To interview any of the commentators, contact the IMEU at 510-451-2600 or info@imeu.net

For centuries, Christmas was celebrated in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, with pilgrims from around the world packing Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. Street vendors sold coffee, chestnuts and sweets, and celebrations went late into the night. The IMEU asked four Palestinian Americans to share their memories of Christmas in Bethlehem and how those compare to Bethlehem today.

Commentators Nina Bazouzi Cullers is a former Virginia schoolteacher who lived in Bethlehem as a teen and worshipped at the Church of the Nativity. Muna Handal-Dayeh is a California businesswoman and president of the U.S.-based Bethlehem Association. Samir Nassar is a California small business owner who, as a young boy scout, marched in the annual Bethlehem Christmas parade. Mazin Qumsiyeh is a Connecticut-based medical geneticist who has taught at Duke and Yale and was born in Shepherds' Field near Bethlehem.

What are your most vivid memories of Christmas in Bethlehem when you were growing up?

Nina Bazouzi Cullers

It is is the warm feeling I used to have anticipating visits from friends and going to Christmas parties. Everyone my age would get together at someone's home and spend a few hours dancing and having fun. At midnight we would go together to the Nativity Church and attend mass. The full moon still reminds me of the Christmases in Bethlehem when the moon would be bright and we would be walking to the church and having so much fun as most young people do - joking and laughing and looking forward to the next day when we would exchange gifts. We used to have very simple, innocent fun.

Muna Handal-Dayeh

At Christmas, my mother would share her memories of Bethlehem with us because I came to America as a young child. She told stories of a life that revolved around family, food and friends. She decribed how their home was always open for guests. At that time, they were living under the British Mandate and had the freedom to travel in and out of Bethlehem. So at Christmastime they would always have a house full of family and friends.

Samir Nassar

As a boy scout in high school, my friends and I looked forward to escorting the Patriarch of Jerusalem into town from the outskirts of Bethlehem. As we entered the town, thousands of people would be in the streets, waiting to catch a glimpse of him. The sidewalks would be filled with vendors who sold food, sweets, and roasted chestnuts to both the locals and tourists. One of the most memorable sights was the enormous Christmas Tree in Manger Square, decorated with multi-colored lights and ornaments. At night we would gather outside the Church of the Nativity and listen to Christmas carols sung by choirs from the United States. At midnight, after the Patriarch announced the birth of Christ, the Christmas Eve celebration ended. We spent Christmas day at the Church of the Nativity and celebrating with family.

Mazin Qumsiyeh

I recall the family gatherings around kerosene heaters where our fingers and toes were cold but our hearts were warm and our stomachs filled. I had a Lutheran mother and a Greek Orthodox father so my siblings and I got two Christmases. December was a period of rest after the olive harvest, while we waited for spring to bring the blossoming of fruit trees.


Is Christmas in Bethlehem still the same today? If not, how has it changed?

Nina Bazouzi Cullers

Of course it is not the same. Today people are afraid; they are worried. For both Christians and Muslims there is so much insecurity and uncertainty. Palestinians can't even travel a few miles outside of town. It is easier to travel from one country to another than it is to travel within the West Bank. There is so much red tape, so many checkpoints that you need permission to pass. And permission is not always granted. It is a sad situation. For us back then, we were confident the future was going to be better. I feel it is not so for the young people there now. That kind of feeling at Christmas casts a shadow over the celebration.

Muna Handal-Dayeh

I had the opportunity to spend Christmas in Bethlehem in 2004. My family said my visit meant that for the first time in many years they really felt the joy of the holiday. In spite of the resilience of the Bethlehemite's spirit, it is not the same. Families and friends can no longer gather as they used to. The building of the "Apartheid Wall", and the closures and road blocks, make travel into Bethlehem and around Palestine difficult, if not impossible. Even the visit of the Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, who for hundreds of years has traditionally entered Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, had been cancelled for three years. 2004 was the first time since 2000 that this grand procession took place.

Samir Nassar

Today Bethlehem, like the rest of Palestine, is facing the day-to-day struggle of living under Israeli occupation. Whether it be the dilapidated infrastructure or the poverty-stricken residents, it is clear that the actions of the Israeli government have taken a toll on this sacred town. Christian or Muslim, Christmas or Ramadan, a Palestinian is still a Palestinian living under occupation. As beautiful as Manger Square will be decorated on Christmas Eve, and as festive as the celebrations may be, it will all be overshadowed by the massive gray cloud that is Israel's wall, carving up the West Bank.

Mazin Qumsiyeh

Today, Bethlehem is surrounded by Israeli settlements. Israel has built a massive concrete wall that separates Palestinian families from each other and from their jobs, hospitals, schools, churches and mosques. Many Christian relatives of mine could not keep their jobs with their employers in Jerusalem - only six miles away - as they could not get permits to enter the city. At Bethlehem University, where my brother has been teaching mathematics for the past 25 years, there has been a significant reduction in the diversity of the students and faculty. This is because faculty and students can't travel from the parts of Palestine behind the wall, nor from places like Hebron and Jericho because hundreds of checkpoints separate the remaining (and shrinking) West Bank Palestinian enclaves. Christmas is an especially poignant time of year for all Palestinian Christians, particularly those in Bethlehem.

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Nina Bazouzi Cullers

What are your most vivid memories of Christmas in Bethlehem when you were growing up?

It is is the warm feeling I used to have anticipating visits from friends and going to Christmas parties. Everyone my age would get together at someone's home and spend a few hours dancing and having fun. At midnight we would go together to the Nativity Church and attend mass. The full moon still reminds me of the Christmases in Bethlehem when the moon would be bright and we would be walking to the church and having so much fun as most young people do - joking and laughing and looking forward to the next day when we would exchange gifts. We used to have very simple, innocent fun.

Is Christmas in Bethlehem still the same today? If not, how has it changed?

Of course it is not the same. Today people are afraid; they are worried. For both Christians and Muslims there is so much insecurity and uncertainty. Palestinians can't even travel a few miles outside of town. It is easier to travel from one country to another than it is to travel within the West Bank. There is so much red tape, so many checkpoints that you need permission to pass. And permission is not always granted. It is a sad situation. For us back then, we were confident the future was going to be better. I feel it is not so for the young people there now. That kind of feeling at Christmas casts a shadow over the celebration.

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Muna Handal-Dayeh

What are your most vivid memories of Christmas in Bethlehem when you were growing up?

At Christmas, my mother would share her memories of Bethlehem with us because I came to America as a young child. She told stories of a life that revolved around family, food and friends. She decribed how their home was always open for guests. At that time, they were living under the British Mandate and had the freedom to travel in and out of Bethlehem. So at Christmastime they would always have a house full of family and friends.

Is Christmas in Bethlehem still the same today? If not, how has it changed?

I had the opportunity to spend Christmas in Bethlehem in 2004. My family said my visit meant that for the first time in many years they really felt the joy of the holiday. In spite of the resilience of the Bethlehemite's spirit, it is not the same. Families and friends can no longer gather as they used to. The building of the "Apartheid Wall", and the closures and road blocks, make travel into Bethlehem and around Palestine difficult, if not impossible. Even the visit of the Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, who for hundreds of years has traditionally entered Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, had been cancelled for three years. 2004 was the first time since 2000 that this grand procession took place.

(top)

Samir Nassar

What are your most vivid memories of Christmas in Bethlehem when you were growing up?

As a boy scout in high school, my friends and I looked forward to escorting the Patriarch of Jerusalem into town from the outskirts of Bethlehem. As we entered the town, thousands of people would be in the streets, waiting to catch a glimpse of him. The sidewalks would be filled with vendors who sold food, sweets, and roasted chestnuts to both the locals and tourists. One of the most memorable sights was the enormous Christmas Tree in Manger Square, decorated with multi-colored lights and ornaments. At night we would gather outside the Church of the Nativity and listen to Christmas carols sung by choirs from the United States. At midnight, after the Patriarch announced the birth of Christ, the Christmas Eve celebration ended. We spent Christmas day at the Church of the Nativity and celebrating with family.

Is Christmas in Bethlehem still the same today? If not, how has it changed?

Today Bethlehem, like the rest of Palestine, is facing the day-to-day struggle of living under Israeli occupation. Whether it be the dilapidated infrastructure or the poverty-stricken residents, it is clear that the actions of the Israeli government have taken a toll on this sacred town. Christian or Muslim, Christmas or Ramadan, a Palestinian is still a Palestinian living under occupation. As beautiful as Manger Square will be decorated on Christmas Eve, and as festive as the celebrations may be, it will all be overshadowed by the massive gray cloud that is Israel's wall, carving up the West Bank.

(top)

Mazin Qumsiyeh

What are your most vivid memories of Christmas in Bethlehem when you were growing up?

I recall the family gatherings around kerosene heaters where our fingers and toes were cold but our hearts were warm and our stomachs filled. I had a Lutheran mother and a Greek Orthodox father so my siblings and I got two Christmases. December was a period of rest after the olive harvest, while we waited for spring to bring the blossoming of fruit trees.

Is Christmas in Bethlehem still the same today? If not, how has it changed?

Today, Bethlehem is surrounded by Israeli settlements. Israel has built a massive concrete wall that separates Palestinian families from each other and from their jobs, hospitals, schools, churches and mosques. Many Christian relatives of mine could not keep their jobs with their employers in Jerusalem - only six miles away - as they could not get permits to enter the city. At Bethlehem University, where my brother has been teaching mathematics for the past 25 years, there has been a significant reduction in the diversity of the students and faculty. This is because faculty and students can't travel from the parts of Palestine behind the wall, nor from places like Hebron and Jericho because hundreds of checkpoints separate the remaining (and shrinking) West Bank Palestinian enclaves. Christmas is an especially poignant time of year for all Palestinian Christians, particularly those in Bethlehem.

(top)