18: In the Steps of the Magi, part 2
By Skip Schiel

Photos: Settlement in Bethlehem; freedom parade, Bethlehem, December 24, 2004

When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant, then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

--Deuteronomy 6: 10

On December 26th, one day after Christmas, Bethlehem settled into its regular routine, most of the tourists had left, most of our group went to Jerusalem, I remained in Bethlehem, meeting them in the evening for hosting at local families' homes. Being in the Holy Land 4 months, I was tempted to pose as an expert. Indeed, our local guide, Elias, in giving all of us new Arabic names, called me, Ibrahimi, or Abraham, father of us all. I hope he was not only referring to my age. (I am easily the oldest.)

One of the ongoing lessons of any visitor to the West Bank is the proliferation of Israeli settlements. Like vultures, they poise on hilltops, ready to confiscate land. Some 6 ring Bethlehem. We visited a family in a housing complex sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Church. They pointed out to us the encroachments of the Separation Wall and the settlements.

Over the past 4 years, tourism has been decimated by the current Intifada and other acts of violence. However, you'd never notice if you were here in Bethlehem during the big season. Streets were jammed (partly because the leading presidential candidate, Abu Mazen, was attending midnight mass) and folks tell us tourism is picking up, ever so slightly.

Donkeys and camels have assumed new importance for me since the pilgrimage thru the desert wilderness. And of course light. For god or Christ I still prefer the image of the light, oh the light. And here in the Promised Land the light is so luminous. Weather has been unusually dry and warm, which means lots of sun, meaning, lots of light. Nearly summer, after a short spell of very cold and wet weather. One exception to that balmy weather: the day of the parade, rainy, dark, chilly. Yet the 500 or so marching from Shepherds’ Field to a Greek Orthodox Church, celebrating resistance to the Occupation, was joyous. More light: the light of our torches, the light of the illuminated Bethlehem stars, all marrying the bells rung out by various churches as we passed.

Contrasting with the tumult in St Catherine’s church during the midnight Christmas mass--most of us left early--was my experience in the cave of St Jerome. In the 4th century he translated the entire bible from Aramaic and Hebrew into Latin. His decisions in that underground cavern form much of our understanding of Christian-Judaic tradition now. I sat quietly, wishing to be alone with that still small voice and the accompanying muses that direct and sustain me.

Links:

Bethlehem settlements--

A case study of land confiscation near Bethlehem--The Har Homa Settlement and the Uprooting of Abu Ghnaim Forest--

UN: Bethlehem in economic isolation, by Laila El-Haddad in Cairo, Thursday 23 December 2004--

New Israeli Segregation Plans in Beit Sahour City, November 1, 2004 (Greek Orthodox Church housing project, Bethlehem)--

St. Jerome--

Excellent source of maps (Applied Research Institute Jerusalem)--