Christmas in Bethlehem
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
10am PT, 1pm ET (US, Canada) / 6pm UTC / 8pm Palestine
We had over 230 participants for this special visit with our Palestinian friends in Bethlehem and they joined us from across the US, Canada, South America, and beyond.
In the place where Jesus was born, how do the Christians who live there today celebrate his birth? What are Christian Palestinian families' traditions for Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day? In this extraordinary year of 2020, how will their celebrations be affected by the coronavirus pandemic?
Learn about Christmas today in the "little town of Bethlehem," from the Zoughbis, a Palestinian Christian family in occupied Bethlehem. Zoughbi Zoughbi, the father of this family, is well known to thousands of United Methodists who have visited the Holy Land or have heard him speak on his travels. He is the Director of Wi'am, The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center in Bethlehem.
Located next to a large Israeli checkpoint and watchtower, the Wi'am Center advances a culture of peace and acceptance while promoting nonviolent resolution to conflict. Wi'am is also a United Methodist Church Advance Special, Advance #14910A. You can support their work by making a donation through the UMC General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM): https://umcmission.org/advance-project/14910a/
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW.
Below that, see links shared in the Chat during the webinar.
Learn more about the Zoughbis
Zoughbi Zoughbi is the founder and director of Wiam, The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. Wiam is a grassroots organization which believes in multi-track diplomacy Zoughbi is a nonviolent human rights activist and has traveled the world as a lecturer and speaker on interdisciplinary issues. He is the author of books, booklets and manuals on peace- and justice-related topics.
Elaine Zoughbi is originally from South Bend, IN. She holds a Masters degree in Nonprofit Administration (MNA) from the University of Notre Dame. She married Zoughbi in 1990, and they began their married life in Bethlehem, not without difficulty. They have 4 children: Marcelle, Tarek, Lucas, and Rafiq and they celebrated their 30th Anniversary in the summer of 2020. But they had to celebrate on two different continents. Although Elaine has lived in Palestine for decades, for over 6 months the Israeli government repeatedly denied continuous appeals to allow her to return to her family and home in Bethlehem. Only at the end of October did she obtain permission to enter Palestine via Jordan on Nov. 8th, and then she received just a 3-month restricted visa.
Tarek Zoughbi was raised in Bethlehem, and in 2015, he received his B.S in Economics and Peace Studies from Manchester University, Indiana. Tarek then returned to Bethlehem and worked as project and youth Coordinator at Wi'am. In addition, he taught English and Economics at a local High School. Recently (2020), Tarek completed his Masters in International Cooperation and Development at Bethlehem University. He has been very active with speaking engagements both in Palestine and abroad, raising awareness on issues of social justice.
Rafiq Zoughbi was born and raised in Bethlehem. He graduated from Purdue University in Indiana in August of 2020, with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. Currently, he is visiting with his family in Bethlehem and hopes to be able to continue his education and pursue his interest in increasing the efficacy and affordability of of solar panels and renewable sources of energy.
Scroll down the page to see the video.
LINKS SHARED DURING THE WEBINAR
Visit UMKR at www.kairosresponse.org
Connect with UMKR on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook/UMKairosResponse
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMKairosResp @UMKairosResp
Visit MFSA at www.mfsaweb.org
Connect with MFSA on social media,
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MFSAVoices/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/mfsavoices @mfsavoices
On Instagram: #mfsavoices
Wi'am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center
https://www.alaslah.org/
Donate to support their work at:
https://umcmission.org/advance-project/14910a/
Facebook page for the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem:
https://www.facebook.com/MethodistLiaisonOfficeInJerusalem
The next webinar from UMKR and MFSA is on 13 January 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time (US, Canada). It will be about Advocacy with the new US Congress and new US Administration. Save the date!
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