Salisbury Rotary Club > News > SALISBURY ROTARY – THE DEAN – AND EAST JERUSALEM

SALISBURY ROTARY – THE DEAN – AND EAST JERUSALEM

The Very Reverend Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury Cathedral, and Honorary Member of Salisbury Rotary Club, was the guest speaker at the Club’s most recent meeting at The White Hart Hotel.

The Dean was joined by many Rotarians, friends and guests, including the Mayor of Salisbury and Honorary Rotary Member Sven Hocking, and Past Mayor and Member, Atiqul Hoque. It promised to be an interesting evening and so it proved as The Dean spoke eloquently and knowledgeably about the issues:

            What is daily life under occupation really like?

            What are the implications for human rights and international law?

            What can be done to promote peace in Israel-Palestine?

Between January and April 2024, The Dean spent three months sabbatical leave volunteering in East Jerusalem with the World Council of Churches Ecumenical

 Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, which he described as ‘an overwhelming experience’.  The objective was to attempt to determine solidarity for peace and justice and to advocate an end to the occupation of Palestine.

The Dean, and a small team of international volunteers, monitored human rights, freedom and worship, visited holy sites, worshipped in different churches, spoke with many people and many organisations, lived through the Muslim observance of Ramadan, and celebrated Holy Week and Easter in the Holy City where Jesus rose and died again – all against the merciless backdrop of the war in Gaza.

One of the first people he met seemed to sum up when he asked the Dean: ‘What brings you to this God’s forsaken place, a stones throw from Bethlehem?’

The Dean also reminded his audience of the history of the conflict stemming from the formation of Israel in 1948, through to the 6 day war in 1967 and leading into the conflict we see depicted on our TV screens every day.

The conflict, as we know, carries on.

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