March 22, 2002
The icon of the Holy Trinity in Tubas’ Orthodox Church of the same name.
Marthame headed down this morning with Abuna To'mie to worship at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in nearby Tubas. They waited beside the road in Zababdeh for nearly an hour for a taxi - Fridays don't have much traffic in a Muslim society, and very few people are going to Jenin these days if it's not necessary. They took the opportunity to talk theology, particularly as Abuna To'mie tries to understand just what a "Presbyterian" is. We've visited this small Christian community several times before, and seeing them again with Abuna To'mie is a treat. It was also nice to be among a minority community whose position is respected (rather than taunted) in the community.
After church, Marthame caught a taxi to Nablus (traffic to Nablus on Fridays is pretty light, too). A friend from Zababdeh was headed to Nablus to his work at St. Luke's Anglican hospital, so they were able to share the ride.
The Israeli army has bulldozed the Palestinian road between Tubas and Nablus.
After passing through the lovely village of Beidan (in former years a playground for folks in the area), the road suddenly stopped - it has been ripped to shreds by Israeli bulldozers. Fortunately, it hadn't rained, which made passing it a bit easier - the taxi was able to creep a little further than usual. But we were still left with a walk of at least a mile and a half uphill.
The surprising site of a ferris wheel along the road between Tubas and Nablus.
When we first came, this was one of our favorite (for the views) and despised (for the car sickness) roads. Now, it is carved up, blocked, destroyed, dug out. It is especially infuriating because at no point does the road end up leading to Israeli camps or settlements. Its destruction seems to serve no other purpose than collective punishment. Marthame imagined what it would be like to head out for a commute along Chicago's Lake Shore Drive and find out that it had been completely destroyed - the difference being that, with Lake Shore Drive, there would always be alternate routes, not involving a mile-and-a-half hike. They finally reached the other side of the destruction and the waiting taxis, just under the shadow of the most surreal sight in the Northern West Bank - a restaurant in an old airplane under the shadow of a ferris wheel...
Marthame arrived in Nablus and headed to the British Council. We are hoping to strengthen connections between the school, the Arab-American University of Jenin, and the Council - unfortunately, they are closing their doors in a year. The British government will leave only the offices in East Jerusalem and Ramallah open after next March. That's not what we were hoping for.
Fr. Dominick at home in Nablus with one of his six-volume series.
Marthame headed from there to visit with the Sisters of Charity and Fr. Dominick. Fr. Dominick was the priest in Zababdeh thirty-five years ago, when electricity first came to town. He is now 87 years old and isn't as active as he once was, but he is putting the finishing touches on a six-volume series of books for use by Arabic Christian families in their homes. They are quite exquisite, with beautiful pictures and elegant ideas. It's always a treat to visit with Fr. Dominick.
Marthame then headed to the Anglican Convent tucked in the corner of Nablus' Old City to connect with Fr. Hossam and our other friends there. The rest of the night was spent visiting and watching the local Nablus TV station and its selection of American movies (including the Dennis Rodman vehicle Simon Sez) and locally-produced ads. A day of surreality...