CADFA Virtual Visit to Palestine summer 2020

Bethlehem Day 
 

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Why is Jerusalem important?

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The question was asked, "why is Jerusalem so important?" These two maps help explain my answer. One map is from Anglo-Saxon England, in 1040 AD, before William the Conqueror arrived, and the Mappa Mundi from Hereford is a map from 1300. Both maps show the point of view of the first 1300 years AD, with Jerusalem as the centre of the known world. Jerusalem is central to three religions, and as such holds a deeply spiritual and almost mythical quality for people of faith and non faith alike. Sadly the three Abrahamic faiths have shed rivers of each others'  blood over the white stones of Jerusalem, just when a sense of brotherhood should have been paramount. Using faith as an excuse for extreme violence to others is not celebrated in any faith. The Qu'ran advises not to harm the Jews or the Christian as they are brothers; Jesus gives a clear message when he gives the Samaritan (non Jew) as the example of the good neighbour; as did the example of Ruth in Jewish scripture,...
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Virtual trip to Bethlehem, Aida Camp and Al Walajah

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 Our second day on the virtual trip to Palestine was to Bethlehem – a town well known and with places that are Holy to Muslims, Christians and Jews. I am grateful to have been shown around by local people and to see the different approaches to help the local children manages their situation. With Dr Abedfettah, the Director of Aruwad, the Cultural and arts society in Aida refugee camp we visited the large refugee camp of Aida, where many, many thousands of people are squeezed on to land of 0.007 square km. The original wooden structures from people escaping the 1948 Nakba  were replaced with brick structures and due to the lack of land families would build upwards. With a very young population, 45% being under 18, and very restricted space with land given for recreation commandeered and walled off by the Israelis, the Aruwad arts centre has become key to providing as wide a range of activities as possible to not only keep the youth busy, but try to give them an important sen...
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Worries about the school curriculum

Thanks to everyone involved in the first evening of our Virtual Visit to Palestine- the presentations gave a good overview and insights into aspects of life in Abu Dis and the locality. One thing which struck me in particular- as I was one of the 11 Camden teachers to visit Abu Dis schools in 2007- was the ongoing, and possibly worsening, difficulty in instituting and maintaining an appropriate curriculum for Palestinian schools. When we visited we were accompanied by a high up Ministry of Education official (sorry I cannot recall his name or position)on some school visits. He was very happy to tell us about the new Palestinian curriculum developments, schools having been using the Jordanian/ Egyptian curriculum in the past. This new curriculum, some years in development, was tailored to Palestinian pupils to inform them of their own history and culture in context and to be ‘theirs’, not that of another country. This was a very exciting development. I read an article recently which men...
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