25 January 2015<\/p>\n
Good evening from Beit Sahour!<\/p>\n
On Monday, we spent the morning at the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) headquarters where we heard from Shareen, a lawyer that works often with abused women, share about her life and work.<\/p>\n
And never have I ever been so thankful for my father and opportunities as a woman.\u00a0In Middle Eastern culture, it is shameful for a woman to go to court against her husband. Verbal abuse is simply something you deal with and physical harm is only serious if you require medical attention. In essence, women\u2019s rights here are only on paper \u2013 not in practice.\u00a0Shareen\u2019s job is to represent these women in court to get divorces and alimony. Not only so, but she also performs awareness sessions for men and women to learn how to better interact and to reveal the wrong, abusive tendencies of fathers and husbands.<\/p>\n
Shareen shared her story on how her father did not support her following her true passion to practice law and study in the university.\u00a0After she applied and was accepted into law school, her father didn\u2019t talk to her for six months.\u00a0Compare this to my father, who never told me any dream was too big or any bar too high. My gender was not something that defined nor hindered me. \u201cBecause you\u2019re a girl\u201d was never an excuse for not completing a task. He taught me through word and action I am a person of great value and also great strength.<\/p>\n
I like to think I am the woman I am, largely [because] of my father, so it\u2019s hard to imagine becoming myself in spite of him, like Shareen did.\u00a0I wish you all could have been there to hear her story with the other 27 of us huddled around her in a small room to listen intently.\u00a0Some may get annoyed with feminism but I don\u2019t think we should get annoyed with equal rights \u2013 because isn\u2019t that what we all should be striving for? Male or female: we are all created in God\u2019s image. Equal rights and equal opportunities only make sense.<\/p>\n
But how do you change a culture? Shareen contests we start at the roots. We raise boys who respect their sisters and mothers. We tell little girls they are strong and they have the freedom to be whatever they want to be.\u00a0That\u2019s what my parents did for me \u2013 and I am grateful for that. More than I was before.\u00a0And I hope that I do the same with my children.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, we crossed the border from Jordan into Israel where our passports saved us from waiting an hour or maybe even more – All because my passport says United States of America.<\/p>\n
We were asked very minimal questions and our bags were not scanned.\u00a0Does anyone spy some inequality there?<\/p>\n
We are currently living\u00a0with host families in Palestine . As I was talking with my host dad, he mentioned how he cannot go to many Arab countries because he is from Palestine. \u00a0Because he is seen as a threat, someone to be feared.\u00a0After living with him for a few days, I know he is anything but.\u00a0And maybe people would take a different opinion if we got to know each other \u2013 if we tore down the walls, both literal and metaphorical, that keep us from deep human connection and understanding.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, we had our first glimpse of the wall that divides Palestinians from Israelis. This wall zig- zags through the land, including as many resources as it can, leaving little for the Palestinians. Some have had the wall built straight through their backyards, losing land and livelihood. Many people have olive trees here, but if the trees end up on the other side of the wall, they simply go to waste at the hands of the Israelis.<\/p>\n
The wall is covered in graffiti with moving images that will wreck your heart.\u00a0Some moving thoughts were:<\/p>\n
\u201cRepair the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWarning! This is illegally occupied land.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake one: freedom of movement, water, equality.\u201d<\/p>\n
And several scenes done by the artist Banksy.\u00a0(look him up \u2013 he\u2019s awesome)<\/p>\n
I found myself fighting back tears as I walked by this wall.\u00a0I have never been smacked in the face with injustice like this before.\u00a0Is this really the human reality in 2015? But, may we never forget there is hope.\u00a0For a little over 2,000 years ago a baby was born into occupation much worse than what we see now. \u00a0And he rocked this world to its core.\u00a0And who\u2019s to say something as radical couldn’t happen again?<\/p>\n
Just to compare the two sides of the wall:<\/p>\n
Israeli homes? Water is a non-issue.\u00a0In fact, I learned Israel takes up to 80% of Palestinian water, leaving the remaining 20% for the rest of the population.<\/p>\n
Israelis? They can travel freely.<\/p>\n
Israelis? Any road, any time.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk more about this wall and inequality:<\/p>\n
One of our guides made an astonishing point to us about signs around this wall. In English and Hebrew signs read, \u201cDo not damage the wall or risk your life\u201d or something to that effect. In contrast, in Arabic (the language of Palestinians) the signs say \u201cdo not touch.\u201d I think even those of us who aren\u2019t English nuts see a pretty clear distinction between the two.\u00a0Now this is all to be taken with a grain of salt, because I am currently living the Palestinian reality. In three weeks I will cross to the other side, hear different stories, and be challenged even more to reconcile two sides of that wall.<\/p>\n
Thursday was our first Arabic lessons. We will be having nine, three hour sessions these three weeks. We are split into two groups which is helpful. My teacher\u2019s name is Jala, she is a sweet middle aged woman who once taught English at university. She is very relaxed and understands Arabic can be a difficult language to learn but excited for us to be able to interact with our families.<\/p>\n
For those of you keeping track here are the Biblical sights of the week:<\/p>\n
\u2013 Lot\u2019s Cave<\/p>\n
\u2013 the Dead Sea<\/p>\n
\u2013 Mt. Nebo (where Moses went before he died)<\/p>\n
\u2013 the Shepherd\u2019s Field (Luke 2)<\/p>\n
\u2013 the grotto where Jesus was born (The Church of the Nativity)<\/p>\n
Assalamu alaykum<\/em>.<\/p>\n Peace on you.<\/p>\n – Lydia Tissue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 25 January 2015 Good evening from Beit Sahour! On Monday, we spent the morning at the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) headquarters where we heard from Shareen, a lawyer that works often with abused women, share about her life and work. And never have I ever been so thankful for my father and opportunities as a … Continue reading All We Need Is Love…and maybe some equality<\/span>