Ever wonder how olives are turned into olive oil soap, or olive oil for that matter? Watch this video for a quick tour of an olive oil press and an olive oil soap factory in a small town in northern West Bank. If you live in Chicago, visit the Fair Trade Bazaar at Lake View ...
I traveled to Zababdeh, a town in northern West Bank near Jenin, to tour the local olive oil business on the anniversary of Arafat’s death. As I traveled from Bethlehem to Zababdeh, I passed a long line of buses with Palestinian flags fluttering out the windows, all headed to a commemoration in Ramallah. After three ...
I spent many Sundays in Zababdeh since July 2010, celebrating with Fr. Firas and his congregation at St. George Melkite Church. Though the services were in Arabic, a few things were still familiar: the rhythm of prayers, the passing of peace and the children staying occupied by giggling and playing games in the back of ...
To help local women earn money to supplement their family’s income, Fr. Firas and his sister, Dema, started a sewing project in Zababdeh. Dema manages a staff of six women, both Muslims and Christians, who sew clothes for an Israeli company. Fr. Firas considers it a sweatshop because of the unfair wages the women are ...
“You drive the car. I know you miss driving,” said Fr. Firas while driving me home from a visit to the Jenin refugee camp, a few miles from his church in Zababdeh, West Bank. “But I don’t know how to drive stick!” I cried, knowing that in a few minutes I would be behind the ...
Abuna (Father) Firas is determined to make a difference for his congregation and his town, Zababdeh, close to Jenin in the West Bank. Through out my time in Palestine, I look forward to Sunday visits to Zababdeh for church and some time with Abuna Firas and his family. In the video below, Abuna Firas describes ...