Our trip in Palestine was as always very appreciated by the entire group.

The program allowed us to experience a deep understanding of the environment of the country, and gave us the opportunity for a real full immersion in the local lifestyle.

 The whole group especially appreciated staying with local families.   The night at Bedouin camp and the opportunity to meet locals on the way and at various local culture centers, such as Arab women unions, the boy scout group  in the refugee camp of Fara'h, the Mosaic Center in Jericho, etc.  We also enjoyed the local traditional Palestinian food.

This is my third time organizing a spring break trip for my Harvard classmates with the Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies, and I could not ask for a better partner to help share the Palestinian experience with my fellow students.  I have taken over 200 Harvard graduate students to Palestine, and without the Siraj Center’s dedicated work, the three trips would not have been a success.  Every year we have visited both the West Bank and Historic 1948 Palestine, going to cities and villages such as Al Khalil (Hebron), Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nabi Saleh, Al Walaja, Nablus, Nazareth, Haifa, Yaffa, and the Naqab Desert; we have even conducted a Skype call with activists and students in the Gaza Strip.

In Nablus, we first visit a soap factory in the middle of the modern city.  We are allowed to wrap some soap. Fascinating!  Then we walk around the old city, a university lecturer, joins us, and we see more of the old city, including a wall of photos of local martyrs. We have coffee in a coffee shop recently opened in the old city; it is also a sort of local history museum. Lots of talking, including a fascinating political discussion about Palestine. Café is full of young people, although all in single sex groups. Visit the hammam; it is men’s day so Brigitta and I just see the main hall, a lovely old building.

While we were walking from Nazareth to Bethlehem, we were able to observe the way of living of the people in Palestine, their hopes, their achievements, their sorrows. We experienced the smell and taste of the food, the smoothness and roughness of the soil under our feet crossing the fields, along the path, down the ravines.  We touched and sipped the water in pools and wells.  We drank Arabic coffee or tea, during our rests. We listened to stories of the places we traveled through, of the people who used to live there and of those who live there now.

The Abraham Trail in Palestine took our group of 8 through barren landscapes in Awarta, lush olive orchards between Awarta and Duma, scrubby desert-like terrain and fertile farms planted with a variety of fruits and vegetables in the terracing of the Aqraba hillsides. In Taybeh, we had a private tour of the only microbrewery in the Middle East! And we will never forget Nablus with its traditional soap factory and the delicious “kanafa”. But the best part was the people we met, conversed, laughed with and learned from.

The Siraj Center helped organize a memorable tour of the Holy Land for seven Canadian citizens of varied backgrounds trying to make sense of their government’s policies toward Palestine/Israel. While we did expect to visit unique historical sights we were definitely not interested in a package from a glossy travel brochure. We hoped, rather, to see and experience the reality of the issues and hear informed points of view from all sides. Our hectic two week schedule certainly met and exceeded our most optimistic expectations.

Melissa Townsend Blog - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I did a four day walk on the Abraham Path this April, starting in Nablus and ending in Taybeh with a side trip to Bethlehem at the end.
I absolutely would recommend it.

I am at the halfway point in the one month programme and in a good position to reflect on the plethora of experiences here in the Bethlehem area. The overnight flight and subsequent four-hour wait in Israeli immigration at Tel Aviv airport now seems a distant memory, but an amusing one. Departure on Sunday and arrival on Monday merged into one and devoid of sleep Hisham made the bleary eyed 3-part journey to Bethlehem after reaching landside at 8am. First we got a taxi to Jerusalem along with a mix of Americans and, surprisingly, two guys from Northern Ireland. We took a short trip round to Damascus Gate where we tried to arrange travel to Bethlehem. Unable to call our taxi driver we fell back on Hisham’s father in England who somehow managed to have success despite calling from England. We made it, and just in time for our first Arabic lesson at Bethlehem University – any thoughts of bed were delayed by another two hours.