Fw: They Don't Shoot Donkeys...Do They? -- Moses

Dear Friends,

 

It has always been traditional to make a pilgrimage from Bethlehem to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, following the route that Jesus took before His crucifixion.  This is now impossible, because the separation wall erected by Israel runs in between the two cities, and the Israelis will not allow most Palestinians to pass.

 

Some young people in Bethlehem plan to mount donkeys and attempt the pilgrimage tomorrow.  The relevant Bible passage from Matthew is transcribed here, followed by an article which describes their action in more detail.

 

In the name of the Prince of Peace,   Carol Wolman

 

Matthew 21⁷And they brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Jesus thereon.

   ⁸And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

   ⁹And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

   ¹⁰And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

   ¹¹And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

----- Original Message -----

From: John Stoner

To: cwolman@mcn.org

Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 8:46 AM

Subject: They Don't Shoot Donkeys...Do They? -- Moses

Below is Greg Moses's second article on the Palm Sunday peace pilgrimage.
John Stoner


http://counterpunch.org/moses03182005.html
March 18, 2005

The Palm Sunday March Against the Occupation

They Don't Shoot Donkeys...Do They?

By GREG MOSES

In the few days before Palm Sunday, Hasam Jubran has a lot to do. As co-director of the Peace and Reconciliation Department for the Holy Land Trust in Bethlehem, much work falls on his shoulders to make sure things go well when Palestinian children begin a peace march to Jerusalem. First, there are the children themselves who thought up the idea. Then there are the adults from Palestine, Europe, and the USA who will carry the march into an Israeli checkpoint where delicate strategic decisions must be made. And finally, who can forget the donkeys?

"The idea came a long time ago," says Jubran via telephone. Children listening to the story of Jesus riding a donkey to Jerusalem thought it would be great if they could do what Jesus did. "One of the kids mentioned the idea to one of our volunteers. She came to us and suggested that we do a Palm Sunday action on the day that Jesus came in peace to Jerusalem. By riding donkeys on the road we could encourage children to express their desire and symbolize the need of all Palestinians, but especially children, to travel to Jerusalem." The idea was communicated to John Stoner, founder of Every Church a Peace Church in the USA. "After that," says Jubran, "they started to consult with us."
John K. Stoner, Coordinator, ECAPC, PO Box 240, Akron PA 17501 http://www.ecapc.org jstoner@ecapc.org (717) 859-1958 Click to Donate https://www.iwdc.net/secure_orders/ecapc/donate.asp
ECAPC believes the time has come for followers of Jesus to make it clear that Christians are not warriors, but peacemakers, and are committed to recovering gospel nonviolence as a defining norm for all churches.
to the full article on CounterPunch http://counterpunch.org/moses03182005.html