September 21, 2000

Elizabeth stands “upstairs” at Palestine House.

The ancient stone baptismal font of Taybeh.

Marthame looks at the hooks where thanksgiving offerings are still made.

Taybeh Beer!

There are three or four Christian villages left in Palestine/Israel, and Zababdeh is one of them. The only one that is all Christian is Taybeh, near Ramallah. Our meeting with Maria Khoury, a Greek-American coordinating the Patriarchate's English program, ended early enough for her to take us to visit Taybeh. We visited "Palestine House," a replica of a Jesus-era home built at the Latin church. Where Elizabeth is standing is where the family would gather. Underneath, where you see the arch, is where the animals would stay. This gave us a different mental image of Jesus being laid in the manger. We also visited the ruins of St. George's Orthodox church, originally built, we think, in the 4th century. You can see the original baptismal font and the meat hook where animals are still sacrificed as thanksgiving offerings. The ruins have become a shared holy site for all of the churches in Taybeh.

We also got a chance to visit the Khoury family's Taybeh Beer brewery. The family returned to Palestine after the Oslo accords to open this business.