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Can letters help lead to peace? And huge payments that are due, but three months behind?
By Stan Mitchell
You might believe that there will never be peace in the Middle East. And you might believe that writing your elected leaders and others is a waste of time.
But, if you believe this, don’t share it with seven beautiful and enthusiastic seventh grade girls of Prayer Pals at First United Methodist Church. They’ll tell you you’re wrong and when you start to hear their story, you just might start to believe, too.
The story starts with local resident Sheila Michel, who serves as the Director of Small Group Ministry at First United Methodist in Oak Ridge.
Michel met Elias Chacour, the Archbishop of Galilee, at an event he served as the keynote speaker of. Chacour is a name you may not recognize, but it’s worth stating that he’s a pretty big deal. (Please grant me a small amount of necessary background here.)
Chacour is a self-described Palestinian Christian working for peace in Israel, and most recognized for establishing the Mar Elias Educational Institution (MEEI). This institution educates boys and girls regardless of race or religion, which, in case you didn’t know, is pretty much unheard of over there.
So, Chacour throws together kids who are from the four major religious groups there – Muslims, Jews, Christians and Druze – and teaches them at his school to love and respect each other. With, of course, the idea that he and his staff can do this while they’re still young and unmolded. That these kids can be reached before their parents, their culture and their brutal reality burns their innocent souls for good.
Chacour has also written a book called “Blood Brothers,” and been awarded with numerous honors, including being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three different times.
Now, back to the story.
Sheila Michel met Chacour at an event he spoke at and was touched. Or, at least intrigued. Until she bought his book.
“I read it in one night,” she said. “I didn’t go to bed that night.”
Michel mentioned the book in passing to a children’s small group she was leading at First United Methodist Church the aformentioned Prayer Pals and the group decided they wanted to read “Blood Brothers” as their next group book.
The girls were so drawn into the book that they asked Michel if they could begin a letter exchange with some of the students at Mar Elias Educational Institution.
She contacted Chacour to ask him and got back the response that it wasn’t possible. Michel said he informed her that the students that corresponded to her group’s age probably would have great difficulty with the translation from English to their language. And he added: “I can’t ask my teachers to do more than they’re already doing,” he told her, according to her.
Undeterred, Michel found someone at the church who would do the translation for them. And with that, the children’s small group began to get drawn in. They signed up for a newsletter and soon learned a distressing thing: None of the staff or teachers of Mar Elias Educational Institution were being paid. In fact, the government was close to $4 million behind paying the staff under Chacour.
According to Michel, Chacour only revealed this to others in Israel after he realized the problem was beyond his control. Soon, Michel and her small group found out.
The girls asked Michel what they could do, and she said they could always write a letter to elected leaders.
And write they did. She said it was amazing to watch them jump to the task and write the letter as a group, debating this phrase or sentence structure, changing that line or word organization.
The girls finalized their letter and are sending it to the Israeli Minister of Education, Gideon Sa’ar. In addition, they are sending and faxing letters to Michel Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.; President Obama; Secretary of State Clinton; Senators Alexander and Corker; Congressman Wamp; and the local newspapers in the area.
Just since last week, the number of letters getting sent and faxed to Israeli Minister of Education Gideon Sa’ar was overwhelming, Michel said. She said she had heard that the Prime Minister of Israel had called the Minister of Education demanding to know what was happening, and asking why he was getting so much pressure. And already, Michel said it’s having an effect.
Last week, she said a payment of $730,000 was released.
And she said that with more media attention and elected officials getting involved, she feels confident the rest of the money will get paid. But, besides this larger reality, she said that it’s important for her “that children believe there can be peace, and that they believe they can help foster change.”
“It’s both moving and inspiring,” she said.
Stan Mitchell is editor and publisher of The Oak Ridge Observer. He can be reached at
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