Name:

The original name was the “Arab Orthodox Invalid’s Home Charitable Society.” In Arabic it is called “Malja Kheiri Orthodoxy Arabie for Invalids.”  People in the area do not worry about lengthy names, they simply say “Malja Madam Siksek.” Malja means refuge or Haven.

Founded in 1940 by Katherine G. Siksek and associates.

Who is Katherine?:

She was an Arab Palestinian of the Christian Orthodox Church living in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Why Founded?:

There was need for care of Invalids. We believe it was the first of it’s kind in Palestine.

Where Founded?:

Rentals were expensive in Jerusalem, so the foundress went to Beit Sahour, a village where the shepherd’s field was located.  In a cheap house of a few rooms it was founded.

Location:

After Beit Sahour the Malja “Homes of Mercy”, moved into three other locations, for lower rent and more spacious accommodations ending up in Bethany which over-looks the Jordan hills and valleys.

The Very Start:

Was very simple with two patients, used old bed steads and covers.  More patients came later on in the year, the number reached 16.

Recognition:

When the co-vice Mayor of Jerusalem visited the place and fully supported it and called on Palestinians to support it too the number increased considerably. The name of the co-vice Mayor was Yacoub Farradj a man of good standing, he registered his words in the first guest book.

Who Paid for Upkeep:

It was charitable from the very start. Once the Homes of Mercy were started, local people were only too glad to donate for something worthwhile.  Katherine Siksek, though far from being rich, had a way to convince the richest in the land to donate.  She and her women friends went from door to door, uphill and down hill, climbing long spiral stairs asking for donations.  Her appeal was one shilling per family some were gracious and gave one shilling per person in a family.

To convince the public of the authenticity of the service, accounts sheets, and later pamphlets, were published with names of donors made known and the even the littlest donation mentioned.

Now, after celebrating our sixty first anniversary in this year 2001, our publications are a proof of who lived in the country at that time, sort of a register.

The Diaspora:

Hardly had the Homes of Mercy started and partly furnished when the years of the Diaspora came in 1948.  The Homes opened their gates to take in people with problems.  Stray children who got separated from their parents or who have become orphans were sheltered in an adjoining building whose people fled the country for safety.  The rains came, snow fell, mercilessly, tents fell and women in labor came to the Homes for safe deliveries, the old age Home became like a hospital, simple doctors, general ones, barely out of medical school delivered, later St. Mary’s Hospital was opened in that compound of Homes.  Soon patients were separated into sections for men, for women, for children, for deliveries.  Tents lent by UNRWA were given to shelter more and more people.  Say 180 in all!  Mostly accommodated in tents on the adjoining terraces.

The Four Homes of Mercy: out of chaos immerged four Homes.  More women in white were needed, Doctors in that area started to teach those who never before served as nurses.  Bare essentials of blankets, beds, clothing and food eased the tension.  A dying man here, an ill child there and a woman in labor suppressing her pains.

A Plea Was Heard:

People heard and came and pledged help. OXFAM was one with those beautiful weave it woolen blankets.  Deaconess Morris came from England to witness it all.  We offered her lunch in the veranda having no dining room around. She pledged help, I heard her. “Mrs. Siksek”, she said. “ You need a building.” Mother smiled, “a building! Surely not.” Said Katherine. “I need to feed, medicate and care of people” answered Katherine.  “Alright I’ll go back home and seek help for a building, and you attend to people here! “said Deaconess.

More people showed up: Liz Mulford, of USA.  Joop Bronsema of save the children in Groningen Holland, Barbara Shoberg from Sweden, later Maja Tjellstrom from Sweden too.  Marlyn Schultz from France, Deit Koster from Holland that is to mention but a few out of hundreds. Some even called Katherine the Foundress St. Katherine!

Most of the previous executive committee have fled the country.  A new committee was elected and work continued.  The late King Hussein was reached in Jordan by members and he graciously gave a piece of land 11 donums and a half in size.

The unfathomable task of securing a building was started. Bazaars were held locally and in Amman, dancing parties, dinners, lotteries.  The whole nation in what remained to be Palestine were offering aid from areas around as well as the Western World.  With people shocked because of the Diaspora, they donated, while the “Homes” held no left overs in banks, but spent to ease the pains of the nation.  A victory came to be registered in the annals of history, humanity proved that back in each human being’s heart lurked, kindness and the determination of a brother to help his brother.

One man visited the Homes with three of his children. Bringing a gift of meat, yearly he came on Easter.  He whispered to me “I want to teach them to save from their pocket money and give to charity.  That was one of ever so many examples.

No Time to Rest: The years rolled by, every two years, sometimes three, elections took place. Sub committees elected in Jordan.  Friends of the Homes in England.  Friends of the Homes in USA.  A steering committee got chosen. Years of deprivation, road blocks, issuance of permits, training nurses, up-grading others, with new ideas pouring in.

In 1953 the first wheel chair arrived at the Homes of Mercy a gift from Evanston’s Theology school, followed by donations in money to buy a wide range of needed things. The more the road ahead stiffens the more we feel the Hand of God steering us along.  The one wheel chair was added to.  Ask our Spanish friends about that.

Both our general and executive committees are women.  With our men backing us, even our children in schools trying to buy sheets or training suits for Christmas.

The number of the residents is now 90. The children’s Home, called “Hadaneh,” was suspended because of less need for it and because of the need arising for more space.

Things around have become very expensive.  Sponsors are doing their utmost, volunteers too.  We find it hard to cope.  The Life style in close-by Jerusalem is higher and different, our employees resent poor salaries.  The Government of Palestine lends a hand. Recently Europeans who could help did.  One filled our store with food, others helped in medicines another, bought some wheel chairs another walkers, a limited number of bedsteads was bought and the wheels of time, of efforts, of renovations followed one came after the other.

In the meantime the good old lady, Katherine, had passed away in 1973.  The news rocked the Homes of Mercy, crying of patients and employees were heard a distance away.  The Executive committee met and chose the daughter of Katherine in her place.

Many feared the good service would end at that, yet the Hand of God blessed those who gave and those who received.  The income from the residing patients remained to be scanty.  The land was going through destruction, usurpation, scarcity of income, fifty years and more of hard times.  How could Homes that depend on charity survive?

Charity inspite of all deprivation survived.  From 1953 onwards 18228 babies were born in the Maternity under healthy conditions.  In the Homes for invalids 7852 people were cared for over these years.  Those dedicated efforts have not gone in vain.  No – not so the executive members, all fifteen of them women, simple women of good hearts, met once every month. The registers of the meetings give the number of those meetings to be 427 meetings, sometimes they met in that little house in the old city of Jerusalem to remember the days where it all started and the place where the bye – laws were prepared, and rules set for proper work to continue unshaken.  True sometimes we could not meet.  The steering committee helped.  Sad things prevented our meetings too bad to happen in the land of “Peace on Earth.”

In that tiny house, the Siksek house in the old city, the sixtieth birthday of the Four Homes of Mercy was recently celebrated right after church.  The bond of love to ailing human beings brothers and sisters all children of one God.  This bond that draws us together to work harder yet.

This service for the care of invalids of Palestine lacks a lot.  Many needs are daily seen.  The Arabic proverb says, “The eye sees the needs yet the hands cannot reach.”   We need friends, we need yet people of charity.  Five different groups of people assessed our service. They came up with results, that coincided with what we knew that we need over the years but could not mend for financial limitations.

Our building, committee of long ago of architects and engineers, of welfare employees and doctors met in 1964 and planned what they believed will be a bull-work of care.  Until now the building is not finished, though the service went on in the parts that were finished. There remains the teen-age section, the haemoplegia section for adults and the rehabilitation center in between.  Now is the time to appeal again for finishing those sections.

A new era of care unfolds infront of our very eyes.  The land which once witnessed the birth of the Prince of Peace, still feels the sword of hatred brandished in its midst.  That part of hatred and uprooting and strife we leave to politicians, to us is the duty of care for the underprivileged. Humanity has proved that the human heart is far greater than the past century could offer.  One certain care home, built by charity, run by charity requires more efforts to be a token of charitable care in a world entering a new millenium of better methods of care for those who need them.  Already ramps have been added to our grounds, large areas cleared for wheel chaired invalids, with each Home boasting a nursing station, four large rooms set aside for theraupetic care.  Five therapists employed, and other highly specialized physicians pay rotational visits with a knowledgeable director putting all this energy into raising standards of service among our physically handicapped ones.  Read our forth coming director’s report, it is a challenge for good services.

Wish to God that Katherine and George Siksek were to see the extent of the service offered now, and those sturdy women of sixty one years ago who rallied around Katherine to help and do their utmost.

Let us, in summing up beg God to help us all keep up the good work done in His Name.

Henrietta Siksek Farradj
Exec. Honorary Secretary
Updated April 2006