“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”
– Psalm 122: 6

~ from an email from Karin Achtelstetter, Executive Director, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, sent on October 12, 2023 with the subject line “Update from our partners at LWF Jerusalem”

Dear friends of CLWR,

I wanted to reach out and share a brief update about our work in the West Bank and East Jerusalem after the last few horrific days of violence.  We’ve been in regular communication with our partners at LWF Jerusalem, including Augusta Victoria Hospital and LWF’s Vocational Training Program.

We are overwhelmed with grief at this weekend’s acts of terror, including the killing and abduction of civilians.  We mourn the deaths of Israelis and Palestinians and join our partners in the region in condemning the vicious cycle of bloodshed and hatred that has now been escalated.

As a humanitarian agency, CLWR’s mandate is to seek a world where all people can live in peace.  We condemn violence and oppression, particularly towards civilians and children, and we call urgently for the preservation of humanitarian corridors so that live-saving aid can reach all those in distress.  Our role and influence as a Canadian relief organization that funds projects in the region can feel small at a time like this, but we are committed to doing what we can to bring relief, to express our solidarity with our partners, and to praying for peace for all.  I urge you to join us in this prayer.

Many of you are aware that CLWR has close partnerships in the region that span many decades.  I wanted to provide you with a brief operational update.  CLWR-funded work in the region is in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, while the worst of the violence has been in and around Gaza.  Escalations and violent attacks have also erupted throughout the West Bank, although this has not been as widely covered in the news.  The situation is incredibly volatile and rapidly changing, but so far, our partners in LWF Jerusalem report that none of their staff have been killed or injured, though some have lost their homes, and all senior staff at Augusta Victoria Hospital have been able to report to work.  The remainder of LWF staff are working from home and come to the office on an “as needed” basis.  The resilience and persistence of our LWF partners, who continue to provide life-saving support to people in need despite the violence that is unfolding around them, is truly inspiring.

You may have seen our recent fall appeal focused on our work with LWF to provide technical and vocational opportunities to women and girls in the West Bank, where unemployment has led to poverty for so many.  At present, schools and training centres run through LWF’s Vocational Training Program including those which are a part of CLWR’s GRIT project remain closed, with teachers and students staying home.  However, your support of this work is still of critical value as preparations are under way to move classes online.  You can still donate to the appeal here.

Hospital operations have been impacted mainly due to travel restrictions meaning that some staff and patients, including cancer and dialysis patients, have been unable to reach the hospital, and in other cases patients at the hospital have been unable to return home.   This includes patients from Gaza who can’t return to Gaza and are being accommodated near the hospital. Staff told us of a female breast cancer patient who received the news that her house was bombarded and her cousin and two of her children were killed, while 44 patients from Gaza who were scheduled for chemotherapy this week are not able to come to the hospital to receive treatment.

At present, we don’t have an update in terms of opportunity to provide emergency aid to those affected by the violence in the region, but we are in constant contact with our partners and will keep you informed as the situation develops.

Thank you for your partnership and your compassion, for grieving with us, and please continue to join me in praying for peace.

In Christ,