Bringing aid and hope to a war-torn country is a particular concern for us as Christians standing alongside Israel . An important avenue to this is through our Arab Christian partners. People like Simon and Umm-Saleem help ensure that aid reaches exactly where it is needed. CSI staff member Anemone Rüger met them.
By Anemone Rüger
It would be impolite to call Rada by her first name, Simon explains to me. In Arab culture, a mother is addressed in relation to her eldest son. And so the correct form of address is: Umm-Saleem, mother of Saleem. Saleem runs the grocery store where Simon has the food parcels packed for the families in need. Mama Saleem is the heart and soul of the place. She knows all the families in the neighborhood and knows who needs help.
In the mornings, the children pass by her house on their way to school. Umm-Saleem checks their backpacks, and if someone doesn't have a packed lunch, she takes care of it. Initially, the neighborhood was almost exclusively Christian. But as living standards rose, the Christians moved away, and Muslim neighbors moved in. Now, the neighborhood is 70 percent Muslim, and those who move in usually come from less affluent backgrounds.
From Haifa to Magdeburg and back
Through Simon and his team, Christians can offer valuable neighborly support to Israel. Simon appeared one day in my hometown of Magdeburg and spoke about Israel. An Arab Christian who took his first steps of faith in Haifa alongside Holocaust survivors? Who now, in the midst of war, speaks of "we" in connection with his Jewish brothers and sisters and the suffering they share? Who reaches out to impoverished Muslim families through the call of God's love, just as he does to traumatized Jewish Israelis who are finding their way back to life through creative therapy in a carpentry workshop? Yes, such a person exists. Thank God.
Luckily, I hadn't eaten breakfast. Umm-Saleem had unfolded a small table in her shop and laid it lavishly. Pita with za'atar, pita with cheese, pita topped with bell peppers. When she saw my enthusiastic reaction to the za'atar and sesame version, she told me that she makes this typical Israeli spice herself and filled a bag for me. Hospitality is paramount here. Every chair in Umm-Saleem's little kingdom was occupied.
Umm-Saleem, who comes from a Catholic family, serves as a kind of helpline for the entire neighborhood. People are constantly dropping by, grateful to find an open door and an open heart. A few weeks later, Iranian missiles fly overhead. There are several impacts in Haifa, some with devastating consequences. Simon brings food to the elderly who are afraid to leave their homes and toys to the families who, because of the nightly attacks, sometimes have to sleep with their children in the rustic public bomb shelters. Across thousands of kilometers, we are connected, praying for God's intervention and helping together.
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 142. You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
