Bethlehem's silent Christmas: Bombed-out sculpture of Holy Family Cave installed in solidarity with Gaza
Jerusalem, a town that is seeing the atrocities of Israel's aerial bombing campaign and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip. Bethlehem fell silent on Monday, with no Christmas tree, no caroling, as the ongoing attack by Israel in West Bank left hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops deserted. Bethlehem, considered the birthplace of Jesus, is now in the middle of a war zone.
The pilgrimage town for believers in Christianity has this year chosen the side of the oppressed- solidarity with Palestine. Among other signs of solidarity is a Holy Family Cave, a sculpture that depicts a harrowing tableau- a bombed-out version of the traditional nativity cave. The mural draws a comparison with the journey of Christ and his family, when they had to flee Bethlehem under an oppressive ruler to Egypt, before returning to Nazareth two millennia ago.
The sculptures are surrounded by barbed wire, and rocks. The Virgin Mary embraces the baby Jesus, while Joseph embraces her, offering solace. On one side of the family, the Magi holds out a white shroud.
On the other side, the fourth shepherd carries a bag, a symbol of Palestinian displacement. Angels, suspended around the rubble, represent the souls of children who have been victims of massacres on Palestinian land throughout history: the murder of children in Bethlehem by Herod at the birth of Jesus; various colonial attacks against the Palestinian people and their ancestors; and current massacres by Israel in Gaza. According to Al Jazeera report, Hana Hanania, the mayor of Bethlehem, said the sculpture aims to showcase Palestinian suffering everywhere.
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