BETHLEHEM: Palestinian Muslim and Christian volunteers are working together in the West Bank city of Bethlehem to prepare fresh iftar meals for needy families during Ramadan.
About 6,000 people will benefit from food aid provided through the Virgin Mary hospice in Bethlehem, a city that is home to about 30,000 people, less than half of whom are Palestinian Christians.
The hospice is supervised by the Aman Charitable Society, and has been helping poor Muslims and Christians in the city for the past nine years.
“The Palestinian people are united, especially in Bethlehem, the cradle of Christ, and there is no difference between Christian and Muslim,” Moataz Mizher, the society’s deputy head, said.
Bethlehem is revered by Christians as the site of Christ’s birth and is home to the Church of the Nativity, a focal point for Christian pilgrims from around the world.
At least 40 Christian families are receiving aid from the hospice along with 1,500 Muslim families in Bethlehem.
The city relies heavily on religious tourism during the Christian holidays, especially Christmas, but visitor numbers have declined dramatically in the past two years due to the global pandemic.
Mizher said that the hospice operates on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the year, but steps up its work during Ramadan, offering aid on a daily basis.
As well as serving hot meals, it provides gifts of clothes and toys to children during Islamic and Christian holidays.
Hospice managers are compiling a survey of needy families, frequently updating the database in an effort to fight poverty and encourage community cohesion, Mizher said.
The hospice relies on financial donations from Christian and Muslim philanthropists, public and private institutions, and an annual grant from the Palestinian Authority.
Rawan, one of the hospice’s team of helpers, told Arab News that she is proud to be a volunteer “helping families in need in a way that preserves their dignity.”
Preparing healthy, nutritious food “is the least I can do to serve my people and my city,” she said.
Teams of Christian Scouts also offer their services at the hospice, which begins work at 8 a.m. and continues until iftar time throughout Ramadan.
Fouad Salman, leader of the Bethlehem Scouts group, said that “the Scout movement is fulfilling its duty toward God, the country and society.”
Scouts help to prepare iftar meals at the hospice for distribution to people fasting at home.
Salman said that Bethlehem residents, both Muslim and Christian, have passed on the message of love and coexistence from generation to generation.
The “march of love” must continue, he added.