Link up with
Palestinian pupils a small act of solidarity
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen
Independent
MOVILLE woman Rose Kelly has received a number of
hand-written messages from Palestinian children
living in Bethlehem. The drawings are part of joint
project with Moville’s Glasoige Youth Group. The
class of Palestinian schoolchildren were asked to
draw up cards on the theme: “If the Magi came to
Bethlehem today, what would they find?”
The 6th of January is the Feast of the Epiphany,
when Christians celebrate the coming of the Magi, or
wise men, to witness the coming of Jesus.
Members of Glasoige have erected a nativity scene
with a difference in a shop front window on Lower
Main Street in Moville. It contains a painting
signed by young Palestinians from the Balata refugee
camp in the Gaza Strip.
“These messages from the Holy Land are a poignant
reminder of how different the lives of children in
Palestine are to those of Irish children, especially
in light of what is happening in Gaza at the
moment,” said Ms Kelly, a teacher at Scoil Eoghan,
Moville.
“The crib we put up in Moville is a very small
gesture of peace and solidarity with ordinary
Israeli’s and Palestinians,” she added.
Ms Kelly is friends with Irish-based Israeli peace
activist Naomi Fein and two years ago at Christmas
the Moville woman travelled to the West Bank to
support the Israeli woman in her campaign.
“I know from my own visit to Palestine this time two
years ago just how very isolated the Palestinians
feel and how much a welcome we received simply for
the fact that we crossed the wall to be there. The
fact that we were Irish ensured us an even warmer
welcome,” said Kelly, who believes that although the
Moville crib is small gesture, it sends out a
message of hope to the people of Palestine.
“For the people there to know that it exists is
important, and an indication that people in a small
town in Ireland know and care about what is
happening to them.”
Over the last number of weeks Rose has struck up a
friendship with a Palestinian teacher called Lama,
who got her pupils to draw up cards like the one
reproduced in this paper. |
