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A church in Bethlehem, traditionally recognized as the birthplace of Christ, has decided to commemorate Christmas differently this year, in recognition of the suffering of children in Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing indiscriminate war.
As Christmas approaches and Israel’s brutal onslaught on the Palestinian enclave continues, the traditional nativity scene, a baby in a manger surrounded by farm animals attended by the three wise men with a star overhead, instead presents the baby Jesus wrapped in the traditional Palestinian shawl or keffiyeh, placed among the destruction, debris and rubble of war.
Following on from the initiative of the municipalities and churches in Bethlehem and Ramallah to cancel Christmas celebrations in the occupied West Bank, in solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza, Reverend Doctor Munther Isaac came up with the idea.
With the toy baby Jesus representing the thousands of children buried beneath the rubble in Gaza, Reverend Isaac said, when he shared his idea with his congregation, “Church families met last week and built it together. It was a moving experience for our families. During the service on Sunday, some people were in tears,” he said.
“Pilgrims are not coming to Bethlehem this year because of war,” Rev. Isaac said. “But we were surprised and overwhelmed by the attention and response this Manger received through social media and media in general. We are pleased our message has reached the world. This is what Christmas looks like in Palestine this year, the origin of Christmas,” he told The New Arab.
While Western Christian churches celebrate Christmas on December 25, Orthodox churches and other Christian denominations observe the holiday in January, only a small number of Palestinian Christians remain in Gaza and the West Bank today, most having left due to Israeli occupation, seige and economic hardship.
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