Salt of the Earth: Palestinian Christians in the Northern West Bank
A Documentary Film Series
Marthame and Elizabeth Sanders lived in the mostly Christian Palestinian village of Zababdeh from August, 2000, through December, 2003. Volunteers with the Presbyterian Church (USA), their ministry was one of ecumenical support to the Church in the land of its birth.
Salt of the Earth documents the lives of nine Palestinian Christians living in the northern West Bank. This film grew out of a desire among their Palestinian neighbors to share their stories, and a desire among Christians in the West to hear them. The Sanders describe the project as "a labor of love, a response to the graciousness, warmth, hospitality, and welcome we received from our Palestinian neighbors and colleagues." You can watch the segments below, or on YouTube.
Advent is a time of waiting, and that is just what Mughannam is doing - waiting to continue his education, waiting to begin a new life living abroad. But he knows that leaving behind his hometown of Zababdeh will be tough, leaving behind his students, friends, and family.
Sylvia is a sophomore in college majoring in Pharmacy. Every two weeks, she braves a difficult and dangerous journey from her home town of Tubas to study in Nablus. Though the journey should be a 20 minute drive, it can take Sylvia hours - if she makes it at all.
Yvonne remembers how she and her family became refugees as they fled Haifa during the war in 1948. She visits the Church of the Ten Lepers in Burqin, where her family sought refuge from the war. She tries to return to Haifa to visit her childhood home.
Two years ago, Firas was an unemployed sweat shop laborer in his home town of Zababdeh. The Melkite church his grandfather pastored remained closed, and his Seminary training unused. That all changed in 2002, when he was ordained to the priesthood. The church has since reopened, a sign of life and hope during a dark time.