and journeys. This afternoon, they came to listen to my presentation about my experience with the EAPPI program and the situation in Palestine.

This past Sunday marked the official beginning of the World Week for Peace in Palestine/Israel initiated by the World Council of Churches. Monday morning, Israeli forces attacked and killed peace activists in the international waters outside Gaza! More than ever, it seems important to speak up and to support all the peace activists who are trying to be heard. At the end of my presentation, the silence was heavy and sad.

Isaiah 65:25 quoted by Mitri Raheb at the end of his book, I am a Palestinian Christian, reminds us of a promise that is still to come:

They shall not hurt or destroy
On all my holy mountain
Says the Lord

Coming full circle

I have been home for a week now; I am back in Salt Lake City and getting back to the life I put in parentheses for three months. The flight all the way from Tel Aviv was long; too many hours really, sitting on a plane, covering so many miles, leaving behind bits and pieces of so many stories and lives. I realize landing is taking time, much more than expected. You don’t just come back and pick up things where you left them. A few people ask me, “How was your trip?” and right now, I have very little to say. It will come. In the meantime, I’m closing this blog for now with a picture and a short quote.

The picture was taken near Bethlehem on March 4, in the morning. We joined a protest organized by various pacifist groups against the extension of the Wall. The preliminary construction had already destroyed several gardens, uprooted olive trees, and left some houses without sewage systems. A few kids were participating in the protest; these two on the picture were waving the Palestinian flag at the cars driving on the highway below. The flag in this picture reminds me of its role in the conflict between Palestine and Israel: on one side, the Israeli flag is a symbol of conquest often used to claim land for Israel; on the other side, the Palestinian flag is a symbol of resistance used to claim statehood for Palestine. When I see the Palestinian flag on the shoulders of this kid, I think of the next generation of Palestinians and the weigh they will be carrying while defending their national and cultural identity, while hoping for freedom.

The quote then is taken from one of Suzanne Gardiner’s Ghazals, a reading recommended to me on this blog. I found the book at home when I arrived last week. I am reading her lines and these two right now capture many memories and impressions:

Here’s a feast table A Prayer mat An airport
A lexicon of rooms where we do not meet

The port of Jaffa and its minaret

I am spending my last 24 hours in this country walking around the Old City of Jaffa. It is a beautiful town, with many cute cafes and restaurants, and great beaches; it has the flair of any seaside town. It feels like the perfect place to end my 3-month stay with the EAPPI. Here, there is a sense of harmony: Israelis and Palestinians coexist; in the streets, you hear Arabic as much as Hebrew; a blend of both cuisines is in the air and flavors all the dishes. Is it a false harmony? In many regards, probably! However, for a moment I don’t want to scratch the surface...

Then I am reminded of what is happening on the other side: yesterday, three of the new EAs placed in Jerusalem were attacked by a group of young settlers in Sheikh Jarrah [see: http://www.eappi.org/en/news/]. I am thinking of my colleagues and the difficult reality they are facing. They have just started and must wonder how much more violence they are going to witness. Witnesses we are; and soon we will have to speak up.