Loving Thy Neighbor at Ravensworth Baptist Church

The Ravensworth Baptist Church in Annandale, VA hosted a Sept. 12 fund-raiser and silent auction to benefit a Palestinian organization called Love Thy Neighbor, which develops nonviolent leaders in Palestine. The church also invited other groups involved in the Middle East and Palestine to participate in the event, such as the United Palestinian Appeal (UPA), which has aided Palestinians in need since 1978, and the American Educational Trust, which, in addition to copies of the Washington Report, supplied books from the AET Book Club and Palestinian Arts & Crafts Trust (PACT).

UPA’s executive director, Dr. Ghassan J. Tarazi, and his wife, Kay, who are members of the Ravensworth Church, envisioned and then tirelessly organized the special occasion. Throughout the day, Mrs. Tarazi was a blur of activity and Dr. Tarazi greeted everyone who entered the church. As Dr. Tarazi said with great emotion during his presentation, “I am a Palestinian in this little Baptist church that is so supportive. My heart is filled with such pride and love.”

During the same presentation, Tarek Abuata, director of Love Thy Neighbor, told the audience that in the future, when the wrong that is being perpetrated in Palestine is remembered, many will say they didn’t know. “This church will not be one of those that says that,” he stated

Speaking of the Palestinian people’s resolve to stay the course on their land, Abuata went on to say that those Palestinians who have conducted non-violence activities for more than 40 years must be supported. Abuata said acts of non-violence can be expanded even further. “If Christ came out of that region,” he said, “then non-violence can come out of there as well.”

Love Thy Neighbor has conducted eight trainings with 170 students in the West Bank. The next phase of the project is to have these trainees participate in leadership trainings. In October, Dr. Tarazi will lead a week-long leadership training with 20 of the original 170 students in Ramallah on behalf of UPA’s fall education campaign. The goal is for these specially selected activists to return to their communities and spread the word and non-violence techniques.

“Within these sessions,” Abuata added, “those participating will learn to solve their own problems.”

For more information about Dr. Tarazi’s experiences with his students in Ramallah, as well as his visits with various educational leaders in Palestine, visit LifelinePalestine, a community-building project of United Palestinian Appeal, Inc., at <www.lifelinepalestine.org/>. For more information about Love Thy Neighbor visit <www.ltneighbor.com>.

—Jamal Najjab