Bethlehem, Palestine1890s Woman and child in oldest Bethlehem (Colorized picture)

Bethlehem, Palestine1890s Woman and child in oldest Bethlehem (Colorized picture)

Happy Easter and blessed Eid of Shaanin painting by Palestinian Maher Naji

The Nazarene

Happy Easter and Happy Palm Sunday

Happy Easter and blessed Eid of Shaanin.

 

Palestine Palm Sunday.... Before 1948 ... when all Palestinians were free to come and go from Jerusalem

Students from Notre Dame de Sion walking on the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage on the Mount of Olives to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, c. 1932

 

The nuns from Notre Dame de Sion on the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage on the Mount of Olives to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, c. 1932

Today, 19 years ago, American peace icon and activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while protecting a Palestinian home from demolition in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. #IsraeliCrimes #NeverForget #Palestine

 Today, 19 years ago, American peace icon and activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while protecting a Palestinian home from demolition in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.  #IsraeliCrimes #NeverForget #Palestine

Painted on the apartheid separation wall in Bethlehem city in the occupied West Bank #Palestine

Painted on the apartheid separation wall in Bethlehem city in the occupied West Bank #Palestine

 

 

Support Ukraine... and Palestine

 

Picnics & Palestine

 "One of my favorite memories as a child in Palestine was when my mother (AY) used to make her scrumptious meat pies for us to eat, picnic style, on the grounds of #AlAqsa compound in #AlQuds (#Jerusalem)...She used to get very early in the day, prepare the dough and take it with her to Al Quds (the old city) ahead of us...

 

Once inside the old city, she would buy her fresh ingredients of ground lamb meat, onions, parsley, and spices and take them to the old bakery in the area that she frequented and trusted.

 

Once at the bakery, she would make triangle shaped meat pies (ikraas), which she stuffed with her magic mixture of mouth watering ingredients and give them to the baker to bake in his oven, making sure that they were baked to her exacting standards of golden perfection...

 

Afterwards, she would take the piping hot pies, mouth watering aroma wafting through the air, place them in a large tray, covering them with a blanket to keep them nice and warm, and meet up with us at the ground of Al Aqsa, whereby we would have our picnic under the shade of the ancient trees...

 

She used to make extra pies so that when strangers happened on us, drawn by that intoxicating aroma, she could share with them...

 

Till this day, the fragrance of fresh baked bread evokes memories of my beloved late mother, may Allah have mercy on her soul, and those magical moments spent with her in the holy grounds of Masjid Al Aqsa!"  

 

Mike Hanini Odetalla

 

Peace, mud on wood, 2007 when Palestinian Artists turned towards their environment and used materials such as wood, leather, mud, henna, natural dies.

Peace, mud on wood, 2007

"During the first Intifada, Palestinians boycotted Israeli goods as a form of resistance. Artists in their turn boycotted Israeli art supplies. Four Palestinian artists Vera Tamari, Nabil Anani, Tayseer Barakat and myself [Artist Sliman Mansour] formed the “new vision” group"

 "Artists turned towards their environment and used materials such as wood, leather, mud, henna, natural dies. This new approach helped to develop Palestinian art and formed a link between Palestinian art produced for several decades after Alnakbah and the contemporary art."  Palestinian Artist Sliman Mansour

This Week in Palestine: A Palestinian gingerbread house baked by Riyam Kafri AbuLabban.

A Palestinian gingerbread house baked by Riyam Kafri AbuLabban.

 

"The Palestinian kitchen, like other kitchens, is in flux as it borrows and receives inspiration from other cuisines. Why not freekeh risotto? Why not hot cross buns with a cardamom-cinnamon Palestinian twist? (Visit Fadi Kattan’s Instagram account to sneak a peek.) And why not build Palestinian-style gingerbread houses?

 

Gingerbread houses are a nineteenth-century German tradition that became popular after the Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel. There is something magical about a house completely edible from top to bottom, even more so amidst the spirit and charm of the Christmas season. Under the spell of gingerbread houses and the holiday season, I wanted to create a family tradition that fit with my children’s experience of Palestinian homes. I also wanted them to know that Christmas is a Palestinian holiday, that Jesus Christ is Palestinian."   Riyam Kafri AbuLaban

Issue: 286, February 2022

Palestinian Cuisine:
From Tradition to Modernity

https://thisweekinpalestine.com/articles-286/

• Articles

• Grid
• List

• 

  Za’atar u Zeit, Fettuccine, and Indomie

  ...

• 

  Palestinian Cuisine in the World

  ...

• 

  Growing Your Food from Baladi Seeds

  ...

• 

  On Making Palestinian Cuisine “Jewish”

  ...

• 

  A Taste of Life

  ...

• 

  Gingerbread Houses with a Palestinian Twist

  ...

• 

  Food and My Family

  ...

• 

  Spoon-Feeding Food Appropriation?

  ...

• 

  More Than Just Food: Street Food!

  ...

• 

  The Soft Power of Palestinian Food

  ...

• 

  Moloukhiyeh

  ...

• 

  Our Chefs

  ...

My letter to my local newspaper "U.S. helps Israel violate international law" PUBLISHED (online & in print) RE Rev. Sandra R Mackie's compassionate letter "Supporting a country that denies human rights is wrong"

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Golden Rule

Rev. Sandra R. Mackie is right | PennLive letters

Updated: Jan. 23, 2022, 1:38 p.m. | Published: Jan. 23, 2022, 1:38 p.m. online, in print 1-27-2022

https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2022/01/rev-sandra-r-mackie-is-right-pennlive-letters.html

Rev. Sandra R Mackie's 1-6-22 letter "Supporting a country that denies human rights is wrong"

Dear Editor,

Rev. Sandra R Mackie is right: "Supporting a country that denies human rights is wrong"(Jan 11).

This tragic situation has been escalating for decades, with American money and clout empowering Israel's long term quest to impoverish, oppress, and evict the native non-Jewish population of the "Holy Land."

Too many of our elected leaders, and too many religious leaders, have been pulling a 'Ghislaine Maxwell' in helping Israel violate international law and the Palestinians' basic human rights. 

Modern man-made "Israel" really has been brilliant with PR (and subliminal persuasion) for instance stealing its official name from many a beloved hymn and prayer, so that Christians tend to just think warm, fuzzy thoughts at the mention of its name. 

As American newspapers racket up the charge for subscriptions and more people are inspired to seek out news elsewhere, I very much hope (for every one's sake) that more Americans are able to see and understand how culpable and wrong our elected leaders have been to worship at the altar of [AIPAC] the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab 

Mechanicsburg

~

Facebook meme- creator unknown

The Palestinian village Nebi Samwail with its minaret framed in the arch, circa 1800s & an old engraving of Kolonia, and Wady [Wadi] Beit Hanina from the book Picturesque Palestine, Sinai, and Egypt

Circa late 1800s...The #Palestinian village Nebi Samwail with its minaret framed in the arch...This could be a rare old photo of one of the several villages that surround Nebi Samwail including Lifta, Al Jeeb, Beit Iksa, and of course Mike Hanini Odetella's ancestral village of Beit Hanina

Kolonia, and Wady [Wadi] Beit Hanina, favourite place of resort of the people of Jerusalem; it is famous for its well-kept vineyards and vegetable gardens from the book Picturesque Palestine, Sinai, and Egypt By Colonel Wilson, Charles William, Sir, 1836-1905. Published in New York by D. Appleton and Company in 1881 with engravings in steel and wood from original Drawings by Harry Fenn and J. D. Woodward Volume 1

Christmas in Bethlehem from Father Spiridon Sammour of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, occupied Palestine.

Christmas in Bethlehem from Father Spiridon Sammour of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, occupied Palestine.

First seen on the timeline of

Ray Hanania

"Merry Christmas Eve to all of the Orthodox and Arab Christians who celebrate Christmas tomorrow, Jan. 7. It's a complicated story as there are three different celebrations (Dec. 25, Jan. 7 and Jan. 18 depending on your religion.) The Greek Orthodox Christians maintain the old tradition using the Julian Calendar rather than the Gregorian Calendar or the "revised Julian Calendar"

MERRY CHRISTMAS ... "He is Risen"

 "Many Orthodox Christians fast before January 7, with the exception of meat and dairy products.

"Foods may include: Lenten bread, fresh nuts and dried fruits, vegetables and herbs such as potatoes, peas and garlic, mushroom soup, beans slow cooked with potatoes, garlic and spices, bobki (small biscuits mixed with sauerkraut or poppy seeds with honey). Honey. cod. Christmas Day, on the other hand, is a day to feast and enjoy the company of friends and family members.

"The Christmas meal usually includes meat and various types of pastries. One of the traditional Russian Christmas dishes is a goose baked with apples. The type of food and activity may vary depending on the culture and traditions of the country. In some Orthodox Christian cultures, people walk in procession to the seas, rivers, and lakes as part of the Mass on Orthodox Christmas Day. They make holes in the ice to bless the water if it is frozen. Not much importance is given to gift-exchange and business Christmas. Some Orthodox Christians celebrate the birth and worship of the shepherds (those who visited the baby Jesus) on January 6, followed by the worship of the Magi (three wise men or kings) on January 7. It may be longer than usual but many people find it inspiring."

~

From Arab News

Fr. Spiridon Sammour, the pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, delivers a sermon on Christmas Eve. (Fr-Spiridon Sammour)

"Muslims also recognize Jesus as a great prophet and that shared respect brings Christians and Muslims together. Easter commemorates the time when Christians believe Jesus was crucified by the Romans in Jerusalem and then resurrected."

Why do Orthodox and Arab Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7?

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1999461/middle-east

“The Church of the Nativity includes the Grotto of the Nativity and nearby caves, the Greek Orthodox Monastery, the Armenian Monastery, St. Jerome’s School, St. Catherine’s Church and St. Jerome’s Church,” Fr. Sammour said.

“When we visit the Grotto of Nativity, we find in the place where Jesus was born a star with 14 points. This denotes the 14 generations from Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to David the prophet and king, from David to the captivity to Babylon, and from the captivity to Babylon to Joseph, the husband of Mary and of whom Jesus was born.

“But most important is the inscription on the star. It reads in Latin, ‘Hic natus est Jesus Christus ex Maria Vergine,’ which translates as, ‘Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.’” Fr. Sammour said.

“The key is the word ‘here’ as it means that the great mystery of the incarnation took place in this particular place, and this means that this geographical point is central because it is a meeting point between heaven and earth, God and man.”

 Please go to the original article to read it in full