Lutheran Killed in Middle East Violence

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A German medical doctor -- a member of Beit Jala Lutheran Church of the Reformation -- was killed Nov. 15, following an attack on Beit Jala, a small town in the West Bank near Bethlehem. The Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ) officiated at the Nov. 16 funeral for Harold Fischer, 68.
Fischer, who was in private practice there for nearly 20 years, lived in the village with his Palestinian wife and their three children. News services identified Fischer as the first foreign national killed in the current Middle East violence.
Younan had returned to Jerusalem three days before, following a 10-day trip to the United States. Upon his return, he said he found "conditions to be much worse."
"Israeli bombing, shelling and the use of machine guns and helicopter gunships -- Apaches and Cobras made in the U.S.A. -- continue to occur in cities and villages, including Ramallah, Beit Jala, Bethlehem and Beit Sahour where ELCJ congregations are located," he said in a Nov. 17 letter to overseas friends and partners. "Many houses and other institutional buildings have been hit and badly damaged or destroyed."
A Lutheran boarding home for boys in Beit Jala was hit by gunfire, slightly injuring a 10-year-old boy, Younan said. Palestinian children are suffering from fear, emotional problems, lack of sleep, and cannot concentrate in school, he added.
"The shortage of food is now a serious problem in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," he said. "Road blockages have led to food scarcity, and what little food is available from the outside is not fresh and is very expensive," Younan reported.
The Rev. Mitri Raheb, pastor of Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, Bethlehem, was also involved in Fischer's funeral. In an interview earlier this month, with ELCA News and Information during a visit to the United States, Raheb expressed great concern for Palestinian children affected by the violence. Raheb also serves as director of the International Center of Bethlehem, which works to contribute toward Muslim-Christian understanding and increasing awareness of the presence of Palestinian Christians.
"Children are traumatized," he said. "They are suffering from psychological problems. The violence is damaging the souls of our people." In addition, many people are unemployed, and tourism -- which is an important to Palestinians' economic welfare -- is almost non-existent, Raheb said. He said the violence will likely continue through November, but Raheb expressed hope that the situation would calm during the December holidays.
Palestinians need prayer and support "like never before," he said. Politicians need to make tough decisions, Raheb added.
"We are never as close to war as we are now, and never so close to peace as we are now," Raheb concluded.
In recent weeks, the ELCA has spoken in support of people who are suffering from the violence in the Middle East, and expressed its support for Lutheran churches there. Most recently, the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), proposed that the church engage in a continuous prayer vigil for all people affected by violence in the region. The prayer vigil is expected to begin with the first Sunday of Advent, Dec. 3, and "continue until the violence ends and we can celebrate a just and lasting negotiated resolution to the conflict," Anderson said in a Nov. 14 letter to the 65 synod bishops of the ELCA. -- -- --
Information about Lutherans in the Middle East is at http://www.holyland-lutherans.org/ on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan Web site. Details about the Middle East prayer vigil are available at http://www.loga.org on the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs Web site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html