Taybeh

I had an interesting predicament last weekend, of trying to find something to do. My usual compatriots had decided to go on a religious retreat in the Negev Desert. I had opted out due to have no desire to have a particularly religious weekend, and I had more than enough homework to keep me occupied. However, there is only so long that I can stand looking at the walls of my apartment, and before I went crazy and decided to clean the bathroom, I started looking into activities. I had been told about JStreet U at the beginning of the semester, however I was never able to attend an event. JStreet is an organization that works for an equal settlement of the Arab- Israeli conflict that has the approval of both sides. For more information about their goals, vision, and objectives go to: http://jstreet.org/jerusalem. The trip that I went on was billed as a trip to a Palestinian Brewery, but our first stop was to the Latin Church in Taybeh, which was amazing. Taybeh is the ancient city of Ephraim, which is mentioned in the Bible seven times and was the city that Jesus went to after raising Lazarus from the dead. Taybeh is the last completely Christian village in Palestine and is home to three Churches: the Greek Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic. We visited the Roman Catholic Church, and got a tour from Farther Raed Abusahlia of the Church and the Proverb House. The church has many fantastic paintings  depicting Jesus raising Lazarus, Jesus and the Samaritan, Saint George and Saint Michael. The mosaic behind the altar of the church depicts Jesus being welcomed by the citizens of Taybeh- Ephraim.  Perhaps the most unique part of the church is the icon of Notre- Dame of Ephraim, which depicts  the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus and a pomegranate. Besides just being an awesome fruit, in the Middle East the pomegranate is a symbol of fruitfulness and fecundity. According to the lore of Taybeh, Jesus told a parable using the pomegranate to explain that to reach the sweetness of his resurrection, he had to go through the bitterness of his passion. This small church is also trying to make a big impact in the world by selling Peace Lamps to put in every church around the world. “As our last resort, we address our prayer for peace in the Holy Land to the Lord with a simple and symbolic idea…Our goal is to place a Peace Lamp in every single church in the world and to unite as many Christians and people of faith in a common prayer for peace in the Holy Land”. I loved how Fr. Raed put it, that we will be prodding God over and over again until he gives us the possibility for peace. Also, attached to the church was what Fr. Raed called the Parable House. It was a three hundred year old Arabic House that was used to  explain parts of the New Testament. For example, the story of Jesus’s birth.  How it was explained was that it was unlikely that Arab hospitality would have allowed a family to turn away a pregnant woman. However she couldn’t stay with the other women and children since she was about to give birth. They could offer her the stable, which was in the house, below the main floor.  The stable would be warm and soft, and further proof was offered that the woman who had lived in the parable house had given birth to all her children in the stable. After leaving the church, we headed to the Taybeh Brewing Company, which is the first microbrewery in Palestine. It’s a small operation, hence the name, but they market everywhere though East Jerusalem and Palestine. We got a tour of the brewery and some samples as they explained their business and the intricacies of getting supplies in and product out through the checkpoints. It was a fascinating experience and I’m hoping to go back.