Customer Reviews

Blood Brothers

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This book is a very touching recount of the life of a Palestinian Arab and his memories of being expelled from his village when the Jews took over Israel and the hardships that took on his life after the fact. While Chacour does give these painful accounts of the life he has had to face, he in no way is bitter or hateful because of them. On the contrary, he offers possible solutions to the conflicts while explaining his side of the story and providing a great deal of history. Chacour tells his readers about the prejudices that were placed against him by the Jews in Israel and Europeans or all religions. He was made to leave the home he and his family had known for thousands of years and then had to read in history books that it never happened! He explains how these experiences led him to God. The story then moves on to explaining his struggles with the Israeli government to gain rights for his people.

I have had the extreme honor of meeting Elias Chacour after I read this book. I stayed with him in his village of Ibillin in Galilee. While there we spoke every evening, often late into the night about the struggles and hardships that both sides have faced in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is very committed to doing everything he can to better his people's situations while also defending the Jews and their claim to the land as well. He in no way is anti-Israel, or anti-Jew. As he says, we all come from the same God, from the same Mother and Father, and from the same land.

I saw the ruins of his village, which he is not allowed to move back to. I saw the graves of his mother and father. I saw the church that he describes so well as the place that saved him. But, more importantly, I saw a new side of this conflict. I no longer saw the Arabs as savages and terrorists that were trying to steal the land from the Jews, but rather as a race of people who is enduring the same oppression that the Jews faced for centuries.

Elias Chacour is a holy man who just wants peace between these two races. This book is telling a side of the story that so often is hidden from the Western World. If you a person who is interested in opening his/her eyes to the real issues that are stopping peace from becoming reality and not just an ideal - then you need to read this book.

Chacour transports the reader into his experience as a Palestinian child growing up amidst the turmoil of Zionist takeover in Israel. The experience of his family's diaspora and his personal journey from an exile living far from his destroyed home to his education in Europe to his return home to help sow the seeds of peace according to the Christian tradition prescribed in the Beatitudes.

This book shows a side to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that is far too often untold or dismissed. It is the side of the exiled, those forced off their land to create the modern nation of Israel. In no way is this book a polemical jab against the Jewish nation, rather it is the true story of a Christian Palestinian working within Israel to create a peaceful land where all are truly welcomed and are safe.

This is a must read for all. It will open your eyes.

If you want to really understand the Palestinian-Israeli conflict -here is your chance. Told not from a sociopolitical perspective but a human and personal point-of-view, you will appreciate the conflict in ways you never could from the nightly news or a text book. Before reading this book, I had no idea that Palestinian Christians existed or that so many of them lived in Palestine before the Zionists expelled them. This is a story that the mainstream American media does not want you to read. I first read this as required reading in a course on the Middle East. Years later, I still recommend it to all of my intellectual friends. This story is essential in understanding the roots of the Israeli-Palestinain conflict. That written, this book is not just a history, but a moving story of a great man of peace and love.

"... And now for, the rest of the story." How often do we rush to take sides in conflict before giving earnest ear to each side?

Here, in "Blood Brothers," the author invites his readers to consider the viewpoint of the native Semitic peoples in the land of Jesus.

Elias Chacour then takes us beyond all "Us v. Them" kind of thinking to help us remember that its really "Just Us," just us fellow human beings living before the God of Peace.

His life story unfolds as a root from dry ground that grows to become a shady, fruitbearing tree: (the ministerial ambition of many Christians). Recounted is his personal development from victimized aid-recipient to aid-distributing catalyst for peaceful human progress amidst tumults that have turned many to support either terrorism or tyranny.

He begins as a ten year old farm boy in pre-war Palestine - and he writes so plainly, movingly, that a ten year old boy could enjoy it, too. (I have a certain 10 year old in mind to give it). He speaks endearingly of his honorable Christian parents and the family's endurance of the upheavels that led to the state of modern Israel. Chacour then recounts his years in church-sponsored boarding school (an orphanage for refugees), then college, then seminary, and later, as a pastor in Galilee and a student at Hebrew University. His original church assignment in Ibillin, Galilee has grown to include an association of schools - from kindergarten to college, gifted programs to the Arab Christian Israeli University.

I am moved with admiration by Elias Chacour's championing of a way out of the Terrorism vs Tyranny. He shows the way of peace through Biblical education, the Way of The Prince of Peace in the very land of Jesus. If everyone there were to adopt Chacour's attitude & example, the Middle East would become once again a wonderful place to visit, a wonderful place to live.

James 3:18
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by them that make peace.



** PS: Not to be found are any hint of reference to Hilarion Capucci, Naim Ateek, Michael Sabbah, Hanan Ashrawi, nor to Marcionites, nor the Koran, nor to any support of terror, nor vilification of Jews, etc. The book gently asserts -from first to last- that we are all, through it all, brothers from the same blood enduring against the evil of militarism.

The book known as "Blood Brothers" continues to fascinate readers from around the globe. It has been translated to 28 languages and has entered the private rooms of powerful politicians as well as the poor dwellings of refugees.

What is so captivating about this book? Is it its picturesque language or its well organized content? Is it the fame of Father Elias Chacour or the interesting details of his biography? It seems to me that the book could have straight A's for its linguistic and literary strengths. Further, no doubt, its author has won many prizes and has been honored by many societies. However, the book's true power lies somewhere else. It simply lies in truly believing the teachings of Christ and choosing to trust his wisdom. The most fascinating point in the book is this: Chacour follows Jesus and truly believes his teachings.

In his book, Chacour, a Melkite priest, narrates his life story revealing the struggles of a Christian family in a world dominated by selfishness, oppression, and injustice. Surprisingly, his oppressors were themselves oppressed in the Holocaust. They have forcefully taken his land and inflicted his life with many oppressive painful moments and midday nightmares. However, they have never succeeded in depriving him from the sweet divine fellowship and the God-given peace and vision.

Through out the book, we see several turning points in Chacour's life. All of them are marked by revealing prayers, divine providence, and grace. First, we hear Chacour's father responding to the dangers of the attacking Zionist soldiers by saying to God: "help us to show love to our Jewish brothers. Help us to show them peace to quiet their troubled heart," (29) and by saying to his children "Jews and Palestinians are brothers-blood brothers. We share the same father, Abraham, and the same God." (42). Second, we see his mother choosing to face her nightmare of loosing her husband and sons by serving God. She prays, "[a]llow us to be Your servants . . . Let our hands be Your hands to comfort the suffering. Let our lips bring the peace of Your spirit" (64). The prayers of his parents defined his vision and shaped his beliefs. Like his mother, he chose not to surrender to abuse and like his father he decided not to turn to violence (79). God has a better plan for Chacour and the uprooted Palestinian people. He has a message of heavenly peace to people living in daily war (107). This message has God, not humanity, at its center (117). But God needed a faithful messenger, one who has gone through the purging trials of the prince of peace.

Several chapters within the book reflect God's providence in preparing a messenger who does not only proclaim a message but also embodies it with all his mind and heart. Consequently, Chacour had to confront many vexing intellectual questions raised by the Bible and its interpreters. Through the maze of these questions God defined his vision of reconciliation using Chacour's most cherished holy texts i.e. the beatitudes. The insight was simple yet profound. Chacour says,

Suddenly, I knew that the first step toward reconciling Jew and Palestinian was the restoration of human dignity. Justice and righteousness were what I had been hungering and thirsting for: This was the third choice that ran like a straight path between violent opposition and calcified, passive non-resistance" (153-154).

Chacour is called to be a peacemaker. Thus he has to learn how to deal with furious people, hurting families, denominational disputes, hate crimes, religious arguments, and racial discrimination; yet at the same time protect his soul from these contagious vices. Put differently, he learns how to build bridges where others have constructed thick cement walls. He learns how to face past fears with the hope that "Jews and Palestinians can get along when they begin to treat each other with dignity," (188) and that Moslems, Druze, and disputing Christian denominations can together construct a better future.

Last, Chacour in the book's epilogue, addresses Jews saying: "the world knows-and you must know-it was a belief that God Himself had created "a single pure race" that blinded Hitler with power and fueled his hatred, arrogance, and sense of "divine right."" He addresses Palestinians saying: "Do we need to produce more victims, more martyrs and more humiliation in order for the world to wake up and see the truth?" Then, he addresses the whole world saying that "Blood Brother" is not only a story but is also an invitation to pursue God's perilous path of peacemaking (230-231).

In conclusion, although I might differ with Chacour on few theological details and assumptions, I am compelled to highly recommend this book. I am further compelled to accept Chacour's prophetic words and invitation to build bridges of peace. May the prince of peace continue to raise peacemakers who can follow Jesus as Chacour followed Him!


Rev. Yohanna Katanacho
PhD Candidate at Trinity International University

This is a must-read for anyone who is looking for a human perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Chacour brings the story of personal pain, struggle and hope to the pages of his book. This book removes the story from the realm of politicians and mass movements and refocusses the story where it should be, on the individuals hurt by and caught in the chaos, tragedy and beauty that make up the story of the Holy Land. It is beautifully and captivatingly written, capturing the spirit of the land and people. It doesn't gloss over the violence, hardship or injustice. Nor does it leave the reader feeling jaded, hopeless, or helpless. I finished with a desire to read more, learn more about both sides of the conflict and its history. Having travelled in that area of the world before the outbreak of the current conflict, I can say that it does a great job of accurately portraying the place, the people, and the spirit that pervades both. Truly an inspiring work!

It seems that much has been written about the Middle East in terms of religion, culture, history, economics, geopolitical significance, etc. But it seems very little has been written about the region in terms of brotherhood. The notion almost rankles upon first utterance, yet Elias Chacour, a Christian Palestinian approaches the topic from this rather unique perspective. Having experienced the destruction of his home village of Biram by Israeli soldiers in 1951, one would expect him to have something to say. While portraying injustices honestly, he refuses to draw harsh generalizations. As Israeli soldiers or Zionist groups such as the Irgun destroy local villages, Chacour notes the sentiment of the native Jewish people in the area who were "shocked and disgusted" and who protested such activities via their religious leaders. Although the book is not enthralling in terms of literary quality, it is compelling in terms of ideas.

Showing promise as a young student, Chacour is given the rare privilege of attending seminary in Paris and becomes the first Palestinian Arab to earn a degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His educational exploits expose him not only to Jews with a genuine compassion for Palestinian suffering but to Christians with very little. Returning to Palestine, he accepts a position as a priest in the small, embittered Palestinian town of Ibillin. Ironically, it is through the malice of Ibillin's Christians that Chacour becomes intimately acquainted with his own propensity for violence. Having reached his limit of exposure to interfamilial strife in the town, Chacour emotes, "Silent, still, I lay there, aware for the first time that I was capable of vicious, killing hatred. Aware that all men everywhere - despite the thin, polite veneer of society - are capable of hideous violence against other men." At this point Chacour comes to more deeply understand the forgiveness offered by Jesus, who refused to hate while vicious hatred nailed him to a wooden cross. Chacour begins to understand that stopping the cycle of violence starts with an individual decision to retaliate, not with violence, but with forgiveness, with kindness, and an abiding commitment to emulate Jesus' act of self-sacrifice in the name of reconciliation.

Chacour notes that the land of Israel is not only promised to Abraham and his biological sons, but to those who had become Abraham's offspring by faith in Jesus, the promised savior of Jews and non-Jews alike. By faith or genealogy, both Jews and Christians trace their heritage to Abraham. "The Jews and the Palestinians are blood brothers," his father reminded him, "We must never forget that."

Fr. Elias Chacour is a champion of the Arab-Israeli peace process. His book, Blood Brothers, challenges the reader to analyze his own feelings and assumptions about Palestinians, Jews, and Israel. The book also gives the reader a very personal look at the history and drama surrounding the Palestinian Christian people. Their story is one of great sorrow that is seldom seen or heard in newspapers and television. Any person interested in the Arab-Israeli peace process should read this book.

I was a pleasure to find an author to speak directly to the events of 1948 Palestine......where Palestinian Christians, Jews, and Muslims had lived in peace and tolerance for centuries. It's not too often that Americans can come understand the original context of the current tragedy. We now have a wall under construction, where there were bridges. How did this come to pass in the land of Jesus and the prophets?

The tremendous historic irony is that Jews, of all people, in the guise of Zionist extremeism, should have been party to ethnic cleasing, terror, destruction of indigenous villages, separation of families, confiscation of ancestral lands, and even murder.

Fr. Chacour reminds us all of the human costs and passions involved, and of the stubborn clinging to the human value of universal brotherhood, that will ultimately prove to be the only lasting solution to the fiasco of disorder that describes the Mid-East in 2005.

For anyone capable of giving the author the tiniest opportunity to express his cause, reading this book will be a life changing experience. (Not that this is always easy; I was so disgusted with the author's "people" that I shelved this book for two years!)

It is a tragedy of human existence that we always seem to be coming up with reasons to kill each other. This book is one man's story of growing up in the middle of one particularly nasty conflict, the Palestinian-Israel feud. The purpose of this book isn't to praise one side and demonize the other, but rather to recognize the worth and dignity of ALL people, and attempt to build bridges between enemies, so that we may live in peace and fight things such as cancer and AIDS, rather than each other.

This book was very important for me personally, because as a post-9/11 American I was basically convinced that most Palestinians were violent jerks, and expressed this opinion loudly, to anyone who would listen to me. (This is despite the fact that the only Palestinian I have ever known is a tremendously nice guy, but prejudice is never governed by rationality.) It's embarrassing to admit, but I guess I needed to be reminded that we are all God's babies, and she loves each and every one of us very much.

Please read this book. I suppose that if you've hardened yourself against the cruelties of life it may just bounce off your skin, and you'll dismiss it as "inaccurate", or "unbalanced", or "attacking my side". Or perhaps it just isn't the voice you need to hear. But by reading it maybe you, like me, will realize how idiotic and shameful it is to write off a whole group of people.