I’ve never been to Umm Al-Kheir, but I’ve heard a lot about it. One of my predecessors as Church of Scotland mission partner, Rev John McCulloch, went regularly to sit with the Bedouin of the village, to take small gifts for the children, and small sums of money. My colleague Rev Dr Stewart Gillan hasContinue reading “‘Please act now’”
Author Archives: Muriel Pearson
Only Compassion…
This is Avi Dabush, executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights. On October 7th he and his family hid in their safe room in Kibbutz Nirrim for eight hours when Hamas attacked. He thought, ‘maybe this is the end’. A Guardian article says ‘he speaks with authority when he says the October 7th attacks haveContinue reading “Only Compassion…”
The Path of Peace
Bilha and Yakovi Inon, parents of Maoz Inon and his four siblings, were murdered by Hamas on October 7th 2023. When he speaks (and he has been doing a lot of speaking) Maoz describes how three days after his parents were killed he had a vision. He says, ‘I woke up at night, my entireContinue reading “The Path of Peace”
Shared grief; shared hope
Yesterday in Israel was Memorial Day. It is a solemn period of reflection, commemorating all Israelis who have died since 1948 whether in war or in the ongoing attrition that is ‘normal’ life here. Israelis are remembered, but Palestinians are not. Since 1948 the number of Palestinian dead has outstripped the number of Israeli deadContinue reading “Shared grief; shared hope”
Consider the bees…
Earlier this week I went to visit Sindyanna of the Galilee, based in Cana of Galilee. Sindyanna supplies all the olive oil used by the Scots Hotel and one of their prize winning olive oils comes from the so-called Scots Grove. Some fifteen years ago now the Church of Scotland supported the planting of thisContinue reading “Consider the bees…”
Next (small) steps…
I flew back to Israel last week, a week after my father’s funeral and two days after my birthday. The plane was unusually quiet, although a surprising number of families with small children were flying into Israel to celebrate Pesach. The flight was uneventful; although I was the only passenger, it seemed, whose suitcase didContinue reading “Next (small) steps…”
All I have is a voice…
A couple of weeks ago on a Sunday evening, I heard a wonderful selection of music and poetry on Radio 3, The Black Sun, themed around Oppenheimer and the development of the nuclear bomb. It is all worth a listen. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000llhd Carlos Serbia ‘Black Sun’ But the selection that leapt out at me was partContinue reading “All I have is a voice…”
Reading the signs of the times
Dahlia Scheindlin is an Israeli pollster and commentator. A recent headline in Haaretz Newspaper would have confirmed many Israelis’ worst fears: Three-quarters of Palestinians Support Hamas’ Attack on October 7, says new poll. But one further word points to a much more nuanced analysis. The word ‘Why?’ The raw data (of a very small sample)Continue reading “Reading the signs of the times”
101 Days and counting…
Today is 101 days since hostilities erupted into the open with Hamas’ attack on southern Israel and the inevitable overwhelming response from the state of Israel. The toll of death and suffering and the fear that grips everyone involved in the conflict is hard to imagine, let alone describe. A brief dip into the 84Continue reading “101 Days and counting…”
Come, Prince of Peace
How do we hear the Christmas story and celebrate in worship in the light of the catastrophe enveloping Palestinians and Israelis in real time? Dave Hardman, Methodist Liaison Officer with the Methodist Church, based ordinarily in Bethlehem but currently in the UK, suggested that the second candle of the Advent wreath – the Bethlehem candleContinue reading “Come, Prince of Peace”
Stepping out of the boat... 