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Ha'aretz, Israel
Dec 30 2011
Churches in Israel struggling to keep up with mass influx of foreign workers
While the number of Christians with roots in Israel is on the decline,
temporary residents are flocking to local services in record numbers.
By Julia Niemann
Shifting demographics are changing the landscape of Israel's Christian
communities as an influx of migrant workers poses a new set of demands
for local churches.
While the number of Christians with roots in Israel - including
Arabic, Ethiopian, Coptic, Greek and Armenian Christians - is
diminishing due to immigration, statistics show the overall population
of Christians remains steady due to the arrival of many foreign
workers. In fact, the churches themselves appear to be growing.
But in many cases, the additional membership is only temporary. Many
of these foreign workers eventually leave Israel, either after they've
made enough money to return home or when their visas expire.
This shift in demographics is evident in the Masses at two Roman
Catholic churches in Jaffa. While St. Anthony and St. Peter offer only
two Masses in Arabic for the town's native Arab Christian population,
they now offer four Saturday Masses in English.
Those services are attended primarily by Filipina caregivers.
Additional services are also offered in Spanish and French for African
migrants, and several are offered in South Asian languages. St. Peter
holds a service in Hebrew for more fully assimilated Christian
children and Russian immigrants.
Father Ramzi Sidawi - an Arab Catholic from Jerusalem and the parish
priest in Jaffa - says the presence of foreign workers poses a unique
challenge for the community. Some, he said, try to prove paternity or
seek baptism for children without papers. Recently, he said, a woman
visited his office who had a visa for only two days.
"They gave it to her on the 13th of December and it [expired] on the
15th," he said, shaking his head. "But somehow these people manage.
Nobody knows how many there are, but they also provide cheap labor in
jobs no Israeli wants to do."
Sidawi said his community has about 1,000 Arab Christians and about 20
times as many church members who hail from other backgrounds; in most
cases they come from the Philippines. A separate church near Tel
Aviv's Central Bus Station also caters specifically to Filipino
church-goers.
"The language does make a difference," said Sidawi. In some cases
Indians and Filipinos are able to follow along in shared services, he
said; sometimes they understand Spanish.
"That is why," Sidawi explains, "there is little contact among them
beyond shared Masses on Christmas and other festivals: 80 to 90
percent remain in their own communities."
Non-Arab church-goers in Jaffa tend to live elsewhere, he said, mainly
in districts in south Tel Aviv with many foreign workers. These
workers typically bus to church.
"I have been living here for 30 years now," said Shirley, a Filipino
immigrant whose son is a altar server at St. Anthony.
"We are very warm and friendly with each other in this church," she
said, noting that Arab church-goers often keep to themselves.
Shirley said her community has changed drastically due to deportation
over the past 10 years. Sidawi also has noticed a change. He recalls
the many Romanian foreign workers who once lived and worked in Israel
in the early 1990s. "They all vanished," he said.
Provost Uwe Grabe of Jerusalem's Church of the Redeemer now speaks of
"a completely new Christianity in the Holy Land." It remains unclear
whether, in the long run, it will be possible to create a dialogue
between the old and new communities, he said. If not, he said they
risk becoming disconnected, fragmented islands - a trend he foresees
happening in the future to West Bank Christians.
According to Grabe, Christian emigration from the West Bank is causing
a continuous decrease in the number of Arab church-goers. Eventually
there will only be a few communities left around the holy sites, he
warns.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/anglo-file/churches-in-israel-struggling-to-keep-up-with-mass-influx-of-foreign-workers-1.404520
Dec 30 2011
Churches in Israel struggling to keep up with mass influx of foreign workers
While the number of Christians with roots in Israel is on the decline,
temporary residents are flocking to local services in record numbers.
By Julia Niemann
Shifting demographics are changing the landscape of Israel's Christian
communities as an influx of migrant workers poses a new set of demands
for local churches.
While the number of Christians with roots in Israel - including
Arabic, Ethiopian, Coptic, Greek and Armenian Christians - is
diminishing due to immigration, statistics show the overall population
of Christians remains steady due to the arrival of many foreign
workers. In fact, the churches themselves appear to be growing.
But in many cases, the additional membership is only temporary. Many
of these foreign workers eventually leave Israel, either after they've
made enough money to return home or when their visas expire.
This shift in demographics is evident in the Masses at two Roman
Catholic churches in Jaffa. While St. Anthony and St. Peter offer only
two Masses in Arabic for the town's native Arab Christian population,
they now offer four Saturday Masses in English.
Those services are attended primarily by Filipina caregivers.
Additional services are also offered in Spanish and French for African
migrants, and several are offered in South Asian languages. St. Peter
holds a service in Hebrew for more fully assimilated Christian
children and Russian immigrants.
Father Ramzi Sidawi - an Arab Catholic from Jerusalem and the parish
priest in Jaffa - says the presence of foreign workers poses a unique
challenge for the community. Some, he said, try to prove paternity or
seek baptism for children without papers. Recently, he said, a woman
visited his office who had a visa for only two days.
"They gave it to her on the 13th of December and it [expired] on the
15th," he said, shaking his head. "But somehow these people manage.
Nobody knows how many there are, but they also provide cheap labor in
jobs no Israeli wants to do."
Sidawi said his community has about 1,000 Arab Christians and about 20
times as many church members who hail from other backgrounds; in most
cases they come from the Philippines. A separate church near Tel
Aviv's Central Bus Station also caters specifically to Filipino
church-goers.
"The language does make a difference," said Sidawi. In some cases
Indians and Filipinos are able to follow along in shared services, he
said; sometimes they understand Spanish.
"That is why," Sidawi explains, "there is little contact among them
beyond shared Masses on Christmas and other festivals: 80 to 90
percent remain in their own communities."
Non-Arab church-goers in Jaffa tend to live elsewhere, he said, mainly
in districts in south Tel Aviv with many foreign workers. These
workers typically bus to church.
"I have been living here for 30 years now," said Shirley, a Filipino
immigrant whose son is a altar server at St. Anthony.
"We are very warm and friendly with each other in this church," she
said, noting that Arab church-goers often keep to themselves.
Shirley said her community has changed drastically due to deportation
over the past 10 years. Sidawi also has noticed a change. He recalls
the many Romanian foreign workers who once lived and worked in Israel
in the early 1990s. "They all vanished," he said.
Provost Uwe Grabe of Jerusalem's Church of the Redeemer now speaks of
"a completely new Christianity in the Holy Land." It remains unclear
whether, in the long run, it will be possible to create a dialogue
between the old and new communities, he said. If not, he said they
risk becoming disconnected, fragmented islands - a trend he foresees
happening in the future to West Bank Christians.
According to Grabe, Christian emigration from the West Bank is causing
a continuous decrease in the number of Arab church-goers. Eventually
there will only be a few communities left around the holy sites, he
warns.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/anglo-file/churches-in-israel-struggling-to-keep-up-with-mass-influx-of-foreign-workers-1.404520