Celebrations, Desecrations and Confrontations

A Letter from Doug Dicks, serving in Israel and Palestine

Spring 2023

Subscribe to my co-worker letters

Dear family and friends,

After nearly three years, St. Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church in Jerusalem threw open its doors and welcomed back the community for its annual St. Andrew’s Day celebration in late November. About 90 persons attended the service, with many more attending the sumptuous reception that followed.  

In addition, we were also able to welcome to the pulpit of St. Andrew’s Church the Reverend Steward Gillian, having been anxiously awaiting his arrival for many months now. 

The re-election of Benjamin Netanyahu in early November and the swearing-in of the new government in late December brought to power what is said to be the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other cities since early January, protesting the current government’s threat to undermine the judicial system. The new ruling coalition plans to weaken the supervisory power of the Supreme Court while politicizing the appointments of judges and legal advisors.  The changes, should they be instituted, are seen as a threat leading to the destabilizing of the balance of institutional power in Israel, by giving parliamentarians the right to amend laws by an absolute majority, and thus depriving the Supreme Court of any veto.

The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem held its annual simulcast service with the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral on December 17. It was a service of Christmas lessons and carols, with the Most Reverend Dr. Hosam Naoum, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem at St. George’s Cathedral delivering the Christmas Homily.

On Christmas Eve, I was invited to the rooftop of the Church of the Nativity in order to see and photograph the festivities, including numerous scout troops and bands, as well as the Franciscan Procession out to Manger Square in order to greet the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. A light rain that fell just before the arrival of the Patriarch did not dampen the spirits of those who came out to be part of the day’s festivities. 

On New Year’s Day, two Israeli youth were caught on security camera, desecrating and destroying graves in the Protestant Cemetery on Mt. Zion, in Jerusalem. They were eventually arrested. The two broke crosses, toppled headstones, destroyed iconography and threw debris over the cemetery walls. They threw parts of marble crosses at headstones and destroyed graves. You can view the footage here: Vandals in Protestant section of Mt. Zion cemetery – YouTube.

An important day in the life of the church in Jerusalem took place on Sunday, January 22, as Deacon Sally Azar was ordained in the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. She is the first Palestinian Arab female pastor to be ordained as a minister in the Lutheran Church. The Reverend Azar chose as her theme, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” from Proverbs 3:5. Hundreds of people filled the church on a Sunday afternoon, as Reverend Azar’s ordination took place. She was ordained by her father, His Grace Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar, and the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

Reverend Azar’s ministry will not be easy. Already, there are those both within and outside of the church who disagree with the ordination of women in the context of the Arab church.  Nonetheless, most of the people are with her, and wish her well as she steps into this role of ministry here in Jerusalem. His Grace cautioned his daughter, in his sermon for her ordination.  “Do not despair if you knock on doors and they do not open. Do not despair if you pray and your prayer is not heard immediately. You have the responsibility of caring for the children, youth, adults and elderly. The pastor of these people must both accept them as they are and look after them.”

Sally also joins the ranks of four other Arab women, serving as pastors in various churches in the Middle East, which include three in Lebanon and one in Syria. Sally will co-pastor the English-speaking congregation of the Lutheran Church of Jerusalem. You can read more about Sally’s ordination here: Presbyterian Mission Agency First female pastor in Palestine ordained | Presbyterian Mission Agency

Under the Theme “Do good; seek justice,” from Isaiah 1:17, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was celebrated from January 21-29 in Jerusalem. The daily evening services were held in various churches throughout the city.

By the end of January, 35 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year by Israeli forces and settlers. Israel claims it is targeting Palestinian fighters. However, unarmed civilians, including children, have also been killed during these incursions into Palestinian cities, towns and refugee camps. The latest such incident occurred with an Israeli raid into the Jenin Refugee Camp, which resulted in 10 Palestinian deaths. The following day, a lone Palestinian gunmen shot dead seven Israelis as they were exiting a synagogue following Friday evening services on January 27.

The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued a joint statement, saying, “We have been constantly warning of an exploding, senseless cycle of violence that will only cause hurt and suffering to everyone. Such a state of affairs will almost certainly bring further atrocities and anguish, driving us away from the much sought-after peace and stability that we all seek.”

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

Doug