Beit Hanina, Israel, is a Palestinian city just north of Jerusalem. In Ohio, I’d call it a suburb, but I don’t know if that term is used in Israel. It’s a large town with easy buses that take passengers right to the Old City by the Damascus Gate. I knew one thing about Beit Hanina prior to my arrival. Jafar Sweets has the best kanafeh anywhere. It’s a treat I discovered while in Be’er Sheva. I have a recipe for it, but it’s the only recipe that I’ve ever written that is just impossible to make. I didn’t know what at least half of the ingredients were. That, of course, didn’t stop me from going to Jafar’s as soon as I found it just around the corner from the location of Mural 70. Unbelievably, my first visit was on the house!
Beit Hanina is home to the St. James Monastery. The mission has housing for 400 families. Since Christians comprise about one percent of Israel, this is a great place to find people of like mind. It’s my first time to ever stay in a monastery, but I Once syayed at a convent in Liberia when I had a bout of malaria. The four nuns took great care of me, just like everyone at this monastery.
St. James also runs the Terra Sancta schools. One part of the school is a regular K to 6 program, while a separate branch is the Helen Keller School for students with varying degrees of sight and hearing impairments. I worked with a selection of all the students. There was no sign language used at Helen Keller. All students had cochlear implants and could hear. Some spoke a little English, which was very nice, but a teacher who spoke Arabic and English was always present to help me.
Every mural is different, and that is especially the case in Beit Hanina. In all my previous murals in the Holy Land, I have had huge background words hidden in plain sight. I thought that would be especially useful with the blind students. I would first design the letters, let the blind students paint, and then draw the rest of the design for the other students afterwards. It was a great plan, even if I do say so myself. However, the powers making the calls didn’t want a huge word. The design has TERRA SANCTUS (Latin for HOLY LAND) in bold letters across the mural, but it isn’t hidden by any means. The people at the school wanted the Tree of Life as the main theme. Before the tree are two groups of three kids, of varying skin tones, two with hearing aids, and one blind. Hanging on the tree are various icons that you might expect at a Catholic school including: the cross, an angel, communion, praying hands, a dove, a handshake, a Bible, a globe, and a fish. (ICHTHYS in Greek means FISH. “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior” produces that acronym in Greek.) Finally, across the mural are positive words you might expect at any school: Service, Confidence, Responsibility, Kindness, Integrity, Excellence, Respect, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Fairness, and Compassion. Of course, hidden somewhere is the number 70.
I had participant painters from both the Helen Keller School as well as the Terra Sancta Elementary. Like all younger painters, they have that adorability factor. Usually, they help about as much as you would expect from elementary students. There are exceptions, however, and I had a favorite. I know, you aren’t supposed to have those, but this kid came to paint with me on multiple occasions. The child had attention difficulties which created challenges at school. I was so glad to offer something that provided success, for long periods of the day. The smile was priceless when I called this painter “Habibi”, which is Arabic for “Dear One”.
I was not involved directly with the U.S. Embassy as a sponsored muralist. They helped me make connections for my murals and, on this particular occasion, they sponsored the paint. Gestures like that are so appreciated. But, even as an unsponsored volunteer in the Holy Land, there must have been a little positive buzz about me going around the Office of Palestinian Affairs. I got messages from two embassy folk telling me that the Chief of the Office of Palestinian Affairs (the Big Boss!) wanted to come to the school, see the mural, and meet the guy creating all the buzz. In all 70 of my murals, this is only the second time to be so noticed by “the powers that be” in an embassy.
The day before the embassy visit, plans were being made for the welcoming ceremony. Of course, it was all in Arabic. I didn’t understand any of it -- until suddenly I did! I heard the word “hashish”. What kind of celebration were they planning for the delegation if it involved hashish? That was when I learned a little more about the word. In Arabic, it means “grass”. Plans were to top the wall where the mural is located with artificial grass. Not my choice. I would have gone with tile or wood. But, at least nobody from the embassy was going to fly home after the ceremony.
On Embassy Visitation Day, all my paints were stored away, the grounds were swept, and flowers were set on the new artificial turf atop the wall. Nobody came to get me when the official tour began, so I continued painting. Eventually, I thought I better go look for the group. First, I went in to wash so very much paint off my hands. Naturally, that was when the visitors showed up at the mural. So, I arrived late for the party but had an ovation as I entered the playground area.
The actual meeting was so short and sweet. I shared my story about hashish with the Chief of the Office of Palestinian Affairs and let people look for the number 70. Nobody has found it on their own. It’s certainly my hope that after the visit that there was continued positive buzz about me at the Office of Palestinian Affairs. I really hope to be invited back to the Holy Land sometime soon, possibly in slightly warmer weather.