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Middle East Peacebuilder to Visit EMU/JMU

Elias Chacour, renowned Christian-Palestinian-Israeli ambassador for peace

Elias Chacour, a renowned Christian-Palestinian-Israeli ambassador for peace, will make a visit to Eastern Mennonite University and James Madison University in late October, sponsored by EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP).

"In Archbishop Chacour, we are getting a peacemaker with a world-wide reputation as well as a vibrant speaker who can transform his listeners," said Ruth Zimmerman, CJP co-director. "We are very fortunate indeed."

For more than 30 years Chacour has been an international advocate for Middle East peace through non-violent action and education. Chacour has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times (1986, 1989 and 1994) and has won major peace awards from Japanese, Italian, European and religious organizations.

He is president and founder of Mar Elias Educational Institutions in the Galilee area of northern Israel. The school system serves 3,000 young people, aged kindergarten through college, from the major faith traditions in that area of the world – Muslims (52% of the enrollment), Christians (44%), Druze (2.5%), and Jews (1.5%).

Humble Beginnings

Born in British-ruled Palestine in 1939, Chacour and his family became homeless in 1947 when all residents of their Christian-Palestinian village were evicted by Israeli authorities. Jewish settlers later hired his father and brothers to pick figs from trees they had planted when the land was theirs.

Chacour’s world-wide recognition has come, in part, because he has declined to react to the humiliation and suffering of his people by violently striking back, thereby perpetuating the cycle of victimization and vengeance.

A citizen of Israel, Chacour earned a B.A. in theology and Bible studies at a seminary and university in Paris. He was the first Palestinian Arab to earn a higher degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He holds a doctorate from the University of Geneva.

Last February, Chacour was elevated to the rank of archbishop in the Melkite Catholic Church. The Melkite Catholics are part of the worldwide Catholic Church; for centuries they were known as Eastern (Byzantine) or Greek Catholics. Since the beginning of the 18th century they have recognized the authority of the Roman Pope and have tended to follow his guidance in church matters. Yet they retain their own liturgical style and use the Arabic language or that of the local areas they serve.

As archbishop, Chacour is the head of the largest Christian community in Israel with a flock of more than 50,000 members in the northern region. A number of the cities, towns and villages under Chacour's pastoral care were hit by rockets during the recent Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

"I plan to work for reconciliation and dialogue among the three religions of the Holy Land," Chacour told The Jerusalem Post after his appointment as archbishop was announced. "I hope to be a moderating voice in the conflict that has spilled too much blood."

Best-Selling Author

Father Chacour is the author of two best-selling books: "Blood Brothers" on his life’s journey and "We Belong to the Land" on his Mar Elias Educational Institutions.

Mar Elias College is an accredited branch campus of the University of Indianapolis. Frequent collaborators of Chacour’s include the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Methodist Church, which conferred its prestigious World Methodist Peace Award on him in 1994.

Chacour will speak at EMU’s Lehman Auditorium at 10 a.m. on "The Beatitudes as Jesus Taught Them" and at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 on "Faith: Source of Conflict or Peace." He will address the topic, "Is Peace Possible in the Middle East" at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 in JMU’s Health and Human Services building, room 2301. Admission to each of these events is free, thanks to support from Lilly Endowment.

Donations will be accepted for Chacour’s educational institutions.

More information is available at . JMU contact information is ; 540-568-6137.

— article by: Bonnie Price Lofton; posted September 22, 2006