January 8, 2003 — Mudeif Productions

*Fr. Firas leads by example, chipping away at the Melkite Church’s old plaster walls.*

*A young Palestinian Muslim student lends a hand at repairing Zababdeh’s Melkite Church.*

*American and Palestinian volunteers chip away at the old roof of Zababdeh’s Melkite Church.*

Many of our AAUJ students have two exams today - one in the morning and one in the afternoon - but there are the rare few who finished yesterday, giving them the chance to be part of the program the entire time. Today's project was one of simple destruction: tearing the old plaster off the walls of the Melkite church's sanctuary. Again, as part of the intent of this experience, Muslims and Christians worked together, a sign of clear cooperation. Fr. Firas set the bar high, taking off his robe, climbing a ladder, and pounding away with a chisel until the dust in his hair aged him some thirty years. Others worked on the roof, chipped away the old layer of protection so that another fresh one could be laid down. Yet another group worked to sand away the layer of old green paint on the shutters and painted a fresh layer of red.

*Palestinians and Americans repainting the shutters of Zababdeh’s Melkite Church.*

Fr. Firas' wife brought lunch for the group, a giant steaming pot of Maqlube, and we feasted. Some students who had only a morning exam showed up just in time for lunch (as did Elizabeth, as the Latin school started back today), but we soon got back to work clearing away the piles of rubble with which we had littered the church floor and ceiling. One day's not enough, but it looks like the AAUJ students may come back to volunteer here to fulfill their community service requirements.

*American and Palestinian students attend a workshop on crisis intervention at the Arab-American University of Jenin.*

We showered off the layers of dust before making our way up to the University in time to catch spectacular views of Zababdeh and the surrounding area. The locals took great pleasure in leading the foreigners on a tour of their school. We finished our tour with a workshop, led by one of the University's professors, on crisis intervention. Given the situation in this land over the last two years, there is a desperate need for broader-based training in this area. Those who are specialists are simply overwhelmed, and no one seems untouched by crisis or its aftermath. We celebrated with a great feast, courtesy of the University.

We then began to make our way back to town via taxis, worried by the news that tanks were stopped on the main road. Marthame headed down first to make sure that everyone arrived home OK. By the time we made the journey, the tank (actually an armored personnel carrier) had gone on towards the south to Tubas. As he waited for the next taxi to arrive, the grinding APC made its presence known. The young men in town began gathering stones to throw - this has become a pastime here: the tanks pass through, the youth throw stones, the tanks keep on going. Every now and then, reports come out of a soldier who shot a stone-thrower or simply fired at random killing someone. Given our visitors, Marthame decided it might be wise to intervene, telling the shabab (young men) to put their stones away for the sake of our guests. Surprisingly, they obliged, and the APC rolled on through town - probably surprised by the lack of stones meeting it. It then headed off towards Misilye, the same road along which two of the students are staying. They, too, managed to arrive home without incident, though they were "lucky" enough to see a tank close-up.