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Daily report from American volunteer, Rhonda McCarty 10 November 2000 Hello all, Wish you could all be here with me now! I am still managing to stay out of harm's way. I spent most of today working at the Center for Rapprochement. There are now between 40 and 50 local volunteers at this organization. Due to job closures, no tourists, and intermittent school closures, these young people (15-30 years old) have found themselves with time on their hands and are anxious to do something positive for their community and their future state. The latest project is designed to help local families who have been displaced by the conflict, which is now going on its 6th week. In addition to the tremendous loss of life to the Palestinian people, the property loss has also been very great. While we can't restore all of Palestine in short order, the people of Beit Sahour are determined, in the midst of all of this, to make things better. I had an opportunity this morning to see some of the damaged homes first hand. They are on the Eastern side of Beit Sahour, which is very close to an Israeli military base. We knew they were watching, so I discreetly took a few photos from the car, and we left soon afterward. Other volunteers have taken a lot of excellent photographs that depict the devastation to this neighborhood and the suffering of these people. I don't have them with me tonight to send to you, but I will be doing that in the future. Other volunteers are meeting each family involved and writing profiles of those families. One sample that we wrote today was a Muslim family with 7 children. 5 of them are in college. In spite of their daily struggles, education is of great importance to the people of Beit Sahour. The photographs and profiles will eventually become part of a web site which will show people the human dimension of this conflict. I sat next to a Jewish man on the flight from Newark who was coming to visit his oldest son and daughter-in-law who moved to Israel in August. They live in a nice neighborhood on the west side of Jerusalem. I asked him if they felt safe where they were and he answered, "oh yes! They are oblivious to the situation." I thought how great for them, but also how sad. If every Israeli citizen was NOT oblivious, maybe things would change. One of my jobs today was to write a letter to CNN and other media contacts regarding the dehumanizing effect of quoting statistics about Palestinians who have been killed rather than to show, who these people and their families really are. My other major task (do you see that they are keeping me busy in the office to keep me out of the areas of potential danger?) was to write a summary of the project, which I have enclosed for you below. We hope to involve the United Methodist Church in this. It has been suggested that families here could be matched with families in the States; VIM teams will of course, be needed more than ever, but United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) assistance would be most appreciated. Thus far, response from the General Board of Global Ministries has been very positive. Those of you who are United Methodists and would like to take action immediately, may do so by sending a gift to United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) designated for advance #601740-2 named "Middle East Emergency". You might include a note with your donation letting UMCOR, the General Boards of the United Methodist Church, and Volunteers in Mission coordinators know of your particular concerns for the area. I want to remind you that this project is specifically by the people of Beit Sahour for the people of Beit Sahour. I know that devastation in some other areas is even greater. I've noticed that I feel sheltered from the news here. I only see what I see and hear what I hear, not my usual 50 or so emails and 50 or so television channels. I can get CNN in English, but all they talk about, (and the Palestinians are laughing at us by the way) is the election fiasco. I have to ask to find out anything, even, "does anyone know who my president is yet?" I want to share with you some of my impressions of the way people here are dealing with this, the kids, etc, but think it would be helpful if I observe this a little longer. I do want to reassure those of you who don't know the Palestinian people, that regardless of what US media would have you believe, Americans are not despised by the entire Arab world. The protests which you see, more in other Arab countries, but occasionally here, with burning of flags, etc, is a statement against the policies of a government that they see as abusing its power. But as an individual, I am very welcome here and my attention is appreciated. The Palestinian people want more than anything, for their story to be told. They are baffled by how the U.S. can support Israel in the acts it has committed against them. They still believe in Justice and are sure that, once the world knows both sides of the story, that life for them can only get better. So, on that note, please feel free to share any of my emails with everyone on your list. I feel secure in your prayers. Thank you! Salaam, | ||||||||||||||||
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