April 7, 2003

Israel is easily visible from the rooftops of Jalame.

Marthame made his way up towards Ibillin this morning to teach his evening class. The checkpoint at the border was tighter than usual, with a soldier asking Marthame to open his bags. He was quite friendly, though, and joked. After Marthame had opened a bunch of the smaller pockets on the backpack, the soldier quipped, "Do you have any other secret compartments?" He then apologized (!) for the thorough check. Marthame caught the taxi waiting on the other side and met with Fr. Hatem and his family for lunch, now a wonderful weekly ritual.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, was at school, hoping the Jenin crew would come today. A few of the older students did, taking taxis since the school bus wasn't allowed to pass. After school, Fr. Majdi, the Director of the Latin Patriarchate's Schools, came for a meeting with the teachers. The school is facing a huge budget crisis. It was delayed for a year, the Patriarchate bearing the burden of this debt. Now, it has reached the breaking point. If $50,000 is not found, a third of the students and faculty will be turned away next year. People are worried - the economics of this place are frightening right now, and people need every opportunity to work that is available. These cuts will have far-reaching consequences for the village, too. Now, the teachers are strategizing to try and find a solution that will save the money and their jobs (across-the-board voluntary pay cuts, etc.). We hope they can. Now is a horrible time to lose employment.

Fr. Aktham shared a message with a parish in Bergamo, Italy, yesterday which reflects on the current situation, particularly that facing the school, in light of the gospel lesson (John 12). It is weighing heavily on him these days.

Back in Ibillin, Marthame taught the second of two lectures on Martin Luther, picking up where he left off three weeks ago. It was good to be back. It was also good to visit with Fr. Elias Chacour, who was back home in Ibillin. He had met Marthame's family in Atlanta a few months back and was glad to send greetings to them.