Paul Calvert spoke with Salwa Solomon, a Pastor's wife living in Bethlehem

Salwa Solomon

Paul: Generally speaking, life isn't easy in Bethlehem. What specific difficulties do you face there in being a Pastor's wife?

Salwa: It's not easy being a pastor's wife here in Bethlehem. Being in this situation especially, I have to be a committed wife, a committed Pastor's wife and a committed mother; to raise my children how to behave well, to be good Christians in the country here.

Paul: What difficulties do the women face in Bethlehem?

Salwa: All the burden comes on the shoulders of the women here in Bethlehem, especially here in the situation we face. This is because they have to take all the responsibility of the house. Many husbands are unemployed, so they have to take the responsibility of paying the bills too. I feel sorry for them really.

Paul: I guess there is a lot of stress here as women have to cook a meal but there is often no food?

Salwa: Many times they have to think, what can I give my family, because they don't have any money and with a nervous husband who is sitting at home all day long being depressed, they have to take care of a lot of things.

Paul: How easy is it to raise children in Bethlehem?

Salwa: It's not easy at all; especially for me as a Christian woman, seeing the fighting and the problems all day long for many years. It's hard to teach your children to love your enemy and to be a Christian. Having the soldiers make fun of your mother or grandfather, or beating you then letting you go...it's not easy; but with the help of the Lord everything is possible.

Paul: If you went to the Checkpoint and the soldier turned you away, do you find yourself changing your attitude because your children are with you and would pick up the negative response?

Salwa: Yes, it's not changing your attitude, it's just showing the love of Jesus in your life for the soldiers, especially at the checkpoints where you see terrible things. We have to be as Jesus commands us to be, so it's loving one another and turning the other cheek.

Paul: How easy is it to protect them from the hatred that they see every day on the TV screens?

Salwa: For me, I just put my children into the hands of God; it's not easy for them to watch the struggle every day. I pray for them, that they will not have hatred in their hearts in the future and that the Lord will really fill their hearts with love.

Paul: On the TV we see suicide bombings in Israel and the mother of the bomber was praying for her son to succeed. How do images like that make you feel as a mother and as a Palestinian?

Salwa: I don't think this is a good attitude at all! For me she's not really aware of what she is saying. As a Christian we are not taught to kill and this is a sin and for me I will raise my child to respect others and to love others. I am not for these bombings, I am against it.

Paul: Now your responsible for the running of Sunday School here in the church, there must be something special for you as a mother bringing up your children in the ways of the Lord?

Salwa: I know my children are a responsibility given from the Lord so I have to take care of them as well as the other children. I am sure even in the midst of the situation that God is in control and he will help us as families and as parents and as wives. I always try to encourage the wives to take it easy and put the family into the hands of the Lord, he can really be with us even if we feel that we are in the lion's den.