Letter From Bethlehem

By Tom Garofalo

In Bethlehem this December, there will be Santas handing candy out in the streets, markets selling toys and decorations, and a Christmas Eve procession to the Church of the Nativity, honored as Jesus' birthplace. Palestinian Christians will go to midnight Mass, eat a festive meal with their families and sing Christmas carols.

But just as in many years past, there will also be pain and despair in Bethlehem this Christmas, as many Palestinians watch their livelihoods and their children's chance at education slipping from their grasp. Beleaguered by unemployment and separated from their farming lands, the poor of the Holy Land are struggling to survive.

Catholic Relief Services helps innocent people caught in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We provide food, tuition assistance, and jobs to communities impoverished by decades of violence. Most importantly, we offer hope for peace in the land where Jesus walked, a place now sadly torn by strife.

Less than a hundred miles away from Bethlehem as the crow flies, but many hours away because of roadblocks and checkpoints, lies the Gaza Strip. Two weeks before Christmas, I spent a few days there. Gaza has been shut off almost entirely from the rest of the world as the Israeli army and Palestinian militants attack each other and often injure or kill noncombatants. I walked the dusty kilometer from the last checkpoint to the parking lot where my friends waited, and they greeted me with smiles and hugs. A stranger looking on said, "Ahlan wa Sahlan: Welcome in Gaza."

In the next few days, as I walked the streets of the struggling city and met with young people participating in our projects, I heard that phrase dozens of times: Welcome, thank you for being here. People in Gaza deeply appreciate CRS' presence; it shows Gazans that we are concerned for their welfare at a time when the official policy of their neighbors in Israel and Egypt is: stay out, you are not wanted. It recalls for me the experience of the Holy Family: there were no words of welcome for them.

I can't change the policy that says there is no room for Gazans, but I can approach the threshold of their homes and, as they greet me, walk over it. That is what Christ calls us to do — to be with our neighbors when they are isolated, in need, suffering. To love our neighbor. It is the central message of our faith.

A few weeks ago, we at CRS welcomed the good news from Annapolis: Palestinians and Israelis have agreed to resume peace talks. We pray these talks will succeed, finding a solution that will let both groups raise their children and live their lives safe from violence.

I'm especially proud of our work with Palestinian young people. We know how important it is for teenagers to feel like they matter and have a future. Our education programs help both Muslim and Christian students contribute to their communities and avoid turning to extremism. Instead of alienation and frustration, these young people feel hope and a sense of possibility.

I'm also pleased that our partner, A Greater Gift, offers fair trade merchandise made in the Holy Land. Known for its olive trees, the area is a source of hand-carved wood items made in family workshops. Buying fairly traded products means giving wonderful presents — and, at the same time, helps poor artisans and farmers earn a living when they would otherwise face joblessness.

As Christmas approaches and we celebrate the Prince of Peace, we pray for a new beginning for this troubled region.

Tom Garofalo is country representative for Catholic Relief Services in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.