Poland in Palestine

This year, one of the aid projects of Polish diplomatic mission in Palestine was the construction of an auditorium/gymnasium at the Polish Peace House in Bethlehem, run by the Polish Elizabethan Sisters of the Poznan Province for Palestinian orphans and children from poor families. The Polish House of Peace in Bethlehem, already located behind the Israeli Wall in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, is a unique place where the Polish tradition of solidarity and hospitality is combined with the Christian mission of caring for those most in need regardless of their religion and origin. The House of Peace is also an informal centre for the local Bethlehem community; anyone in need - whether Christian or Muslim - finds support and assistance there.    

For most of the past year, we have been implementing a project in Bethlehem worth Euro 100,000 to build an auditorium/gymnasium, which will serve the residents of the Peace House as well as the local community and pilgrims who visit this unique place on a daily basis. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Polish Aid, which funded the project, the Sisters of St Elizabeth, who carried it out, and the Palestinian builders and engineers who put in a lot of hard work, a modern and functional building was created, perfectly integrated into the shape of the House of Peace.

During the blessing and opening ceremony of the new hall, we also had the opportunity to test its acoustics for the first time. There was a lot going on. In addition to fantastic artistic performances by the children  of the House of Peace, the walls of the new hall resonated with the sounds of the bagpipes and drums performed by the excellent trio from Bethlehem. The final test was provided by a guest performance by the children's and youth choir of the Theatre - National Opera in Warsaw "Alla Polacca", which presented a bundle of Polish and Ukrainian Christmas carols to the many guests and the Polish community.

A solemn Mass for the Polish community and guests was celebrated by Polish Salesian priests from the Cremisan monastery. Maestro Mariusz Monczak – Polish-Canadian violinist and the Ensemble Monteverde provided an unforgettable artistic experience on this occasion. 

The ceremony was also an opportunity for the Palestinian Polish community to come together for Christmas, make wishes and taste traditional Polish pierogi.  

Footage of the ceremony was produced by a TVPolonia crew. 

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the successful implementation of our project. We are delighted that it will serve the children  of the House of Peace and the local community for many years to come.