Wednesday, December 20, 12:00 PM EDT
A CONVERSATION WITH REVEREND & PROFESSOR, DR. MITRI RAHEB
By Moureen Kaki
The Reverend Dr. Mitri Raheb is the founder and president of Dar al-Kalima University, located in Bethlehem, Palestine. Dr. Raheb has published and edited a total of fifty books to date, making him the mostly widely published theologian in Palestinian history. His work is primarily on Christianity and Palestine and speaks to what it is like to live as a Palestinian Christian under occupation in the contemporary.
"Indeed, many people don't know that we [Palestinian Christians] exist, but remember that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, not Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. To be Christian in Palestine today means we're looking at two thousand years of history. There has been a continuous presence of Christians in Bethlehem for the past 2,000 years." Dr. Raheb continues, "Today, to be in Bethlehem is to live in a kind of Native reservation, where, from three sides, Bethlehem is surrounded by a 25-foot-high wall. Already 86% of historic Bethlehem has been confiscated by Israel, with 22 Israeli Jewish colonies. It's like a piece of Swiss cheese and Israel already took the cheese and pushed us [Palestinians] into the holes and Bethlehem is basically one of those holes."
Though Bethlehem has endured occupation for the past 56 years, these past two months in particular have been difficult. Since Israel's most recent assault on Gaza began on October 7th, tourism has declined dramatically. Bethlehem relies heavily on tourism, especially during the Christmas season. But between the massacre on Gaza, restrictions by Israel, and travel warnings issued by countries to their citizens, tourism has been non-existent for these past two months, and the city has suffered greatly.
"Bethlehem is a city that lives on tourism. There are no tourists now. The unemployment rate is very high. Additionally, people in Bethlehem have been watching what is happening to the people in Gaza which is why churches in Bethlehem decided not to have any Christmas celebrations, though the message of Christmas is as valid as 2,000 years ago," Dr. Raheb says.
Although Gaza often endures the most horrible attacks by Israel, Bethlehem is not free from Israeli violence. As a child, Dr. Raheb's daughter, Tala, was traumatized after an Israeli bullet was fired at her, her sister, and their mother one day in Bethlehem, when they were returning home from a visit to their grandmother during the second Intifada.
"The bullet was one foot away from Tala. I could see after they crawled home that she was traumatized by that experience. For four hours, Tala could not say one single word, though she's normally the most talkative person," Dr. Raheb shares. It was not until Tala drew the scene she just survived did she feel comfortable talking. The Reverend shared this story to emphasize the importance of art in Palestinian society. While art may be a luxury for some, says Dr. Raheb, for Palestinians, it is a trauma-healing outlet.
The use of art to address trauma, particularly in children and youth, is practiced across historic Palestine. However, the only art-based university in all of Palestine is Dar Al-Kalima University. Dr. Raheb founded Dar Al-Kalima as an art-based educational institution specifically to promote the art as a means of existence, education, and healing. "We teach our students a new way to tell our story. Today, a short clip, a short film, a picture, or a social media post can be more powerful than a political lecture," says Dr. Raheb.
Join Eyewitness Palestine for a Live from Bethlehem Webinar, where you can hear more from Reverend Rabeb and other speakers. The event is free to attend. Donations are welcome and will be shared between Eyewitness Palestine and Dar Al-Kalima University. Register for the event at the link below.