Hamsa and Heartache
Solidarity Delegation, Reflection #8
By, Rev. Gail Doering
Jesus meeting the woman at the well. Nablus, Palestine.
On day seven of our Solidarity Delegation, we went to the old city of Nablus in the West Bank. Nablus is a university and technological center that is less dependent on tourism. It is home to a minimum of two large refugee camps and the most notable Christian pilgrimage site there is Jacob’s Well, the setting for Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman. In my own musings on this scripture, I often think of the Samaritan Woman as the first witness to who Jesus was and one of the true disciples. On this day, it was the women who captured my heart, mind, and soul. It was the women who demonstrated power and resilience. It was the women who shared what they were facing and did so with little bravado and even took a bit of urging and coaxing to do so.
Traveling from Ramallah in the morning, we visited Balata Refugee Camp, members and leaders of the Episcopal Church in Nablus, and then with a group of Muslim leaders. The day concluded with a visit to Seeds for Development and Culture. As in every other day of our meetings, there was more information than we could possibly absorb, and more grief and need to which we could possibly attend. We did our best and I sincerely believe each one of our delegation of 34 tried all day to bring our very best.
Solidarity delegation at Seeds. Image from Seeds’ instagram post from February 22, 2024.
And so, at the end of a very long day, we took a tour of the Seeds for Development facility, which included a theater, a garden and an outdoor space that was adjacent to the wall of the ancient Samaritan synagogue. We were invited to travel downstairs in the dark to look at the theater, but a couple of us stayed behind. Three of the young women who participate in the Seeds program and are leadership in the organization, happened upon is in the courtyard. We began to chat with them. The three of them (in my mind, a Trinity of sorts) are in college or just graduated. All three of these young women spoke to us of their dreams and their goals. One of them, named Hamsa, had spoken to us earlier in the presentations. (The hamsa is a talisman that originated in the Mesopotamian period and revered by the three Abrahamic traditions – Christian, Muslim and Jewish. It is a symbol of protection from harm and a representation of goodness, abundance, fertility and good health.)
At some point in the conversation, the mood turned, and I asked, what would they be doing if the war were not ongoing and what were their dreams for a better, more peaceful future? At first, they spoke of their vocational goals and the work they would do, but then Hamsa became emotional…both angry and sad. She cried out that they are constantly under surveillance and asked not to speak or text or post anything that could be construed as anti-Semitic. She became more animated as she lamented the ongoing genocide and in the heat of this encounter, we were summoned to get back on the bus. I am still shaken by this beautiful young woman, her witness and her deep sadness and despair. I will carry her and so many others with me for days and weeks to come and I pray that I will be able to echo her cries and the sighs and groans too deep for words.
Rev. Gail Doering
Rev. Gail Doering, MDiv is a 2nd career pastor and a graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is currently a board member of the Pilgrims of Ibillin, and a faculty for Mid America/Lincoln Trails (MALT) Transitional Ministry Education. Gail first visited Palestine in 2012 with three other Presbyterian women pastors. In 2016, she led an Olive Picking small group with Joint Advocacy Initiative/Alternative Tourism Group. In 2018, she spent 3 months in Galilee, Jerusalem/Old City and Bethlehem studying hope amidst conflict through the benefit of a Louisville Institute Pastoral Study Grant. When asked why she joined this delegation, she said, “All of these visits have provided so many opportunities to make friends and I am not sure I can show my face [in Palestine] again if I do not witness/stand with them in this time.”