Some of you know my friend Father Murray is studying in Jerusalem. He sent this gently appeal today and I thought I'd share it with all of you. I emphasize his words... no pressure.
Thanks for the forum. ( He included some of the political flavour he is experiencing as well.)
V
Life here in Jerusalem continues to go well--quiet and peaceful, although the last couple of days have seen some fairly major political developments that have thrown a wrench into everyone's carefully-laid plans for the future. Ariel Sharon's government lost a non-confidence vote in the Israeli Knesset yesterday, and his governing coalition has started to unravel quite quickly. He's hoping to cobble together a new government in the next few days; otherwise, Israel will likely have to have elections, which could cause turmoil in terms of Sharon's stated plans to withdraw from the Gaza Strip next summer. And, to top it off, the latest candidate to enter the race for successor to Yasser Arafat is Marwan Barghouti, an extremely popular Palestinian leader who is serving five consecutive life sentences (for murder) in an Israeli jail. He had earlier stated he wouldn't run, but last night, at the last minute, he changed his mind and announced his candidacy. This runs the risk of splitting the moderate Palestinians down the middle, and could mean that extremist candidates could conceivably win--the whole thing is very confusing, very messy, and makes the whole U.S. presidential election seem bland by comparison!
I'm writing to all of you with a specific request for you to consider. As many of you know, when I was here three years ago as a student, I lived and studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute's Jerusalem house, about a 15-minute walk from here. It is run by the Jesuit order of priests, and they were exceptionally friendly and supportive--since my return to Jerusalem, I go over to celebrate Mass for them every Sunday night--it's a small English-speaking parish in the middle of Jerusalem. Anyhow, the cook at the Biblical Institute here in Jerusalem is a wonderful young Palestinian Christian man named Issa ("Jesus" in Arabic, as he's fond of telling us). Besides being an AMAZING cook (he worked at a 5-star hotel in Bethlehem before the violence started and he got laid off), he's very kind, generous and hard-working, and he has 3 kids that he absolutely adores. The oldest (a son) is 10, and has a serious ear condition that has caused him significant trouble for the last year or so. He's been to see half a dozen doctors, but the diagnosis from the Hadassah Hospital here in Jerusalem is that he urgently needs very expensive laser surgery on his ears, or he risks losing his hearing (I can send you the doctor's report by e-mail if anyone wants to look at it). The surgery will cost 35,000 shekels--about $8,000US, which of course his family has no way of paying (they're working-class, but right now that means quite poor). The Jesuits have decided to coordinate a Christmas campaign among their friends, relatives and benefactors, to see how much we can raise to help Issa's son get his surgery ASAP. We sent out an e-mail a couple of nights ago all around the world, and apparently several thousand dollars has already been pledged, including an anonymous donor who has offered to pay 20% of the cost himself. Obviously I don't have a huge bank account, but I have a few hundred American dollars that I plan to give it to the Jesuits for Issa.
I realize that you have many charities that make appeals to you around the holidays, and perhaps your holiday giving budget is already stretched to the limit. However, I thought that I would write and ask you if you would be interested in helping us raise some money for this specific need. I'm sure you realize that I wouldn't approach friends for money like this unless I knew it was a legitimate situation and knew exactly where the money was going. I can assure you that I know everyone involved, and this is a genuinely serious need. I realize it's only one child out of millions who are in need, but it's one child that I have a concrete connection to, and I thought this might be one way of helping.
Please don't feel under any pressure--I don't want anyone to feel guilty if they aren't able to give, and I realize you support many, many good causes, locally, nationally and internationally. But if you ARE interested in making a donation, you can get in touch with my parents (Keith and Elizabeth Watson, 786-4422). My mom has joint signing authority on my bank account, and can deposit any donations directly into my TD-Canada Trust account, which I can access here by ATM card. I can withdraw the donations at this end, and the Biblical Institute is literally around the corner from the bank. At this point, ANY donations would be gratefully accepted, and I will acknowledge each one personally from here. If you wish to be in touch with the Jesuits directly, I can give your the e-mail address for their administrator, Brother Agnelo Vaz.
Thank you all for your support, your love and your prayers while I am here in the Holy Land. I know I will see many of you when I'm home for Christmas, but if not, please know that I am VERY grateful for your friendship and encouragement, which mean so much to me, especially while I am overseas. Feel free to drop me a line if you have a moment free and let me know the latest from your end. Thank you for your consideration of this request, on behalf of Issa and his family.
A joy-filled Chanukah, and a blessed Advent and Christmas to all of you,
Thanks for the forum. ( He included some of the political flavour he is experiencing as well.)
V
Life here in Jerusalem continues to go well--quiet and peaceful, although the last couple of days have seen some fairly major political developments that have thrown a wrench into everyone's carefully-laid plans for the future. Ariel Sharon's government lost a non-confidence vote in the Israeli Knesset yesterday, and his governing coalition has started to unravel quite quickly. He's hoping to cobble together a new government in the next few days; otherwise, Israel will likely have to have elections, which could cause turmoil in terms of Sharon's stated plans to withdraw from the Gaza Strip next summer. And, to top it off, the latest candidate to enter the race for successor to Yasser Arafat is Marwan Barghouti, an extremely popular Palestinian leader who is serving five consecutive life sentences (for murder) in an Israeli jail. He had earlier stated he wouldn't run, but last night, at the last minute, he changed his mind and announced his candidacy. This runs the risk of splitting the moderate Palestinians down the middle, and could mean that extremist candidates could conceivably win--the whole thing is very confusing, very messy, and makes the whole U.S. presidential election seem bland by comparison!
I'm writing to all of you with a specific request for you to consider. As many of you know, when I was here three years ago as a student, I lived and studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute's Jerusalem house, about a 15-minute walk from here. It is run by the Jesuit order of priests, and they were exceptionally friendly and supportive--since my return to Jerusalem, I go over to celebrate Mass for them every Sunday night--it's a small English-speaking parish in the middle of Jerusalem. Anyhow, the cook at the Biblical Institute here in Jerusalem is a wonderful young Palestinian Christian man named Issa ("Jesus" in Arabic, as he's fond of telling us). Besides being an AMAZING cook (he worked at a 5-star hotel in Bethlehem before the violence started and he got laid off), he's very kind, generous and hard-working, and he has 3 kids that he absolutely adores. The oldest (a son) is 10, and has a serious ear condition that has caused him significant trouble for the last year or so. He's been to see half a dozen doctors, but the diagnosis from the Hadassah Hospital here in Jerusalem is that he urgently needs very expensive laser surgery on his ears, or he risks losing his hearing (I can send you the doctor's report by e-mail if anyone wants to look at it). The surgery will cost 35,000 shekels--about $8,000US, which of course his family has no way of paying (they're working-class, but right now that means quite poor). The Jesuits have decided to coordinate a Christmas campaign among their friends, relatives and benefactors, to see how much we can raise to help Issa's son get his surgery ASAP. We sent out an e-mail a couple of nights ago all around the world, and apparently several thousand dollars has already been pledged, including an anonymous donor who has offered to pay 20% of the cost himself. Obviously I don't have a huge bank account, but I have a few hundred American dollars that I plan to give it to the Jesuits for Issa.
I realize that you have many charities that make appeals to you around the holidays, and perhaps your holiday giving budget is already stretched to the limit. However, I thought that I would write and ask you if you would be interested in helping us raise some money for this specific need. I'm sure you realize that I wouldn't approach friends for money like this unless I knew it was a legitimate situation and knew exactly where the money was going. I can assure you that I know everyone involved, and this is a genuinely serious need. I realize it's only one child out of millions who are in need, but it's one child that I have a concrete connection to, and I thought this might be one way of helping.
Please don't feel under any pressure--I don't want anyone to feel guilty if they aren't able to give, and I realize you support many, many good causes, locally, nationally and internationally. But if you ARE interested in making a donation, you can get in touch with my parents (Keith and Elizabeth Watson, 786-4422). My mom has joint signing authority on my bank account, and can deposit any donations directly into my TD-Canada Trust account, which I can access here by ATM card. I can withdraw the donations at this end, and the Biblical Institute is literally around the corner from the bank. At this point, ANY donations would be gratefully accepted, and I will acknowledge each one personally from here. If you wish to be in touch with the Jesuits directly, I can give your the e-mail address for their administrator, Brother Agnelo Vaz.
Thank you all for your support, your love and your prayers while I am here in the Holy Land. I know I will see many of you when I'm home for Christmas, but if not, please know that I am VERY grateful for your friendship and encouragement, which mean so much to me, especially while I am overseas. Feel free to drop me a line if you have a moment free and let me know the latest from your end. Thank you for your consideration of this request, on behalf of Issa and his family.
A joy-filled Chanukah, and a blessed Advent and Christmas to all of you,