Stories of coexistence between the faithful of the two religions. The school that educates to fraternity, founded by Combonian missionaries, that is committed to interreligious dialogue.
In Jerusalem, which for decades has been plagued by tensions, conflicts and violence, there are those who patiently commit themselves to building peace by mending torn bonds, seeking ways of reconciliation, dispelling misunderstandings and accustoming the younger generations to the practice of fraternal relations. It is a fine work, that of peace in Jerusalem. And it involves Christians, Muslims and Jews. Among these peacemakers there are nine Combonian missionary nuns. Seven live in East Jerusalem, in the district of Bethany. Here stands their home and kindergarten that they founded 50 years ago, a school structure (dependent on the Palestinian Ministry of Education) that for decades has welcomed Arab children - Christians and Muslims - from the neighborhood. Sister Anna Maria Sgaramella is responsible for the educational project. She has been a missionary in the Middle East (Egypt and the Holy Land) for 20 years and is also involved in youth ministry and in the Missionary Animation of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The educational project
“The garden where our little students play borders with the separation wall built by the State of Israel: it is an imposing barrier that we have tried to embellish with colored murals,” she says. “Unfortunately, since it was built, many families have gradually given up bringing their children here because of “travelling” to school difficulties, that would have taken many miles before reaching the facility. Two of my sisters decided to live beyond the wall, to continue to take care of the Palestinian population and offer assistance in Bedouin villages”. Currently the kindergarten is attended by more than 50 children from the neighborhood on this side of the wall: the vast majority are Muslims since Christian families have preferred to move elsewhere. “Our educational project aims to transmit fundamental values to the children. We are very committed to developing in them both a sense of fraternity, welcoming and acceptance of diversity, and the ability to avoid all forms of violence. We think it is also necessary to develop a sharing culture and therefore we try to educate to the responsibility towards the environment and the staff we use together. In this neighborhood, we find great solidarity with those in need: Christians and Muslims help and support each other”.
The Muslim teacher
To carry out this educational project, the sisters can count on two teachers of the Islamic faith: “We work together with the same objective, there is a happy understanding between us, relations are very friendly”, Sister Anna Maria says. Nermeen Sabet could not agree more with sister Anna Maria: Muslim, 35 years old, married and mother of three children, she has been teaching in kindergarten for seven years: “The sisters are like family, we help and support each other, even in times of personal difficulty. When I started working here my husband made some resistance, but then the relationship with the sisters made him overcome prejudices against Christians. I really like taking care of children: helping them to develop right attitudes towards life is a source of great satisfaction for me”. Nermeen says she is convinced that the educational institution can play a decisive role in the formation of personalities capable of living together respecting cultural, religious or political differences. “Often the school is the place where one learns to grow in knowledge and esteem of one’s neighbor. Our little students live together in friendship, without perceiving the different religious affiliations. However, the school can also strengthen prejudices and defensive or offensive attitudes, especially in the context of the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis”.
Fraternity and peace
Nermeen, who lives in the neighborhood of Ras el Amud, inhabited by Muslims and Christians, says: “I entertain peaceful relations with Christians, we exchange good wishes on the occasion of our respective religious holidays and we share the life of the neighborhood. I attended Catholic schools, run by nuns, and I had the opportunity to esteem Christians and to have Christian friends. Speaking in general, it seems to me that people are not very inclined to talk about religion also so as not to give the impression of wanting to convert whom they are talking to”. Nermeen is convinced that authentically religious people (Jews, Christians and Muslims) who live together in peace can teach the world the “love for good” and show by example, “that we are all equal”. True believers can, together, indicate the values that unite them and help to overcome individualism, which I believe is the cause of many divisions: it is fraternity that can ensure peace”.
The involvement of families
The sisters wanted to involve the parents of the students in the educational work by organizing various initiatives: “We want to promote and encourage the transition from an offensive-defensive approach towards the other, to a welcoming and kind approach,” Sister Anna Maria stresses. “This change of mentality, which is not easy, is yet indispensable. It has always seemed very true to me what some Palestinian and Jewish women who worked together for peace said years ago: “We are the ones who arm our children”. They meant to say that if adults live in the conviction that the other is an enemy, it is difficult for young people to grow ideals of peace. I must say that the families of our students are very grateful to us for the education we provide to their children and they gladly participate in the meetings we organize”.
Interreligious Dialogue
Sister Anna Maria is also a member of the Eljia Theological Institute (founded by Rabbi Alon Goshen): it is an inter-religious institute - which includes Christians, Muslims and Jews living in and around Jerusalem - which periodically organizes seminars and conferences open to all and a summer school - dedicated to theological and spiritual themes - in which students from abroad also participate. Every last Thursday of the month, the members of the Institute gather to pray together for peace in different places of Jerusalem inviting friends and acquaintances. “Among the many activities promoted by the Institute - Sister Anna Maria says - what I consider most fruitful is precisely prayer for peace: prayer is the “place” where many differences fall and is an expression of the spiritual unity that we seek. Social harmony is still a distant goal, but cultivating friendship and harmony on a spiritual level is possible from now on and can bring good fruit”.
Being bridges
“We nuns feel that we are “bridges” between Israelis and Palestinians. The very fact of living close to the wall - she concludes - leads us to this experience because we are confronted both with Palestinian families and with Israeli soldiers serving near the school: we also wanted to invite one of these soldiers and an Israeli family to our house to better understand their human experience. While we do not give up denouncing the injustices we are witnesses of, our choice is not to side with either one or the other but to work for the education of the younger generations and try to weave fraternal ties between people”.
