Saturday, 30 June 2007
Rifat - Active participation
Right photo: Rifat in another interesting conference


click the photos to enlarge
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Hind's Birthday
Many thanks for everybody who remembered my birthday and I hope you will enjoy the pictures.
Hind Kassis
Photos were removed to the family Album - click here
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
Yazan gets a tooth - Nael looses two

I was just coming from the dentist with swollen cheek and red eyes. Trying to forget my teeth pain, i started to distract my self, reading my emails and checking darqassis, i wanted to here about Hamas, the U.S.A, Galileo any thing but not teeth .
I got an email from Rula, very nice, she usually sends nice pics with no text. Today Rula made an exception.. she wrote:
"hey Nael
Yazan had his first tooth yesterday so you can put this at the qassis web"
NOOOO, please since three days I'm not able to sleep, because I'm getting 4 teeth at one time - the fucking "wisdom" teeth. For sure the poor Yazan is having similar painful nights.
He should really be not at all happy about his new tooth. You can notice his swollen right cheek as well.. But sure, for my beloved sister, it's funny that the others get teeth.. ha ha ha very nice.. I'd love to see you in front of me..
Anyway it deserves news at the blog. Yazan got his first tooth and a cake. And I will take away two teeth next week, just before my father comes.. so maybe I'll get a cake from him as well, or perhaps, when he knows my news, he'll break me other two!
Monday, 25 June 2007
People,
Hey,is there anybody coming to watch my show in germany?
i would really like it if you could manage to come there, and we can spend the day after the show is finished ,
am looking forword to see you (the ones who is coming :p)
but u should send me an e_mail or something
please,do the best to come
salam
saif
Sunday, 24 June 2007
Poetry on Sunday - Duna
Die Zeit
In Momenten des Abschieds, fällt es mir schwer zu glauben,
dass es zu meinem Besten dient.
Und trotzdem fühle ich genau in solch einem Moment,
dass es einen Plan gibt, dem es zu folgen gilt.
Worte, die ich spreche hat mein Herz geboren,
Wege, die ich ging hat meine Überzeugung geführt.
Von der Zeit umringt, manchmal sogar verfolgt,
laufe ich davon, spüre ich den Druck, der auf meiner Seele lastet.
Ich beginne zu atmen, schwermütig…
bis ich erlaube der Zeit mich Gelassenheit zu lehren.
Von der Zeit sanft umarmt, öffne ich meine Sinne,
um zu leben und zu erleben.
Ich sehe die Macht der Zeit über mich sinken,
jetzt da ich mich nicht mehr von ihr bedroht fühle,
sondern sie als Feinheit wahrnehme, die mich gern umgibt,
mich beschenkt, indem ich sie mit Inhalt fülle,
mit meinen Gedanken, die zu Handlungen werden.
Gefühle aus meinem Inneren breite ich aus mit der Gewissheit,
die Zeit ist urteilsfrei…
Sie bestimmt weder das Geben noch das Nehmen,
sie ist ohne zu herrschen..
Gern nehme ich ihre Reinheit an
und bediene mich dankbar aus ihrem fluss.
Duna
would someone please translate this text into english and send to darqassis@gmail.com ?! thanks
Oho Kawkab and Jamal back to Beit-Sahour
Kawkab and Jamal,
they have a hobby, a very special hobby, kiss, and kiss, and kiss, and kiss ..and now Kawkab and Jamal kiss all Beit-Sahour.
Because they make 6 week Holiday.
Have a nice trip and many fun,
the rest of family in bielefeld
click here to see the photos of this post
click here to see "The nice side from dar kassis"
Birthday Alert
e.g. One posts with the title "Birthday Alert - June" and writes the birthdays, wedding anniversary, etc he/she knows during the month of June. Under comments everyone can add more dates.
As soon there is one post to congratulate the Person who has birthday, everyone else who wants to congratulate can make so under comments (1. to reduce the number of similar posts, 2. for the person who has birthday to read the "good" wishes all together under one post).
so again:
Birthday Alert - June (after the 24th)
28th Hind
30th Midhat
more birthdays under comments
only for men
Because here brain is working mechanics. hahaha
Saturday, 23 June 2007
This call was the outcome of the WCC conference which Rifat attended in Amman
World Council of Churches
International Peace Conference
"Churches together for Peace and Justice in the Middle East"
Amman, Jordan, 18-20 June 2007
The Amman Call
Amman Imperatives
Almost sixty years have passed since the Christian churches first spoke with one voice about Arab-Israeli peace. For the last forty years the Christian churches have called for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In the very place where Jesus Christ walked upon the earth, walls now separate families and the children of God - Christian, Muslim and Jew -- are imprisoned in a deepening cycle of violence, humiliation and despair. The Palestinian Christians from Gaza to Jerusalem and to Nazareth, have called out to their brothers and sisters in Christ with this urgent plea: "Enough is enough. No more words without deeds. It is time for action."
We welcome the timely and prophetic statement of the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem. We affirm that "the Churches are part of the conflict, because the Churches cannot remain silent while there is still suffering. The role of the Churches is to heal and to bring all sides to reconciliation." Our belief in God reminds us "that all God's children of all religions and political parties are to be respected." We assure the Churches of Palestine and Israel of our prayers, collaboration and resources.
Thus, in Amman, Jordan 18-20 June 2007, days that have witnessed a deepening of the crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories, and also includes the United Nations World Refugee Day, we representatives of Christian churches and church-related organizations from every corner of the earth, affirm the decision of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and launch the "Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum" as an instrument to "catalyze and co-ordinate new and existing church advocacy for peace, aimed at ending the illegal occupation in accordance with UN resolutions, and demonstrate its commitment to inter-religious action for peace and justice that serves all the peoples of the region."
This action has been taken in response to three fundamental imperatives that call us to action:
· The ethical and theological imperative for a Just Peace
· The ecumenical imperative for unity in action
· The Gospel imperative for costly solidarity
1. The premises of this action are the following:
1.1. That UN resolutions are the basis for peace and the Geneva conventions are applicable to the rights and responsibilities of the affected people.
1.2. That Palestinians have the right of self-determination and the right of return.
1.3. That a two-state solution must be viable politically, geographically economically and socially.
1.4. That Jerusalem must be an open, accessible, inclusive and shared city for the two peoples and three religions.
1.5. That both Palestine and Israel have legitimate security needs.
1.6. That the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal, and constitute an obstacle to peace.
1.7. That the "Separation Barrier" constructed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories is a grave breach of international law and must be removed from the occupied territory.
1.8. That there is no military solution for this conflict. Violence in all its forms cannot be justified whether perpetrated by Israelis or Palestinians.
1.9. That comprehensive regional peace is indivisible from a just peace in Israel and Palestine.
1.10. That the life and witness of local churches is at the center of worldwide church advocacy for a just peace.
We understand the mandate of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum to be a space where we will develop comprehensive strategic approaches to the two processes of peace making and peace building. An inclusive core group convened urgently by the WCC should be mandated to facilitate this and also ensure improved coordination between all actors. The core group will be informed by the reports of the working groups of the Amman conference, and that its composition and mechanism be designed and announced by the WCC.
2. Peace building will include the following:
2.1. Furthering theological and biblical perspectives and Christian education resources around those issues central to the conflict.
2.2. Developing strategies that will support the processes of justice and reconciliation, including inter-religious dialogue and cooperation.
2.3. Strengthening the churches' responses to the occupation.
2.4. Recognizing, encouraging and cooperating with all efforts of Israeli and Palestinian civil society that are in accord with the vision and goals of the PIEF.
3. Peace making will include the following:
3.1. Defining and promoting measures, including economic ones, that could help end the occupation and enhance sustainable growth and development.
3.2. Strengthening existing efforts and identifying new models of church solidarity in action. Supporting local churches and church related organizations not only to survive and continue their powerful ministries, including educational, health, cultural and social services, but also to thrive and be witnesses of hope.
3.3. Developing a long-term advocacy strategy in order to mobilize all of our constituencies and influence change.
Amman Challenges
4. We have heard the voices of the Christian churches of Palestine and Israel challenging and saying to us:
4.1. Act with us to liberate all peoples of this land from the logic of hatred, mutual rejection and death, so that they see in the other the face and dignity of God.
4.2. Pray with us in our efforts to resist evil in all of its guises.
4.3. Raise your voices along with ours as we speak "truth to power" and name with courage the injustices we see and experience. The illegal occupation has stolen two generations of lives in this tortured place, and threatens the next with hopelessness and rage.
4.4. Risk the curses and abuse that will be aimed at you and stand in solidarity with us and with our Palestinian brothers and sisters of all faiths as we defiantly reject the possibility that occupation will continue.
4.5. Help us to tear down walls and build and rebuild bridges among all peoples in the region. Extremism on all sides produces chaos. It threatens to divide us and to destroy bridges among peoples that would lead to reconciliation and peace.
4.6. Add your hope to ours in the knowledge that evil and despair have been overcome through the death of our Lord on the Cross and through His Resurrection.
4.7. Insist with us that all dispossessed peoples, all refugees, have the right to return.
4.8. Partner with us as we seek peace and pursue it. Peace is possible. Christians and Muslims and Jews have, can and will understand one another and live together as neighbors.
And we representatives of Christian churches and church-related organizations from every corner of the earth, we respond:
Yes, we will. Together we will act and pray and speak and work and risk reputations and lives to build with you bridges for an enduring peace among the peoples of this tortured and beautiful place –Palestine and Israel– to end these decades of injustice, humiliation and insecurity, to end the decades of living as refugees and under occupation. We will work with you to seek peace and pursue it. We have allowed too much time to pass. Time has not served the cause of peace but has served the cause of extremism. This is our urgent cause that cannot wait.
* * *
Rifat, as DCI president, addresses the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva on the 14th of June 2007
Friday, 22 June 2007
A Day of Two Digits
2 Posts a day in average. 8 authors with 5 main subjects; news and greetings 50%, culture and opinion 20% and 15% for each jokes and family.
Very poor participation from Palestine with 30% only, while Saif, who was with 5 posts the most active author, published 83% of the letters from Palestine. 1 big news was not published, the 3aked of my family's new house :-(
After a huge boom during the second 2 days (14 posts) , the number of posts went down to 3 then to 1 article every 2nd day.
34 photos in 4 albums; 22 party, 8 trip, 3 children and 1 big children.
25 comments between apologizing, praise and English grammar.
3 active houses; Rifat's 55%, Hani's 25% and 20% Jamal's.
and 2 main expected activists are still missing; Rula and Ibtisam
Our numerical aim for the coming 20 days:
1 article a day in average.
30% participation from Palestine ; consider Saif is traveling
a total of 12 authors ; 4 new
30% culture and opinion
total of 7 photo albums ; 3 new albums with 15 new photos.
last but not least: 4 active family houses.
For now to each of you, readers and publishers, I wish I was there to give you 1 hug and 2 kisses,
glory to the new born blog,
Nael
P.S: Those of you who are still hesitating to publish, it's easy, just ask someone how to sign in. If you don't want, just send me or any other active co-author an email with the article you want to publish, and we do it for you. Don't hesitate, be active.
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Jeremias ear op
Monday, 18 June 2007
More Culture on the Blog - Poetry from Duna
Einsame Freiheit
Wolkenloser Himmel,
der meine Sinne berauscht,
Wind, der meine Wangen streift,
meine Augen nässt.
Erinnerungen an Gestern,
die mich fesseln,
in diesem Augenblick der Stille
um mich herum.
Stille auch in mir,
nur das Gefühl von Freiheit…
und doch ein Gedanke
durchzieht meine Seele.
Satt und erschöpft zugleich…
Freiheit ist grenzenlos und ich mit ihr,
und grenzenlos sind die Entbehrungen,
die ich mit ihr trage.
Ein gefangenes Herz
in einer verlorenen Freiheit.Here is some translation in English:
Lonely Liberty
Cloudless sky, which fuddles my senses.. Wind, which touches my cheeks.. my eyes are wetted... Memories of yesterday, which bind me in this instant silence around me.. Silence is also in me, only the feeling of liberty... and nevertheless a thought pulls through my soul... Full and exhausted at the same time... Liberty is boundless as I am.. and the deprivations, which I carry with are boundless as well... An imprisoned heart in a lost liberty..
(The translation is only for those, who won't get it in German. If someone has a better translation, please send it to me. nael)
Sunday, 17 June 2007
Knight
here you can see the next generation of Qassis knight.
Mia-Cheyenne, Jeremias Geronimo
And the Teamleader with two caps.
see you Dar Qassis.
today is now
Photos were moved to the photos section. If you have photos to publish, please send them to bisan.kassis@gmail.com directly.
Bed and Breakfast - in the Theater

Alpinarium_03

23:10 we entered the church.. Yes, the theater show, which lasted 8 hours, was in the Johanneskirche, a Gothic Church in Saarbruecken beside the French borders.
"You'll be hearing a tone-installation... Those of you who forgot their Pyjama can lend from us... Please don't turn the pillows around, otherwise your pillow-phones would stop working..." These were the instructions we had before the performance started.
Good, I brushed my teeth, took off my trousers, and covered my self under the 20 meters high ceiling. We were served a cup of black tee with pepper mint and a shot of Grappa, for a good sleep and much fantasy.
The church was surrounded with ca. 30 loud speakers, all independent from each other - around the walls, on the floor and over the ceiling. And each pillow had it's own 2 loud speakers.
The stage of the theater was the greatest you can ever imagine, because it was the head of each of us. The theater acts were the funniest, the longest, the most dramatic and very personal. Because in fact, the scenes were just our own dreams.
From the speakers we heard people chatting, telling their childhood stories, the stories of their relatives or neighbors, there was noises of people working, some animals, vehicles, all what belongs to life.
It goes under your skin, lots of stories, some were in French, German or Swiss variations. The aim was that you have time to think, to remember, and to start telling your own stories.. but to your self.
Around 1 a.m, the audio finishes, and the big show starts, when every one of the 30 participants starts dreaming for his own. I had uncountable dreams and memories, from which I remember little. But now while I'm writing, more stories are coming to my mind. For example; in short time, I remembered several situations in my life, as I entered a church.. closing the hands, slowing down my walking speed, deleting a laughter that I had, speaking with very low voice. Just pictures of contradictory to my current position; sleeping with the boxers inside the church.
Yesterday night was full of stories, simply all what "I" could imagine.
At 6 a.m we woke up with the sound of a huge storm (which was real), the ultra sound of the rain hitting the giant church glass windows...
The storm finished and the birds started singing, loud like on the wildest mountain, accompanied with elegant trumpet music live beside the beds.
The show finished at 7:30, after we had breakfast all together and drank the morning coffee, as if nothing had happened.
Saturday, 16 June 2007
Limited Beit Sahour Participation?
Where are the Beit Sahour Kassis?? Except for Saif, there is hardly any other member, what's the deal? Saif, maybe you can mobilize them before you travel? Make a seminar or a presentation on the issue :)
It would be far greater if all of us would interact like this...
Greetings
Friday, 15 June 2007
My Program in Germany
6th of july: transfer from zurich to Wiesloch (in the evening there will be a concert for us in sinsheim which is next to Wiesloch )..and then i'll spend the night in Wiesloch.
7th of july: there will be a performance in the community of Wiesloch.(i'll spend the night in Wiesloch)
8th of july: during the morning service in the church of Gunter we will sing.
then we will transfer to Tubingen ( the U has an umlaut) and another performance in Tubingen .
the will be spent in Tubingen.
9th of july: a performance in the Werner Kremers in Tubingen.
10th of july: performance in Tubingen or Altensteig or Freiburg (or a free day):D:D (but i don't think it would be a free day)
and in the 11th we will go to frankfurt to fly back to Amman
P.S ..if u see that a day of these are good for you please tell me to give you more informations about this day.
(i have to admit that Switzerland's program is better.:D:D)
Family of 2007
Hallo,
This is the family of the year 2007.
I´m the hitman of the Qassis or Kassis or Al Kassis or El Kassis or ....
My hobby is material art, Karate, Taekwon-Do, Kick-Boxing, Judo, Ju Jutsu, Boxing and Kibudo.
1995 I win the World Champion ship in Kick-Boxing.
6x Europa Champion
16 x German Champion
Oh my god..... he is a Ki.....
Ok and now my name is Gassem, but you can say god to me.
On the picture you can see my life.
Manuela and our kids Mia-Cheyenne and Jeremias Geronimo.
great wish and
today is now
Bad news for some...Good for others
and i'll be back in the 11th of july to amman..(i'll be sharing the same plane with bisan) dafer ,i guess will be waiting for us in Amman to come back to beit sahour with me and bisan.
i'll meet my father in Amman, and in the same night he will be flighting back. but in a different plane.
the reason i'm going to these countries is : that i'm a good member of the school choir and school dabkeh .
wish me luck and i hope you could manage to come to watch me in some of these shows ,
if you need any informations which towns i'll be visiting you could send me an E-mail or ask me in this post comments .
salam
saif
specially to Rifat
we missed bisan, dafer , my uncle jamil and for the beloved and dearest one in the whole kassis family RIFAT
it was a huge mistake and i admit it
sorry
but..u know that we all love and miss u all the time..:P
salam :D
saif
Rifat
Rifat
Here is where you can join me during this time:
17-21 June: Amman Jordan: Mobile number: +962 795257919
22-29 June: Holland: Mobile number: +31 638153731
30 June- 29 July: Palestine: Mobile number: +972 548032271, during the 9-15 July I will be working the rest is holiday.
Rifat
As for Saif, you missed every one in the party but what about me? Nobody missed me?
a Joke
For two years he's been married and he can't make his wife pregnant.
The Doctor gave him a reservoir to fill it up with Sperms, to check his ability.
The day after, our friend comes back to the Doctor with the reservoir empty.
He told: Dear Doctor I tried with my right hand- it didn't work out, then with the left hand- it didn't work out, I put oil -nothing happened, then some Viseline -also no result.
So I gave up and asked my wife to do it; she tried with her left hand -nothing, with the right hand -nothing is moving, then with her mouth -but she also couldn't.
What the hell is this, we tried the whole night to open the Reservoir, but we couldn't.
Doa' & maxim's engagement
Yesterday was the engagement of doa' and maxim .
At 7:10 Pm they entered the hall of the paradise hotel holding each others hands towards the roman catholic priest.
you could see tears all over the faces (specially antar's cheeks ).
after the engagement rituals the people went to congratulate the couples and their family's.
after that the close ones stayed for a dancing party , it was nice and beautiful party , (rami , ghadeer,bashar and hind joined the party)
we all missed Bisan, Dafer , and Jamil (the father of the bride) for a personal reasons (he's working in the U.S.A)
But after all ..my family from my mother's side came, and talked to jamil by skype .
and again.....the tears were all over the place..
but it was a nice rituals and a nice engagement.
we all hope a nice year for the both of doa' and maxim . and and a joyful life for the both of them
salam
saif
Hello Kassisians..!
why isn't my photo published in the photo album
i thought this was bisan's job
beit sahour is asking about this photo please publish it
thx to you all
salam
saif
Thursday, 14 June 2007
This is great
What a strange way to be talking to you like this. it was only 4 years ago that we all wondered what this square looking thing was, now we all know its the computer screen. A computer? yes, a machine that can think,do stuff, and amuse us. (not a sex toy)
i knew that sometime, since we all spend most of our days behind computer, either typing an article, reading the news, looking at sex pictures, our communication will be this way.
This summer is gonna be full of events, most of us will be meeting at home in Palestine, and some of us will follow after. i however, have great plans. I am doing an internship home, and then flying to Argentina to do an internship as well. I am also gonna go travelling around in South America. All donations are cheerfully accepted. if it is more than 200 euro, please ask for my bank account, the less than those i can take cash...to give u a look and say, what the hell are u thinking about,only 200 euro.?!?!?
i will be going from Argentina to Chile, from Chile to Peru, from Peru to Bolivia, from Bolivia to Brazil , from Brazil to Uruguay, from Uruguay To Argentina, from Argentina to Holland. then 4 more months hopfully and i'll be donw with university ( sorry guys, have to say it) faster than all my other cousins abroad. aaaaaaaaaaaah yeah!!!! who would've thought.me dafer, will have my Bachelor, after all you! mwa,mwa,mwahah,mwahahahaha
i'll keep u posted with the cities i am travelling to , if u have any special place tht you want me to visit.
keep them posts coming people, this is great
love you all
Salamat
Dafer
Bisan Starts a Photo Album
Hello all, allow me to introduce the visual and colorful part of our page: the family album.. Here, we should compile all pictures and photos we would like to share with each other... To begin with, i have uploaded some pictures of uncle Qais and aunt Karen's wedding anniversary... it was a fun night, as the photos will hopefully show you... ENJOY! from Bisan's Photo Album
Welcom online...
For now, salamat to all and hopefully we'll dazzle each others with our "talents" that Nael referred to!
Post from Rami
Before the marriage:
He: Yes. At last. It was so hard to wait.
She: Do you want me to leave?
He: NO! Don't even think about it.
She: Do you love me?
He: Of course!
She: Have you ever cheated on me?
He: NO! Why you even asking?
She: Will you kiss me?
He: Yes!
She: Will you hit me?
He: No way! I'm not such kind of person!
She: Can I trust you?
He: Yes.
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Dear Qassisians
The idea of this blog started yesterday, while Rifat started a skype conversation with Ibtisam, Dafer, Bisan, Amjad, Kawkab, Rula and me. They were talking about the health of my grandmother, who fell some weeks ago, and I still hadn't known about it.
We need a kind of family newspaper.. a blog. Here we can not only send our news to each other, but also it's a place for Rifat to publish an article, my father a story, Duna (the new talent) a poetry, Wassim a music, Ibtisam hot jokes, Rula children pictures, Amira daily updates, Mahira wedding plans, Rami an announcement to sell a car, Bisan and Amjad some statements, Hunaida her miss and love to everyone, Ghadir about the 2 new members, Kawkab Germany news, Sabine cake recipes ... or even Bashar can just write his name. The list goes on..
I believe in this talented family, so I'll leave you for your creativity.
It should be an active website, which I hope everyone will put it as his/her home link.
Reports can be in Arabic, English or German, you can also post pics, music, photos,.. etc.
Please send me to darqassis@gmail.com all email addresses of family members that you know, in order to send them invitations to be co-publishers on this website.
Those of you who can't register themselves as co-publisher can just send an email to darqassis@gmail.com with the subject "post".
I wish all of us lots of Fun.
Nael



