Bethlehem--Oh not so little town
This fall I had the privilege and pleasure of making a half-dozen visits to Bethlehem. Dozens and dozens of big tour buses overwhelmed my daytime walks up Manager Street and Square leading to the Church of the Nativity, which commemorate the site of Jesus’s birth. Pilgrims from all over the world visit creating a colorful and cacophonous scene. Different languages abound and every group seems to wear a brightly colored t-shirts commemorating their 2019 trip to the Holy Land, or the Love of Jesus, or Peace on Earth . . .
The town is not so little these days with the population well over 20,000. Located in Palestine/West Bank the hopes and fears are very much part of modern life. You must pass through Checkpoint 300 to enter from Israel and the wall blocks the road between Hebron (an old city in the south) and Jerusalem. What would be a 15 minute drive to Jerusalem from Bethlehem (if you have yellow Israeli license plates and are a private car or tour bus) takes much longer if you have Palestinian plates or are in a taxi. The wall was erected to incorporate the site commemorating Rachel's tomb into Israel. Sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, Rachel was the favorite wife of Jacob and mother of 12 sons. LINK to a video walk along the Wall. Note "make Hummus not War" graffiti.
The wall in Bethlehem is a popular tourist spot because of its location in the city. And tourist dollars to visit the holy sites and the wall are important for this town because good jobs are hard to come by on the West Bank. Quaint scenes like the one on the left, remind you that despite the traffic and blaring horns you are not at home, even in this big town.
On two occasions I slipped into Nativity church in the early evening after the long lines had vanished and the church was quiet but for a few worshipers or curious folks. The old church was first built in the 3rd century under the direction of now St. Helena, Emperor Constantine the first’s mother. She has quite an interesting history, a barmaid or prostitute who married an ambitious Roman General. With her son the emperor's blessing, she took it upon herself to find the relics of Christianity--the birthplace of Jesus, the true cross, the location of Calvary--all three hundred years after the fact. Those Catholics and their miracles--of course I grew up reading about all of them.
The Nativity Church has been largely destroyed and rebuilt several times and ownership is currently shared by the Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian Churches. The current entrance is a remnant from Crusader times. One needs to squat or bend down to enter. Reportedly this was done to keep armies from charging in and/or the Ottomans from storing their horses inside the church. Current reconstruction efforts started six years ago and the obvious ones include uncovering parts of the mosaic walls and floor, cleaning pillars so painted scenes are visible, and stabilizing the wooden beams and joists of the roof.
In the evening only a few lights lit the huge space and there was no traffic as I stepped down the well-worn stone stairs to grotto where the birthplace of Jesus is commemorated by a 14-point star beneath an altar. Gilded lights burn nearby. A worn hole in the stone where a visitor would set their foot to kneel and kiss the star suggests the millions of visitors who have done just that. Although it is a far cry from the cave or manger surrounded by sheep and donkeys, I sense a holiness there. That always feels like a thickness in the air to me, the remnants of many people coming to pray and worship, bringing their hopes and fears.
Since Christmas celebrates Christ's birth, I want to reflect on how the world supports mothers and babies. Two thousand years ago, all Mary and Joseph could find in Bethlehem was a stable or cave as the story goes. Women in the West Bank still are challenged with higher maternal mortality and higher infant mortality rates than their neighbors in Israel. Maternal Mortality (deaths per 1000 due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth) is 27 on the West Bank compared to 3 in Israel. Infant mortality (babies per 1000 dying during the first year of life) is 13.6 and 3.4, respectively.
Of course, US rates are are nothing to be proud of especially if you are poor, and have dark skin and live in some of our southern states. West Bank data. Israel data. US data. Choose the People and Society tab and scroll down two thirds way.
This Christmas, the season when we celebrate the birth and the season of darkness moving into longer light, I hope and pray for a fairer world. May light shine on the dark streets and during these dark times. Hopes and fears are still abundant in the West Bank, and current conditions are very troublesome. Greater Bethlehem farmers can't reach their fields and olive groves to work them due to the security rules Israel sets.
I hope for saner leaders here and there. May the disenfranchised on the West Bank and in the US find comfort and joy despite the terrible realities. And as we proclaim the holy birth, sing praises to God the King, and celebrate the coming of the light. Let us all hope and pray for peace to men (women and children) on earth.
More on Bethlehem in the National Geographic
Reed's post on Bethlehem and the Walled Off Hotel, or the Banksy hotel as the local's call it.