Give a Gift This Christmas Season to Peace in Bethlehem

Dear Friends,

I wish you a beautiful and blessed time as we remember the birth of the Prince of Peace. In Bethlehem the busyness of Christmas is apparent, hotels are full, streets are decorated and people from all over the world are here to celebrate the miracle birth. As i write this email I hear in the distance some scout troops practicing their drum rolls for the last time before they head to Manger Square.

Much is said and much has been written about Bethlehem at Christmas; talk of the wall, of checkpoints, of restrictions and of occupation.

Similar things existed 2000 years ago, and in a place where there was war, oppression, and very little hope … the miracle happened… Life, Joy, Peace and Salvation came to earth…

It is time we bring that pure and simple message of peace and love back to the place where it was born. It is time Bethlehem shines again with its message of goodwill and true healing to humanity.

Yes, we may not have the specific answers of “how” to get there, but we will not surrender to the “not knowing”. We will work, study, research and engage in finding the means … and for this we need your help and partnership.

Please take a look at the following Youtube. It is a brief introduction to where we are heading as an organization. We are very excited about this vision to establish a peace and nonviolence research and learning center in the heart of Bethlehem and hope to share more of this vision with you as supporters and partners of this work.

Beautiful greetings to you and your loved ones and my best wishes for the year to come.

For contributions you can contact me directly:  sami@holylandtrust.org or

http://holylandtrust.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=201&Itemid=154

In the name of the Prince of Peace and Love,

Sami Awad
Holy Land Trust

Giving 1 Percent of Jesus to Somalia

Published in the Huffington Post

A deep pain grabbed my heart when I saw the television news ticker: “30,000 children died in Somalia in the last three months.” A major cause of my pain came from a personal feeling of guilt and shame when I realized how fortunate my family is.

This week, our third daughter, who was born prematurely, came home after spending her first month of life in the hospital. From the moment she was born she received the highest level of care available here in Bethlehem. A group of expert Palestinian doctors monitored her progress every hour using the latest technology. There were multiple staff members attending to her care with beeps, rings and dings coming from every machine around her crib. Insurance was not a problem and covered 90 percent of the costs related to her long stay in the hospital. I could not have asked or prayed for anything better. However, my joy is overshadowed with pain knowing that 30,000 Somali children perished. Sorrow grips me knowing that hundreds of thousands of children across the world do not survive their first month because of a $2 vaccine that was not provided for their mothers.

Palestinian Nonviolence: Muslims, Not Christians, Are the Leaders

Huffington Post

Whenever I give talks on the effects of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian livelihood, the status of nonviolence as a means to resisting the occupation, and how I believe nonviolence is the only way to move forward to resolve the conflict and create a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, one of the first and immediate questions I get from foreign visitors to my office in Bethlehem is, “What you said is good, but what about the Muslims? Do they also believe in nonviolence? Do they understand it?” Even if I don’t mention religion in my presentation — and I rarely do — this question always seems to make its way in our discussions.

Israelis’ afflictions: instilled memory and paranoia vera > Palestine > Redress Information & Analysis

Israelis’ afflictions: instilled memory and paranoia vera > Palestine > Redress Information & Analysis.

The right side of history – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

The right side of history – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

Just a though

Just wondering: When you say “I see the sun.” Are you REALLY seeing it or seeing the light coming out from it and calling the light “Sun”? Can you ever truly see the sun? … When I see you? Can I truly see you or I see your expressions and say it’s you?

Building Hope: Muslims, Christians and Jews Seeking the Common Good

I will be in Yale, June 13-23, 2011 where the Reconciliation Program will host a strategic conference of influential, mid-career Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious leaders.

Approximately ten leaders from each faith community, men and women with a proven record of leadership and clear future potential have been chosen to attend this international gathering focused on seeking the common good. Participants have been carefully chosen by senior leaders in each faith community as representing those mid-career leaders most likely to be exercising the widest influence in their communities in 10-15 years from now.

Encounter Gala – Honoring Rabbi Melissa Weintraub – May 10, 2011

 

Visit and support the work of Encounter – http://www.encounterprograms.org

Interview on Fox News – May 13, 2011

Sami Awad interview on Spirited Debate with Lauren Green, May 13.

WWJD? A Nonviolent Conflict Resolution for Palestine

Published in the Huffington Post June 2, 2011

How could a person living under military occupation, experiencing first-hand suffering and humiliation, even think about loving the enemy, let alone urge family, friends and neighbors to do the same? This challenging message came from a young rabbi named Jesus in his “Sermon on the Mount.”

Of course, Jesus could have suggested we make peace with our enemies or negotiate peace agreements or peacefully resolve conflict; those statements would have been as shocking to the suffering Jews of that time. Instead, he entreated them to go further: to “love” them. This was the word he chose — a command to all those who seek to follow him.