April 29, 2001 — Mudeif Productions

A beautiful, beautiful day! We went to worship at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, then went with Father Hossam to see his other parish (he has two in addition to responsibilities at a school, a hospital, and a health clinic) down in the Raffidiye neighborhood of Nablus. This once-separate village has become part of Nablus' energetic urban sprawl. The area is still home to most of Nablus' 700 Christians (the whole city is about 150,000) - most of the people with whom we talked made it clear that their plight as Christians is intertwined with that of the rest of the city.

We also got our long-awaited chance to play tourist to Nablus' holy sites. Nablus has an incredible energy to it. It's the largest Arab city on the West Bank and hasn't become quite as cosmopolitan as Ramallah has. As a result, it has retained much of its Eastern charm, hospitality, mystery, and activity. Unfortunately, it is bordered by Israeli settlements (Elon More is the most well-known and visible), meaning that the city has been cut off and bombarded, too. Even so, it seemed a world away from Zababdeh.

*Fr. Justinus welcomes us on the roof of the construction site.*

*The Orthodox shrine of Jacob’s Well under construction.*

Our first stop was Jacob's Well, where the patriarch purchased land (Genesis 33) and Jesus met the Samaritan woman (John 4). Father Justinus, a Greek-born Orthodox priest, has been laboring by hand on the church's magnificent stone work for many years. The roof gave us both acrophobia and tremendous views of the city.

We then headed to Joseph's tomb, where this patriarch's body was laid to rest after being brought back from Egypt (Joshua 24). It is a site holy to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Early in the Intifada, it was a flash-point. The Israeli army eventually abandoned it, and scenes of it being burned, its roof being painted green (a frequently-used color in Islam) and its stones being torn down by Palestinians covered the news. It was shown as evidence of what disastrous things could happen if the PA were left in charge of such places. Today, the place looks pristine - its roof has been re-painted white (since its status remains to be negotiated), its stone-work and windows have all been replaced. Also gone is the Israeli military presence which surrounded the Tomb with a military barracks and barbed-wire enclosed no-man's land. Since its still under negotiation, visitors aren't generally allowed in, but we were able to convince the policeman on duty to ask his superiors if some Ajanib (foreigners) could sneak a peek.

We then drove up to see Nablus' Samaritan community. Numbering about 500 (around 300 still in Nablus, and 200ish in a part of Tel Aviv), Samaritans are a branch of Judaism that accepts only the Torah (the first five books), recognize Mt. Gerizim (where they live) as the holiest place in the land, and continue to sacrifice animals on Passover. They have also, throughout the years of occupation and the Intifadas, remained on good terms with the Palestinians of Nablus. They also have a breathtaking view of Nablus, as it continues to spread up and down through the valley.

After seeing the 100 year-old St. Luke's Hospital (where our Dutch Nablus hostess works), eating shawarma in a beautiful city park (where we were the object of much curiosity), walking through Nablus' Old City, talking about ministry in Zababdeh with Father Hossam, and visiting (and drinking coffee with) several families, we returned to the Anglican "compound" at the edge of the Old City to sing a few hymns and share a few laughs. A beautiful, beautiful day.