Every year, the Jerusalem Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations, in cooperation with the Yad Ben Zvi Cultural Institute, organizes a couple of days of study on the situations of Christianity in Jerusalem. The initiative addresses a selected public of Israelis, engaged in the field of education. The days are divided into lectures in the morning, organized in coordination with the Christian communities involved, and meetings and visits which take up the rest of the day, to give participants an opportunity to get to know the communities presents at first hand. Last year it was the turn of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the other smaller Orthodox communities, This year the programme includes study on the Custos of the Holy Land and on the Latin Patriarchate.
The day devoted to the Custody was 2nd December. Here is an account of the day by one of the organizers.
The Jerusalem Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations (Jcjcr) promotes mutual understanding between the Israeli and Christian populations in the Holy Land, organizes meetings of a cultural and educational nature, conferences on the different Christian communities and research. Yad Ben Zvi, on the other hand, is a government body that continues the tradition of the second President of the State of Israel, Yizhaq Ben Zvi, and is engaged in research on Erezt Israel (the Land of Israel), on the Jewish community and on life in Jerusalem and throughout the country. The two bodies are working on a common project - over several days - on the various Christian communities in the Holy Land. The days of study include lectures and excursions to the Christian institutions, in full collaboration with their ecclesiastical and community authorities.
On Tuesday 2nd December, there was the day of study on the Custody of the Holy Land. Some 200 people took part and many more would have liked to if there had not been a limit on numbers.
The first part of the day - at the Ben Zvi centre in the district of Rehavia, in Jerusalem - was occupied by lectures. Father Oscar Marzo, who had already collaborated with the organization of the congress, spoke about the history of the Custody of the Holy Land and its activities, highlighting the custody of the Holy Places, the welcome and care for pilgrims, its pastoral action for the local Christian community, it work in schools, the Magnificat Institute of Music and the new projects for the convent of St. Saviour, housing and so on.
Yisca Harani, a researcher and scholar on Christianity, presented the Franciscans as promoters of culture - they brought Western culture to the Middle East - and also as genuine creators of cultural standards in the Holy Land. Ms. Harani emphasized the importance of the Franciscans in the creation of a map of the Holy Land (due to the large number of Holy Places saved by the friars and in their custody) and their influence on phenomena such as, for example, the practice of the Via Crucis, which also spread to non-Catholic Christian populations. In parallel, the Franciscans brought modernity, technology, medicine and architecture to the Holy Land. They were amongst the first to broadcast Christmas night Mass live on an international channel, as well as recently opening a multimedia centre and having a highly advanced Internet site.
Yisca also discussed the topic of the great change in the relations between the Franciscans and the Jews after the establishment of the State of Israel (1948) and following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). As evidence of this, she quoted the innovative words pronounced by the Custody of the Holy Land three years ago in Tel Aviv during a conference on the Shoah.
Dr. Amnon Ramon spoke about the links of the Custody with the State of Israel. Ramon described both the tensions and the difficulties in the relations before the creation of the State and the fears of a theological nature regarding the place of the Jews in pre-Council theology. There was then also a concrete fear on the fate of the "living stones" (i.e. the Palestinian members of the local Christian community) both for their situation in the Jewish state and their situation in time of war. These fears were also dictated by the fact that initially the Socialist and Communist ideologies were widespread in Israel and were perceived as a threat to the very existence of the Church in this land. Amnon also described the offences and damage suffered by the churches during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, as well as highlighting the change that has taken place in the relations between Israel and the Custody since 1967, when many sites of the Custody came under Israeli control and the theological changes introduced by the recently concluded Council spread through the life of the Catholic Church. The Custody is aware of the fundamental importance of the State of Israel. Since the Oslo Agreements (1993), and particularly in recent years, Ramon remarked, there has been a significant change between the Custody on the one hand and Israel and the Jews on the other. The Custody has numerous challenges to face: care of the Christian schools and communities, but also care of the numerous clergy working in the Custody. IN addition, Amnon underlined the challenges for Israel, noting that it is in the Israeli interest - and our obligation as Israelis - to take care of and support the Christian and Franciscan presence, their economic contribution in tourism and, obviously, in archaeological research in the country.
The first part of the day concluded with the contribution by Dr. Nitsa Yarum, a psychoanalyst. who tried to present the complex figure of St. Francis through two significant events in his life, the conversion of his heart and the wounds of the crucifixion (the stigmata).
The second part of the day took place in the convent of St. Saviour and at other institutions of the Custody. The Custos welcomed the 200 participants presenting an antique Turkish firman in the possession of the Custody, the register of pilgrims of 1561 and other documents from the archives. Then he spoke about the present and future activities of the Custody, describing the cooperation with the Israeli and Palestinian political authorities. The Custos also underlined the dedication of the Franciscans to the local population and their concern for the management of the sanctuaries and the promotion of pilgrimages. After the warm welcome, the participants were divided into six groups, each of which was accompanied by a guide from Ben Zvi and a friar. The groups visited different parts of St. Saviour, such as the refectory, the Mother-of-Pearl room. the church, the terrace and the convent library, where they were able to see some rare manuscripts from different periods. Other groups visited Casa Nova, the Christian Information Centre, the Cenacolino, the Museum of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum at the convent of the Flagellation and the hermitage of Gethsemane. The friar responsible for each place was always warm and fraternal.
There are no words to thank the Custody for this moving welcome and the willingness to open the doors of all the places we visited. There was a truly considerable investment of time and dedication in the organization of the meetings and visits. Being able to see the ancient archive documents, the library and the museum was an experience that truly touched our hearts. The participants left the convent pleased and moved by this unforgettable experience.
Very many warm thanks to the Custos, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and all the friars involved in the event, in particular Fr. Oscar, Fr. Stefano, Fr. Agustín, Fr. Antonino, Fr. Aquilino, Fr. Carlos, Fr. Harout and Fr. Ivan who accompanied the groups on the various visits.
Hana Bendcowsky
(traduzione dall’ebraico e adattamento di fra O.M.)
http://www.jcjcr.org/
The institute for the research of Eretz Israel, Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi
The day devoted to the Custody was 2nd December. Here is an account of the day by one of the organizers.
The Jerusalem Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations (Jcjcr) promotes mutual understanding between the Israeli and Christian populations in the Holy Land, organizes meetings of a cultural and educational nature, conferences on the different Christian communities and research. Yad Ben Zvi, on the other hand, is a government body that continues the tradition of the second President of the State of Israel, Yizhaq Ben Zvi, and is engaged in research on Erezt Israel (the Land of Israel), on the Jewish community and on life in Jerusalem and throughout the country. The two bodies are working on a common project - over several days - on the various Christian communities in the Holy Land. The days of study include lectures and excursions to the Christian institutions, in full collaboration with their ecclesiastical and community authorities.
On Tuesday 2nd December, there was the day of study on the Custody of the Holy Land. Some 200 people took part and many more would have liked to if there had not been a limit on numbers.
The first part of the day - at the Ben Zvi centre in the district of Rehavia, in Jerusalem - was occupied by lectures. Father Oscar Marzo, who had already collaborated with the organization of the congress, spoke about the history of the Custody of the Holy Land and its activities, highlighting the custody of the Holy Places, the welcome and care for pilgrims, its pastoral action for the local Christian community, it work in schools, the Magnificat Institute of Music and the new projects for the convent of St. Saviour, housing and so on.
Yisca Harani, a researcher and scholar on Christianity, presented the Franciscans as promoters of culture - they brought Western culture to the Middle East - and also as genuine creators of cultural standards in the Holy Land. Ms. Harani emphasized the importance of the Franciscans in the creation of a map of the Holy Land (due to the large number of Holy Places saved by the friars and in their custody) and their influence on phenomena such as, for example, the practice of the Via Crucis, which also spread to non-Catholic Christian populations. In parallel, the Franciscans brought modernity, technology, medicine and architecture to the Holy Land. They were amongst the first to broadcast Christmas night Mass live on an international channel, as well as recently opening a multimedia centre and having a highly advanced Internet site.
Yisca also discussed the topic of the great change in the relations between the Franciscans and the Jews after the establishment of the State of Israel (1948) and following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). As evidence of this, she quoted the innovative words pronounced by the Custody of the Holy Land three years ago in Tel Aviv during a conference on the Shoah.
Dr. Amnon Ramon spoke about the links of the Custody with the State of Israel. Ramon described both the tensions and the difficulties in the relations before the creation of the State and the fears of a theological nature regarding the place of the Jews in pre-Council theology. There was then also a concrete fear on the fate of the "living stones" (i.e. the Palestinian members of the local Christian community) both for their situation in the Jewish state and their situation in time of war. These fears were also dictated by the fact that initially the Socialist and Communist ideologies were widespread in Israel and were perceived as a threat to the very existence of the Church in this land. Amnon also described the offences and damage suffered by the churches during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, as well as highlighting the change that has taken place in the relations between Israel and the Custody since 1967, when many sites of the Custody came under Israeli control and the theological changes introduced by the recently concluded Council spread through the life of the Catholic Church. The Custody is aware of the fundamental importance of the State of Israel. Since the Oslo Agreements (1993), and particularly in recent years, Ramon remarked, there has been a significant change between the Custody on the one hand and Israel and the Jews on the other. The Custody has numerous challenges to face: care of the Christian schools and communities, but also care of the numerous clergy working in the Custody. IN addition, Amnon underlined the challenges for Israel, noting that it is in the Israeli interest - and our obligation as Israelis - to take care of and support the Christian and Franciscan presence, their economic contribution in tourism and, obviously, in archaeological research in the country.
The first part of the day concluded with the contribution by Dr. Nitsa Yarum, a psychoanalyst. who tried to present the complex figure of St. Francis through two significant events in his life, the conversion of his heart and the wounds of the crucifixion (the stigmata).
The second part of the day took place in the convent of St. Saviour and at other institutions of the Custody. The Custos welcomed the 200 participants presenting an antique Turkish firman in the possession of the Custody, the register of pilgrims of 1561 and other documents from the archives. Then he spoke about the present and future activities of the Custody, describing the cooperation with the Israeli and Palestinian political authorities. The Custos also underlined the dedication of the Franciscans to the local population and their concern for the management of the sanctuaries and the promotion of pilgrimages. After the warm welcome, the participants were divided into six groups, each of which was accompanied by a guide from Ben Zvi and a friar. The groups visited different parts of St. Saviour, such as the refectory, the Mother-of-Pearl room. the church, the terrace and the convent library, where they were able to see some rare manuscripts from different periods. Other groups visited Casa Nova, the Christian Information Centre, the Cenacolino, the Museum of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum at the convent of the Flagellation and the hermitage of Gethsemane. The friar responsible for each place was always warm and fraternal.
There are no words to thank the Custody for this moving welcome and the willingness to open the doors of all the places we visited. There was a truly considerable investment of time and dedication in the organization of the meetings and visits. Being able to see the ancient archive documents, the library and the museum was an experience that truly touched our hearts. The participants left the convent pleased and moved by this unforgettable experience.
Very many warm thanks to the Custos, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and all the friars involved in the event, in particular Fr. Oscar, Fr. Stefano, Fr. Agustín, Fr. Antonino, Fr. Aquilino, Fr. Carlos, Fr. Harout and Fr. Ivan who accompanied the groups on the various visits.
Hana Bendcowsky
(traduzione dall’ebraico e adattamento di fra O.M.)
http://www.jcjcr.org/
The institute for the research of Eretz Israel, Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi