Come and celebrate Palestine, learn Arabic, study history, know the people and their culture, share some time with local families and volunteer with a local community organization
The Palestinian summer celebration is a unique annual program that gives people from all over the world the chance to encounter the life and culture in Palestine in addition to donating some of their time to a local community organization through voluntary work and internships. The Palestinian summer celebration 2007 will take place in the Bethlehem area in Palestine, between Wednesday June 20th and August 18th 2007. the annual celebration is organized by Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies www.sirajcenter.org in partnership with Bethlehem University www.bethlehem.edu and the US based Society for Biblical Studies, www.sbsedu.org.
Participants will also have the opportunity to listen and question high level speakers of various positions and expertise.
During the first month, participants will be able to study Arabic and in the second month participants can study Arabic and History courses.
The Palestinian Summer Celebration welcomes participants for the time they want, starting one week until tow months.
Educational opportunity:
An Arabic language Course and a Modern Palestine Course are offered by Bethlehem U as apart of the program. Three credits hours will be given for each course, upon the participant’s request.
Courses out line
ARSP 101 Introduction to Palestinian Spoken Arabic
45 Academic Hours, 3 Credits
Professor: Yacoub Qalaq
The course will cover the standard Arabic dialect used in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Students will study daily language, basic grammar, common vocabulary, and will begin to converse in real-life situations. Studying the language in the area where it is spoken will speed students’ progress in understanding and speaking. By the end of the course, students will be able to conduct basic, everyday conversations.
Methodology used: Spoken Arabic for Foreigners, M. Halloun, Jerusalem 2003.
HIST 120 Modern Palestine
45 Academic Hours, 3 Credits
Professor: Dr. Adnan Musallem ,
The course is an introductory survey of modern trends in Palestinian history, beginning from the Nakba of 1948 and continuing through the present. Students will study UN resolutions, refugee issues, Israeli-Palestinian agreements and the peace process, Palestinian culture and religion, Palestinian civil society and political parties and important events in Palestinian history. The course will include field trips to religious sites, refugee camps and historical sites, and will meet with important Palestinian decision-makers. By the end of the course, students will have a contextualized understanding of the modern Palestinian problem.
Methodology used: Collections of articles and readings provided by the professor.
An opportunity to serve a good cause:
Voluntary work in over 50 different organizations in Bethlehem and the surrounding towns of Beit Sahour, Beit Jala and Doha, also in the three refugee camps in the vicinity Dehaisheh, Aida and Azza who have been suffering the longest tragedy in the history of humanity.
Tips of anticipated voluntary work
- Office work, like writing, editing, web design
- Work with Children at Summer camps and Children centers
- Physical work in agriculture, schools and centers
All participants are invited to submit their resumes so we can send it to a number of organizations and set you up at the right place where your skills and effort are most needed and appreciated.
Where to go home to:
Accommodation will be in the hospitality of local families in the Bethlehem and the vicinity depending on the voluntary work place. Participants will have the chance to share the lives of the local family’s and get exposed to real life situation where they can practice there freshly learnt Arabic and Palestinian culture, experience the tasty traditional Palestinian dishes and all other aspects of Palestinian extended family life. Such an experience will give the participants the chance to build relations with their host families that may last for ever.
Never the less accommodations at guesthouses are available for daily, weekly or monthly rates.
Itinerary:
Wednesday June 20th 2007: Arrival
Upon arrival to Siraj center, guests will be introduced to their host families, Dinner and overnight with families
Thursday June 21st 2007: Orientation
Participants are expected to start their day early at Siraj center. The orientation will be about the cultural differences, introduction to Bethlehem, roads, post offices, health services, restaurants, public transportation. Guests will then visit the the Shepherds Field and the Church of Nativity. In the afternoon, we will end up at Bethlehem University for a tour and further orientation about the offered courses. Dinner and overnight with host families.
Friday June 22nd 2007:
Classes will start at Bethlehem University. Participants who decide to not to have classes will be directed to their voluntary work places. Every organization is expected to show all participants how to get to their office and come back either on foot or by public transportation.
After classes at BU, representatives of organizations will be there to pick their volunteers and show them their work locations and offices. Dinner and overnight with the host families.
Saturday June 23rd 2007: First day tour: Hebron
Visit Hebron, tour the old city and meet with the Temporary International presence in Hebron and the Christian Peace Makers Teams. We will Visit the Ibrahiemi mosque ( The Tombs of the Patriarchs) and converse with locals. Moreover, we will visit traditional glass and pottery factories. We will have the chance to visit Hebron University and meet with students. In the afternoon, we will return back to Bethlehem and on the way back, we will stop by the Tent of Nations and hear about their stories. In the evening, their will be a BBQ with locals in the Beit Sahour area. Overnight with local families.
Sunday June 24th 2007: Free day
From Monday June 25th 2007- Friday June 29th 2007: Classes and Voluntary work
Saturday June 30th 2007: Free day
Sunday July 1st 2007: Jerusalem
We will tour the old city and mount of olives. We will be introduced to the three monotheistic religions by visiting Al Aqsa mosque, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holt Seplechur. In the afternoon we will be introduced to the Geo- political situation around Jerusalem by a tour with the Israeli Committee against house demolishes. on our way back to Bethlehem, we will visit Betselem and have a meeting with the leading Israeli Human Rights organization. Dinner and overnight with local families.
Monday July 2nd 2007- Friday July 6th 2007: Classes and Voluntary work
Saturday July 7th 2007: Jericho and the Dead Sea
All participants will have the chance to participate in a trip to the oldest known settlement the world. Tour Jericho including, Wadi Qelt, Mount of Temptation and Tel Jericho. We will enjoy floating over the waters of the dense Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem with local families.
Sunday July 8th 2007: Free day
Monday July 9th 2007- Friday July 13th 2007: Classes and Voluntary work
Saturday July 14th 2007: Ramallah
We will tour, the city of Ramallah, meet with human rights organizations. We will visit Birzeit university and meet with students. We will tour the campus and hear about the right of Education campaign. In the afternoon, we will have some free time in Ramallah before heading back to Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.
Sunday July 15th 2007: Free day
Monday July 16th 2007- Friday July 20th 2007: Classes and Voluntary work
Saturday July 21st and Sunday July 22nd 2007: Nazareth and the Galilee
This trip will include an overnight in Nazareth area. During the coming days participants will have the chance to meet and learn about the situation inside Israel and the 1948 catastrophe. Participants will meet with Ittijah, a coalition for organizations in the Galilee. Tour a destroyed and unrecognized villages. Visit to Haifa, Jaffa and Akko. Meeting with the Arab Human rights organization in Nazareth besides for visits to holy sites in Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. Sunday late at night return back to the Bethlehem area for dinner and overnight with local families.
Monday July 23rd 2007- Friday July 27th 2007: The Starting of the Second month. Classes and Voluntary work
Saturday July 28th 2007: Negev
We will accompany Israeli organizations a visit and visit the Negev dessert. We will be introduced to the Bedouins issues and visit to Bedouin unrecognized villages. While in the Negev, participants will have the chance to visit holy and historical sites too. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem area with local families.
Sunday July 29th 2007: Free day
Monday July 30th 2007- Friday August 3rd 2007: Classes and Voluntary work
Saturday August 4th 2007: North of the West Bank
Participants will have the opportunity to visit the Northern West Bank. We will visit the cities of Qalqilieh, Tulkarem and Jinin. We will be introduced to the living conditions in these areas and we will visit the Arab American university in Jinin. We will meet with local organizations and officials and tour refugee camps. Dinner and overnight in the Bethlehem area.
Sunday August 5th 2007: Free day
Monday August 6th 2007- Friday August 10th 2007: Classes and Voluntary work
Saturday August 11th 2007: Preparations for finals, there will be no day tour.
Sunday August 12th 2007: Last weekend with families.
Monday August 13th 2007- Friday August 17th 2007: Classes and voluntary work, Final Exams
Friday August 17th 2007: Farwell party with local families organized by Siraj
Saturday August 18th 2007: Graduation party in Bethlehem University
Sunday August 19th 2007: Departure for all the International participants back to their own countries
Other activities:
- Hiking, participants will have the opportunity to take short and long hikes during the period of their stay in Palestine so they can enjoy wonderful outdoor experiences.
- Lecture: There will be a lecture about various topics every Tuesday evening. Lecture and discussions will cover issues like the Palestinian Israeli Conflict, Health situation in Palestine, Palestinian economy, theological issues and Oriental churches, Islam and many other topics.
- Debkeh Dancing: Participants will be able to join Debkeh Dancing Training with local Palestinian groups. Trainings will take place every Thursday.
- Half days trips: During the week, participants can visit the rural areas of Bethlehem and Palestine and have the village experience; all visits will be organized by Siraj center
All activities included in the program of the Palestinian summer celebration are optional. Which means people can do voluntary work only or study only. People can choose not to join the day tours only if they want to.
