The Nazareth Diaries

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First Week: 8-12 September 2003

Monday 8 September

On the plane to Tel Aviv I got talking to a Jewish man who works for a company manufacturing mobile phone hardware. He grew up in Haifa, but recently moved to Amsterdam. Clearly not orthodox, we had a long chat in which he expressed "hopes but not beliefs" of peace between Arab and Jew. Also expressed the view that behind closed doors, away from the media, both Jewish and Arab mothers would tell you that they want peace. I wonder why he mentioned mothers? Is it because they are the real decision-makers, who could e.g. dissuade their sons from becoming suicide bombers? Interestingly, this same guy has stayed at the St Andrew's Hospice in Jerusalem (Church of Scotland) and found it a real haven of peace.

Something significant there.

Tuesday 9 September

Had dinner with Derek and Isobel Thomson (Derek is CEO and has visited St John's) who have now been in Nazareth for just over 6 years. Derek described how the militant sheikhs met with him to demand that a mosque be built in the hospital. He replied that he would allow it when he is allowed to build a church in Mecca! Also offered two snatches of information from conversations that day with patients. One "fundamentalist" Muslim approached him on a ward to say how grateful he was for the care and kindness of the staff.

An elderly Jewish man badly injured in a car crash told Nakhle Bishara the Medical Director that he was "not happy" about his condition, but "very happy" about the wonderful way he is being treated by such caring staff. It is a revelation to him that Arabs could be like this. In similar vein, a military chief had visited to assess the quality of the hospital in relation to being used in cases of major incident. He indicated to Derek that he doesn't judge a hospital by its plans and strategies, but the look in the eyes of the staff. He told Derek he had never been in any hospital where the staff are so positive and well-motivated.

Wednesday 10 September

Attended chapel service at 7:30am. Led by Dr Nakhle, who spoke in both Arabic and English about being at the crossroads and having to decide whether or not to follow the way of the world or the way of the Lord. From Joshua 24 and John 6. Good at a personal level, though for me one of the main things was the multi-cultural nature of the worship of the admittedly very small gathering. We sang simultaneously in I guess two languages and said the Lord's Prayer in at least 3. Is this an example of the way forward in the church? We are still very mono-cultural in the CofS, and have yet to come to terms in a real and practical way with the multi-cultural nature of faith.

I am also beginning to think that an important area to explore is how the church in the Holy Land has learned to live with being a minority in local Arab culture and within the Israeli state. Historically this has not always been the case of course, but for that very reason there may be important lessons to learn re the way things are going in Scotland. Thinking of what we may have to learn from new, growing churches around the world, there may in fact be closer parallel between Scotland and Israel, where once the Christian faith was the majority religion.

Thursday 11 - Friday 12 September

Have spent the first days talking with senior staff about the hospital and its witness, both internally within the hospital community and more widely about a possible Association of Health Care Workers in Israel. The Hospital has obviously changed a great deal in recent years from being a missionary hospital in the "heal the sick / preach the gospel" tradition to one that has a lot less expatriate staff and is much more driven by finance, technology and ever-higher standards of medical excellence within the Israeli health service. I have been deeply impressed by the commitment of all those I have spoken with, who have been courteous and helpful. There is a great concern to maintain and develop the hospital as a Christian community - not easy in the context. I think there will also be a good deal of interest in this wider Association. My task over the next weeks will be to come up with some ideas on how the vision can be a reality!

I have also been arranging visits to local churches and Christian groups, which I hope to compare and contrast with spiritual life back home. So the study leave is taking on some meaningful shape already.

Friday 12 September

Meetings today were with Rhadia and Elia the social workers, both deeply committed Christians with a passion to care for people in a Christian way. They have been giving significant help recently to people from Jenin (in the West Bank) and women abused by their husbands. It was a privilege to talk with them and they are going to try to put me in touch with a few other people. Later in the morning met Victoria, who loves her job as a clerk in out-patients and is here because it is a Christian hospital. In the afternoon chatted with Anne Liddell, from Australia, who must have come her after her husband died about 9 years ago. She is a practising as well as a teaching midwife, and told me she sometimes prays with patients (including Muslims) before they go for e.g. Caesarean sections.

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