Mahmoud Darwish (1942-2008) is a Palestinian national icon who has passed away on August 9, 2008 . He is considered one of the essential witnesses of the 1948 tragedy in which many Palestinian Christians and Muslims were exiled.

Darwish was born in the village of al-Birwa, east of Akko . He attended school in Kufr Yassif and then lived in many different countries including Lebanon, Egypt, Russia and the West Bank.

Special For "Come and See", Aug 10, 2008

Before Samirah El-Betjali discovered San Bernardino Arabic Christian Church last year, the Jordanian immigrant struggled through English-language church services, understanding only bits and pieces.

"I didn't enjoy it," El-Betjali said in Arabic, her 18-year-old son, Marrwan, translating. Now the San Bernardino woman can worship in her own language.

By DAVID OLSON, The Press-Enterprise, July 31, 2008

A moment before beginning his supper, Masab, son of West Bank Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef, glances at the friend who has accompanied him to the restaurant where we met. They whisper a few words and then say grace, thanking God and Jesus for putting food on their plates.

It takes a few seconds to digest this sight: The son of a Hamas MP who is also the most popular figure in that extremist Islamic organization in the West Bank, a young man who assisted his father for years in his political activities, has become a rank-and-file Christian. A few seconds later, he is savoring his meal, explaining that he hasn't been eating much recently because of financial problems. During the past week he has been living with the friend, a Christian, of course, whom he met at church. "Without him," he says, "I would have become homeless."

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz, July 31, 2008

Rev. Alex Awad’s recent book is interesting, informative, and inspiring. It is interesting because it recites the story of Huda Awad (pp. 17-88), a courageous and godly Palestinian mother who lived from the Ottoman period until the present century. Through her life, we encounter the tragedies and pains of war, and displacement. At the same time, we encounter the Palestinian-Israeli struggles through the eyes of a godly Christian woman who wants to rear her orphan children and provide for them. We can learn many things from her life.

Alex Awad. Palestinian Memories: The Story of a Palestinian Mother and Her People. Bethlehem: Bethlehem Bible College, 2008.

By Yohanna Katanacho, Special For "Come and See"

FORMER immigration minister Kevin Andrews instructed his department to lift the intake of Christian refugees from the Middle East in response to what he saw as a pro-Muslim bias created by corrupt local case officers.

The Weekend Australian says Mr Andrews was so concerned about the extent of corruption in Middle Eastern posts - despite the allegations being investigated and dismissed by his own department - that he wrote to then prime minister John Howard advocating a $200 million plan to replace local employees with Australian staff in 10 "sensitive" countries, including Jordan, Iran and Egypt.

Opposition immigration spokesman Chris Ellison said yesterday this remains Coalition policy.

The Australian, July 19, 2008

Few months ago an important essay was circulated among Christians in the Holy Land. "Come and See" re-publishes this essay due to its important and unique contribution in helping us to better understand Hebrew-Speaking Catholics.

For a Hebrew-speaking Catholic living in Israel, fostering Jewish-Catholic relations isn't simply a part of the faith, it's a way of life, according to an Israeli priest.

Jesuit Father David Mark Neuhaus, who comes from a Jewish family, is the secretary-general of the Hebrew-speaking Catholic Vicariate in Israel, known also as the the Association of St. James, and serves as the priest in charge of the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community in Haifa.

By Karna Swanson, Zenit, June 8, 2008

 

A new book in Arabic entitled “Who Are the People of God, Scriptural Studies on the New Testament and the Kingdom of God,” authored by Shukri Habibi, has recently been published by the Clarion Publication House in Beirut, Lebanon.
The author, Shukri Habibi, was born in Haifa, Palestine; the late, well known communist leader Emile Habibi is his uncle. He holds Bachelors Degree in Literature and Masters Degree in Divinity. He worked with his wife, Adma, in Lebanon and Monte Carlo in the field of broadcasting ministry and they presently live in the Unite States. He wrote and published several broadcasting series.

by Bassam Afeiche, Special For "Come and See", July 22, 2008