A Message from the East Jerusalem YMCA
By: Peter Nasir
Founded in 1948, the East Jerusalem Young Men’s Christian Association (EJ-YMCA) is a vibrant and integral part of the Palestinian sports, social, and cultural movement and a leader among Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations. It is an independent, neutral, and professional organization, affiliated with the global YMCA movement. As a member of the World Alliance of YMCAs, the EJ-YMCA is committed to a unique vision of community, based on the universal values of human dignity, peace, and justice.
The YMCA was present in Jerusalem starting from 1878, and with the help of YMCA in the USA, a plot of land was bought opposite the King David hotel where the YMCA would be established in Jerusalem in 1933. The YMCA served as a central meeting point for the community of Jerusalem, offering sports, music, theatre, and cultural events up until 1947.
As a result of the Nakba, the Palestinian community, and prominently the Christian community, was severed from the YMCA that remained on the other side of the divide. Much like the sentiment of that era of mass dispossession, the YMCA that was brimming with life just a day before became an instant memory. The soul left the beautiful building, but the spirit of the YMCA never left the young men that frequented it.
In October of 1948, five young men from the YMCA voluntarily moved to Aqbat Jabr refugee camp in Jericho, pitched a tent, and the YMCA was reborn. Only this time, the Y didn’t sit in a beautiful symbolic building; instead, it sat in the spirits, minds, and bodies of those five young men. The Y quickly established programs to offer basic education and recreation for the children of the biggest transit camp in the West Bank at the time. Once UNRWA was established, the YMCA switched its basic schooling program into a vocational school that continues to graduate young men and women to this day with competitive knowledge and skills to contribute to the work force and their community.
In 1953, the YMCA moved back to Jerusalem, this time on Nablus road in a small two-story building; one story housed the Y and the second housed a hostel. In partnership with the Anglican church next door, the YMCA built a basketball court, a handball court, and a football pitch. Classes were offered to youth to help them contribute to the tourist industry in Jerusalem built on Christian pilgrimage. The YMCA succeeded, and in the early 1960s, secured the plot next door to its new location and set out to build the current five-story building that would house both the YMCA and a hotel, then named Alia Capitolina.
The events of 1967 saw Jerusalem transferred from Jordanian to Israeli control, and the Y reduced its membership rates to pennies to open its doors to as many youths as possible. The founder and CEO of the Y, Labib Nasir, set the spirit of the Y in Jerusalem when he looked over the fields and saw them empty: “Where are the youth of Jerusalem?” His question was one of concern, the tone of a father; his worry that if the fields are empty then the youth are in the streets, unsafe.
The Y acted as a ministry of youth and sports not just in Jerusalem but for the entire West Bank. The YMCA fielded the best sports teams in the 70s and early 80s. The fields of the YMCA in Jerusalem were again overrun with children, youth, men, and women who enriched their spirits, minds, and bodies by frequenting the YMCA and becoming part of its community. The pool in the basement taught generations in Jerusalem and the West Bank how to swim. Everyday I run into someone in Jerusalem that belongs to this era, and while the words they share may be different, the smile on their faces and the hope in their eyes are always the same. Since 2000, two new community & sports centers in Beit Sahour and Ramallah are open to the public, with semi-Olympic pools that are the biggest pools in their respective areas, continuing the YMCA mission to develop the spirit, mind, and body.
In 1987, in response to the outbreak of violence, the YMCA once again developed programs that aimed to protect youth and enable their empowerment in spirit, mind, and body. The Rehabilitation Program was established to nurture the wounded, providing space for young men to heal and restoring hope in youth for a better chance at life in peace. Every year since and to this day, the YMCA works with hundreds of youth and their families to provide counseling and trauma healing, not just in Jerusalem but with offices from Jenin to Hebron spread throughout the West Bank.
The Women Development Program was established to encourage stronger female participation in society and the work force by enabling better societal conditions to foster an enabling environment for women to succeed in and realize potential. Working in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Hebron, the program has established women-led protection groups in 52 communities charging women with tasks to upkeep the daily lives of the villages and communities and to be an integral part in the development planning of those areas.
Proverbs 31:8-9: “Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.” The Joint Advocacy Initiative, developed jointly with the YWCA of Palestine, aims to realize peace and justice in the Holy Land by being a voice for those without one. Locally, the initiative works with farmers by helping them plant olive trees in their land, promoting their resilience within their community. Globally, we share farmers’ stories within the world ecumenical movement.
Recently in Jerusalem, a Career Advancement Center was established to provide guidance and skills for the youth of Jerusalem to not only join the work force, but to look to develop a career in place of looking for a job. We hope to roll out this program from Jerusalem to our centers in Ramallah and Beit Sahour as well.
Throughout its life, the YMCA of Jerusalem has responded very uniquely to the needs of its community and starkly differently from all the other movements in the world. The strength and impact of the programs are high due to the YMCA’s unique position of being a community-led and community-driven organization locally and not globally. The spirit, mind, and bodies of youth here need more than just a gym and a prayer; they need protection, nurturing, and support. Youth need to be instilled with the values of dignity, self-worth, and self-dependence and only then can they truly foster and nurture their spirit, mind, and body.
About the Author: Peter Nasir currently serves as the General Secretary for the East Jerusalem YMCA. Born and raised in the EJ-YMCA, he holds a long connection with the organization as the third member in his family to hold the position and is committed to its mission to support and uplift the youth of Jerusalem.