While Pilgrims of Ibillin supports multiple organizations, activities, and initiatives to help bring peace and reconciliation to the Holy Land, one of its signature efforts has been continuing support of the Mar Elias Educational Institutions in Ibillin, Israel.

MEEI has become a shining beacon of hope for all people of the Holy Land - and around the world. MEEI was the inspiration of Abuna Elias Chacour, now the Archbishop of the Melkite Catholic Church in Akko, Haifa, Nazareth, and all Galilee.

Forty-some years ago, when he became the parish priest of St. George Melkite Catholic Church in Ibillin, Father Chacour realized that the future of the villagers in Ibillin, of the citizens of the state of Israel, and indeed the future of all of God’s children in the Holy Land, would depend on the education of the young in the ways of peace, reconciliation, respect, and justice.

Father Chacour thus began his life work to build schools to educate children of all ethnic and religious backgrounds, based upon these principles. That vision is now alive in the schools of Ibillin for more than 3000 students and faculty of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Druze heritage.

APRIL 2011 UPDATE:
STILL WAITING FOR GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS TO MEEI!

Please continue to pray for the teachers at Mar Elias Educational Institutions,who worked without full pay because subsidies used to pay teachers are being withheld by the Ministry of Education. The reason is a dispute over whether MEEI had permission to open a school in the village of Dabourieh in 2007.  

Even though the dispute has been completely resolved, funds are still being withheld. The total owed by the Ministry of Education to MEEI reached 7 month's pay - more than 9 million shekels, or $2.5 million. Partial payments have been received, but the amount owed is still 2 million NIS, or about $555,000.

At Pilgrims of Ibillin's request last spring, Archbishop Chacour wrote a summary of the history and current status of the situation.  Click here to read his full response.

The case is still before the Israeli High Court of Justice. A hearing was scheduled for May 2010 but has not happened yet (almost a year later). We will post any changes in the situation on this website and send email updates if friends of MEEI can do new things to support the schools in this critical situation.

ABOUT MEEI

The Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI), a consortium of schools, was founded by Father Elias Chacour in Ibillin, in the Galilee region of Israel. The Mariam Bawardi Kindergarten was the first school founded in 1970 and now enrolls 315 students.

In 1982 the high school was established with 80 students, and today 1,200 are enrolled.

In 1996 a regional teacher training center was formed to train teachers of Arab children (240 teachers are enrolled, improving their teaching of mathematics in schools throughout Galilee).

In addition, an elementary school was begun with two first grade classes. A grade level was added each year.  In recent years the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades have expanded to four classes for each grade level.  In 2010-11 there are 980 students in grades one through eight.

In 1998 the school for gifted children in grades 4 through 8 was formed.  It meets every Friday and has 140 students enrolled.

MEEI is a Christian institution that embraces students and faculty from Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Jewish traditions who study and teach together as one community of learning and service. The amazing growth of MEEI from a few students to more than 3,000 in just a few years reminds us of Jesus’ miracle  of transforming a few loaves of bread and fish into enough for 5,000 to be fed.  

Click here to donate support for the Mar Elias Schools.  Your donation helps MEEI maintain the special level of excellence that sets it apart academically and in values education.