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Ramallah is a vibrant
urban center just north of Jerusalem. More than 70,000 people live there
– 10 percent are Christian. Ramallah attracts people from all over
Palestine because of the many excellent private schools, including
Palestine’s largest university. The Lutheran School of Hope is one of
these schools. Many of Ramallah’s residents have moved to the United
States.
The Situation in Palestine
Many Palestinians have been refugees since the 1950s and
1960s when Israel took their land. Dalia’s mother’s family are
refugees who lost their home in West Jerusalem in the 1948 war.
The Palestinians are hoping to return to
their homes someday, and that is one reason why the Israelis and
Palestinians don’t get along. Because the Israelis and Palestinians are
fighting, Palestinians are not allowed to leave their towns without
special permission. This has made it difficult or impossible for parents
to go to their jobs.
Palestinians are resisting Israeli
occupation of their land. The Palestinian resistance is called "intifada,"
which means "shaking off." Jesus used the same word in Matthew
10:14 when he told his disciples to shake the dust of a village from their
feet if the people ignored the gospel message.
Dalia is angry that people are dying,
especially when children are killed. She worries about the moms and dads
who worry about whether their kids will come home alive. She says she’s
not frightened because she’s become accustomed to the situation.
People
More than 2.6 million people live in Palestine. The
languages spoken include Arabic, Hebrew and English, which is widely used.
Ethnically, Palestine is about 83 percent Arab and about 17 percent
Jewish. Of those who are Arabs, about 75 percent are Muslim and 8 percent
are Christian or other religions.
How you can help
The Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) has five schools. You may support the
scholarship program of these schools which directly assists families and
children with their education. Send your offerings in the following
way:
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Make the check out to the
"Evangelical Lutheran Church in America"
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Write on the memo portion of the
check, "Project #F3 – Scholarship Fund for ELCJHL Schools."
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Send the check to: Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
More information
here.
More Resources
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This resource and the previous page,
"Dalia's Life in Palestine," is available in print. Order
from Augsburg Fortress (tel. 1-800-328-4648); code 6-0001-3374-X
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"Through My Eyes," a
video story of two young women, an American and a Palestinian, and
their encounters in Palestine in the year 2000. Call the ELCA at
1-800- 638-3522, ext. 2642 to request a copy.
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Palestine
Country Packet on the web. Photos, information about the church, crafts, and prayers are included.
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Other
resources on the Middle East
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