On October 19, 2024, the Palestinian TV station Wattan Media Network aired a half-hour interview with Abeer Hamad, head of the rehabilitation department at the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center (SMRC) near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank). See here. The topic of the discussion was “Access to protection and services for women with disabilities in times of war”. The long-standing special education teacher emphasized that in times of war and crisis, the violence and challenges faced by women, especially women with disabilities, multiply. Women with disabilities who are subjected to violence are not admitted to emergency shelters. Even the supply of medication to people with disabilities is not guaranteed due to roadblocks set up by the Israeli military. In times of war, no one can hope to have their national and international rights respected.

At the beginning of October 2024, Ranya Karam, the director of the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center near Ramallah (Palestine, West Bank), gave an interview to the Brødremenighedens Danske Mission, the Danish sister organization of Herrnhuter Missionshilfe, in which she talks about her dreams and the current situation on Star Mountain. In the interview, she says, among other things: “The current war affects us all. It's really depressing. But when we compare ourselves to the people in the Gaza Strip, we tell ourselves not to be depressed. But in fact we are. At the same time, in a way, we are still blessed because we have food on the table. We We can't go anywhere without worrying.” Read the interview in German translation here.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah (Palestine) has started to send out regularly short special educational messages or advertising texts in Arabic for its own work. On September 28, 2024, for example, the message was: “A small note with a big impact: Reduce the use of the words ‘no / can't’ as much as possible and look for effective means of engaging in dialogue with our children.” In earlier messages, it said: “Our goal is to teach people with disabilities new skills and prepare them for their future.” “Our (educational) journey with the children opens up new horizons for them again and again.“”The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center is the perfect place for your child to grow up and learn.“”Let's be ready for tomorrow's challenges and opportunities together.“”Yes, Star Mountain, you are the star.”

Another workshop to raise awareness of environmental and nature conservation and sustainability issues took place from 31 August to 2 September 2024, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah in Palestine (West Bank). The workshop was again part of the specially funded Youth Positive Participation Project. A total of 35 pictures of the work with the children and young people can be found here, with the children's relatives here and with the staff of Star Mountain here. in several short reports on Facebook, the participants said that they had gained new experiences during the three-day workshop that they would not have wanted to have missed, that the interaction of everyone involved in the workshop had strengthened their sense of community, and that the learning content had sometimes brought a smile to the faces of those involved. They were amazed that simple measures could have such a great effect.

In July and August 2024, staff of the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC in Palestine (West Bank) took part in two five-day summer training courses attended by a total of 90 boys and girls from Palestinian villages. These training courses had the following objectives Acquiring social skills for practical life, having fun with recreational games, psychological relaxation in times of crisis. The two events took place on the premises of a partner organisation in Deïr Abu Meshal, 25 kilometres north-west of Ramallah. They were part of the Positive Youth Engagement project and were supported by the Tamkeen Foundation and the globally operating Mercy Corps. The Star Mountain team ensured that the concerns of people with disabilities were also addressed at the training sessions. Many photos hier.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank) has completed its first summer education camp. The camp, which ran from 19 to 24 July 2024, was part of the Positive Youth Engagement project. The camp was attended by 35 children from the center and also from outside. It was organised together with the Tamkeen Foundation and received support from the globally active Mercy Corps. The aim of the camp was to improve interaction between the participants. During the children's all-day get-togethers with their peers, innovative and transformative learning was to be practised and psychological support provided. Due to its good building infrastructure and green surroundings, the Star Mountain (Jabal Al-Najma), located at an altitude of around 800 metres, is ideally suited for events such as summer camps. Some pictures here.

As part of the long-term project Promoting Inclusive Communities through Good Citizenship - funded by the German GIZ - the Star MountainRehabilitation Center near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank) organised several workshops in cooperation with other staff in the second half of July 2024. These were intended for parents of children with disabilities who intend to send their children to children's clubs in Beit Unia, Beit Liqya, Kharbatha Al-Misbah, Ni'lin, Qibya and Deir Abu Mash'al. At the workshops, the parents were informed about the aims of the clubs. They learnt about the educational and training opportunities available to their children in the clubs, what is generally expected of parents and how they can get involved in the implementation of educational activities at home. There was also an opportunity for questions and feedback. Some pictures here.

Over the past few weeks, the vocational trainees at the rehabilitation centre of the worldwide Moravian Church on the Star Mountain SMRC near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank) have had a new experience. For the first time, the young people with disabilities sat at traditional weaving frames. Firstly, they were shown the unique manual technique by their instructors. Afterwards, they all showed great enthusiasm and passion in learning this new technique. Six pictures here. The staff of the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Centre would like to thank the Waldensian Church in Italy. The members have decided that part of the Otto per Mille mandate tax to which they are entitled from the Italian state will be used to finance and expand the vocational training on Star Mountain. Waldensians from Germany and Italy have already supported the Star MountainRehabilitation Centre in the past.

The Moravian Church Rehabilitation Centre on Star Mountain SMRC (Palestine/West Bank) reports on two special events. As part of the project Promoting Inclusive Communities through Good Citizenship - funded by the German GIZ - senior staff from the centre went to Ramallah City Hall on 27 June 2024. There they conducted a workshop for employees of the city administration on the rights of people with disabilities. The SMRC is to help implement a corresponding inclusion guideline in practical policy. Many pictures here. At the same time, twelve young people from the SMRC were honoured at the Al-Khabrat leisure complex. They had taken part in a yoga training programme offered by experts from Ramallah to help calm their emotions. Many pictures here.

The rehabilitation centre of the worldwide Moravian Church on Star Mountain SMRC near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank) wrote on Facebook on 21 June 2024: "We are pleased to announce that 15 graduates of our institution have been certified to form the Dabke dance group for the year 2024. The ceremonial presentation of the certificates, combined with a dance performance, took place on Thursday, 13 June 2024, at the Ramallah Cultural Palace. Believe us, it was a spectacular show in front of a large audience. We congratulate all the dancers on this great achievement and wish them continued success in their artistic careers! And always have fun dancing!" A video here. Some pictures here. Dabke is an oriental folk dance that is danced in the Middle East and around the eastern Mediterranean at family celebrations and other events such as farewells and welcomes.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank) welcomed several employees of the Japanese foundation Children Without Borders on Monday, 27 May 2024. They were accompanied by young people from the working regions of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, around 1,000 metres below. The guests learned about the work of the support centre, which was founded in 1980, during a lecture and a tour of the extensive grounds. They also took part in a workshop led by Abeer Hamad, which focussed on how to deal with people with disabilities and their inalienable rights. During their tour, the guests also came into direct contact with the children and young people who receive the best possible support in the inclusive kindergarten, the special school, vocational support and various special programmes (physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, art therapy, sports therapy, acrobatics, traditional dance Dabkeh, theatre, psychosocial support). A photo here.

HMH employee Niels Gärtner has recently visited the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah, to get an idea of the situation there. He reports: "Everything is actually quite normal. Ramallah is a busy city as usual, the taxis are running, the shops are open and hoping for buyers. The teachers and children of the SMRC who live in this region can also reach the centre as usual. It is more difficult for children and young people who come from remote rural areas, which are often not part of the A-Zone. Here there are repeated checkpoints by the Israeli military and attacks of all kinds. Everything looks normal on the outside, but the souls and hearts are very wounded. The violent images that flood into people's minds every day via television or mobile phone, the helplessness, the fear, the hopelessness, the economic hardship of many families - all of this has eaten deep into people's souls. And yet the SMRC is always a place of laughter and hope for the children and young people. This can be experienced every day thanks to the professional commitment of the staff. The SMRC needs our support in prayer and financially." A brief description of the situation can be found here.

There was a special surprise at the Moravian Church's mission festival in Christiansfeld, Denmark, on 5 May 2024. In the middle of the afternoon programme, two women from the local Ecumenical Women's Committee came forward with a large cheque in their hands. The cheque was large in two aspects: it was large in size and it was for a considerable sum. The two women - Sissel Madsen and Kirsten Gubi - handed over 36,000 Danish kroner (4,830 euros) to the mission organisation of the Moravian Church in Denmark BDM, collected in March at this year's World Day of Prayer. The money was intended for the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah/Palestine, an undertaking of the worldwide Unity. The SMRC can use the money to realise a dream. It wants to create an outdoor area where children and young people with disabilities can receive therapy in the fresh air and thus develop successfully. More here.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC of the worldwide Moravian Church near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank) never tires of networking with other social work providers in order to help children and young people with disabilities develop as well as possible. Since the beginning of 2024, the centre has been holding talks with local authorities in the area and making site visits. On Saturday, 20 April 2024, the cooperation reached a new, concrete phase. The management of Star Mountain had invited the staff responsible for rehabilitation from six small municipalities in the neighbourhood to put down on paper the action plans needed to implement the UN Disability Charter. See here. This was preceded by the recent codification of a corresponding action plan with the administration of the city of Ramallah.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC of the worldwide Moravian Church near Ramallah (Palestine, West Bank) recently continued its series of networking meetings with social work providers in the region. On 22 April 2024, the management team invited a number of representatives from communities and organisations that work with children in particular. This was done as part of the current programme Promoting inclusive communities through neighbourly civic cooperation. They got to know each other personally, engaged in intensive professional dialogue and made concrete plans with teachers and trainers from six local authorities and children's clubs: Beit Unia, Ni'lin, Qibya, Deïr Abu Mishal, Kharbatha Al-Misbah and Beit Liqya. See here. Star Mountain is now also looking for two experts to further develop its work.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC of the worldwide Moravian Church in Palestine (West Bank) has succeeded in providing five young people trained in vocational support with a job. Three new companies have been found for them. Essam and Hasan are now working at the City Inn Palace Hotel in Jerusalem Street in Ramallah, while Ayeda and Saja recently started working at the Ocean Grand Hotel in Jericho - right by the Dead Sea. Yassin is also undergoing further training at the Episcopal Technological and Vocational Training Centre in Al-Tireh. The latter cooperation was made possible by the conclusion of an agreement with the Lutheran World Federation. Supporting young people with disabilities from Palestine is one of the aims of the Waldensian Church in Europe. The management team of the SMRC would like to thank this church and the companies mentioned above. Some pictures here.

Girls and teachers from Turmus'ayya Girls Secondary School in Al-Bireh on the outskirts of Ramallah organised an inclusive afternoon of sports and games at the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMCR of the Moravian Church on 6 April 2024, the last Friday of this year's Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. The aim of the guests was to do something good during Ramadan with the leisure activities on offer and to put a smile on the faces of the children with disabilities. According to the management of SMRC they succeeded. At the same time, the guests from Al-Bireh presented 40 children with a voucher that they can use to buy something for their own pleasure. Twelve pictures here. Despite the war between Israel and Hamas, the extraction work on Star Mountain - located in the Palestinian West Bank - can continue with some restrictions.

On Thursday, 21 March 2024, at 12.30 pm, it was that time again: the pupils of the Evangelische Zinzendorfschulen Herrnhut ran as many laps as possible through Herrnhut within an hour for a good cause. The run was once again organised together with Herrnhuter Missionshilfe. For the first time, children and young people from the Johann Amos Comenius special school in Herrnhut also took part. The run almost had to be cancelled because it rained heavily until just before the start. Half of the donations raised (more than 20,000 euros last year) will go to the Moravian Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah in Palestine. A quarter will go towards equipping the school campus with fitness and exercise equipment. The local student council will decide how the final quarter will be used. The exact amount to be donated this time has yet to be determined. Ten pictures here.

On 16 February 2024, the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC of the worldwide Moravian Church in Palestine (West Bank) received visits from delegations from two NGOs: Mercy Corps and Tamkeen (empowerment). The members of the delegations visited the centre, learned about its programmes and services and had discussions with several members of staff. As far as the future is concerned, co-operation and joint projects were initiated. Pictures here. Before and after this, the ten-part project Promoting inclusive communities through good citizenship, funded by the German Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GiZ), was continued. This time, talks were held with municipal representatives from the congregations of Kharbatha al-Misbah and Shuqba, as well as with their associations and civic organisations. Pictures here and here.

The Star Mountain Association (Förderverein Sternberg e.V.) is an association of congregations and individuals from the Westphalian Church together with HMH. The Star Mountain Association was founded in 2022 to put the SMRC outpost in Burqin, which was mainly financed by the Westphalian region, on a legally reliable footing. The association is chaired by Niels Gärtner from HMH and Christian Hohmann, a pastor at the oikos Institute specialising in the Middle East, acts as deputy chairman on the Westphalian side. Due to the increasingly violent clashes between settlers and Palestinians, particularly after 7 October 2023, it was no longer justifiable to continue the outpost in the north. The project was therefore cancelled at the end of 2023. As a new task, the association has set itself the goal of supporting the special school on the SMRC itself. Thank you very much!

During Advent and Christmas, there is a lot of talk about promises to Israel and places like Bethlehem and Nazareth play an important role. In 2023, these times are dominated by the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel and the unimaginable suffering of the people in Gaza. In many places, there is consternation and helplessness in the face of the ongoing violence. The Moravian Church is often asked how the people in the Star Mountain support centre near Ramallah in Palestine are faring. People ask which side the Moravian Church is on. The Provicial Board responds in a statement dated 13 December 2023 (Download here): on neither and on both. It emphasises that it stands by the side of those who are suffering and who are in particular need of intercession and compassion. It opposes terror, violence and marginalisation. However, it does not see it as its task to advocate political positions in the Middle East conflict.

This year, Christmasat Star Mountain will be different than usual. Many churches in Palestine have canceled large events in connection with Christmas, such as bazaars. You can't celebrate when people are suffering and dying in the surrounding area, in Gaza. We would probably feel the same way. Christmas is also being celebrated on a smaller scale at Star Mountain this year. Will the nativity scene be as magnificent as in 2019? The Lutheran pastor from Ramallah, Rodny Said, came as usual during Advent to celebrate and remember Christmas. Especially in this time of hopelessness, fear for relatives and friends and hopelessness about how things will continue economically and socially, the people of Star Mountain urgently need Christmas: God comes into our world and places himself at the side of the poor, the marginalized and the hopeless. In our Christmas prayers this year, let us especially remember the people at Star Mountain who work every day for peaceful and dignified coexistence!