The Writing on the Wall: A PSE Blog Testimony

From the Holy Land Trust website: Tuesday, 06 July 2010

How Palestine Summer Encounter led to a photoblog and new fabric designs for an artistic pair of travelers.

After having heard about the Palestine Summer Encounter program through friends, Jonathan and Amanda Apgar knew that they wanted to try coming to Bethlehem for a summer.
Jonathan and Amanda are from Long Beach, California, and have been married for four years. Jonathan has a BFA in fine arts and is going to grad school to continue his studies. Amanda has a BA in modern Jewish studies and a minor in Middle East studies, as well as a degree in Fashion Design. While the pair have done a good deal of travelling, neither had been to Palestine before, and both wanted to learn more firsthand.

During their time with the Palestine Summer Encounter program, the couple took part both together and separately, with Amanda working with Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans, while Jonathan was busy assisting with the Public Relations department at Holy Land Trust. Like all PSE participants, they attended lectures, stayed with local Palestinian families, took group trips across the country, attended Arab language classes, and socialized with locals and international participants alike. The two also found time to contribute in their own unique way. Jonathan, a graphic artist, created a stunning blog to document the artwork on the Separation Wall, as well as adding his own artwork to it. To help reach a younger tourist market, Amanda sketched templates for new designs for a women’s handicraft group in a West Bethlehem village.

Sadly, the two could only stay for a month, but left happy and fulfilled with their time spent in the Holy Land.

“It was great,” Jonathan stated in an email after returning home to California. “Our goals were accomplished, especially when we realized that we could help out using our various skills. We’ve got stories that will last a lifetime.”

While travelling to Palestine is not a decision taken lightly by anyone, for Jonathan and Amanda, it was also a family decision: they are expecting their first child later this year. It may be a while before the three of them return, but their time with us in the region will certainly not be forgotten.

Visit Jonathan’s blog (http://writingonthewallbethlehem.blogspot.com/) and say hello from all of us at Holy Land Trust; artists and fabric designers seeking to help our work are always welcome to email us on how to get plugged into the Holy Land Trust network!