![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/DSC05348.jpg\" "\\"It's")
<\/a>Outside the brewery in Taybeh<\/p><\/div>\n
At the time I had met them, these folks from Taybeh had invited me to their Oktoberfest.\u00a0 I wanted to go for many reasons:\u00a0 to support a Palestinian business, to be able to write the unlikely story that I went to an Oktoberfest in the West Bank, and to enjoy some really good beer at its source.\u00a0 My company doesn’t allow employees to travel to certain places, such as the West Bank, for security reasons, adding a fourth reason for wanting to go there: the thrill of traveling to an off-limits place.\u00a0 I asked company brass for permission to attend.\u00a0 They were polite and smiled, but said, probably not.\u00a0 It’s hard to justify the funds for putting together a security detail to accompany me to go drink a beer, even if it would be supportive of a local American-owned business.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, I was invited to be one of three company employees to speak to a group of 350 Palestinian high school and college students about studying in the U.S.\u00a0 Last year I gave the same talk for the same event via digital video conference from Jerusalem to the attendees in Ramallah.\u00a0 This year, however, the event was to be in Ramallah itself which pleased me because I thought maybe I could make the trip to Taybeh on the way home from the talk, which is exactly what happened.\u00a0 At 4:30 on Friday, the day before at the absolute last moment possible, I got permission to go to the Oktoberfest after the talk along with the two other officers who would be with me.<\/p>\n
The event was great!\u00a0 Actually, the whole thing was a little smaller than I imagined.\u00a0 It had more the feel of a church picnic than the rollicking, boisterous, crowded scene the word Oktoberfest brings to mind.\u00a0 I had fun.\u00a0 Instead of sausage and kraut we ate savory pieces of grilled chicken, peppers and onions rolled in the large, round (15 inches across) thin Palestinian equivalent to a flour tortilla.\u00a0 Instead of dancing the polka, we watched local performers dance quaint, traditional dances.\u00a0 Instead of hearing an oompah band playing German songs, we listened to Arab pop-music.\u00a0 I bought some Taybeh t-shirts, beer mugs, and a bottle of extra virgin cold-pressed Taybeh olive oil.\u00a0 I also spoke with the brewery’s part owner and brewmeister and his sister-in-law, leaders of the community.\u00a0 I admire what they have done and are doing to advance peace and a prosperity right in their own back yard.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The kind of revolution we can all support<\/p><\/div>\n
For the moment, surrounded by music and children and happy people celebrating life and drinking a little of the village\u2019s famous beverage, it was enough just for me to be there.\u00a0 I think that any bit of joy, any celebration of life, of people, and yes, even of the local brew, is a step in the right direction.\u00a0 I think most people here want what most people around the world want: a normal, happy life for themselves, their families, and their communities.\u00a0 It was a privilege to be there at that moment, sharing those same, universal aspirations.\u00a0 Here\u2019s to peace in this region and to the success of Taybeh Beer:\u00a0 Prost!<\/p>\n
P.S.\u00a0 Here are a few links if you want to read more about Taybeh.<\/p>\n
A local media report about the first Oktoberfest in Taybeh<\/a> October, 2005 Hello from Jerusalem, I went to an Oktoberfest celebration last Saturday.\u00a0 It had everything you would have expected: good ethnic food, colorful garb, music, dancing, and of course there was plenty of beer from the local brewery.\u00a0 The … Continue reading
\nVillage of Taybeh Homepage<\/a>
\nThe brewery home page<\/a>
\nMay 2010 NYT Op Ed about Taybeh<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"