Fifteenth Annual Convention
San Diego, California, August 7-10, 2003
We had another
exciting and memorable convention this year in beautiful San Diego. People flew
in from all over for this special convention, including Canada, Mexico, Jamaica,
El Salvador, Honduras, Brazil, Venezuela, and both the east and west coasts. The
three-day reunion at the elegant Town and Country Hotel Resort was a great
success and the program had a little something for everyone. We had trips, a
pool party, moving and inspiring speakers, haflehs, a fundraiser for our people
in Bethlehem, critically-acclaimed Palestinian films, and of course, lots of
dancing! But most importantly, and as is always with our conventions, we
had reunions of every kind: families and clans, quarters and towns, long lost
family members, someone even ran into a teacher they had growing up in
Bethlehem!
The
California weather was perfect every day – a big plus for so many of us coming
from hot and humid climes. San Diego is a beautiful city near the Pacific coast
and Mexico with a charming Spanish influence. The hotel grounds were extensive
with an abundance of palm trees, roses and swimming pools. Yes, we all got
lost sometimes but it was a lovely place to get lost in. You had only to stroll
across the parking lot and over the San Diego river, a stream that looked just
like the River Jordan, to find yourself in the biggest shopping mall in San
Diego.
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Thursday
August 7, 2003
Some of us arrived early in the week to
prepare everything for Thursday afternoon when many members arrived and
started collecting their registrations envelopes with programs, tickets, a
Palestinian Movie schedule, an inscribed pen and a mother-of-pearl brooch
from Bethlehem echoing the theme on the program cover.
Right away, people were surprised and
happy to meet up with old friends. Muna Dayeh was a splendid
welcoming local host and Linda Handal our fantastic Convention
Chair, as always, would manage over the four days, to juggle tasks as
different as unsatisfactory & unready rooms to number of meals needed (this
kept going up). The buffet was a casual affair but gave over 200 people a
chance to wind down after their travel which for some such as the Nasser
family from Venezuela, the Zummars from Honduras, Giacaman
from Chile and Yga brothers from Mexico was a long trip indeed. As
usual, Handal and Hazboun families were perhaps over represented! This is
an open challenge to other Bethlehem families to outnumber us at the next
convention! Years ago, we had a Lama reunion and an Aburdene
one too.
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Welcome Reunion
Thursday night - Welcome Reunion -
Convention Chair Linda Handal and
San Diego organizer Muna Dayeh
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Friday
August 8, 2003
Friday morning was a little hectic with one
bus trip going to the beach and then another bus tour of San Diego. The
young people spent a great day including lunch at a private beach near La
Jolla with a beach house to play games in. People also enjoyed the bus
tour of San Diego. They toured the Mission, the old City, saw the sights
over the bridge to Coronado and had a nice lunch together.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, hundreds of
black red white and green helium balloons for the table centerpieces were
being inflated by Domingo Handal’s team of grandchildren & family helpers.
Matthew Horton, our very practical guest speaker, arrived early and was game
enough to help out. Another hundred and fifty people were arriving so
registration was busy too. |
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The tables looked beautiful and the evening
diners were greeted by a parade of young girls in traditional Palestinian
dress marching in with American and Palestinian flags to the sounds of a
stirring Palestinian national song. The parade was nicely organized by
Leila Giries and Arlette Dibsy.
Lilian Bitar from the Nativity Club
was a lovely and articulate MC. Father Hanna Sakkab, whose parish is
now in San Diego, recited a very moving poem in Arabic that he had specially
composed for the occasion.
The
partying and dancing began with the Tony Mercho band and DJ playing
Arabic and Latin music until 1:00PM. Then it restarted in the huge lobby
outside the Ballroom with impromptu music making by some of our guests: our
fabulous pianist Paul Shammas and our tableh player Ibrahim Dayeh
accompanied by our singers Hazar Ghawi and George ElHihi, this went on into
the early hours of morning. |
We were honored to have as guest speaker
Rev. Donald Wagner, who has written books about the alliance between
American Christian Zionists and American Jews and Israel. He emphasized the
need for us to tell our mainstream Christian churches the truth about the
Christian church in Palestine and to straighten out so many misconceptions
that Americans have about Palestinians. He has frequently visited the
Middle East.
Robert Dabdoub, from Jamaica, was inspired by the
young American Rachel Corrie, who was tragically killed by an Israeli
bulldozer in Gaza, while protesting the demolition of a doctor’s home in
March, to set up a Bethlehem University scholarship in her name. His family
have started it off but we welcome additions to the capital fund to keep it
going. Matthew Horton from the International Solidarity Movement
(ISM) expressed gratitude on the part of the Corrie family and told us about
ISM, the group of international volunteers to which Rachel Corrie also
belonged. They have been going to Palestine to help Palestinians survive
Israeli occupation tactics. It was started in Beit Sahur by Ghanam Andoni.
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| Saturday
August 9, 2003
After such a
late night we were pleased and gratified to see people at the membership
meeting Saturday morning. President Edward Hazboun described the activities
and achievements of the Association, the charities in Bethlehem we help and
the thirty scholarships granted to Bethlehem University students. We are a
volunteer organization with no paid staff. Then questions were answered by
other members of the Executive Committee: Domingo Handal, Linda Handal, Joan
Hazboun. Some members had useful questions and suggestions which were
noted. Members were also urged to submit nominations for officers of a new
Executive Committee for next year. |
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Over five hundred people showed up Saturday evening, many more than expected
which was a little hard to cope with for us organizers and the hotel.
People really do need to book ahead as a matter of courtesy! There were
definite seating problems for which we apologize. Next time, seating will
be preassigned and no last minute guests! Issam Bandak and his
dance troupe performed dabke folk dances very expertly considering that he
had recruited some of our guests and trained them in two days! It was
inspiring to watch the entertaining result of young people working hard
together and getting to know one another at the same time.
David Handal was our jovial yet
commanding MC. Joseph Dibsy, President of the Nativity Charitable
Foundation in Los Angeles welcomed everybody and mentioned his hopes that
our two organizations would unite in the near future. President Edward
Hazboun spoke about the important need that the Bethlehem Association
fills in bringing together Bethlehemites and also helping Bethlehem.
We were privileged to have as our guest
speaker Brother Vincent Malham, President of Bethlehem University.
He told us about the frustrations and difficulties the University has faced
and the very depressed and demoralized state of Bethlehem with so little
employment and lack of hope for improvement of the situation. He felt that
the University by providing educational courses and other aspects of normal
civil and cultural life, offers hope to the three towns of Bethlehem, Beit
Jala, and Beit Sahur. He moved us all by imploring us to bring our
convention to Bethlehem. He said it would be the biggest morale booster
ever! So let us know if you are willing!
In a very fitting follow up to Brother
Vincent’s speech, we watched on a giant screen an extremely vivid and
touching series of pictures of what the people of Bethlehem have been
suffering these past few years, the checkpoints, the damage to homes, the
Israeli soldiers and tanks, some examples such as our university scholarship
students and a home for the elderly of where our money goes. Michelle
Handal, had spent hours putting together this truly eloquent
film. After this, guests saw clearly why they should help Bethlehem and
they certainly did so giving and pledging well over $50,000. They were able
to assign their donation to both the Charitable fund and the Scholarship
Fund.
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The panel discussion on the situation
in Bethlehem and what we should do about it here in the U.S. was moderated
by Albert Hazbun from Sacramento. Panelists Rev. Donald Wagner
stressed working with churches and your congress people. Brother Vincent
Malham described the situation in Bethlehem especially with regard to
students and the difficulty of keeping classes going. Dr. Viveca Hazboun
who runs a mental health clinic for children in Bethlehem, told us something
about the psychological toll the occupation and Intifada are taking on
children. Albert emphasized that the first step to informing other
Americans the truth of what has happened and what is presently going on in
Palestine is to get more informed ourselves about Palestinian history and
news by reading articles, especially on good internet sites, and books not
only by Arab authors but by the new Israeli historians that document the
Palestinian story. He has an excellent book list to share.
The Family Pool party was great fun in
the afternoon for the children. Joe Hazboun’s biggest audience for
Palestinian films was on Saturday afternoon too. He showed six short and
long documentaries and a few people watched them all. They ranged from one
with a comic touch “Jeremy Hardy versus the Israeli Army” which included
footage on Bethlehem and the ISM, to The Children of Ibdaa, about the
Dheisheh dance troupe that has performed around the world. We have actually
seen them in Philadelphia the week before and were very moved by them.
Throughout
the banquet, Bassel Sakkab had set up a suitable background outside
the ballroom to take family portraits and many of us chose to get
photographed in our best clothes and take home a souvenir of the convention!
Matthew Horton helped again by setting up a table of Palestinian
embroidery which many of us were able to look at and buy thereby helping the
West Bank women who had done all that painstaking stitching. Tony Mercho’s
singing and his excellent band encouraged the dancing to go on well into the
night again.
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