August 3, 2004 Jerusalem, Israel …. [Mark A. Kellner/ANN]
A Palestinian Muslim from East Jerusalem and a Moroccan-born Jewish Seventh-day Adventist pastor are finding common ground in helping Palestinians learn English, improve their health and quit smoking.
Marwan Shaaban, a Palestinian who owns a contracting business and an aluminum fabricating shop, is a Muslim who met Adventist Pastor Richard Elofer six years ago when the Adventist church headquarters in Jerusalem needed some renovations.
“I told Marwan that he is ‘working for God'” in performing the tasks, Elofer said in a joint interview with Shaaban. “I believe that we have the same God, whether we use the name Allah, Ha-Shem or God, since the Bible says there is only one God.”
Elofer said, “We have found many common points [of similarity] between Muslims and Adventists,” citing mutual concerns about health, temperance and education. When Shaaban suggested the Adventist Church work in Palestinian areas to further peace and community projects, Elofer had a counter proposal: the Palestinian Authority should grant Adventists recognition as a church in their territory. Although there are Adventist believers in Jericho and Bethlehem, the church does not operate congregations in the West Bank, even if the church can claim a history in Palestine.
When Adventists organized in the Holy Land some 73 years ago, Elofer explained, it was under the British-controlled Palestine Mandate. The association was named “Seventh-day Adventist Church in Palestine,” since the present-day State of Israel would not come into existence until 1948, 17 years later. That being the case, the pastor said, “I can tell [PLO Chairman Yasser] Arafat that we have a ‘Palestinian’ connection.”
Already, Elofer and Shaaban have met with a member of the Palestinian Authority’s parliament in Ramallah, and are waiting to see what the next steps in gaining recognition will involve. If approved, an Adventist-owned building in East Jerusalem, a onetime study center for the church, will become a joint headquarters building along with the present office on Abraham Lincoln Street. Elofer said the new areas would be organized under his leadership as church president.
While Adventists are awaiting recognition by the Palestinians, there are plans to provide services to members of the West Bank community. English classes, at US$80 per term, have been offered since January of 2003. The price is intentionally made reasonable enough for people to afford.
Also in the planning stages are a series of health classes, starting with smoking cessation. The popular “5-Day Plan” classes are expected to begin in January of 2005.
“We have many things to offer for the good of the people,” Elofer said.
Shaaban agreed: “When we first met,” he said of his friendship with Elofer, “it was just a matter of work. Slowly, slowly we recognized we could be friends. I also felt Adventists are close to Muslims [in philosophy] and are not fanatics. Now, we must have activities to make Adventists known” in Palestinian areas.
Elofer and Shaaban said they would continue to cooperate on programs to help Palestinians and build bridges between peoples.
Copyright © 2004 by Adventist News Network.
