The document discusses the Advent season and the town of Bethlehem. It describes Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem at Jesus' birth. It asks who is currently seeking shelter, freedom, and peace. It discusses checkpoints, restrictions, and hardship faced by Palestinians in Bethlehem and the West Bank due to the Israeli occupation. It provides information about organizations supporting Palestinians and encourages learning, advocacy, and solidarity with those seeking justice and peace in Israel/Palestine.

1. Advent 4:
Bethlehem
Candles lit
by pilgrims
outside the
entrance to
the cave
marking
Jesus’ birth.

2. Mary and Joseph relied on the welcome of strangers when they
arrived in Bethlehem after a long journey.
In today’s world, who is seeking shelter?
 Who is seeking freedom from fear?
 Who is seeking freedom from want?
 Who is offering the shelter of just peace to sisters and brothers in
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories?
 What is our response to the knock on our doors?

3. And Elizabeth was filled with
the Holy Spirit and exclaimed
with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are
you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your
womb. And why has this
happened to me, that the
mother of my Lord comes to
me? For as soon as I heard the
sound of your greeting, the
child in my womb leapt for
joy. And blessed is she who
believed that there would be a
fulfilment of what was spoken
to her by the Lord.’ (Art: Jane
Ray. Used with kind permission)

4. But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the
strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his
God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be
great
to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace. (Micah 5:2-5)

5. It’s easier, in
many ways, to
keep
Bethlehem
safely in the
past.
But Advent is
not about
ease. It’s
about the
hard birth of
hope.

8. The Dar Annadwa
Centre, an
ecumenical project
run by the Lutheran
community. It offers
job training to young
people, trains young
craftspeople and
artists, runs a fair
trade store and
welcomes visitors to
its conference centre.

15. The Wall is
strangling the
community’s
spiritual life
and
economy, and
forcing
people to seek
permits for
work in
Jerusalem.

16. Checkpoint 200 is a huge
complex within the Wall
that controls movement
between Jerusalem and
Bethlehem.
Anyone with a Jerusalem
work permit must pass
through it.
Thousands of Palestinian
men line up every
day, often beginning at
1:00AM (left side of
photo). They can be
turned back for any reason
and can lose their jobs as a
result.

17. Checkpoint
300, 5:00AM in
December.
“ When we were
standing at the
checkpoint before
dawn and could see
the men’s faces
through the bars, I
really thought I was
going crazy. Because I
kept feeling I was
seeing Jesus’ face as
he carried the cross
through the streets.”
Fulata Moyo, WCC
Women’s Desk
Coordinator

18. “Record!
I am an Arab/ Employed with
fellow workers at a quarry
I have eight children/ I get
them bread
Garments and books/ from
the rocks...”
(Mahmoud Darwish: Identity
Card)
A worker shows his ID card to
the Israeli soldier monitoring
the second stage of the
checkpoint.

19. Greetings to the one who
shares with me an attention
to
The drunkenness of light, the
light of the butterfly, in the
Blackness of this tunnel!
(Palestinian poet Mahmoud
Darwish, Under Siege)
A World Council of Churches
Ecumenical Accompanier
monitors conditions in the
checkpoint.

20. Neta is a
member of
Machsom
(“Checkpoint”)
Watch, a Jewish
Israeli group
that enters the
checkpoints and
advocates with
the soldiers, and
records any
instances of
abuse.

24. Opening worship at an international ecumenical conference
at the Wi’am Centre, 2011.

26. “We wish we had
more holy days in
Christianity, so we
could apply for
more permits to
visit Jerusalem.” Dr.
Muna Musharraf.
Jerusalem is within
walking distance
but many cannot
get permits from
Israel to get to its
holy sites. This
drawing illustrates
the longing.

27. Message from The courtyard at KAIROS partner Wi’am with the
Zoughbi, 23 ever-present Wall. Director Zoughbi Zoughbi
speaking and KAIROS staff member John Lewis
November 2012:
translating to French.
“Our office has
become the area
where the kids and
others demonstrate
and where we receive
tear gas bottles and
sound bombs, and
where the Israeli
soldiers shower us
with “skunk water”-
which is like sewage
drainage ... for ten
days we have been
suffering from that.”

30. You who stand in
Israeli soldier and Palestinian boys the doorway, come
talking, centre of occupied Hebron. The in/ drink Arabic
Occupation deprives all sides of their coffee with us
humanity, but some build bridges. and you will sense
that you are men
like us.
You who stand in
the doorways of
houses
come out of our
morningtimes,/ we
shall feel reassured
to be
men like you!
(Mahmoud Darwish:
Under Siege)

31. Palestinians and Israelis alike ask us to learn about
the origins and impact of the Occupation.
 Learn about your  Remember in prayer and
church’s policy and the action those who work
partners it works with in for justice and peace far
the region. from the
 Don’t be afraid to learn headlines, refusing to
and discuss. Hold a study give up hope. How can we
group or film festival. support them?
Hold a workshop-
KAIROS can help.

32. Buy fair trade olive oil and goods
 Zatoun is a Canadian not
for profit company that
imports fair trade olive
oil, soap and more from
the Occupied Territories.
By purchasing it, selling it
or convincing your local
store to do so, you support
farmers trying to stay on
their land.
www.zatoun.com

33. Ancient olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Olive trees are cherished as members of the family.

35. Support EAPPI
 The Ecumenical
Accompaniment program
of the World Council of
Churches has brought over
1,000 non violent
accompaniers and
monitors to the Occupied
Territories. Canadians are
among them.

36. The Kairos
Palestine
call....
Is the Palestinian
Christians’
ecumenical, non-
violent response to
the ongoing
military
occupation, buildi
ng of
settlements, and
violence.
Canadians are
asked to read it
and learn from it.

37. Going to the area? Spend time with Palestinians
 Many who travel to Israel
with a tour company don’t
know they’re even in the
Occupied Territories. Few
stay overnight. Make sure
you do- you will be
welcomed. And ask tour
companies to put
Palestinian businesses and
visits on their itineraries.
Look up alternative tours.

38.  The Wi’am Centre for Conflict Resolution
(Bethlehem)
 The Sabeel Ecumenical Centre for Liberation Theology
(Jerusalem)
 The Jerusalem Centre for Women
 The Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees
(with work in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon
and Syria- wherever there are Palestinian refugees)
 The Coalition of Women for Peace (Tel Aviv, Israel)

39. KAIROS is: YOU! KAIROS is:
 A network of over 20
global partners
 Supportive local
churches (KAIROS
Communities)
 Ecumenical and
interfaith Communities
 Individual Companions
 Local and regional
partnerships

40.  The Anglican Church of Canada
 The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace
 The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
 The Canadian Religious Conference
 The Christian Reformed Church in North America (Canada
Corporation)
 The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
 The Mennonite Central Committee Canada
 The Presbyterian Church in Canada
 The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)
 The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
 The United Church of Canada

41. Check the KAIROS website, Facebook group and Twitter
feed for resources and perspectives that add to your
work for social justice.
Bring your faith community’s perspective and energy to
the KAIROS ecumenical justice journey.
Join us locally and regionally for events, workshops and
worship related to just peace for Israelis and
Palestinians- and more. Contact us at
info@kairoscanada.org