Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
An old man looks across the open fields. His mind travels back to years before, when he was a boy. In his memory, he can see fine fruit trees, vegetables. The crops grew on fertile land. He was playing with other children on the open fields. The old man sees his mother smiling.
Now, many years later, he looks over the same land. He thinks of the pain that many people have suffered. Blood has spilled for this land. People have lost their homes. Elias Chacour and his family were among the victims. Yet today he is working to bring unity and peace in the Middle East. He is the Archbishop of Galilee. In today’s programme, we tell his story. We base it on his book, Blood Brothers.
Voice 2
The year was 1947. Elias was a young boy. He sat on his mother’s knee. Quietly, he listened to his mother’s soft words:
Voice 3
‘God blesses people who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
God blesses people who mourn. They will know comfort.
God blesses people who hunger for what is right. They will be filled.
God blesses the pure in heart. They will see God.
God blesses the peacemakers. They will be called children of God...’
Voice 2
These words were strangely beautiful to the young Elias. He knew that they are some sayings of Jesus Christ. But what did the words mean? How could someone be blessed, or happy, if they are poor and mourning? What is a peacemaker? The words were a mystery to the young boy. But his heart and spirit warmed when he heard them.
The village of Biram, Palestine, was lively. The people were preparing for some special visitors. Elias’s father gathered his children together and explained;
Voice 4
‘In Europe there was a man called Hitler. For a long time he killed men, women, grandparents - even boys and girls like you. He killed them because they were Jews. There was no other reason.
‘Now this Hitler is dead. But our Jewish brothers have been badly hurt and frightened. They cannot go back to their homes in Europe. The rest of the world has not welcomed them. So they are coming here to look for a home. In a few days, children, Jewish soldiers will be travelling through Biram. They are called Zionists. A few will stay in each home. Some will stay right here with us for a few days. They have machine guns. You have no reason to be afraid. We must be especially kind to them and make them feel at home.’
Voice 2
The children were troubled. So, their father stood up. And in a cheerful voice he said;
Voice 4
‘We are going to prepare a big meal for our Jewish brothers. They were threatened with death. But they are alive!’
Voice 2
Immediately the atmosphere changed. He was right, this was something to celebrate! Their father finished with a prayer. He spoke softly:
Voice 4
‘Father in heaven. Help us to show love to our Jewish brothers. Help us to show them peace to quieten their troubled hearts.’
Voice 2
As he continued, the young Elias imagined his words rising into the night sky.
Voice 2
Two weeks later, large vehicles arrived on the quiet hills of Biram. Elias later wrote of his childhood memories:
Voice 5
‘These Zionist soldiers were not like our Jewish friends in the village - who spoke to my father over coffee. It was not much of a celebration.’
Voice 2
The military commander called the men of the village together. He said he had some urgent news:
Voice 6
‘Our informers say that Biram is in serious danger. My men can protect you. But your safety would be at risk if you stay in your homes. You need to move out into the hills for a few days. Lock everything. Leave the keys with us. I promise nothing will be moved.’
Voice 2
The men of the village were concerned. There had been reports of bombing in Jerusalem, of trouble between the British and the Zionists. They decided they should do as the soldiers said - leave their village. Elias’s father locked the door behind them. He gave the key to one of the soldiers, saying;
Voice 4
‘I know that God will protect our house. And you will be safe too.’
Voice 2
The families of Biram walked through the streets. They aimed for the hills. They were people of the land. They often slept under the stars when looking after animals. This would not be much different.
However, time passed and the people became worried. The military commander sent no signal for them to return. And so some of the men decided to return to their homes to investigate.
Back in their village, the men were not prepared for their discovery. Their homes were damaged. Their property lay broken. Anger and fear filled their minds. Then, soldiers with guns shouted at them. The soldiers forced the men to leave.
The village men hurried away. Betrayal cuts deep, like a knife. There, on the hill outside their village they were left homeless. The people of Biram had become refugees.
Their anger and fear was soon to deepened. They travelled to the next village. There, they found more tragedy. What was happening to their people? Elias wrote,
Voice 5
‘The summer of 1947 passed. We waited as refugees. We prayed for the news that we could return to our homes in Biram. In November, refuges fleeing from bigger towns bought more tragic news.’
‘Palestine was to be divided. The United Nations called it a ‘compromise?!’
Voice 2
Events that followed deeply troubled the minds of local Jews and Palestinians. But they were powerless. Elias wrote:
Voice 5
‘I was just an eight year old boy then. The old people’s talk was just words to me. It would be years before I discovered the truth that had led to this tragedy. For now, I only knew that my peaceful homeland of Palestine, the Holy Land, had become a land of war.’
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