Introduction

Opere Della Fede Bethlehem, came as an initiative in response to the daily needs of a large part of the Christian craftsmen in Bethlehem. The three towns; Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, conforms the Bethlehem metropolitan and a unique socio-cultural and economic reality.

Since the 15th century, Franciscan priests have trained many Christian families in the manufacturing of Olive Wood and Mother of Pearl products often by the hands of skilful craftsmen brought in from Florence. This marked the beginning of a tradition in the craftsmanship of Olive Wood in the Holy Land especially in the production of religious items such as rosaries, crucifixes, Christmas ornaments, statues, etc. This craft became most widely spread among the Christian families and was passed from father to son as a family heritage to the day.

The majority of the Christians in Bethlehem work in areas related to tourism and the organization of pilgrimages, which forms the backbone of the economy of the country. Since the breakout of the Intifada in September 2000, the presence of pilgrims in the country has declined by 95%. This resulted by many families finding themselves without work and no one to purchase their products.

As a result of the difficult economic situation, the persistent political instability, the Israeli military invasion and sealing of the Palestinian territories, many Christians have left the country in search for a better place where they can live in peace and with dignity. In fact after the bombardment of Bethlehem and Beit-Jala in the past few months many Christian families have left the country to rejoin family and friends in the United States. For a long time the Christian Community in the Palestinian territories has been plagued by immigration and the recent events have accentuated this approach even more.

What can be done for the “rest” of the Christian population? How much longer will they endure? The experiences of the past have helped us to understand ourselves and see our difficulties in a different way. The manner in which assistance had been realized in the past was an educational curse to many people: receiving money and goods without giving anything in return had accustomed people on dependency, and corrupted them morally.

Therefore, through this initiative we wanted to educate ourselves how to respect human labour, human dignity, friendship, cooperation and the act of giving. Our people want to change. They want to live as people worthy of their humanity and proud of their religious adherence. They want to be liberated from the taboo of “the minority”, from the fear of the neighbour and want to be truly the sons of God and to have the freedom of the sons of God before that of man. They want to live from the labour of their own hands and be worthy of the land of Jesus.

“Opere Della Fede Bethlehem” in contact with and in direct collaboration with about one hundred craftsmen, either individually or through their associations and cooperatives, seeks to develop a system of work and organization at different levels:

With this we hope to create a market abroad that can promote the sale of the products of our craftsmen. If the pilgrims cannot reach us we will go to them and we are sure that many of our friends and brothers all over the world will help us sell these items. We are asking for an act of solidarity to grant us the possibility to live with dignity, endure and continue our witness in the Holy Land.

“Opere Della Fede Bethlehem” wants to assist in the production while maintaining a religious dimension because all this work is motivated by the common destiny of all these people and the friendship that unit them. It is an organization that expresses its adherence to the person of Christ as experienced in the reality of the church.