‘We Cannot Celebrate amid Genocide’: Bethlehem Church Displays Debris Instead of Christmas Tree
"While genocide is being committed against our people in Gaza, we cannot celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this year in any way. We don't feel like celebrating," the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem's pastor Munzir Ishak said, Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.
The church decided to make a decoration out of debris to symbolize the devastation in Gaza, where more than 15,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since the start of brutal Israeli bombing campaign on October 7.
The decoration consists of a mound of concrete pieces with an olive sapling planted in it, and a toy baby placed in the center to represent a child trapped under the rubble. Around the mound, there are broken branches, candles, and icons.
Ishak said that the decoration was a message to themselves and the world. "Our message to ourselves is this: God is with us in this pain. Christ was born in solidarity with those in pain and suffering. God is with the oppressed," he said.
"Secondly, we wanted to tell churches worldwide: 'Unfortunately, this is what Christmas in Palestine looks like.' Whether Christian or Muslim, this is the situation we are going through in Palestine. We are exposed to a war of genocide targeting all Palestinians. Unfortunately, when we think of the birth of Baby Christ, we think of the babies brutally killed in Gaza," he added.
Read More:
The pastor said that the attack on Gaza had "killed the Christmas spirit" and that the church would only hold prayers and rituals for the occasion, without any festive activities.
Every year, thousands of Christians from around the world visit Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas at the Church of the Nativity, which is built over a cave believed to be where Jesus was born.
Source: Agencies
