This is my last Stepping Out of the Boat blog post. I am back in Scotland having said a bitter-sweet goodbye to colleagues and friends in Tiberias, Jerusalem and beyond. It is a momentous week for other much bigger reasons too. On 7th October the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on festival goers andContinue reading “Not done yet…”
Tag Archives: Peace
Call for Peace
Pope Francis’ last plea for peace Many stories have been told about the piety and pastoral faithfulness of the late Pope Francis, but the story of his almost nightly conversations with Father Romanelli and the people of Holy Family Church in Gaza gives insight not only into Pope Francis and his priorities, but also makesContinue reading “Call for Peace”
Humanitarian Call for Ceasefire Now
‘Protect civilians. Facilitate aid. Release hostages. Renew a ceasefire.’ This is the final line in an unprecedented press release issued by heads of OCHA, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNWRA, WFP and WHO on 7th April 2025. The whole press statement makes really grim reading, detailing the urgent and overwhelming humanitarian need in Gaza. ‘For over a month,Continue reading “Humanitarian Call for Ceasefire Now”
What’s in a Symbol?
A keffiyeh. The media focussed on a keffiyeh which had been tucked at the last minute around the manger scene from Bethlehem which was blessed at the Vatican by the Pope on the 7th December 2024. And the manger and the keffiyeh and the baby were removed following representation from various lobby groups who claimedContinue reading “What’s in a Symbol?”
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”
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”
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”
How do we expand our aching hearts?
I’ve been back in Scotland for just over a month now. Plans and activities that were routine are now distant memories. I’m trying to plan ahead, looking to a return to Israel as Mission Partner based in Tiberias next to the Sea of Galilee. But there is so much to get my head around. TheContinue reading “How do we expand our aching hearts?”
Stepping out of the boat... 