Dean’s Message

Nothing changes for ages despite all of our prayers and then all of a sudden, the situation begins to change quickly. But is it enough and is it sufficiently swift too?

We have endured two years of a brutal war with tens of thousands killed in Gaza, a land utterly decimated, and also more death and destruction in Israel than they have known in their short modern history. Prisoners were taken on both sides and some of those were killed. History will decide what caused the change of direction, but the change came. Troops pulled back, bombs stopped falling and prisoners were released back to their distraught families in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

Peace on earth? Not quite. Peace in the Middle East? Not yet. Politicians love headline-grabbing quotes and they are also inclined to overstate their own achievements, hugely. But on the ground, we know better. We are so relieved at the ceasefire and there is joy at families reunited. But Gaza is still a wasteland, virtually uninhabitable. Hospitals still cannot do vital life-saving operations. Food and water are in severely short supply. There is so much to do just to make life tolerable. And the wider peace deal that will change decades of injustice and oppression remains a long way off. It’s a very long way. But momentum is important and if this opportunity can be taken to press forward to the important resolutions that can bring the longed-for solution to so much pain and misery, then we must and will give thanks for that.

In the short term, it may well mean that travel to Israel/Palestine becomes more feasible and attractive. If the present tentative peace holds then it will be possible to book the pilgrimages and make travel plans which we and countless others who are dependent on the pilgrim and tourist industry have been desperate for. We invite our valued friends and supporters, to begin to think about this in concrete terms as soon as possible. Our schedule for 2026 is published and please give these your prayerful consideration. 2027 study pilgrimages will be published soon.

Pilgrimage will be different after this terrible war. There will be a stronger element of solidarity than previously and the encounter with the peoples of the land will be more central than before, although that is always important to St George’s College. The most helpful things that those who love and care for the Land of the Holy One can do now is to consider their travel plans for the next year or two.

And let us continue to pray that positive steps forward can develop from those already taken. We seek and follow the lead of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.