Hannah Tekle

Tents of Mercy Congregation Kiryat Yam, Israel One small hardship Northern Israel has experienced in these years of war is that the IDF often electronically jams the GPS navigation systems we use to drive from place to place. The first time we noticed, it was surprising indeed. You know how sometimes, instead of calling or texting to ask where your teenager is, or calling again to ask whether your spouse will be home soon – you can look at the “find my people” app and see just where they...

Tents of Mercy Congregation Kiryat Yam, Israel The flowery pink hijab delicately framed her face, every fold precisely held in place, while the loose end flowed down her back dancing ever so slightly in the spring breeze. For over six months we’ve been together in the college classroom where we are learning to be doulas (a childbirth coach). Fariha is from a Muslim village up North. We are the same age, have the same number of children, and have both ventured into this new profession at the...

Tents of Mercy Congregation Kiryat Yam, Israel Galilee in the winter / Acacia in southern Israel © Pixabay There’s an expression in Hebrew: “to wash your eyes with green” (lishtof et ha’einayim b’yarok). It means to look at beautiful natural views and feel renewed inside. In the rainy winter season, Israel’s hills and valleys become a living canvas of green. After the long brown summer, the land erupts into luscious, extravagant shades of life. The Bible often uses trees from this very...