In the last month, I’ve traveled to both Denver and Palo Alto to share my experiences in the Holy Land and help raise money for Bright Stars of Bethlehem, a nonprofit that promotes peace and justice in Palestine through Bethlehem’s Dar al-Kalima University of Arts & Culture. Policymaking in the US and the Middle East has been impulsive and erratic lately, making it more important than ever for American citizens to reach out and gain a little context on the Holy Land — and that was the focus of my talk.
I put this report together after traveling to the Holy Land to produce a public television special, which you can stream online — but I’d say it’s more important to watch this hour-long talk, recorded at Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto. While the production is simple, the content is both timely and important.
We don’t need a one-sided narrative about the Holy Land told by someone dug-in on this complicated issue. To understand this situation, we need a “dual-narrative” approach that respects both sides. And that was what I shared in this talk: the lessons I learned by walking with caring people on both sides of the wall that divides this land.
Earlier this year, our traveling community came together to help build a library in Bethlehem, Palestine. More than 600 of you responded to my matching challenge, and collectively we raised $50,000 for Bright Stars of Bethlehem.
I have some good news to share. That library is now open! As we were a small part of this amazing story, I encourage you to learn more about this vision in the West Bank. And in this little clip, you’ll see images from the library’s opening:
Grateful for the Lord and for all our friends in the USA, Germany, and in Palestine who helped us complete the new Library and Multimedia Resource Center. Another milestone towards making Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture a city on the hill. Educating generations of creative leaders for Palestine is our mission. #Hope is what we do!
Posted by Mitri Raheb on Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Bright Stars of Bethlehem is a part of the Diyar Consortium, an organization led by the inspirational Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb. Dr. Raheb is all about caring for community “from womb to tomb.” It’s uplifting (especially these days) to see work such as his: constructive rather than destructive, and focusing on people and culture rather than politics and organized religion. Dr. Raheb teaches that when everything is falling apart, culture can make a community whole. He believes that we can see images of God in each other — especially in Bethlehem, where, Christians believe, the human met the divine and the Word became flesh. (If you would like to learn more about the work of Dr. Raheb, Bright Stars, and Diyar, check out this beautiful six-minute video.)
I treasure the memory of meeting Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb in Bethlehem.
Palestine deserves not just to survive, but to thrive. I encourage you to travel there, and I hope you will join me in continuing to support Bright Stars of Bethlehem. And, if you took part in the matching campaign last spring, congratulations — it was a great project!
Bright Stars recently sent me an update on this initiative. Thanks in part to our efforts, a new library is under construction at Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts & Culture. The library, which will be a green building, will make it easier for Palestinians to use books and other media, with equal access for men and women.
I’m so grateful to all of you who participated in this effort. Thinking about how this money will help in such a troubled region brings me real joy. Thanks again for your support and compassion — and happy travels!
More than 600 of you responded, spending a total of $33,287 on our Rick Steves guidebooks, DVDs, accessories, and travel bags. That’s triple our normal total!
As promised, I’m matching your collective shopping spree. And — further motivated by our government’s threat to drastically cut domestic and foreign aid programs — I’m upping my gift to an even $50,000. Thinking about how this money will help that community in such a troubled region brings me (and hopefully all of us) real joy.
Bright Stars of Bethlehem funds a cultural center where Palestinian boys and girls from every corner of their community can enjoy dimensions of life that we in America often take for granted. I’ve visited this center on two recent trips and its work is truly inspirational.
When I think about the “love thy neighbor” ethic and Golden Rule that is a common denominator of the three great religions that share the region we call the Holy Land, and then hear the leader of my country declare “America first,” I’m troubled by the disconnect.
I’m so thankful for your support in this small but exciting initiative. This money, when invested smartly in Palestine for such an important cause, is more than compassionate. Wielding this “soft power” from the mightiest nation on earth will contribute to an enduring peace more than the use of conventional “hard power.”
Don’t just get mad at the news — make a difference. Here’s how: From now through Thursday, for every dollar you spend at ricksteves.com/shop, I’ll give a dollar to help fund hope in Palestine.
Feeling frustrated and impotent because of the news lately? Me too. But rather than just fume, I want to make a difference. With fear trumping compassion in America’s policy toward refugees and our government’s recent change of policy regarding the Holy Land, I’m inspired to raise money for a good cause in Palestine. And I’d like your help. So, from now through Thursday (March 9, 2017), for every dollar spent at ricksteves.com/shop on any guidebooks, travel gear, or luggage, I’ll give a dollar to Bright Stars of Bethlehem. (This is not just our profit. I’ll match everything you spend.) That’s right: if $50,000 is spent at ricksteves.com/shop (and I hope we hit that mark), I’ll send a check for $50,000 to Bright Stars of Bethlehem. I know this sounds crazy, but if you went to Bethlehem (in Palestine), as I did, and saw their work — or watched the following six-minute video — you’d see my logic.
On my last trip to Palestine, perhaps the most inspirational experience I had was meeting the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, pastor at the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, and seeing the work he’s doing for the Palestinian people — both Christians and Muslims. We stayed in their Bethlehem cultural and conference center, and we filmed a basketball game there — bringing together kids from the entire community, both Christian and Muslim. This clip shows part of that game, and my time in Bethlehem with local guide Kamal Mukarker — including a memorable meal we shared in his home. These images help remind me of the humanity behind the policy, and the idea that, if you believe we’re all children of God, then we are all equally precious.
Dr. Raheb is a Palestinian who runs a thriving cultural center ministry in the middle of walls, checkpoints, and hopelessness, offering opportunities and hope for his community “from womb to tomb.” Having dinner with Mitri, staying in his conference and cultural center on two different trips, and seeing the energy and mission in action, his work brought to mind two beautiful quotes: Gandhi said, “Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear of punishment.” And Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it unto me.”
I treasure the memory of meeting Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb in Bethlehem. (Photo: Bright Stars of Bethlehem)
Reading the recent news, and considering the firsthand experience I had on two recent trips in Palestine, I’m more concerned than ever that this fragile, complex, and very human situation needs a careful and thoughtful policy. All of the talk about who’s the American ambassador to Israel, moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, building more Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and the question of a two-state solution versus a one-state solution is serious business with real consequences — especially to millions of Palestinians, who don’t even have a seat at the table.
After my trips to the Holy Land — and talking to people on both sides of the issue, from Israeli settlers to Palestinian clerics — it’s clear to me that a two-state solution (which President Trump recently backed away from) is best for Israel, and the only viable hope for peace. The alternative — a one-state solution — can only take one of two forms: a modern, pluralistic democracy with equality for all citizens (which would mean the Jewish Israeli population would soon be a minority in their own land, and the Jewish-ness of Israel would fade away); or a state where half the people were Muslim but only Jews would have full citizenship (which sympathizers of the Palestinian cause would call “Apartheid-like”). With a smart two-state solution, however, Israel could be secure and Palestine could be free. I realize that’s a tough challenge. But it’s the only winning option for those who want an Israel that’s both free and Jewish. Further Jewish settlements in Palestine (the West Bank) will make a viable two-state solution even more difficult to reach.
The impact of American policy on people in the Holy Land is not certain. But the impact of this donation is: Again, for every dollar spent at ricksteves.com/shop from now through tomorrow, I’ll give a dollar to Bright Stars of Bethlehem. (By the way, “good causes” come at me all the time. I’m confident this is a powerful way to make a difference: to turn our extra dollars into real hope and joy…and contribute to peace.)
