Friday, March 16, 2007

News from Ein Haniya, Winter-Spring 2007

For the past five months we have been gathering almost every week on the border of Israel and Palestine, sharing warmth and radiating light during the Jerusalem winter season, gradually growing our All Nations family of Palestinians, Israelis and internationals, and establishing, step by step, a home in the valley where we can all come together, even at stormy times of curfews and war.
Gathring Of Great Love dedicated to Christmas © photos by Simona, 26 Dec 2006

Carols, prayers and music bringing Christmas spirit to Ein Haniya in December.
The week before we held the third birthday celebration of the All Nations Cafe and Hanukkah lights festival,
and before that we had a birthday party for our elder Hedwig from Germany and a Storytelling evening.


Our family members, coming from West and East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron, and the surrounding villages and refugee camps, have managed to create both an open and an intimate space, where we can begin to know each other, share the depth of our joys and sorrows, and give each other understanding and support.

Gathering with youth leaders program from Shuafat refugee camp, © photo by Simona, 4 Jan 2007
Chopping, cooking and sharing with Shu’afat refugee camp students from a youth leadership program on Id el-Adha.January was quite rainy, so we invested our time in visiting each other’s homes in Halhul, Nahalin and Dheishe.


As we all know, not everyone is ready for direct and open meetings of Israelis and Palestinians. On the night of the 27th of February, during our gathering, somebody had sneaked and stolen Lisa’s car, which had served us faithfully for several years. Our friends and contacts have been searching and investigating extensively, but have not been able to find it. This was a major set back to our group, both physically and morally, but we have managed to overcome it together, and continue our work with renewed faith.

Tree Planting & Celebration on Abed's Land on Tu Bishvat © photos by Miriam & Dhyan, 3 Feb 2007
Planting Olive trees and telling tree stories on Abed’s land on Tu Bishvat Day in February.The week before, while visiting our friends in the border village of Walaja, we were seized by the army and brought to the checkpoint. Daphna’s voice and guitar skills drew a group of female soldiers and convinced the soldiers to set us free. At the end of February we held a healing circle, led by Jeff, who went on to treat Mahmoud’s disabled brother.

Now, that the spring is bursting out with flowers of all colors and hues from every stone terrace around us, and the Ein-Haniya spring is gushing with clear mountain water and filling the pool and the canal, we are ready to have our next Middle East Families Camp on the last week of March.

Starting on Sunday the 25th and running until the first of April, this spring camp will give a chance for many new people to visit our cafe and experience our way of sharing, working, cooking, eating, creating and celebrating together.You are all welcome to be a part of it.

We would like to thank all the individuals, from varied countries and continents, who financially supported our activities in the past months. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Celebration with environmental students from Jordan, Israel, Palestine, USA & Europe © photos by Dhyan, 12 Mar 2007
Celebration with musicians, families, friends and environmental students from Jordan, Israel, Palestine, USA & Europe in March.
Hajj Ibrahim was in charge of the cooking, and took care of transport on the week before, when we celebrated the birthday of our dear elder David.

 

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Saturday, November 25, 2006

Gatherings of Great Love at Ein Haniya

Creating a Unique Meeting Place
on the Border of Israel and Palestine
Gathering of Great Love © photo by Dhyan, 16 Nov 2006
Since December 2003, the All Nations Cafe has been fertile ground for innovative projects which allow people from warring nations to meet each other even at the worst of times. Opening a coffee shop in East Jerusalem opposite al-Aqsa mosque at the height of the al-Aqsa Intifada, Touring Jordan and being the first group including Israeli-Jews to perform at one of the biggest Arab Music & Arts Festivals in Jerash, Organizing a one-week Palestinian-Israeli Families Camp during the recent war in Lebanon and in Gaza - are only few examples.
Our latest Gatherings of Great Love at the old Palestinian village by Ein Haniya have been gradually growing into regular get-togethers, where intimate listening, spiritual openness and family-like celebration draw people of all nations to come together Tuesday and bring their feelings, ideas and longings. Palestinians come from towns, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank, Israelis come from Jerusalem area, the Galilee and other regions, and internationals come from Europe and the Americas.
In order to maintain these gatherings, at a time when many in Israel and Palestine find it is getting harder and harder to meet each other, we need your support.
The budget required to run the Gatherings of Great Love during this winter season (December 2006 - March 2007), amounts to 5,200 USD or 4000 EUR.
Donations can be made online at: www.allnationscafe.org/donate.html
We also accept bank transfers and checks. Email us at allnationscafe@yahoo.com with “Donation” at the subject line.
Following is a list of the things we need for this winter. You can donate a stove, for example, or lend your car for a day, or, alternatively, contribute the funds that allow us to purchase food and pay for the gas.
for the “house”:
  • heavy waterproof canvas (50 sq.m.)
  • straw/plastic mats (5X4 m)
  • small lockable storehouse
  • heating: gas/kerosene heater
  • lighting: oil lamps, flash lights, gas light, electric battery
  • cooking: gas oven
  • cups and pots for coffee and tea
  • eco washing liquid
for transportation:
  • 2 spacious vehicles to collect people from Jerusalem area and from Hebron and Bethlehem areas at Tuesday afternoons and return them in the night.
The House at Ein Haniya © photo by Dhyan, 16 Nov 2006
You are welcome to take part in our gatherings and bring yourself, your family and friends, food to share and musical instruments to play.
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Monday, November 6, 2006

Autumn 2006 Newsletter

Teheran and Jerusalem Connecting in Berlin, Germany
Palestinian, German and Iranian participants, photo by Maren/Eddy ©In October we had a Middle East gathering in Berlin, hosted by the Konigin Luise International School. The two evenings brought together people from Germany, England, Palestine, Dubai, Iraq, Israel and Iran. Some of the participants came from Karame, an Arab youth center in Berlin, which promotes dialog between Israelis and Palestinians. With the help of our hosts, Manfred and Gisela, who recently returned from Teheran, where they have a cultural exchange project with a local school, we created a Persian cafe atmosphere, complete with original plates, trays, cups, pastries, nuts, drinks and smoking pipe.
The first evening we had an introduction to the All Nations Cafe project and the vision behind it. The participants visualized the site on the border of Israel and Palestine and its future potentials, and blessed it. We concluded the discussion with a Circasian dance, and then moved to the fire place room to watch videos from the Families Camp, exchange thoughts and enjoy Persian delights.
On the second evening we had a deeply moving Family Constellation workshop (led by Yesha) focused on the relationships between Germans, Israelis and Palestinians; a Theater workshop (led by Dhyan) presenting our individual identities through the different birth places or origins of our ancestors; and a Dance of Universal Peace workshop (led by Martin) which concluded the event with a joyous circle.
Gatherings of Great Love at Ein-Haniya, Israel/Palestine
Sharing food at Ein Haniya camp site, photo by Itsik ©The All Nations Cafe team, together with friends from the West Bank, Israel and the international community, have been coming together at the same site where we held the Middle East Families Camp. These gatherings are all about sharing getting to know each other on a personal level, creating family-like bonds between us and nourishing these bonds. Usually, we share food and drinks, play live music, sing together and dance round the camp fire into the night.
From November, we are having the Gatherings of Great Love every Tuesday, at Ein-Haniya, on the road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Apart from working on the land, cleaning, restoring, and keeping the nature beautiful, we will have workshops on different subjects such as: Esperanto language, Circasian dancing, Permaculture, etc. The gatherings are an open space for your ideas and creativity.
Come, Come Whoever You Are
You are most welcome to join in on this Tuesday or on the following weeks, anytime between 2 and 8 pm. Please bring food or drinks, musical or other instruments and anything else you would like to share with the group.
Driving instructions: Ein-Haniya is located on the road going from the Malha railway station in Jerusalem towards Bethlehem and Gush-Etzion (known as Walaja road), about 2.5 kilometers after you cross the railway line, and about 700 meters after the checkpoint you will see an old stone house on the left-hand side of the road - that is the place.
Coming from the West Bank, we are located on the road from Beit-Jala (DCO) to Jerusalem via Malha, about 4 kilometers after Walaja, before the checkpoint, on the right-hand side of the road.
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