FEATURE: MUSIC – ORGAN AND OUD INVITATION TO EVS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – PAGE 18

ISSN 0947-5435 E 12344

MAGAZINE ON CHRISTLIAN LIFE IN THE MIDDLE EAST3/200

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The Aeolian harp - sounds from the realm of the windsContemplation by Ulrich Kadelbach 4

The oud - the ”piano of Arabic music”Interview with Marwan Abado 6

”I knew Beirut”Rainer Hermann talking about Lebanese singer Hiba al Kawas 8

Um urgun - mother of the organPortrait of Elisabeth von der Decken 10

Music at the Schneller SchoolsA look at the classroom and leisure activities 12

Media 28

Letters to the Editor 30

EVS Internal 31

Imprint 31

Dear Reader,

Music in the Middle East. This makes me first thinkof the rhythm of drums and the melodies of Arabicsongs. Music full of poetry and passion. Before myinner eye I see young people dancing the dabke, atraditional folk dance, and jumping ever higher outof pure joy.

But music in the Middle East is much more thanthat. The Arabic world today is a mixture of the most varied music influences, as our feature clearlyshows. For example, the Lebanese singer Hiba alKawas sings Arabic songs in the style of Italian opera.At the Schneller schools the pupils play the recorderor listen to Arabic rap.

We may be inclined to think that the musical influence flows more from west to east. Totally wrong! History proves the opposite.For instance, the home of the lute so typical of European music lies by no meanson French or English soil. It was originally an oriental musical instrument calledthe oud. From the oud - in Arabic, al'Oud – it became "la Oud" in the West, in otherwords, the lute. However, the cradle of the oud lies possibly even further east, inChina, where the ”pipa” is played to this day. For oud player Marwan Abado, this isprobably of secondary importance – he decided against the Western guitar and infavour of the main instrument in the Arabic orchestra, the oud.

In conclusion, a question: did you know that the organ originally came fromAlexandria? If you didn't, the article by Ulrich Kadelbach on the organist Elisabethvon der Decken will certainly be an eye-opener for you.

We hope you are eager to find out about the musical world of the Middle East.

With heartfelt greetings,

Yours

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EDITORIAL

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CONTENTS

FEATURE: MUSIC - ORGAN AND OUD 4

CHRISTIANS AND THE MIDDLE EAST 24

Cover picture: Pupils playing recorders at the Johann Ludwig Schneller SchoolPhoto: EMS/Steffen Grashoff

NEWS FROM THE SCHNELLER SCHOOLS 14

News from the Schneller Schools 14

A rabbit can listenEducational work with animals at the TSS in Amman 16

Association work 18

The Syrian Orphanage and the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 19

The study programme "Study in the Middle East" 24

News 26

Andrea Aippersbach(Chief Editor)

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CONTEMPLATION

THE AEOLIAN HARP –SOUNDS FROM THE REALM OF THE WINDS

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The Aeolian harp, also called the windharp, is an instrument that is notplayed by humans. The wind is whatactivates its strings. For Ulrich Kadel-bach it is therefore a symbol for every-thing creative that is inspired by God

another world. Only gradually did he dis-cover that the north wind was makingthe strings of his instrument sing.

In many cultures the winds are revered as messengers

of the gods

This old Jewish story knew about man'syearning to learn about things that are

WWith his beguiling harp play,young David was able to driveaway his King's melancholy.

But where would he find the cheerfulmelodies that would brighten up his darkthoughts and prepare him for his up-coming tasks? At night, when his songsfell silent, he hung Chinor, the harp, onthe wall above his bed. Once he wasawoken at midnight by the sound of quietharmonies that seemed to come from

echoes of the truth and ideas. They canonly touch deeply if they are inspiredfrom the deep. But not only words aretransparent for the realities hidden be-hind them, things are too. Joseph vonEichendorff expressed it in an incom-parable refrain that will never die: ”Sleepsa song in things abounding that keepdreaming to be heard: Earth's tunes will start resounding if you find the magic word.”

All creative energy comes from thedepths of being. Each time a person istouched, it comes from the breath ofcreativity. Magic words are not a delusionbut musical keys. It is they which permitthe tuning of an instrument, singing andrejoicing. ”O had I Jubal's lyre and Mi-riam's tuneful voice,” sings Achsa, Caleb'sdaughter, in Handel's Joshua Oratorio.Jubal ”was the father of all such as han-dle the harp and organ,” it says in Gene-sis 4:21. And whoever can not handle amusical instrument shall give his voicefree reign. Sing whomsoever was giventhe gift of singing and to whom justicewas given. ”I will sing to the LORD, forhe has been good to me,” rejoices thepsalm of David (Psalm 13:6). If you wantto give your children or grandchildren aspecial pleasure, go with them to Weins-berg near Heilbronn and hike up to theWeibertreu castle ruins. There JustinusKerner has installed Aeolian harps in thewindows of the round tower. In addition,the web provides instructions on how tomake an Aeolian harp. The wind waitsfor its opportunity around every cornerof a house, on every balcony.

new, different and unheard-of. Newtones, new sounds, new chords, new har-monies, new melodies. David realisedthat the sweetest and most bewitchingmelodies of his harp playing still had along way to go – it needed more depth,brilliance and magic. For the first timehe sensed harmonics that outstrippedeach other, overtones that he had so farbeen unable to coax from his harp, andundertones that resonated and were onlyperceptible to the inner ear.

In many cultures the winds are re-garded as messengers of the gods whowish to spread their messages. ”He makeswinds his messengers” are the words ofPsalm 104:4. The tower of the winds inAthens is called the Temples of Aeolos tothis day. Homer names Hermes, messen-ger of the gods, as the inventor of theAeolian harp. He stretched strings acrossthe large shell of a turtle. Aeolos, the godof the winds, began to play on it. Eventhe Koran knows that God can revealhimself to humans through the winds:”Among His proofs is that He sends thewinds with good omen...” (Sura 30:46).

All creative people start with hearingand listening. For the Romans musicaland religious inspiration come from thesame source. Winged creatures are theinformers. No mortal has any influenceover them. Inspiration, impulses, ideas,brainwaves, intuition, enlightenment,enthusiasm are gifts that come upon aperson. But the willingness to resonateis the precondition to allowing oneselfto be moved by this stimulation. Manypoets have made the Aeolian harp into asymbol for the art of poetry. Even Goethe,Lenau, Kerner and Mörike have honouredits memory in verse. But words are only

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It may surprise you but I first came acrossArabic music when I emigrated. Lebanonis a melting pot between the West andthe East. In the middle of the war, I wasvery interested as a young person inLebanese songmakers. All of them withonly few exceptions played the guitar.These young musicians wanted to singmusic with a message. Arabic music thenonly had an entertainment function thatdid not appeal to me at all.

What is so special about Arabic music?From its structure, Arabic music is verymelodic and its expression is highlymelancholic and emotional. It moveswithin two octaves and has a fascinatingwealth of variations in its melodies andrhythms. There are also many differenttraditions depending on the country. Theoriental octave has more notes than theWestern octave and therefore there aremore scales. This is where the music ob-tains its basis. Finally, the Arabic languageis a decisive factor, as in all arts in Ara-bic countries. By this I mean poetry andthe close relationship between music andlanguage. There are two contrary polesin the structure of this music. A stricttone system that does not permit anyWestern harmonies and an open tone sys-tem that creates access to different influ-ences. There is a similarity with jazz: Ara-bic music is rich in improvisation andwas mainly played by small ensembles.

How do you play the oud? Oud is a fretless instrument. The doublestrings are plucked with a long pick. This

instrument is played in a sitting positionand is used as an accompanying instru-ment, solo instrument or as an instru-ment for teachers and composers. Theoud is the main instrument in Arabic mu-sic. An Arabic ensemble consist of: lute(Arabic: oud), violin (Arabic: kamanja),zither (Arabic qanoun), flute (Arabic nay)and tambourine (Arabic riq). The lute hasthe same importance as the piano in Eu-rope. It is played by men and women andin between there are also small lutes foryoung talents.

How is your music accepted in Europe?Of course its different nature is highlyappealing and interesting to Europeanaudiences. At the same time, the scalesare sometimes so different that peopleeven speak about wrong notes. Men andwomen can only perceive them whenthey depart from stereotype images andallow themselves to enter into the musi-cal moment.

In September, Marwan Abado and ViolaRaheb are going on a concert reading tourtogether. On Monday, 22 September, theEVS in co-operation with the Jerusalem Association is organising an evening at the Stuttgart Hospital Church. More atwww.evs-online.org.

Marwan Abado, how did you come toplay the oud?My interest in music started when I wasstill very young. We Palestinians were re-fused admittance to the music academyin Beirut. So I started to teach myself twoinstruments, the oud and the guitar. In1985 I was 18 years old and I emigratedto Vienna where I started taking guitarlessons. During my first school concertat the music academy I lost my feelingin my left hand. After a few seconds whichfelt like an eternity, I was able to con-tinue playing. When I left the stage, I re-alised the guitar was not my instrument.I was lucky to find the Iraqi oud maestroAsim Alchalabi. With him I was able todeepen my technique in playing the oud.What place did Arabic music have in your youth?

FEATURE: MUSIC – ORGAN AND OUD

Oud player Marwan Abado

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THE OUD - THE ”PIANO OF ARABIC MUSIC”

Marwan Abado is a Palestinian andgrew up in Lebanon. The oud playeris much in demand. He is married toViola Raheb, an Evangelical theolo-gian, and lives in Vienna. His music isbased on the classic forms of Arabicmusic, taqsim, which is nonmetricand is dependent on the inner im-pulses of the musician.

AndreaAippers-

bachasked Abado

about his in-strument and Arabic

music.

Interview with Marwan Abado

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Even Hiba al Kawas, Lebanon's drama-tic soprano, can not let go of Beirut. Whenshe sings ”I knew Beirut”, she is fightingagainst the nightmare. She wants to holdon to the old attitudes toward life. Shewas marked by the civil war and this in-fluenced the shrill dissonance of her com-positions. But during her studies in ItalyVerdi tenor Carlo Bergonzi introducedher to the melodious sound of belcantoand Franco Donatoni taught her to trans-form her feelings into composition.

Italian opera is Hiba al Kawas's pas-sion. When she is back in her homeland,she sings in Arabic. She takes up Arabicsinging traditions but chooses operaticsinging techniques from Europe. One dayshe wants to compose an Arabic opera.

Your compositions transcendArabic music tradition

The young 35 year old Hiba al Kawas isfull of ideas for a libretto. ”Don't forgetwe are a country of legends.” Lebanonwas always a place where so many roadsintersect. In one direction are the roadsthat lead to the Orient, to the MuslimArabs and the Syrian Christians. Otherroads lead to the north, to the Byzanti-ans and Turks. In the west is the sea.

Arabic music, she says, is more thanwhat we know from the past hundredyears. It is much richer. Hiba finds tracesof Arabic music in Turkish and Persiantraditions, and especially in Spain. ”Thatis real Arabic music,” she muses. Musicin Arabian countries stagnated and thisis still going on. Before, the Abbasids hadorchestras with six hundred musicians.They could not have played in unison.

As expected Hiba found a treatise on thetheory of harmony and polyphony writ-ten by the great Arabic philosopher andsage al-Farabi (870 to 950).

Nowadays she no longer wants to re-sign herself to the instruments whichhave shaped Arabic music for the pasthundred years. In fact she challenges hercritics, ”Why should I be content withfewer instruments when they are so manybeautiful ones?” After all the West doesnot reject the zero just because the Arabsinvented it. The fact that mathematicsand medicine belongs to no nationshould also apply to music.

In her concerts Hiba al Kawas onlysings her own songs and arias. She choo-ses lyrics from great poets, such as Mu-tanabbi and Hallaj, Adonis and MahmoudDarvish, and of course contemporarylyricists such as Unsi al Hage, AbdalalzizKhoja and her girlfriend Nada al Hage.When she sings ”Njoum eddini” (GiveMe The Stars) and ”Asra biqalbi” (Let MyHeart Wander At Night), her coloraturasstring together like pearls on a necklace.And when she picks up the classic lovetheme in ”Habibi” (My Beloved), shewhispers into the microphone in a typi-cally Arabic way ”Uhibbuk” (I love you).

Rainer Hermann, Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung of 2.6.2008

The article was abbreviated for the SchnellerMagazine. The full version in German is available atwww.evs-online.org.

© All rights reserved. Frankfurter Allgemeine ZeitungGmbH, Frankfurt. Provided by the FrankfurterAllgemeine archives.

She usually ends her concerts with”Areftu Beirut”. The song conjuresup the magic and inner conflict of

this city scourged by civil war. Hiba alKawas composed it and now sings: ”Iknew Beirut”. But the Beirut she expe-rienced during the past few days was so-mething she had not known for a longtime. It was a nightmare to witness thisviolence outside on the streets and themob of armed people. She speaks of dar-kness and then of the hope for a lightthat could show the country and Beiruta way out of the vicious circle.

FEATURE: MUSIC – ORGAN AND OUD

All the great female singers of Lebanoninvoke Beirut, a symbol of the joie devivre of the Lebanese and their lightnessof looking at life, but also a symbol for asenseless civil war. Fairuz, the lyrical nigh-tingale of Lebanon, welcomed ”Beirutfrom my heart” at the peak of the civilwar. She complained that her city hadswitched off the light and had becomeone with the night. When civil war thre-atened to break out again this May andthe Hizbollah closed the airport, the Shi-ite militia also confined Fairuz who hadjust arrived.

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Hiba al Kawas originates from Saida. Hersongs are a mixture of Arabic traditions withthe singing technique of European opera.

”I KNEW BEIRUT”

Hiba al Kawas is one of the most fa-mous singers in Lebanon. Her songsare reminiscent of a time when hercountry was not ravaged by war. Infact she does not know any different.

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in his ”Deipnosophistae/Schol-ars at Dinner” (also called Ban-quet of the Learned), namelythe wife of Ktesibios (Ctesibius),who invented the organ inAlexandria in 246 BC. The Baby-lonian Talmud also mentions alegendary instrument resem-bling an organ, the ”magrepha”.It used to stand in the Templeof Jerusalem. It could be heardfrom the Mount of Olives andeven as far away as Jericho. Thesound of Elisabeth's organ play-ing certainly did not quite reach Jericho.But her reputation unquestionably trav-elled much further away.

Let us look back at the triumphantprogress of the organ that began in theorient. Organ playing was already so wide-spread during the first century of theChristian era that there were even pub-lic organ competitions that were followedby ceremonies honouring the winners.Finally, the organ also became known inthe Western Roman Empire. Presumablyit was Cicero who first became acquaintedwith one on a trip to Greece. He wasso beguiled that he compared thesound of the organ to the pleasure ofsmelling the scent of rose and smokedeel. The sound of the organ was to beheard during parades and gladiatorcombats. Although some of the em-perors in Rome attempted their handat playing the organ, any spectacularsuccess seems to have eluded them.

In the end, the organ slipped intooblivion in the West. Quite the oppo-site to its success in the Orient. In Syriait was a very common musical instru-ment on the streets in the 5th century.Later it was also found in Islamic coun-

tries. How often did Elisabeth ask herselfthe question whether it was responsibleto impose the culture of Western organmusic on the Arab world, alone due tothe totally different tonal systems. A lookat history may allay such scruples. In1260, the Emperor of China received anorgan from the ”Muslin kingdom”, pre-sumably from Baghdad. It is reported that

the organ tuned to the Ara-bic scale was retuned tothe Chinese scale.

Elisabeth von der Decken –Briefe aus Jerusalem. (Letters From Jerusalem).Based on extracts from diary entries from theyears 1988-1990.With contributions bySabine Leutiger-Vogel,

Ulrich von Hecker, Ulrich Kadelbach,Bishop Kafity and Roland Löffler. Publish-ers: Verlag des Antiquariats BernhardSchäfer, Bad Karlshafen 2008, 244 pages,Euro 9.80.

Elisabeth von der Decken (right next to Bishop Kafity) surrounded by her pupils. Ulrich Kadelbach, author of this article, standing next to her on the right.

When Isma'il ibn al-Hadi heardthe organ for the first time, hewas so captivated that he re-

alised all the rumours were right – thatyou would have an overwhelming desireto die from sheer delight as soon as youheard its sound. That was a Byzantian or-gan in the year 820 or thereabouts. WhenElisabeth von der Decken played theorgan, it seems to have left a similar enor-mous impression on many Palestiniangirls and boys as they put their namesdown in large numbers for organ lessonswith her. They gave her the endearingand flattering nickname of ”um urgun –mother of the organ”.

In the mid-1980s, she realised her life'sdream of becoming organist in Jerusalem.First at the Dormition Benedictine Abbeyon top of Mount Zion and then at

St George's Cathedral belonging to theAnglican Episcopal Church of Jerusalemand the Middle East. ”Elisabeth has fallenin love with Jerusalem and Jerusalem hasfallen in love with her,” as Bishop SamirKafity put it. He had elicited her assis-tance in tutoring young people to fill thepost of organist at his church. The reser-voir of well trained organists was in dan-ger of drying up. The few organists stillremaining when Elisabeth started her du-ties had all been trained before WorldWar II at the Teacher Training College ofthe Syrian Orphanage in Jerusalem.

Having a woman sitting at the organtook some getting used to for most peo-ple in this part of the world. It was longforgotten that the first organist was alsoa woman, according to the writings ofthe grammarian Athenaios (Athenaeus)

UM URGUN – MOTHER OF THE ORGAN

Elisabeth von der Decken giving organ lessonsat St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem

Choirmistress Elisabeth von derDecken, 1935 – 2007, was former or-ganist from 1987 at St George's Cathe-dral, church of the Anglican diocese of Jerusalem. Sent there by the Associ-ation of Churches and Missions inSouth Western Germany for this mis-sion, she initially saw her job as an in-structor and helping accompanist toher many Palestinian pupils learningthe organ in East Jerusalem and theWest Bank. This article by UlrichKadelbach is an abbreviated version ofhis contribution to the paperback ”Elisabeth von der Decken – Briefe ausJerusalem” (Elisabeth von der Decken– Letters From Jerusalem) recently pub-lished in Germany.

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FEATURE: MUSIC – ORGAN AND OUD

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When you hear the melody ofBeethoven's ”Freude, schönerGötterfunken” (Joy, beautiful

spark of Gods) on Sundays in the Christ'sChurch at the Theodor Schneller Schoolor when ”Gloria, in exelsis deo” resoundsin the small culture room at Christmastime, it is not the Germans who have takenover at the school. No, it's the school choirrehearsing for Christmas. Since the2007/2008 school year, this is offered asa free time activity and the children takeit up with great enthusiasm. A musicaleducation – reading music is also taughtin the choir – is not available at school orat home.

School choir andrap in Jordan

Despite this ”gap in one's knowledge”music rates highly among the boys at theschool. In the end it is not a question ofknowing a lot or singing perfectly. It ismore about fun and the feeling of beingpart of a community. It is not rare thatat the end of school festivities, a traineegrabs the microphone and simply startsto sing. This encourages other boys withthe result that it does not take very longuntil someone gets out a drum and theothers start to dance the traditional Arabicdance, the ”dabke”, together. While theyounger children prefer to watch andclap, the older ones try to outdo eachother by dancing the most difficult step sequences.

Songs of praise for the country of Jor-dan and King Abdullah ll are extremelypopular. And whoever can listens to thelatest Arabic pop songs on his mobile orMP3 player. But listening to love songsall the time is boring. sometimes it's fun

to look around for other styles of music.This is how the fan club of Arabic rapamong the boys is gradually becominglarger. And there is also tough com-petition from the western world. Forwhen Celine Dion sings ”My heart willgo on” from the film ”Titanic”, everyonegoes soft.

Within a short period of time in Jor-dan, this musical taste, even with itsbreaks in style, has enthused and thrilledme. And so I am sitting here in from ofmy computer. In the background is themusic of Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny,and my foot – it's tapping to the rhythm.

Katrin Kaltenecker was a participant inthe ”Ecumenical Volunteer Programme”

of the EMS at the TSS from August 2007to June 2008.

Mahmud from the TSS plays guitar in his spare time.

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Our music lessons at the JohannLudwig Schneller School consistof music theory and practical

playing on instruments. The pupils canlearn the recorder, clarinet or keyboards.Every Monday morning we play the na-tional anthem on our instruments. Allthe pupils are then standing in theschoolyard. During school celebrationswe play suitable pieces we have learntduring our lessons and the boardingschool families also play musical passages.During devotions and worship servicesin church we accompany the hymnstogether with a piano and other instru-ments. Singing also plays an importantrole at school. In kindergarten we haveparties during which the children singand dance on stage.

Music gives pupils the chance toexpress themselves. One pupil who playsthe recorder once told me, for example,”Listen to this, I composed this melodymyself”. Or a girl said, ”I know the right

dance movements for this song. ”For meas music teacher, it is wonderful to seethat pupils are admired, accepted and respected by others when they play their music.

Recorder and clarinetsin Lebanon

In their spare time, many boys play theArabic drums – called the tableh or derbakeh. They learn this instrument bylistening and by imitating older players.Of course the children love listening tomusic. A lot of Arabic music, but the older they become and the more foreignlanguages they learn, the more they lis-ten to music from the West. My greatestdream for our music lessons is to foundour own choirs and bands and receivecontact from other schools.

Joseph Sleilaty has been music teacher at the JLSS since 1997.

Music pupils of the JLSS playing music with theirteacher in the open air.

MUSIC AT THE SCHNELLER SCHOOLSA look at the classroom and leisure activities

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FEATURE: MUSIC – ORGAN AND OUD

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FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT DURING THE EUROPEANFOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPSAmman. Infected by the enthusiasm forthe European Football Championshipsin June, the Theodor Schneller School inAmman organised a football tournamentwith three other Jordanian schools in co-

operation with the embassies of Switzer-land and Austria, the Goethe Instituteand the Ministry of Culture. The GoetheInstitute donated the winner's cups forthe three-day event. The Swiss ambassa-dor, Mrs Andrea Reichlin, and the Aus-trian ambassador, Mr Franz Hörlberger,emphasised that sport was an importantmeans to peace education and cross-cultural understanding.

DUAL-SYSTEM JOINER'S APPRENTICESHIP POSSIBLEKhirbet Kanafar. According to the Gesell-schaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit

(GTZ – German Technical CooperationAgency), it is possible to expand the dual-system training courses to include thejoiner's workshops at the JLSS. This willmake the JLSS into the first dual-systemtraining centre for joiners in Lebanon.Before introducing dual-system trainingfor industrial electricians, large invest-ments for equipping the electrical work-shops are required. So far, the JLSS hasprovided training for industrial fitters andcar mechanics using the dual system. Assoon as approval is given by the Ministryfor Education, the training courses forjoiners will also be rearranged.

TSS STARTS OFFICIAL VOCATIONAL TRAININGAmman. Starting this year, trainees fromoutside the school will be able to attendoccupational training courses at the TSS.The first course for welders took placewith fifteen young men. The Ministry ofLabour certified these fee-paying coursesoffered by the TSS and supplies trainees.

MORE GERMAN LESSONSKhirbet Kanafar. German lessons havetaken an important place at the JLSS du-ring the last school year. Starting in thethird grade, pupils of German receive atleast four lessons of German a week. Toassess the performance independently,twelve pupils sat a German test whichthe Goethe Institute held at the JLSS.Eleven pupils passed.

NEWS FROM THE SCHNELLER SCHOOLS

FOOTBALL SHIRTS FROM GOMEZ Khirbet Kanafar/Amman. In time forthe European football championships,the Schneller Schools received two eagerlyexpected parcels from Germany. Theycontained signed football shirts andphotos from VfB Stuttgart star footballersMario Gomez, Serdar Tasci and Andreas

Beck. Helmut Hekmann from the ma-nagement committee of the SchnellerFoundation had contacted the sportsmen(see our article in Schneller Magazine2/2008). The Johann Ludwig SchnellerSchool in Lebanon organised competi-tions in the German lessons to distributethe football trophies among the pupils.Some of the pupils wrote thank-youletters to Germany or designed presen-tation displays in German on the topicof football.

NEW KEY-FOBS Khirbet Kanafar. The joiner's workshopat the JLSS has produced a new key-fob

in the form of a dove. Another dovependant can be used for decoration or asdecorative neckwear. The pendant costs2.50 Euros. Please order from the EMS,see pages 22/23.

MEMORIES FROM SCHNELLERALUMNI Khirbet Kanafar. During preparations forthe 150th anniversary of the foundationof the Syrian Orphanage in 2010, the JLSShas set up a section for former Schnellerpupils on its website. To prevent the lossof recollections from the early years ofthe schools, the school directors requestformer pupils to write down their me-mories and submit them together withphotos. Also those who worked at theschool, their dependents and all thosewho have experiences linked to the Sy-rian Orphanage, the Schneller Schoolsand those who worked there are invitedto support the project. More atwww.jlss.org/alumni_memoirs.htm

JLSS headmaster George Haddad handsover a football shirt signed by Gomez.

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The TSS team played in German shirts and won the cup for fair play.

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for an animal, it can transfer this to theschool community and also onto its laterlife,” explains Musa Al Munaizel. A childcan also place its trust in an animal. ”Arabbit can listen, a rabbit has a soft coatand can be stroked.”

Samir, who had stroked a cat for thefirst time in his life, had another specialsurprise in store for the TSS teachers andeducational workers. After his visit to the farm he came with four of his friendsand volunteered to water the plants onsuch a hot day. It was his way of sayingthank-you. They even gave up playingthat afternoon.

Eberhard Schellenberger (Bayerischer Rundfunk

(Bavarian Broadcasting))

Children from the TSS giving a young donkey the bottle. Donkeys will also find ahome at the future petting zoo at the TSS.

All the children from the TSS wanted tohold the little cat at the farm.

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their own lives. And then we can alsoprocess the trauma they have felt as theresult of violence and aggression.”

Why does an animal abandon its young?

When a picture of a beatenanimal was shown, one childasked the speaker, ”What doesan animal feel in this situa-tion?” This child had also ex-perienced violence himself.”Why does an animal aban-don its young?” This questionwas asked by a child whosemother had no contact withhim. ”What happens to an-imals when they hunger?”was the question from a childwho comes hungry to schoolafter a long weekend becausehe has had nothing hot to eatat all. All these examples showthat animals can have a po-sitive effect when used as a motivator,says Musa Al Munaizel.

The environmental week ended witha workshop for teachers and educationalworkers. Nadia Hamam from the HCAWexplained how animal therapy can beintegrated in educational work. Theenvironmental week is only the preludefor the TSS to more in-depth trainingevents during which guests from otherschools in Jordan will be invited, as atthis workshop.

The aim is then to set up a small pet-ting zoo at the TSS in Amman with don-keys, sheep, goats, rabbits and some hens.”When a child takes over responsibility

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For the first time in his life, little Samir(name changed) just stroked a cat.Musa Al Munaizel, educational con-

sultant at the Theodor Schneller School(TSS) in Amman held his hand the firsttime, but a few minutes later, he was ableto do it alone. Samir was proud and allsmiles this morning at the farm of theHumane Center for Animal Welfare(HCAW) on the outskirts of Amman. Thewell-known Jordanian animal protectionorganisation which also has an animalclinic was this year's partner of the TSSfor the fourth school environmentalweek. With the support of the HannsSeidel Foundation (Amman office), MusaAl Munaizel intends to expand the sen-sitisation and educational programme onthe topic of ”The relationship betweenanimals and humans”.

Little Samir has witnessed violence,comes from a very difficult family back-ground but has made an enormouspersonal development step by stroking alittle cat. At the end of his visit he goesto Nadia Hamam from the HCAW andasks when he can visit the farm with hisparents. Thomas Gebhard, new managerof the Amman office of the Hanns SeidelFoundation, was also impressed by theeffect of animals on children. ”This visitwas very important and amazing. It willhave a lasting impression on me and afew other children,” says Musa Al Mu-naizel in his initial conclusion about theenvironmental week which started withslide shows by Nadia Hamam at the TSS.The photos of sick, needy and injuredanimals sparked off a lively round of ques-

tions from the children. The content ofthe questions confirms the assumptionsof the educational consultant, ”The waychildren handle animals shows what ishappening in their souls. When a childmaltreats an animal, we often find tracesof cruelty in the child's life. When wework with peace education, we must in-stil new values. We have to explain thatan animal also has feelings and feels pain.In this way we can sensitise children for

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Educational work with animals at the TSS in Amman

NEWS FROM THE SCHNELLER SCHOOLS

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SCHNELLER HISTORY

In 1860 after the pogroms againstChristians in Lebanon, the St ChrischonaPilgrim's Mission was intending to startan orphanage in the Holy Land. As a re-sult, Johann Ludwig Schneller (1820-1896) was commissioned to set up this(Syrian) orphanage in Jerusalem. Spurredon by his son Ludwig (1858-1953) hebroke the institution away from thePilgrim's Mission and placed it under thetutelage of a board of trustees in Ger-many. He was not to know that he waslaying the foundation for the completedissolution of the institution in the HolyLand. What he in fact did was he separa-ted the orphanage legally from Swissownership and placed it in German hands,with all the resulting consequences.

So it was inevitable that – after Pales-tine was transferred to the protection ofGreat Britain – inspector Theodor Schneller(1856-1935) was dismissed on 1 July 1918from his post as manager of the SyrianOrphanage which was in German hands.It was a concession by the British civil-ian government appointed by the Leagueof Nations that he was allowed to resumehis office in July 1921 supported by the

November 1951: A lorry transports thechurch bells from the Syrian Orphanage tothe Mount of Olives to hand them over tothe Lutheran World Federation.

”Evangelical Association for the SyrianOrphanage” in Cologne.

The attitude of the orphanage man-agers towards National Socialism was am-bivalent after Hitler's seize to power in1933. Rev Ludwig Schneller did not jointhe NSDAP in Cologne whereas hisnephews Ernst and Hermann belongedto the political leadership of the ”NSDAPLocal Group” in Jerusalem. As a result,the first conflicts in Palestine between

THE SYRIAN ORPHANAGE AND THE FOUNDING OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL IN 1948

As announced in Schneller Magazine2/2008 featuring ”60 years of Israel!And what about Palestine?” Dr JakobEisler, scientific co-worker at theArchives of the Regional Church inStuttgart (Landeskirchliches ArchivStuttgart) and Arno G. Krauss willprovide an insight in this article intothe events that took place at the Syrian Orphanage at the time of thefounding of the state of Israel.

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A trip to Jordan and Lebanonorganised by the Swiss supportorganisation took place in April.Only a few days before the out-

break of civil war conflicts, theeleven members of the group re-turned to Switzerland. Apprenticemedia technicians Lukas Gut andLuca Lehner were also part of thegroup. During their stay at theJohann Ludwig Schneller Schoolin Lebanon, they checked thehardware and software in thetraining workshops, made updatesand carried out other maintenancework. Their hard work was highlyappreciated by the school staff.The association hopes to repeatvisits and practical trips of thiskind in future. More atwww.schnellerschulen.org.

Luca Lehner and Lukas Gut (from right to left) working on computers at the JLSS. Left:Christoph Schmitter, associationpresident.

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Invitation to the annual general meeting of theEvangelical Association for the Schneller Schools(EVS) at the Evangelical Saviour's Congregationin Stuttgart-Nord.

10:00: • Worship service with guest pastor

Rev George Haddad, headmaster of the Johann Ludwig Schneller School in Lebanon

11:30: • Annual general meeting with reports

from the Schneller Schools • Statement of accounts by the chairman • By-election of a member for the Board

of Trustees of the Schneller Foundation – Education for Peace. Followed by lunch

14:00:Experience reports:• One year at the Schneller Schools: Events –

Experiences – Insights Former ecumenical volunteers relate their experiences

• Nine years as a pastor in Lebanon: pastor and crisis managerThe Weltziens, a married pastor couple, talk about their time at the Evangelical congregation in Beirut

16:15:• Closing remarks and blessing for the

return journey

EVS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGON SUNDAY, 16 NOVEMBER

• The public is permitted to attend the events. The EVS welcomes all those who are interested!

• Only members of the association are eligible to vote.

How to get to the ”Erlöserkirche” (Church of Our Saviour), Birkenwaldstrasse 24, from the main stationby public transport:• With U-Bahn (metro) lines 5, 6, 7, 15 one stationto Türlenstrasse (direction Mönchfeld, Gerlingen,Killesberg, Zuffenhausen). Five minutes on foot upthe hill.• With the 44 bus two stops to Postdörfle (directionKillesberg). Two minutes on foot down the hill.

20 21

man strong division of the then Jewishmilitia(Haganah) moved in. After foun-dation of the State of Israel the groundscontinued to be used as barracks.

In 1951, negotiations started betweenthe State of Israel and the Lutheran WorldFederation concerning the restitution ofproperties belonging to German missionsocieties. The Israeli army removed thesacred objects from the church in the Syr-ian Orphanage, the church windows andthe orphanage library and handed themover to the Lutheran World Federationin the Auguste Victoria Foundation onthe Mount of Olives. A dozen lorries leftthe grounds of the orphanage in 1951.

Five lorries contained only booksand paintings. The Israeli army alsoremoved the church bells and thelarge organ and handed them overto the Lutheran World Federation.Part of the archives and schoolbookscame through Hermann Schnellerto Khirbet Kanafar in Lebanonwhere the Johann Ludwig SchnellerSchool was officially opened in1952. The glass windows stored atthe Auguste Victoria Foundationwere brought to the newly foundedTheodor Schneller School in Am-man in 1961 and installed there. Alarge part of the library was kept inthe cellars of the Auguste VictoriaFoundation on the Mount of Olivesbut was destroyed by water damagein 1965. Only a small part of the library and the remainders of thearchives reached the Archives of the Regional Church in Stuttgart

(Landeskirchliche Archiv Stuttgart) inStuttgart in 1980 which is the repositoryof the archive of the Syrian Orphanageand the present-day Schneller Schools.

The Landeskirchliche Archiv containing the Schneller Archive is located in Stuttgart-Möhringen. They are open to visitors for research purposes. Interested parties are requested to apply at tel.: 0711 21 49 -373or archiv@elk-wue.de. Together with theEVS the Landeskirchliche Archiv is planning to organise events to celebrate the150th anniversary of the Schneller Schoolsin the year 2010.

remaining in Palestine (priests, dea-conesses and Templers, among them theBauer family) were first interned in theSyrian Orphanage and later in the Tem-pler colony of Wilhelma. The Syrian Orphanage and its grounds were expro-priated as enemy property by the Englishmandatory government and were usedas barracks until 1948.

In July 1941, the British repatriatedthe older persons and women while about310 persons from the internment campwere transferred by ship to Australia.Among them was Hermann Schneller. Anew internment camp was set up for themin Tatura, Australia. Leonhard Bauer andhis daughter were released at the begin-ning of March 1948 (his wife Maria, néeSchneller, died in 1946) and they movedimmediately to Lebanon. The British leftthe Syrian Orphanage they had occupiedon 17 March 1948 and shortly after a 50-

the Jewish immigrantsfleeing from Naziterror in Europe andthe members of theNSDAP in Jerusalemwere preprogrammed.During these years itwas considered sellingthe orphanage in Jeru-salem and purchasinga site near Bethlehemfor a new ”Syrian Or-phanage”. This planfailed to materialisesince the war broke outin 1939.

At the end of August1939, the German con-sulate advised all Germans in Palestineto leave because of the imminent threatof war. Many used this last opportunityto board the ship leaving the port of Haifafor Germany on 31 August. On 2 Septem-ber 1939, the German army marched intoPoland and on 3 September Great Britaindeclared war on Germany. For the co-workers who remained at the SyrianOrphanage the subsequent actions of theBritish mandatory powers in Jerusalemnaturally had drastic personal conse-quences. Headmaster Hermann Schnellerand senior teacher Leonhard Bauer (1865-1964) were provisionally impris-oned in Christ Church and then in theprison of Akko, while school lessons atthe Syrian Orphanage were continued byArab co-workers almost without inter-ruptions. On 15 October, Leonhard Bauerwas released from the Akko prison dueto his age (74 years old) after several en-treaties. On 25 May 1940, he gave his lastschool lesson and the Syrian Orphanagein Jerusalem was closed. The Germans

SCHNELLER HISTORY

The organ was carried out of the orphanage.

Loading the organ in November 1951

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MAGDALENA SCHNELLERWINE, CHARDONNAY (WHITE),2002This Chardonnay grows at

an altitude of 1000 meters

and is matured in young oak

casks.

Magdalena Schneller was the

wife of the founder of the

Syrian Orphanage in

Jerusalem.

1 bottle, 0.75 lOrder No. 42150 11.90 €

3 bottlesOrder No. 42153 33.00 €

6 bottlesOrder No. 42156 63.00 €

JOHANN LUDWIG SCHNELLERWINE, CUVÉE (RED), 2005The special quality wine

from Cabernet-Sauvignon,

Syrah and Carignan blends

fruity aromas with those of

wood and vanilla.

1 bottle, 0.75 lOrder No. 42101 7.20 €

6 bottlesOrder No. 42106 42.50 €

12 bottlesOrder No. 42112 85.00 €

(if sold out, we will supply

the next vintage)

ORDER PHONE +49 711 636 78 71/72

PLEASE SEND YOUR ORDER TOEMS | Vogelsangstr. 62 | 70197 Stuttgart

Phone: +49(0)711 636 78 -71/ 72Fax: +49(0)711 636 78 -55E-mail: info@ems-online.org

All prices are excluding postage and packing.

DOVE PENDANTDOVE KEY-FOB

Beechwood products manufactured

at the joinery of the Johann Ludwig

Schneller School in Lebanon.

Dove pendantOrder No. 41107 2.50 €

Dove key-fobOrder No. 41106 2.50 €

FISH KEY-FOB

Manufactured by the trainees

of the Johann Ludwig Schneller School

in Lebanon.

Order No. 41102 2.00 €

OLIVE OIL SOAP

Handmade according to an

ancient tradition, made of

pure olive oil and soda ash.

The olives grow on the land of

the Theodor Schneller School

in Amman, Jordan. Packed in

attractive brocade bag.

Piece 100gOrder No. 46210 2.90 €

Refill in cellophane bag

4 x 100gOrder No. 46212 6.80 €

GIVE A GIFT OF JOY FROM SCHNELLER!

NEW

T SHIRT WITH DOVE OF PEACE The motif represents the Arabic word ”salaam”

in the shape of a dove.

The T-shirts in white and green are

available in sizes S, M, L, and XL.

The green shirts have been made as

part of a women's project in Ramallah

and cost 12,00 € each.

Size green white

S Order No. 43101 43105M Order No. 43102 43106L Order No. 43103 43107XL Order No. 43104 43108

The five SiMO students (from left to right)Hanna Reichel, Simon Weber, Jadwiga Mahling, Ulrike Spring, Sebastian Weiß with their Islam teacher on the day of their graduation

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we sued to say sarcastically – is bound toleave its mark on you. You realise the price-less value of peace in a completely differ-ent way. You come to value things we takefor granted in Germany more, such ashealth insurance or social benefits. On theother hand, you also learn that it is pos-sible to live under different circumstances.

What did the study year teach you theologically?Reichel: I acquired a solid basic under-standing about Islam. Theologically,working together with people from to-tally different churches taught me a lot.Discussions widened my perspectives onwhat Christianity is all about, but it alsochallenged my own position.

What new impulses will you take into your church life in Germany?Spring: For me it was very interesting toexperience the Christian presence in theMiddle East, in particular in Lebanon.Here, the slogan seems to be ”showingyour colours”. Many churches have anilluminated 3D cross at the highest pointof the church; there is a fish at the backof the car; inside there are various Chris-tian symbols, and most Christians weara cross around their neck. Christians herehave a different self-awareness and reli-gious affiliation is also a mark of youridentity. It became clear to me that thechurches in the Middle East are often for-gotten by the churches in the West orthey feel themselves neglected.

How would you encourage theologystudents in Germany to want to takepart in SiMO?Spring: Just wanting to is not enough, inmy opinion. Instead you should read upon the history and find out what is go-

ing on today in Lebanon and the neigh-bouring countries, and also about thepossible incidents, shootings, conflictsthat are similar to civil war, as we foundout in May 2008, or even bear in mindthe possibility of war. Lebanon is a won-derful country and from there you cantravel to Syria or Jordan.Reichel: Besides academic specialisationin Islam and Eastern Churches, the pro-gramme offers a change of perspective:living together with theologians and non-theologians from totally differentcountries, denominations and cultures,Christianity can be experienced in a waythat is not European, not Western andabove all not as a majority culture. I wouldsay to any one interested that SiMO of-fers a great opportunity and challenge atcultural, theological and personal levels.

Information on thestudy programme”Study in the MiddleEast” and detailed re-ports from the two for-mer SiMO students Ul-rike Spring and HannaReichel are availableon the EMS websiteatwww.ems-online.org/ 159.html. EMS Middle East Liaison Officer AndreasMaurer is available for questions at tel.:0711 636 78 -37 or maurer@ems-online.org. Closing date for applications for Study Year2009/2010 is 15 December 2008.

the chapel for devotions. Of course therewas tension now and then. When youlive together with people from the Mid-dle East for long, you notice how deeplythey are rooted in their culture, their as-sociated system of values and their rulesof behaviour. Honour and insults to aperson's honour or how to deal with hi-erarchies are things that German studentsmust become aware of.

Did your time in Lebanon change you? Spring: Of course a year in a totally differ-ent country at a university with a totallydifferent teaching system and finally acity with an ”explosive atmosphere” – as

CHRISTIANS AND THE MIDDLE EAST

What experiences do you remembermostduring your study year? Spring: The close-knit living and studycommunity at the NEST. Every day afterlunch, for example, we drank ”ahwe”(Arabic espresso), which integrates new-comers or guests into the community. Be-fore lunch on work days, we all met in

THE STUDY PROGRAMME ”STUDY IN THE MIDDLE EAST”

For the past eight years, studentsfrom Germany have had the opportu-nity to spend a year studying at theNear East School of Theology (NEST)in Beirut, Lebanon as part of thestudy programme entitled ”Study inthe Middle East” (SiMO). Ulrike Spingand Hanna Reichel were at the NESTfrom October 2007 to June 2008. Andrea Aippersbach asked themabout their experiences.

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OLD ”SCHNELLERHOF” IN NAZARETHTel Aviv (EMS). According to the Israeliarchitect Gil Gordon, the municipal authorities in Nazareth are willing to keepthe former Galilean orphanage in Naza-reth. Of the buildings started in 1910,there are still three houses in need of ren-ovation standing on a site measuring 80Ar (about one fifth of an acre). From 1928to 1939, the Galilean orphanage was afurther Schneller institution in additionto the Syrian Orphanage and vocationalschool for 30 orphans. After that time,the site was taken over by British troopsand was finally used by the Israeli mili-tary until 1995. The land on the westernmountain ridge of the town is regardedas ”grounds for public buildings”.

LÄHNEMANN DISTINGUISHEDStuttgart (EMS). The Islam Archivein Soest has awarded the Mo-hammed Nafi Chelebi Peace Prizeto Professor Johannes Lähnemann,retired religious educator and mem-ber of the EVS management board.The prize pays tribute to Lähne-mann's efforts to introduce Islamic religious instruction in Germany.

CHURCHES FROM 40 COUN-TRIES PARTICIPATED INMIDDLE EAST ACTION WEEK

Genf (EMS). Churches in over 40countries participated in this year'sweek of ”International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel”organised by the WCC (World Councilof Churches). Peace prayers, seminars,concerts and festivals were some of theevents that took place between 4 and 10June. A ”human clock” in Bethlehemcommemorated the 60 years since the”nakba” (flight and expulsion of thePalestinians). In Australia, church lead-ers distributed a „toolbox to raise aware-ness“ in their congregations.

A cross- party parliamentary groupcomposed of representatives of the Chris-tian, Jewish and Muslim faiths met inScotland. In Germany, Pax Christi andthe Association of Churches and Missionsin South Western Germany among oth-ers spread the WCC's call for ”It's timefor Palestine”.

The buildings of the former Galilean orphanage are to be refurbished.

dom and machine guns often supplymore convincing arguments than thepath of reconciliation, said Badr.

Bishop Dawani reported about the interreligious commitment of leaders ofthe three major religions in Jerusalem.The aim of monthly meetings betweenChristians, Jews and Muslims was, amongother things, to convince politicians of the necessity of teaching peace educa-tion in schools. Dawani also discussedthe extremely difficult situation of people living in the Gaza Strip. His church supports the Ahli Arab Hospitalthere that offers free treatment twice aweek. As inhabitant of Jerusalem, the”City of the Resurrection and Hope”, hestill looked into the future with hope,said Dawani. He wished that many for-eign travel groups would visit Christiansin the region.

EXPATRIATION FROM JERUSALEMJerusalem (EMS). The Israeli governmenthas tightened up the laws concerning theexpatriation of Christian and Muslim in-habitants of Jerusalem. Whoever livesabroad can now be expatriated with im-mediate effect. So far it was allowed to liveup to seven years abroad. Of the 9,000Palestinian Christians in Jerusalem, 15 per-cent will therefore be expatriated despitethe fact that they were born in Jerusalem,warns the Holy Land Christian Ecumeni-cal Foundation. The international com-munity and the churches must act quicklyto defuse this policy. Whereas non-Jewsare expatriated, Jews can immediately obtain Israeli nationality no matter wherethey were born or what other nationali-ties they hold.

PEACE EDUCATION HAS PRIORITYStuttgart (EMS). During the EMS Mis-sion Council in June, Bishop SuheilDawani from the Anglican diocese inJerusalem and Rev Habib Badr from theNational Evangelical Church of Beirutemphasised the importance of peace education both at the Schneller Schools

and in other schools under the sponsor-ship the two churches. Of the roughly15,000 pupils attending Protestantschools in Lebanon, more than 95% areMuslim, explained Badr. Working withchildren is the key to a peace loving so-ciety, particularly since inner-Muslimconflicts between Shiites and Sunnis areon the increase. Despite the fact theLebanon has now formed a government,there is still no peace. Conflicts, martyr-

Habib Badr (left) and Bishop Suheil Dawaniduring their visit to Germany

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Volume 123, Issue 3, September 2008

Publisher: Evangelischer Verein für die Schneller-Schulen e.V. withinthe Evangelisches Missionswerk in Südwestdeutschland e.V. (EvangelicalAssociation of the Schneller Schoolswithin the Association of Churches andMissions in South Western Germany)

Editors: Andrea Aippersbach (chief editor), Andreas Maurer, Birte Petersen, Wiltrud Rösch-MetzlerEditorial assistant: Margrit BachLayout: Steffen Grashoff, Julia Theilmann

Address: Vogelsangstrasse 62, 70197 StuttgartTel.: +49(0)711 636 78 0 Fax: +49(0)711 636 78 45 E-mail: evs@ems-online.org www.evs-online.org

Seat of the Association: Stuttgart

Printers: J.F. Steinkopf Druck GmbH,Stuttgart, circulation: 15,800

Contact address in Switzerland:Christoph Schmitter, Schönauweg 4, CH 3007 BernSwiss Association for the Schneller Schools in the Middle East Zurich. PC Account 40-11277-8www.schnellerschulen.org

A pay-in slip with an imprinted receipt for donations is attached to a limited edition.

The Schneller Magazine is publishedfour times a year. The purchase price isincluded in the EVS membership fee.

IMPRINT

EVS INTERNAL

ERRATUM

AcknowledgementWe wish to acknowledge with many thanksthe receipt of donations from unknowndonors and those who do not wish for indi-vidual thanks as well as those whose nameswere unfortunately illegible.

DeceasedThe following male and female friends of the work of the Evangelical Association forthe Schneller Schools (EVS) have departedfrom us:

Ursula Bender, 76199 Karlsruhe

Maria Dürr, 71229 Leonberg

Charlotte Essich, 72076 Tübingen

Helene Fröhlich, 73655 Plüdershausen

Karoline Ott, 81479 München

In Schneller Magazine 1/2008, page 20: Hartmut Brenner, EVS member of the man-agement board, is doctor of theology and wasordained pastor, not a religious educator.

Referring to the article ”From the or-phanage to conductor's stands aroundthe world” which appeared inSchneller Magazine 3/2007:Thank you very much for the tributeyou paid to me on the occasion of my85th birthday. I pray to the dear Lordfor Johann Ludwig, Theodor and Her-mann Schneller, that He will grantthem His eternal blessing and peace. Aformer pupil of the Schneller schools inNazareth where I learned my first Ger-man lullaby by Franz Schubert and thenin Jerusalem discovered my love for or-gan music by Pachelbel and Johann Se-bastian Bach.

Conductor Ogan Durjan'narc, Erevan, Armenia

Dear Reader,We are delighted with your feedback to the Schneller Magazine. Due to thelack of space we reserve the right toedit your letters.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

28

CHURCHES AS ALLIANCEPARTNERS

Bad Boll (EMS). Bad Boll (EMS). Therewere calls for the initiatives of the Ecu-menical Council of Churches for a justpeace in Israel and Palestine to be inten-sified by the German churches. This iswhat over 80 participants demanded atthe conference ”Pilgrims, sponsors andalliance partners - churches within theIsrael/Palestine conflict” at the Evangeli-cal Academy in Bad Boll in June. Amongthe actions were three months of volun-tary service in Palestine and Israel offeredby the EMS and Pax Christi, among oth-ers, and which have already been carriedout by over 500 volunteers. The Evangel-ical Church in Germany (EKD) acceptedthe initiatives of the WCC with reserva-tions, said Regional Bishop JohannesFriedrich, President of the EvangelischeMittelostkommission (Evangelical Mid-dle East Commission). Criticism of ”TheAmman Call”, which is the platform forIsrael/Palestine work of the WCC, cen-tres on the fact that the WCC also fore-sees economic measures against the Is-raeli policy of occupation and supportsthe right of return of Palestinians.

Referring to the article ”The last toleave the Syrian Orphanage in 1940”in Schneller Magazine 1/2008: I am extremely grateful for this short re-sume. I hope with God's will that I amstill alive in 2010 and that I can cometo Germany to celebrate the 150th an-niversary with you and even give a talkon my reminiscences. Today is my 89thbirthday.

Former Schneller pupil Yeghia Yeghiayan, Montreal, Canada

Evangelical Association for the Schneller Schools (EVS),

Member of the Association of Churches and Missionsin South Western Germany (EMS)

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"PRAISE HIM WITH TAMBOURINES AND DANCING. PRAISE HIM WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS AND FLUTES." PSALM 150:4