Phone: 972-2-626-6800 FAX: 972-2-628-5764 ADDRESS: Muristan Road P.O. Box 14076 Jerusalem 91140 via Israel
September | August | May | April | March | February | January | November, 2005
Gathering around posters with pictures and newspaper articles from each stop of the tour along the way, parents and teachers of the Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah congratulated and thanked the youth and adults who made the 50-day arduous journey. The group did about 50 performances in 50 days from coast to coast, traveling through Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, California, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York.
School of Hope Principal Mikhael Abu Ghazaleh, ELCJHL Schools' Director Dr. Charlie Haddad and Bishop Younan addressed the group. Bishop Younan thanked them for being good representatives for Palestine and the Lutheran Schools and showing Americans how in ordinary life, Christians and Muslims live together as friends here in the Holy Land. They also thanked Ramallah English Teacher Najwa Kreitem church elder David Tannous for also accompanying the group.
In San Antonio, they attended and performed at two sessions of the ELCA Youth Gathering, each session with over 15,000 people. In addition, they gave workshops where they showed a powerpoint presentation they had prepared about their history and told students about their daily lives. In many sessions, few in the audience knew much about what was happening in Palestine: occupation, the new 30-ft high wall, land confiscation, etc.
"Wait a minute, you mean they are building that wall NOW? I thought we were done with that kind of thing when the Berlin Wall fell. But why don't you do something about it?"
One young American's response to a seminar given at the ELCA Youth Gathering
Their last few days was spent at the Global Mission Event in Amherst, Massachusetts. Friday evening was devoted to the Middle East, and featured video clips of the kids and the situation. Hania Jamal Halabi, Atwa Rabah Jaber and Saba Nader Albis spoke to the crowd of 1200 about their dreams and hopes of a better tomorrow. Everywhere they went, people cheered them. They were the heroes of the event. They returned home on August 3.
You see the wall is not only standing between people and their jobs or schools it also stands between dreamers and their dreams. It is strangling us and destroying our ambitions. I think that you have to give peace a chance.
The school kids at the Lutheran schools in Palestine are lucky. While most of the 1.2 million Palestinian students are not in school because of a general strike, the Lutheran schools are leading the charge to ensure their students don't pay the price of this latest situation. They have mostly remained open in the face of pressure to close and support the strike, and they are working with other private schools on an initiative to remain open.
In situations like this, the ones who lose in the end are the children. That is not acceptable," said Dr. Charlie D. Haddad, Lutheran Schools’ Director.
According to Mr. Basre Salih, Director of International Relations for the PA Ministry of Education, only about 10% of the public schools opened their official school year on Saturday. Government workers are on strike because they have not been paid salary for over six months since the international boycott on aid began shortly after Hamas was elected in January.
Dr. Haddad expressed his sympathy and support for the teachers who have not been paid, but also said the children should not suffer. The private schools felt pressure to support the strike this week, and on Tuesday, when the other private schools were pressured into closing, only the Lutheran schools opened.
Salih said that it is frustrating because this is "hurting the core of our education," and because during the Al-Aqsa intifada, the Palestinians kept the schools open as much as they could. This is an example of how stretched and frustrated the people are, he said.
According to Dr. Haddad, ten percent of the 1.2 million Palestinian students attend private schools, like the ELCJHL, which are mostly open, and 12% go to UNRWA (United Nations Refugee Welfare Association) schools, which are also open.
The information about the strikes is sketchy, because some of those on strike are the workers in the government ministries that track information.
Tuesday, August 29, is the first day of the school year for students in the ELCJHL Schools, while Palestinian public schools are still unsure about whether they will open or not due to lack of funding from the international boycott on aid to Palestinians. We are going on six months without salaries, and schools and health care services are the hardest hit sectors of those public services affected.
At the ELCJHL some staff members began planning for instruction even earlier than the official August 15 return for teachers. The first week in August marked the completion of a series of in-service programs or educational dialogues sponsored by the ELCJHL Schools and the GL Danish Teachers’ Union. The series of six seminars began in January of 2004 with a discussion on school management. Other in-service programs included workshops on school democracy, environmental education, creativity and critical thinking, classroom management, and the use of information technology in the classroom. A seventh seminar evaluated the previous ones and made recommendations for future planning. All these seminars took place during school vacations in Denmark and Palestine with Danish participants volunteering their time and services.
Although the sponsors had planned the seminars with the objectives of providing in-service training for the staff and improving communication between Danish and Palestinian teachers, some unexpected outcomes in the project were teacher and student visits to schools in both countries. Despite the educational and cultural differences between the two school systems, teachers and students found many common concerns and challenging ideas. They hope to maintain and extend their collaboration through email correspondence and joint international class projects. Both Danes and Palestinians are looking forward to learning how seminar participants will implement and share the knowledge and skills gained through the seminars with other staff members for the benefit of the students in the Lutheran Schools. ELCJHL Schools’ Director Dr. Charlie D. Haddad emphasized the importance of carrying out this phase regardless of whether or not it is likely to be supported financially. It could be done, he said, internally if funding is not made available, but on a smaller less structured scale that will hopefully grow in time.
Such exchanges and collaboration are part of the philosophy of the ELCJHL Schools to build bridges of communication and collaboration with international partners and thereby alleviate the isolation felt in the schools because of the effects of the Occupation. Both Danes and Palestinians expressed appreciation to each other for sharing their professional experiences and opinions. By the conclusion of the series, participants and facilitators stated that they now regard their international partners not only as colleagues but also as friends whom they hope to see again very soon.
The school year ended at the beginning of June for the Lutheran Schools in Palestine, but the memories of the culminating celebrations are still fresh for the staff and students. Among the May events marking the completion of another year’s studies were graduation ceremonies at the four schools, five kindergarten graduations, and science, art and sports festivals.
Although the four schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land share common educational goals, each has unique traditions and qualities, and their graduation ceremonies reflected this individuality. Dar Al-Kalima, our newest school founded in 2000, celebrated its second graduation class with seven students. Talitha Kumi, founded in the mid-nineteenth century, had 49 graduates this year while the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour had 25 and the School of Hope in Ramallah had 29.
Graduation is a school-wide event involving students from many grades. Graduates gave speeches in Arabic, English, and German. The choral and instrumental music classes presented musical selections which included Palestinian stringed instruments such as oudes and kanouns as well as woodwind and brass ensembles, drums, and bagpipes. Folk dance groups from the schools also performed during the community event. Bishop Munib Younan, Schools’ Director Dr. Charlie Haddad, the principals, and government guests joined in distributing the diplomas and special awards to both graduates and returning students. A colorful part of each ceremony was the traditional Palestinian zagareet, a spontaneous acclamation or sung blessing offered by the audience to express pride, joy, and appreciation for the achievements of the students.
In addition to senior class commencements, the kindergartens also had graduation ceremonies at each of the four schools and at Al-Mahaba on the Augusta Victoria Hospital campus in East Jerusalem. Since kindergarten here includes three years of pre-school preparation, parents, students, and staff had cause to celebrate this benchmark preparing their children to enter primary grades. Programs included student songs, speeches and skits; again Dr. Haddad and the principals distributed diplomas proudly accepted by the pupils.
Because travel restrictions and the Separation Wall continue to increase the isolation of the communities which the Schools and Educational Programs of the ELCJHL serve, school events draw wide community interest, as the other festivals in May indicate. The Environmental Education Center in Beit Jala invited area schools, including those from the refugee camps, to participate in its Spring Festival. The Sports and Arts Festivals at Hope School in Ramallah and the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour included folk dancing, roller skating, gymnastics and basketball. Dar Al-Kalima School in Bethlehem held a science fair in combination with sports, dance, arts and crafts exhibits.
At the end of each year, students say good-bye to friends and teachers until the following fall. One staff member who will not return in August but who will be missed is Jonathan Schaller, who volunteered for one year at the schools in Beit Sahour and Dar Al-Kalima. An education student from Tübingen, Germany, Jonathan learned about a possible volunteer position when he was looking for an international spot to do his practicum before taking his final exams qualifying him to teach. Saying that he was at first doubtful about coming to the West Bank, he now feels grateful for friends who encouraged him and thanked Principal Georg Dürr of Talitha Kumi and Berliner Missionswerk, who arranged for his placement here. Sharing his time between the two schools, Jonathan taught German and served as a sports assistant in gymnastics and first aid, a skill learned serving as a paramedic in his alternative military service in Germany. A devout and modest young man, Jonathan felt led by God to come here to learn about his Christian roots “where it all began.” His work here with the staff and students has established roots of communication, understanding, and affection not soon forgotten.
Jonathan’s friendly face and favorite Arabic expression, “mish mushkileh (no problem)” were reminders of the many forms of support the Schools and Educational Programs of the ELCJHL receive for its ministry from international partners around the world. Volunteers and financial contributions are vital to the program of activities, especially under the prevailing conditions of fund cutoffs and rising unemployment and poverty levels, predicted soon to reach 70% in the West Bank.
Deacon Pirkko Tyhkanen, a social worker for FELM (Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Ministries), has met the parents of more than 50 scholarship students in the last three months and has seen the growing need for financial support of the families. Government employees have not received salaries since February because of the international boycott on aid to the Palestinians, and this has had a dismal ripple effect on the economy. More families than ever have income only for their basic daily needs and they can pay their children’s fees only partly. Some families have taken loans to pay the fees and others have just given up and put their children in government schools.
National church organizations provide grants for construction projects and program activities; partner synods, local congregations, philanthropic associations and private individuals provide assistance for student tuition scholarships. Bishop Younan, Dr. Haddad, and the staff of the Lutheran Schools thank all those who have helped to make this school year possible and successful for our students and families.
You can join in the ministry of the ELCJHL Schools and Educational Programs in a number of ways: • Pray for a lasting and just peace in the Holy Land today and for a brighter future for its children; • Support a local child’s education through a financial contribution; • Support the development of the ELCJHL’s educational programs with an unspecified contribution.
"Mom, dad, teachers, I really did it!"
The Dar Al Kalima graduation class of 2006! Dr. Charlie Haddad, ELCJHL Schools' Director addresses the graduates.
Graduations in Palestine are a rich mix of student recognition, speeches, dance, music with drums and kanoun and other splashes of traditional color. In the ELCJHL schools, there are student speeches in Arabic, English and German, thanking teachers, parents and one another for support and pledging to carry on as the future leaders of a hoped-for state. Bishop Younan congratulates the students and schools for their achievements and encourages them to continue to live out the much-needed values of academic excellence, holistic learning, democratic principles and peace education.
These students had a microscope set up with all different tissue slides. This student demonstrated the process of recycling. This boy had taken apart a computer, labeled all the parts and had it projecting a powerpoint show of slides of the school.
ELCJHL schools at the end of the year all celebrate with fairs exhibiting arts, sports, science or other activities. This year's Dar al Kalima's event began outdoors with dancing and sports and then led into and around the school, where there was a science and arts exhibition with projects and crafts of all kinds.
Evangelical Lutheran School Board Holds Annual Meeting
The Evangelical Lutheran School Board (ELSB) also met in May. They are working on the implementation of their strategic plan resulting from their assessment process last year. It was recommended that an endowment fund for the educational work of the schools and programs be developed and encouraged by partner churches.
Al-Raja Dabkha Dance Group from the Ramallah School of Hope is training hard for their upcoming trip to the United States in June. They recently performed before packed audiences at the Al-Kasaba Theater in Ramallah.
The young people are anxious to share their Palestinian culture, history and stories through their folkloric dance, costumes and presentations. For more than 6 weeks, they will travel all across the US through Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, California, Texas and New England. They will perform for thousands at the ELCA youth gatherings, Multi-Cultural Events and the Global Mission Event.
Recent news about the financial future of the Palestinian government has been disturbing to those who look beyond the immediate political surface. Drastic funding cutbacks that threaten the jobs and health care for a million inhabitants of a region will naturally influence the quality of children’s lives there as well, especially when over half of its inhabitants are of school age. Children suffer not only because of their unemployed parents’ inability to pay their school tuition but also because of the lack of outside funding. Yet despite the harsh prospects for school revenue and programs, the staff and students in the Lutheran Schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land continue to cultivate hope in this grim climate. Here are just a few recent examples of such color and growth.
Although residents of the United States celebrate Mother’s Day in May, March is the month when Palestinians remember the role of women in the family. Each school had special programs and tributes from students to their mothers. The pre-school staff at Al-Mahaba (love in Arabic) Kindergarten at the Augusta Victoria Hospital Campus hosted over fifty mothers and grandmothers for their annual celebration. Children sang and recited their tributes before enjoying a lunch with their families and guests. One of the four educational programs of the ELCJHL, this program provides day care and education for 36 Muslim and Christian children from East Jerusalem.
Fifth graders in the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour hosted in March their first English Drama Night. Students composed and performed original scenes, skits, and songs for their guests. Teacher Afra Sa’d and Principal Salameh Bishara expressed pleasure over the children’s hard work; they hope to expand and continue the dramatic programs as an annual event for the community. Schools’ Director Dr. Charlie Haddad noted that such activities help to accomplish the strategic goal of applying classroom learning through innovative approaches; they also build students’ creativity, adaptability, and self-confidence. Children in the Lutheran Schools study English from first through twelfth grades.
Our most recent newsletter expressed regret but understanding over the decision of the Danish GL Teachers’ Union to postpone their joint seminar with the Lutheran Schools originally scheduled for March; local and international demonstrations had protested the publication in Denmark of cartoons offensive to the Muslim community. However, plans are now underway to complete the series of seminars with two workshops scheduled for June and August. The school staffs of Beit Sahour, Dar al-Kalima, Talitha Kumi, and Hope School of Ramallah are happy to welcome back their Danish colleagues.
In addition to the Danish-Palestinian dialogue established during the past year, the Schools continue to extend their goal of promoting communication and cooperation with international groups. During the first two weeks of May, Jihan Imaya of Dar al-Kalima School and Marlene Rock of Beit Sahour School, who both teach upper level English classes, are exchanging places with two colleagues from Sweden, Liselotte Hoppe-Persson and Kenth Rohlén. Such interchanges of ideas and experience benefit staff and students living under the conditions of restrictions and occupation.
During the past year and a half, the Schools of the ELCJHL have engaged in a cooperative project with the Danish Upper Secondary Teachers’ Union. The GL Seminars, as the project was named, was planned to present a series of six seminars of educational interest to teachers, students, parents and administration in the Lutheran Schools. Beginning in January of 2005, teachers and students from Denmark came to the West Bank to co-present these educational seminars with their Palestinian counterparts from the Lutheran Schools in Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Ramallah. Topics included improving school management, promoting democracy in school life and environmental education. The most recent one, held in Ramallah in December and featured in last month’s newsletter, focused on encouraging creative and critical thinking through innovative techniques. Other aspects of the Palestinian-Danish Dialogue have included a film project, an international electronic forum and student and teacher exchanges. Government schools in Palestine have also been a part of this collaboration and exchange.
Final plans were underway for the fifth seminar to take place at the beginning of March at Dar Annadwa, the International Center of Bethlehem. The facilitators here and in Denmark were looking forward to discussions and workshops on incorporating information technology in the schools. Unfortunately, the Danish participants regretfully decided to cancel their travel plans because of recent demonstrations about newspaper publications mocking Islam in their country. Both the tacky cartoons and the resulting protests have received international coverage. Ironically, the quiet and continuing important work of bridge building taking place here and in Europe receives little press attention! The staff of the Schools and Educational Programs of the ELCJHL appreciates the efforts of all our international partners and we hope that the Danish GL Teachers Union and the Schools of the ELCJHL will soon be able to continue their dialogue for the benefit of all our students.
Students in the four Lutheran Schools of the Holy Land are back to a regular schedule after celebrating the end of first semester, this year’s break coincided with the Eastern and Western holidays of Christmas and New Year’s Day as well as the three-day Muslim feast Eid al-Adha. Teachers and administrators used this time away from the normal school calendar to meet and plan major changes in the school program. They hope to incorporate into their curriculum the ideas and activities discussed in two major workshops in December and January. Participants in these two in-service events are now closer to achieving two important goals of the Schools and Educational Programs of the ELCJHL. As they considered ways to provide quality education through innovative techniques, they were also promoting communication and cooperation within the schools and with local and international groups.
Goal: To provide quality education through innovation techniques; To promote communication and cooperation within the schools and with local and international groups;
Over a year ago, the staff of each school began a self-assessment of their programs and curriculum and a strategic planning process that resulted in the writing of eight educational goals. Preceding articles in the newsletters have already discussed some of them. They then invited a group of local and international educators to evaluate and suggest improvements. For three days this past December in Jericho, the staff from the three participating schools met to continue the strategic planning already begun by implementing both their common goals and the recommendations of the visiting committee. Dr. Charlie D. Haddad, Director of Schools and Educational Programs, led the workshop, which was the first of its kind to include all the staff from all three schools. ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan also addressed the group and shared in the discussions. Teachers’ evaluations rated highly the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas and share opinions on proposed improvements in the school program. Although the daily work sessions were intense, the staff also enjoyed evening socials as part of the holiday season.
Two weeks later in Ramallah, the Danish GL secondary teachers’ union sponsored the fourth in a series of educational seminars begun in January of 2005. Previous topics had included school management and organization, promoting democracy in schools, and environmental education. The January 2006 workshop considered ways to implement and promote critical thinking and creativity in the classroom. Representatives from all the schools included teachers, principals and parents who heard presentations and participated in small group discussions. Teachers again listed as valuable the opportunity to share ideas with teachers from the other Lutheran Schools and Denmark and with invited guests representing the Palestinian government schools. Future seminars, scheduled for March and June of this year, will present ideas on the use of information technology in instruction and innovative classroom management techniques.
Dr. Haddad notes that teachers in the ELCJHL Schools have had more in-service training in the past three years than in all the past years combined. These workshops, thanks to cooperative grants and joint ventures with local and international partners, are signs of growth and promise a fruitful school environment.
Delegates to the Council meeting of the Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem and Bethlehem in early September had the pleasure of seeing and hearing students from the Schools of the ELCJHL perform for their guests during a cultural evening presented at the International Center in Bethlehem. Among the highlights of the program were choral and orchestral presentations, but, for most of the international audience, the Palestinian debka dancing was a new and joyful experience. The performance of these young dancers is a source of pleasure for spectators; however, the activity is also a goal-oriented and integral part of the programs of the Schools of the ELCJHL.
Last year the schools confirmed their commitment to educational excellence by initiating and completing a self-study of their programs. The first such study in the school system and in the area, it involved staff, students, parents, and community representatives. This undertaking culminated in a site visit and assessment by an international and local group of consultants. Their observations and recommendations will support a continuing strategic planning process already begun for improvement. Foundational to the process are the goals established by the school community. Future newsletters will present all of the nine goals established during their self-study. This month’s newsletter describes how the schools implement the goal of molding a Palestinian and Christian identity among their students.
Debka is a traditional Middle Eastern dance form popular in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Traditionally seen at happy occasions like weddings or festivals and part of village life, it can be done by men, women, or in mixed groups. The steps involve line and circle dancing, stomping, fancy footwork and hopping. The colorful costumes, the lively music and the spirited dancers evoke enthusiastic participation from their audience, who respond with clapping, foot tapping and happy shouts. Students who learn debka dancing in extracurricular activities have performed for school assemblies, in local public events and at international sites in Europe and the United States
Another activity that builds appreciation of students’ culture is the simulated Palestinian wedding, in which students and teachers enact the parts of various wedding participants and guests. Parents and community members enjoy the processions, torches, singing, and student Bedouins, who add color and authenticity to the event.
Traditional Palestinian arts and crafts are also a part of the school curriculum. Local experts and artisans offer their skills to teach olive wood carving, embroidery, mosaics, ceramics, glass, beadwork, and candle making. (PHOTOS 4, 5, and 6)The schools display examples of student work in the halls and stairwells; students have the chance to market their products at the school store or craft fairs.
The Palestinian heritage, its present crisis, and future viability are also integral to the activities and public awareness campaigns of the Environmental Education Center, one of the educational programs of the ELCJHL. Here students and adults participate in workshops, projects, and lectures about environmental concerns, conservation of resources, and preservation of the Palestinian ecosystem.
Although the schools of the ELCJHL are open to both Muslim and Christian students, the Christian message which inspired the schools’ foundation and continues to form them is an underlying element in their academic programs and activities. (PHOTO 7) The school day at each of the four schools of the ELCJHL begins with morning devotions in which students of both religions participate. Teachers in religion classes encourage discussions about the three major religions of the Middle East, and peace-making and conflict resolution are important elements of the curriculum. Celebrations at Reformation, Christmas, and Easter incorporate the students’ varied talents and the spirit of the season; again all students are invited to participate.
Although this month’s newsletter describes how the Schools work toward molding a Palestinian and Christian identity in the students of the ELCJHL, these activities address other goals as well. Through all these objectives the Schools hope to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and understanding they need to continue learning and to make positive contributions to their society.