Elias Chacour

At the age of eight years, he experienced the tragedy of his people. He was evicted, along with his whole village, by the Israeli authorities and became a deportee and a refugee in his own country, the Palestine of his birth. Because he remained in the country of his forefathers, he was granted citizenship of Israel when the state of Israel was created in 1948. Father Elias Chacour came to Ibillin as a young priest in the 1965. He quickly saw the lack of educational opportunities for Palestinian youth beyond the 8th grade. A vision of a school for all the children of Israel began to take shape in his mind. Today, this vision has become a reality in the village of Ibillin, Galilee. In the early 1980’s, on an empty hillside now known as the Mount of Light, a classroom building was begun. The newly formed high school moved from temporary quarters in the community center to the new building as soon as it was ready. The original High School has expanded considerably and now includes a primary school and a community college. The Mar Elias Educational Institution now has 4,500 students, representing all major religions and ethnicities in Israel (as does the faculty). It truly is a Mountain of Light. He has become an ambassador for non-violence and someone who not only preaches, but lives, the Sermon on the Mount. He travels often between the Middle East and other countries around the world. In addition, hundreds of groups of visitors, fact-finding missions, and pilgrims have visited and continue to visit with him in Ibillin. He has received many International peace awards and been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions. On March 10th, 1994, Father Elias Chacour received the prestigious World Methodist Peace Award that has been presented in the past to such pilgrims for peace as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the late Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat. On Feb 19th, 2001, Abuna was announced to be the recipient of the Niwano Peace Prize. Abuna (Arabic for 'Our Father,' the affectionate and respectful term given to their priests) is the author of two best selling books, Blood Brothers and We Belong to the Land . Blood Brothers covers Abuna's childhood growing up in the town of Biriam in Northern Israel, his development into a young man, and his early years as a Priest in the Melkite (Greek Catholic) Church in Ibillin, Galilee. This book has been translated into 28 languages. The first six chapters of Blood Brothers can be read in eBook at the Twelve Days to Jerusalem website . Abuna's second book We Belong to the Land includes many stories of his work in the development of Mar Elias Educational Institutions, from humble beginnings to major schools for educating Palestinian young people and for helping to bring about reconciliation in a land of strife. This book has been translated into 11 languages. To read articles by Father Elias Chacour and look at photos of him, the children of Galilee, and the Mar Elias Educational Institutions go to the Twelve Days to Jerusalem website .¹