Name	Bethlehem,بيت لحم
Image3	Belen palestina.jpg
Imgsize3	250
Caption3	A neighbourhood in Bethlehem
Arname	بيت لحم
Meaning	''house of meat'' (Arabic); ''house of bread'' (Hebrew)
Type	muna
Typefrom	1995
Altoffsp	Beit Lahm
Altunosp	Bayt Lahm
Governorate	bl
Population	25,266
Popyear	2007
Mayor	Victor Batarseh
Website	www.bethlehem-city.org
Pushpin map	Palestinian territories }}

Bethlehem (, , lit "House of Meat"; , ''Beit Leḥm'' or Modern Hebrew ''Beyt Leḥem'', lit "House of Bread;" ''Bethleém'') is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism. The Hebrew Bible identifies Beit Lehem as the city David was from and the location where he was crowned as the king of Israel. The New Testament Gospels of Matthew and Luke identify Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The town is inhabited by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, though the size of the community has shrunk due to emigration.

The city was sacked by the Samaritans in 529 AD, during their revolt, but was rebuilt by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Bethlehem was conquered by the Arab Caliphate of 'Umar ibn al-Khattāb in 637, who guaranteed safety for the city's religious shrines. In 1099, Crusaders captured and fortified Bethlehem and replaced its Greek Orthodox clergy with a Latin one. The Latin clergy were expelled after the city was captured by Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and Syria. With the coming of the Mamluks in 1250, the city's walls were demolished, and were subsequently rebuilt during the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

The British wrested control of the city from the Ottomans during World War I and it was to be included in an international zone under the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Jordan annexed the city in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Since 1995, Bethlehem has been governed by the Palestinian National Authority.

Bethlehem has a Muslim majority, but is also home to one of the largest Palestinian Christian communities. The Bethlehem agglomeration includes the towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, as well as the refugee camps of 'Aida and Azza. Bethlehem's chief economic sector is tourism which peaks during the Christmas season when Christian pilgrims throng to the Church of the Nativity. Bethlehem has over thirty hotels and three hundred handicraft work shops. Rachel's Tomb, an important Jewish holy site, is located at the northern entrance of Bethlehem.

History

The first historical reference to the town appears in the Amarna Letters (c. 1400 BC) when the King of Jerusalem appeals to his overlord, the King of Egypt, for help in retaking "''Bit-Lahmi''" in the wake of disturbances by the Apiru. Since the Jews and Arabs had not yet arrived in the area it is thought that the similarity of this name to its modern forms indicates that this was a settlement of Canaanites who shared a Semitic cultural and linguistic heritage with the later arrivals.

Biblical era

Bethlehem, located in the "hill country" of Judah, may be the same as the Biblical Ephrath, which means "fertile", as there is a reference to it in the Book of Micah as Bethlehem Ephratah. It is also known as Beth-Lehem Judah, and "a city of David". It is first mentioned in the Tanakh and the Bible as the place where the Abrahamic matriarch Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside" (Gen. 48:7). Rachel's Tomb, the traditional grave site, stands at the entrance to Bethlehem. According to the Book of Ruth, the valley to the east is where Ruth of Moab gleaned the fields and returned to town with Naomi. Bethlehem is the traditional birthplace of David, the second king of Israel, and the place where he was anointed king by Samuel. It was from the well of Bethlehem that three of his warriors brought him water when he was hiding in the cave of Adullam.

Roman and Byzantine periods

Between 132–135 the city was occupied by the Romans after its capture during the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Its Jewish residents were expelled by the military orders of Hadrian. While ruling Bethlehem, the Romans built a shrine to the mythical Greek cult figure Adonis on the site of the Nativity. A church was erected in 326, when Helena, the mother of the first Byzantine emperor Constantine, visited Bethlehem.

During the Samaritan revolt of 529, Bethlehem was sacked and its walls and the Church of the Nativity destroyed, but they were soon rebuilt on the orders of the Emperor Justinian I. In 614, the Persian Sassanid Empire invaded Palestine and captured Bethlehem. A story recounted in later sources holds that they refrained from destroying the church on seeing the magi depicted in Persian clothing in a mosaic.

Birthplace of Jesus

Two accounts in the New Testament describe Jesus as born in Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus' parents lived in Nazareth but traveled to Bethlehem for the census of AD 6, and Jesus was born there before the family returned to Nazareth.

The Gospel of Matthew account implies that the family already lived in Bethlehem when Jesus was born, and later moved to Nazareth. Matthew reports that Herod the Great, told that a 'King of the Jews' has been born in Bethlehem, ordered the killing of all the children aged two and under in the town and surrounding areas. Jesus' father Joseph is warned of this in a dream, and the family escapes this fate by fleeing to Egypt and returning only after Herod has died. But being warned in another dream not to return to Judea, Joseph withdraws the family to Galilee, and goes to live in Nazareth.

Early Christians interpreted a verse in the Book of Micah as a prophecy of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem. Many modern scholars question whether Jesus was really born in Bethlehem, and suggest that the different Gospel accounts were invented to present the birth of Jesus as fulfillment of prophecy and imply a connection to the lineage of King David. The Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John do not include a nativity narrative or any hint that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and refer to him only as being from Nazareth. In a 2005 article in ''Archaeology'' magazine, archaeologist Aviram Oshri pointed to the absence of evidence of settlement of the area at the time when Jesus was born, and postulates that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Galilee. Opposing him, Jerome Murphy-O’Connor argues for the traditional position.

The existence of early traditions of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem is attested by the Christian apologist Justin Martyr, who stated in his ''Dialogue with Trypho'' (c. 155–161) that the Holy Family had taken refuge in a cave outside of the town. Origen of Alexandria, writing around the year 247, referred to a cave in the town of Bethlehem which local people believed was the birthplace of Jesus. This cave was possibly one which had previously been a site of the cult of Tammuz.

Islamic rule and the Crusades

In 637, shortly after Jerusalem was captured by the Muslim armies, 'Umar ibn al-Khattāb, the second Caliph,promised that the Church of the Nativity would be preserved for Christian use. A mosque dedicated to Umar was built upon the place in the city where he prayed, next to the church. Bethlehem then passed from the control of the Islamic caliphates of the Ummayads in the 8th century, then the Abbasids in the 9th century. Persian geographer recorded in the mid-9th century that a well preserved and much venerated church existed in the town. In 985, Arab geographer al-Muqaddasi visited Bethlehem, and referred to its church as the "Basilica of Constantine, the equal of which does not exist anywhere in the country-round." In 1009, during the reign of the sixth Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, the Church of the Nativity was ordered to be demolished, but was spared by local Muslims, because they had been permitted to worship in the structure's south transept.

In 1099, Bethlehem was captured by the Crusaders, who fortified it and built a new monastery and cloister on the north side of the Church of the Nativity. The Greek Orthodox clergy were removed from their Sees and replaced with Latin clerics. Up until that point the official Christian presence in the region was Greek Orthodox. On Christmas Day 1100, Baldwin I, first king of the Frankish Kingdom of Jerusalem, was crowned in Bethlehem, and that year a Latin episcopate was also established in the town.

In 1187, Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria who led the Muslim Ayyubids, captured Bethlehem from the Crusaders. The Latin clerics were forced to leave, allowing the Greek Orthodox clergy to return. Saladin agreed to the return of two Latin priests and two deacons in 1192. However, Bethlehem suffered from the loss of the pilgrim trade, as there was a sharp decrease of European pilgrims.

William IV, Count of Nevers had promised the Christian bishops of Bethlehem that if Bethlehem should fall under Muslim control, he would welcome them in the small town of Clamecy in present-day Burgundy, France. As such, The Bishop of Bethlehem duly took up residence in the hospital of Panthenor, Clamecy in 1223. Clamecy remained the continuous 'in partibus infidelium' seat of the Bishopric of Bethlehem for almost 600 years, until the French Revolution in 1789.

Bethlehem—along with Jerusalem, Nazareth and Sidon—was briefly ceded to the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem by a treaty between Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Ayyubid Sultan al-Kamil in 1229, in return for a ten-year truce between the Ayyubids and the Crusaders. The treaty expired in 1239 and Bethlehem was recaptured by the Muslims in 1244.

In 1250, with the coming to power of the Mamluks under Rukn al-Din Baibars, tolerance of Christianity declined; the clergies left the city, and in 1263 the town walls were demolished. The Latin clergy returned to Bethlehem the following century, establishing themselves in the monastery adjoining the Basilica of the Nativity. The Greek Orthodox were given control of the basilica and shared control of the Milk Grotto with the Latins and the Armenians.

Ottoman and Egyptian era

From 1517, during the years of Ottoman control, custody of the Basilica was bitterly disputed between the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches. By the end of the 16th century, Bethelem had become one of the largest villages in the District of Jerusalem, and was subdivided into seven quarters. The Basbus family served as the heads of Bethlehem among other leaders during this period.

Bethlehem paid taxes on wheat, barley, and grapes. The Muslims and Christians were organized into separate communities, each having its own leader; five leaders represented the village in the mid-16th century, three of whom were Muslims. Ottoman tax records suggest that the Christian population was slightly more prosperous or grew more grain as opposed to grapes, the former being a more valuable commodity.

From 1831 to 1841, Palestine was under the rule Muhammad Ali Dynasty of Egypt. During this period, the town suffered an earthquake as well as the destruction of the Muslim quarter in 1834 by Egyptian troops, apparently as a reprisal for the murder of a favored loyalist of Ibrahim Pasha. In 1841, Bethlehem came under Ottoman rule once more and remained so until the end of World War I. Under the Ottomans, Bethlehem's inhabitants faced unemployment, compulsory military service and heavy taxes, resulting in mass emigration particularly to South America. An American missionary in the 1850s reports a population of under 4,000, 'nearly all of them belong to the Greek Church.' He also comments that 'there is a fatal lack of water' and hence it could never become a large town.

Twentieth century

Bethlehem was administered by the British Mandate from 1920 until 1948. In the United Nations General Assembly's 1947 resolution to partition Palestine, Bethlehem was included in the special international enclave of Jerusalem to be administered by the United Nations.

Jordan annexed the city during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Many refugees from areas captured by Israeli forces in 1947–48 fled to the Bethlehem area, primarily settling in the what became the official refugee camps of 'Azza (Beit Jibrin) and 'Aida in the north and Dheisheh in the south. The influx of refugees significantly transformed Bethlehem's Christian majority into a Muslim one.

Jordan retained control of the city until the Six-Day War in 1967, when Bethlehem was occupied by Israel, along with the rest of the West Bank. On December 21, 1995, Israeli troops withdrew from Bethlehem, and three days later the city came under the complete administration and military control of the Palestinian National Authority in conformance with the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1995.

Second Intifada

During the Second Palestinian Intifada, which began in 2000-01, Bethlehem's infrastructure and tourism industry were severely damaged. In 2002, it was a primary combat zone in Operation Defensive Shield, a major military offensive by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

During the operation, the IDF besieged the Church of the Nativity, where about 200 Palestinian militants sought refuge in the Church. The siege lasted for 39 days and nine militants and the church's bellringer were killed. It ended with an agreement to exile 13 of the wanted militants to various European nations and Mauritania.

Geography

Bethlehem is located at Bethlehem stands at an elevation of about above sea level, higher than nearby Jerusalem. Bethlehem is situated on the southern portion in the Judean Mountains.

The city is located northeast of Gaza and the Mediterranean Sea, west of Amman, Jordan, southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel and south of Jerusalem. Nearby cities and towns include Beit Safafa and Jerusalem to the north, Beit Jala to the northwest, Husan to the west, al-Khadr and Artas to the southwest, and Beit Sahour to the east. Beit Jala and the latter form an agglomeration with Bethlehem and the Aida and Azza refugee camps are located within the city limits.

Old city

In the center of Bethlehem is its old city. The old city consists of eight quarters, laid out in a mosaic style, forming the area around the Manger Square. The quarters include the Christian al-Najajreh, al-Farahiyeh, al-Anatreh, al-Tarajmeh, al-Qawawsa and Hreizat quarters and al-Fawaghreh — the only Muslim quarter. Most of the Christian quarters are named after the Arab Ghassanid clans that settled there. Al-Qawawsa Quarter was formed by Arab Christian emigrants from the nearby town of Tuqu' in the 18th century. There is also a Syriac quarter outside of the old city, whose inhabitants originate from Midyat and Ma'asarte in Turkey. The total population of the old city is about 5,000.

Climate

Bethlehem has a Mediterranean climate, with hot and dry summers and cold winters. Winter temperatures (mid-December to mid-March) can be cold and rainy. January is the coldest month, with temperatures ranging from 1 to 13 degree Celsius (33–55 °F). From May through September, the weather is warm and sunny. August is the hottest month, with a high of 27 degrees Celsius (81 °F). Bethlehem receives an average of of rainfall annually, 70% between November and January.

Bethlehem's average annual relative humidity is 60% and reaches its highest rates between January and February. Humidity levels are at their lowest in May. Night dew may occur in up to 180 days per year. The city is influenced by the Mediterranean Sea breeze that occurs around mid-day. However, Bethlehem is affected also by annual waves of hot, dry, sandy and dust ''Khamaseen'' winds from the Arabian Desert, during April, May and mid-June.

Demographics

Population

Year	! Population
1867	3,000-4,000
1945	8,820
1961	22,450
1983	16,300
1997	21,930
2004 (Projected)	28,010
2006 (Projected)	29,930
2007	25,266

In the PCBS's 1997 census, the city had a population of 21,670, including a total of 6,570 refugees, accounting for 30.3% of the city's population. In 1997, the age distribution of Bethlehem's inhabitants was 27.4% under the age of 10, 20% from 10 to 19, 17.3% from 20-29, 17.7% from 30 to 44, 12.1% from 45-64 and 5.3% above the age of 65. There were 11,079 males and 10,594 females.

According to a PCBS estimate, Bethlehem's population was 29,930 in mid 2006. The 2007 PCBS census, however, revealed a population of 25,266, of which 12,753 were males and 12,513 were females. There were 6,709 housing units, of which 5,211 were households. The average household consisted of 4.8 family members.

According to Ottoman tax records, Christians made up roughly 60% of the population in the early 16th century, while the Christian and Muslim population became equal in the mid-16th century. There were no Muslim inhabitants by the end of the century, with a recorded population of 287 adult male tax-payers. Christians, like all non-Muslims throughout the Ottoman Empire, were required to pay the jizya tax. In 1867 an American visitor describes the town as having a population of 3,000 to 4,000; of whom about 100 were Protestants, 300 were Muslims and "the remainder belonging to the Latin and Greek Churches with a few Armenians". Another report from the same year puts the Christian population at 3,000, with an additional 50 Muslims.

In 1948, the religious makeup of the city was 85% Christian, mostly of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic denominations, and 13% Sunni Muslim. By 2005, the proportion of Christian residents had decreased dramatically, to about 20%. The only mosque in the Old City is the Mosque of Omar, located in the Manger Square.

Christian population

The majority of Bethlehem's Christian inhabitants claim ancestry from Arab Christian clans from the Arabian Peninsula, including the city's two largest: al-Farahiyya and an-Najajreh. The former claims to have descended from the Ghassanids who migrated from Yemen to the Wadi Musa area in present-day Jordan and an-Najajreh descend from the Arabs of Najran in the southern Hejaz. Another Bethlehem clan, al-Anantreh, also trace their ancestry to the Arabian Peninsula.

In the past decades, the percentage of Christians in the town has been steadily falling, primarily due to continuous emigration. The lower birth rate of Christians than Muslims also accounts for some of the decline. In 1947, Christians made up 75% of the population, but by 1998 this figure had declined to 23%. The current mayor of Bethlehem, Victor Batarseh told the Voice of America that, "due to the stress, either physical or psychological, and the bad economic situation, many people are emigrating, either Christians or Muslims, but it is more apparent among Christians, because they already are a minority."

Palestinian Authority rule following the Interim Agreements is officially committed to equality for Bethlehem area Christians, although there have been a few incidents of violence against them by the Preventive Security Service and militant factions.

The outbreak of the Second Intifada and the resultant decrease in tourism has also affected the Christian minority, leaving many economically stricken as they are the owners of many Bethlehem hotels and services that cater to foreign tourists. A statistical analysis of why Christians are leaving the area blamed the lack of economic and educational opportunities, especially due to the Christians' middle-class status and higher education. Since the Second Intifada, 10% of the Christian population have left the city.

A 2006 poll of Bethlehem's Christians conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Research and Cultural Dialogue, found that 90% reported having Muslim friends, 73.3% agreed that the Palestinian National Authority treats Christian heritage in the city with respect and 78% attributed the ongoing exodus of Christians from Bethlehem to the Israeli travel restrictions in the area.

Economy

Shopping and industry

Shopping is a major sector in Bethlehem, especially during the Christmas season. The city's main streets and old markets are lined with shops selling handicrafts, Middle Eastern spices, jewelry and oriental sweets such as baklawa.

The tradition of making handicrafts in the city dates back to its founding. Numerous shops in Bethlehem sell olive wood carvings — for which the city is renowned — made from the local olive groves. The carvings are the main product purchased by tourists visiting Bethlehem. Religious handicrafts are also a major industry in Bethlehem, and some products include ornaments handmade from mother-of-pearl, as well as olive wood statues, boxes, and crosses. The art of creating mother-of-pearl handicrafts was introduced to Bethlehem by Franciscan friars from Damascus during the 14th century. Stone and marble-cutting, textiles, furniture and furnishings are other prevalent industries. Bethlehem also produces paints, plastics, synthetic rubber, pharmaceuticals, construction materials and food products, mainly pasta and confectionery.

Bethlehem has a wine-producing company, Cremisan Wine, founded in 1885, that currently exports wine to several countries. The wine is produced by monks in the Monastery of Cremisan, and the majority of the grapes are harvested from the al-Khader area. The monastery's wine production is around 700,000 liters per year.

Tourism

Tourism is Bethlehem's main industry and unlike other Palestinian localities before 2000, the majority of the working residents did not work in Israel. Over 25% of the working population was employed directly or indirectly in the industry. Tourism accounts for approximately 65% of the city's economy and 11% of the Palestinian National Authority.

The Church of the Nativity is one of Bethlehem's major tourist attractions and a magnet for Christian pilgrims. It stands in the center of the city — a part of the Manger Square — over a grotto or cave called the Holy Crypt, where Jesus supposedly was born. Nearby is the Milk Grotto where the Holy Family took refuge on their Flight to Egypt and next door is the cave where St. Jerome spent thirty years translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Latin.

There are over thirty hotels in Bethlehem. Jacir Palace, built in 1910 near the church, is one of Bethlehem's most successful hotels and its oldest. It was closed down in 2000 due to the violence of the Second Intifada, but reopened in 2005.

Economic conference

Bethlehem hosted the largest ever economic conference in the Palestinian territories on May 21, 2008. It was initiated by Palestinian Prime Minister and former Finance Minister Salam Fayyad to convince over 1,000 businessmen, bankers and government officials from throughout the Middle East to invest in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, although Fayyad admitted the territories were "far from the perfect business environment", being directly linked with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nonetheless, 1.4 billion US dollars was secured for business investments in the Palestinian territories.

Culture

Embroidery

Before the establishment of Israel as a state, Bethlehem costumes and embroidery were popular in villages throughout the Judaean Hills and the coastal plain. The women embroiderers of Bethlehem and the neighboring villages of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour were known to be professional producers of wedding costumes. Bethlehem was a center for embroidery producing a "strong overall effect of colors and metallic brilliance."

Less formal dresses in Bethlehem were generally made of indigo fabric and a sleeveless coat (''bisht''), made from locally woven wool, was worn over top. Dresses for special occasions were made of striped silk with winged sleeves and the short ''taqsireh'' jacket, known throughout Palestinian as the Bethlehem jacket, was worn over it. The taqsireh was made of velvet or broadcloth, usually with heavy embroidery.

Bethlehem work was unique in its use of couched gold or silver cord, or silk cord onto the silk, wool, felt or velvet used for the garment, to create stylized floral patterns with free or rounded lines. This technique was used for "royal" wedding dresses (''thob malak''), taqsirehs and the ''shatwehs'' worn by married women. It has been traced by some to Byzantium, and by others to the more formal costumes of the Ottoman Empire's elite. As Bethlehem was a Christian village, local women were also exposed to the detailing on church vestments with their heavy embroidery and silver brocade.

Mother-of-Pearl carving

The art of mother-of-pearl carving has been a Bethlehem tradition since the 14th century when it was introduced to the city by Franciscan friars from Damascus. Bethlehem's position as an important Christian city has for centuries attracted a constant stream of pilgrims. This generated much local work and income, also for women, including making mother-of-pearl souvenirs. It was noted by Richard Pococke, who travelled there in 1727.

Present day products include crosses, earrings, brooches, maps of Palestine, and picture frames.

Cultural centers and museums

Bethlehem is home to the Palestinian Heritage Center, established in 1991. The center aims to preserve and promote Palestinian embroidery, art and folklore. The International Center of Bethlehem is another cultural center that concentrates primarily on the culture of Bethlehem. It provides language and guide training, woman's studies and arts and crafts displays, and training.

The Bethlehem branch of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music has about 500 students. Its primary goals are to teach children music, train teachers for other schools, sponsor music research, and the study of Palestinian folklore music.

Bethlehem has four museums located within its municipal borders. The Crib of the Nativity Theatre and Museum offers visitors 31 3D models depicting the significant stages of the life of Jesus. Its theater presents a 20-minute animated show. The Badd Giacaman Museum, located in the Old City of Bethlehem, dates back to the 18th century and is primarily dedicated to the history and process of olive oil production.

Baituna al-Talhami Museum, established in 1972, contains displays of the culture of Bethlehem's inhabitants. The International Museum of Nativity was designed by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the purpose of showing works of "high artistic quality in an evocative atmosphere".

Festivals

Christmas rites are held in Bethlehem on three different dates: December 25 is the traditional date by the Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations, but Greek, Coptic and Syrian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6 and Armenian Orthodox Christians on January 19. Most Christmas processions pass through Manger Square, the plaza outside the Basilica of the Nativity. Roman Catholic services take place in St. Catherine's Church and Protestants often hold services at Shepherds' Fields.

Bethlehem, like other Palestinian localities, participates in festivals related to saints and prophets that are attached to Palestinian folklore. One such festival is the annual Feast of Saint George (al-Khadr) on 5–6 May. During the celebrations, Greek Orthodox Christians from the city march in procession to the nearby town of al-Khader to baptize newborns in the waters around the Monastery of St. George and sacrifice a sheep in ritual. The Feast of St. Elijah is commemorated by a procession to Mar Elias, a Greek Orthodox monastery north of Bethlehem.

Government

Bethlehem is the ''muhfaza'' (seat) or district capital of the Bethlehem Governorate.

Bethlehem held its first municipal elections in 1876, after the ''mukhtars'' ("heads") of the quarters of Bethlehem's Old City (excluding the Syriac Quarter) made the decision to elect a local council of seven members to represent each clan in the town. A Basic Law was established so that if the victor for mayor was a Catholic, his deputy should be of the Greek Orthodox community.

Throughout, Bethlehem's rule by the British and Jordan, the Syriac Quarter was allowed to participate in the election, as were the Ta'amrah Bedouins and Palestinian refugees, hence ratifying the amount of municipal members in the council to 11. In 1976, an amendment was passed to allow women to vote and become council members and later the voting age was increased from 21 to 25.

Today, the Bethlehem Municipal Council consists of 15 elected members, including the mayor and deputy mayor. A special statute requires that the mayor and a majority of the municipal council be Christian, while the remainder are open seats, not restricted to any religion.

There are several branches of political parties on the council, including Communist, Islamist, and secular. The leftist factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Palestinian People's Party (PPP) usually dominate the reserved seats. Hamas gained the majority of the open seats in the 2005 Palestinian municipal elections.

Elected Candidates of the Bethlehem municipal elections of 2005

Rank	List	Candidate name	Religion
1	Bethlehem Brotherhood and Development	Victor Batarseh
2	[[United Bethlehem Bloc	Antun Salman
3		Hasan al-Masalma
4	[[United Bethlehem Bloc	Afram Asmari
5	[[Wafaa Bloc	Isa Zawahara
6	[[United Bethlehem Bloc	Khalil Chawka
7		Khalid Jadu
8		Zughbi Zughbi
9		Nabil al-Hraymi
10		Salih Chawka
11		Yusuf al-Natsha
12	[[Bethlehem Brotherhood and Development	Nina 'Atwan
13	[[Bethlehem Brotherhood and Development	George Saadeh
14		Nadir al-Saqa
15	[[United Bethlehem Bloc	Duha al-Bandak

Mayors

The mayor and the deputy mayor of Bethlehem are required by municipal law to be Christian.

Mikhail Abu Saadeh - 1876

Khalil Yaqub - 1880

Suleiman Jacir - 1884

Issa Abdullah Marcus - 1888

Yaqub Khalil Elias - 1892

Hanna Mansur - 1895–1915

Salim Issa al-Batarseh - 1916–17

Salah Giries Jaqaman - 1917–21

Musa Qattan - 1921–25

Hanna Ibrahim Miladah - 1926–28

Nicoloa Attalah Shain - 1929-1933

Hanna Issa al-Qawwas - 1936–46

Issa Basil Bandak - 1946–51

[[Elias Bandak - 1951–53

Afif Salm Batarseh - 1952–53

Elias Bandak - 1953–57

Ayyub Musallam - 1958–62

Elias Bandak - 1963–72

Elias Freij - 1972–97

Hanna Nasser - 1997–2005

Victor Batarseh (current) - 2005–

Education

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), in 1997, approximately 84% of Bethlehem's population over the age of 10 was literate. Of the city's population, 10,414 were enrolled in schools (4,015 in primary school, 3,578 in secondary and 2,821 in high school). About 14.1% of high school students received diplomas. There were 135 schools in the Bethlehem Governorate in 2006; 100 run the Education Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority, seven by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and 28 were private.

Bethlehem is home to Bethlehem University, a Catholic Christian co-educational institution of higher learning founded in 1973 in the Lasallian tradition, open to students of all faiths. Bethlehem University is the first university established in the West Bank, and can trace its roots to 1893 when the De La Salle Christian Brothers opened schools throughout Palestine and Egypt.

Transportation

Services

Bethlehem has three bus stations owned by private companies which offer service to Jerusalem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Hebron, Nahalin, Battir, al-Khader, al-Ubeidiya and Beit Fajjar. There are two taxi stations that make trips to Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, Jerusalem, Tuqu' and Herodium. There are also two car rental departments: Murad and 'Orabi. Buses and taxis with West Bank licenses are not allowed to enter Israel, including Jerusalem, without a permit.

Movement restrictions

The Israeli construction of the West Bank barrier has had an impact on Bethlehem politically, socially, and economically. The barrier runs along the northern side of the town's built-up area, within meters of houses in 'Aida refugee camp on one side, and the Jerusalem municipality on the other.

Most entrances and exits from the Bethlehem agglomeration to the rest of the West Bank are currently subject to Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks. The level of access varies based on Israeli security directives. Travel for Bethlehem's Palestinian residents from the West Bank into Jerusalem is regulated by a permit-system. Acquiring such permits to enter, what in the past served in many ways as an urban anchor to Bethlehem, has become exceedingly rare since the onset of the violence surrounding the Second Intifada, though Israel has subsequently erected a terminal to ease transit between the two adjoining cities.

Palestinians are not allowed to enter the Jewish holy site of Rachel's Tomb, which is on the outskirts of the city, without a permit. Since Bethlehem and the nearby biblical Solomon's Pools lie in Area A (territory under both PNA military and civil administration), Israeli citizens are barred without a permit from the Israeli military authorities.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Bethlehem is twinned with:

Marrickville, New South Wales>Marrickville Australia

* Steyr Austria

* Belo Horizonte Brazil

Natal, Rio Grande do Norte>Natal Brazil

* Valinhos Brazil

São Pedro do Butiá, Rio Grande do Sul>São Pedro do Butiá Brazil

* Villa Alemana Chile

Concepción, Chile>Concepción Chile

* Třebechovice pod Orebem Czech Republic

* Chartres France

* Grenoble France

* Paray-le-Monial France

* Strasbourg France

* Cologne Germany

* Athens Greece

* Kalocsa Hungary

* Assisi Italy

* Civitavecchia Italy

Haapsalu Estonia ''(since 2010)''

* Florence Italy

* Greccio Italy

* Lazio Italy

* Milan Italy ''(since 2000)''

* Montevarchi Italy

* Orvieto Italy

* Pavia Italy

* Pratovecchio Italy

* San Miniato Italy

* Sant'Anastasia Italy

* Umbria Italy

* Verona Italy

* Conversano Italy

* Madaba Jordan

* Monterrey Mexico

* Rabat Morocco

* The Hague Netherlands

* Sarpsborg Norway

* Cusco Peru

* Częstochowa Poland

* Lisbon Portugal

* Saint Petersburg Russia

* Glasgow Scotland

* Pretoria South Africa

Córdoba, Spain>Córdoba Spain

* Leganés Spain

* Zaragoza Spain

* Yalvaç Turkey

* Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

* Burlington, Vermont USA

* Joplin, Missouri USA

* Orlando, Florida USA

* Sacramento, California USA

* Għajnsielem Malta

See also

Star of Bethlehem

Bethlehem of Galilee

Municipal election in Bethlehem, 2005‎

Palestinian Christians

Bethlehem University

References

Bibliography

Notes

External links

Bethlehem Municipality

Bethlehem Peace Center

Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land website - pages on Bethlehem

Bible Land Library

Bethlehem 2000 project

Open Bethlehem civil society project

Bethlehem: Muslim-Christian living together

Photo: Christmas in Bethlehem, 2008

Photo Gallery of Bethlehem from 2007

* Category:Palestinian Christian localities Category:Cities in the West Bank Category:Holy cities Category:New Testament places Category:Hebrew Bible places Category:Torah cities Category:Historic Jewish communities

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Name	Trisha Yearwood
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Patricia Lynn Yearwood
Born	September 19, 1964Monticello, Georgia, U.S.
Genre	Country
Occupation	Singer, actress
Years active	1991–present
Label	MCA Nashville, Big Machine
Associated acts	Garth Brooks, Don Henley, Aaron Neville, Josh Turner
Spouse	Garth Brooks(2005–Present)
Website	Official Website }}

Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood (born September 19, 1964), is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."

Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA Records in 1990. She came to prominence with her debut single, "She's in Love with the Boy" which became a #1 hit on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1991. Her second album release, ''Hearts in Armor'' (1992) reflected Yearwood's own personal issues, which won her widespread critical acclaim among music critics and further success in country music. Her later album releases such as ''The Song Remembers When'' (1993), ''Thinkin' About You'' (1995) and ''Everybody Knows'' (1996) also demonstrated her creative control, featuring collaborations from Rodney Crowell, Willie Nelson and Garth Brooks.

Yearwood also found major success in country radio during much of the 1990s, including with the 1997 song "How Do I Live." Initially released on the soundtrack of the film, ''Con Air,'' the song was also issued on her "greatest hits" compilation entitled ''(Songbook) A Collection of Hits'' (1997) and would eventually win ''Best Female Country Vocal Performance'' from the Grammy Awards. In addition she would also win accolades from the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Awards in 1997 and 1998. Aside from her success in country music, she has also donated her time as a philanthropist, working with Habitat for Humanity and the Make a Wish Foundation. In addition she also set aside a project to release her first cookbook in April 2008 titled ''Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen,'' which consisted of southern cooking recipes from Yearwood, her mother and sister.

Early life

Yearwood was born in Monticello, Georgia, United States to Gwen Yearwood, a schoolteacher and Jack Yearwood, a local banker. As a child, she grew accustomed to listening to country artists Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells and Hank Williams. In elementary school, Yearwood sang in musicals, choir groups and talent shows. In high school, Yearwood and her sister Beth were A students, and Yearwood took a strong interest in becoming an accountant. After graduating, she enrolled at Young Harris College where she received her associates degree . She then attended The University of Georgia, however grew unhappy with the school's large campus, and transferred in 1985 to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. At Belmont, Yearwood majored in the school's music business program, and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in business administration in 1987.

While in school at Belmont, Yearwood gained an internship with MTM Records, and was eventually hired as a full time employee following her graduation. With the help of the record label's resources, she recorded a series of demo tapes and also sang background vocals for new artists. One of the new artists Yearwood recorded with was Garth Brooks in 1989. The pair developed a friendship and Brooks promised to help Yearwood sign a recording contract, if his career succeeded. Brooks brought her to his producer, Allen Reynolds, who then brought her to Garth Fundis. Fundis and Yearwood soon began working together, and together they created a demo tape. In 1990, she sang background vocals on Brooks' second album, ''No Fences,'' and performed live at a label showcase. MCA record producer, Tony Brown was impressed by her vocal ability at the concert, and helped her sign a recording contract with MCA Nashville Records shortly afterwards. Following her signing with the label, she served as a the opening act on Brooks' 1991 nationwide tour.

Music career

1991: Debut album

Under MCA Nashville, Yearwood released her self-titled debut album in 1991. Its lead single titled "She's in Love with the Boy" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart in late 1991, bringing her national success. With "She's in Love with the Boy," Yearwood became the first female country artist in almost 20 years to reach #1 on the country charts with a debut single. The previous record had been held by Marie Osmond in 1973 with her single, "Paper Roses." Three other singles from her debut album also reached the Top 10 on the country chart — "Like We Never Had a Broken Heart" (co-written by Garth Brooks), "The Woman Before Me," and "That's What I Like About You." Her album eventually sold a million copies and was certified "Platinum" (and later on, "2× Multi-Platinum"), with Yearwood therefore also becoming the first female artist to sell a million copies of her first album. Allmusic reviewed the album and called the effort, "a very classy debut that stands the test of time," giving it four and a half out of five stars. It also received another positive review from ''Entertainment Weekly,'' who said that Yearwood's voice, "demonstrates technical and emotional authority at every turn." With success, Yearwood performed on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', as well as ''The Late Show with David Letterman.'' She was also the subject of the book, ''Get Hot or Go Home,'' a full length biography of Yearwood's life and career written by Lisa Gubernick.

Her debut album's popularity helped Yearwood win a series of major industry awards. In 1991, she was named "Top New Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music Awards, and was also voted by the American Music Awards in 1992, "Favorite New Country Artist."

1992—1996: Career diversification

In 1992, Yearwood released her second studio album, ''Hearts in Armor,'' which was critically acclaimed. With her second album, Yearwood chose songs that came from her own emotional conflicts following her divorce from her first husband, Chris Latham. The album was a departure from her previous album, as it contained almost all ballads and some collaborations with other music artists, including Don Henley, Emmylou Harris and Raul Malo of the country music band, The Mavericks. Harris is featured singing background vocals on a song she previously recorded, "Woman Walk the Line." Music critics gave the album praise and some of the highest reviews of her career. Allmusic called ''Hearts in Armor'' "stunning" and "one of the best heartbreak records country music delivered in the '80s and '90s." ''About.com'' gave it five stars, and called ''Hearts in Armor'', "possibly Trisha’s best album ever." The album would spawn four singles. The first two reached the Top 10 — "Wrong Side of Memphis", which peaked at #5 and "Walkaway Joe" (a collaboration with Don Henley), which peaked at #2 — and the third and fourth singles ("You Say You Will" and "Down on My Knees") peaked within the Top 20, reaching #12 and #19 respectively. Like her previous effort, it certified "Platinum".

Yearwood released her third album in 1993 entitled, ''The Song Remembers When,'' with the title track reaching #2 on the Billboard Country Chart that year. ''The Song Remembers When'' contained a variety of different musical themes, including the Folk-styled "Hard Promises to Keep," Rock-inspired "If I Ain't Got You," and the Pop-themed "Lying to the Moon." The album was recorded in the same format as ''Hearts in Armor,'' with a more contemporary-styled music style. Like her second album, it included collaborations with artists Rodney Crowell and Willie Nelson. The album was later accompanied by a cable television concert special in 1993, where the title track's music video is derived from. Yearwood followed the studio album with her first Holiday compilation in 1994 titled, ''The Sweetest Gift,'' which included cover versions of Christmas standards, such as "Away in a Manger," "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!," and "The Christmas Song."

In February 1995, Yearwood issued her fourth studio album, ''Thinkin' About You,'' which was aimed more towards Adult Contemporary and Country pop music. The album was given a positive review by ''Rolling Stone Magazine,'' who compared ''Thinkin' About You'' to many of Linda Ronstadt's albums in the 1970s. The disc included a version of Melissa Etheridge's "You Can Sleep While I Drive" and Tammy Wynette's "Till I Get it Right." The album found widespread popularity, with its first two singles becoming Yearwood's first #1 singles since 1991: "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" and the title track. Its third single, "I Wanna Go too Far" would reach the Top 10 after its release at the end of 1995. Like its predecessors, ''Thinkin' About You'' eventually sold one million copies in the United States and certified "Platinum." At the 1995 Grammy awards, Yearwood's duet with R&B artist, Aaron Neville titled, "I Fall to Pieces" (a cover of the 1961 song by Patsy Cline) won in the category of ''Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.'' The award became Yearwood's first accolade from the Grammys.

In August 1996, she released her fifth studio album, ''Everybody Knows,'' which also was aimed in a country pop direction. The album mainly consisted of ballads and each song also contained larger melodies. The album was given mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars, calling the songs "a little uneven." However, ''Entertainment Weekly'' praised the album, calling the title track an "emotional release of a pounding piano." ''Everybody Knows'' spawned the single, "Believe Me Baby (I Lied)," which became Yearwood's fourth #1 single on the Billboard Country Chart. The title track was released as the second single in 1996 and peaked within the Top 5 that year. In addition, Yearwood performed in the closing ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics, which were held in Atlanta, Georgia.

1997—2001: Late '90s success

Yearwood released her first "greatest hits" compilation in August 1997 titled, ''(Songbook) A Collection of Hits.'' The album overviews her Top 10 singles between 1991 and 1996, including "She's in Love with the Boy," "Walkaway Joe," and "Thinkin' About You." Unlike her previous album, ''Songbook'' was praised by most music critics, including Allmusic who called it, "a near-definitive collection." The compilation became Yearwood's first album to peak at #1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart, and also reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200, reaching #4. The album included three new tracks that were eventually released as singles. The first single released was the Diane Warren-penned, "How Do I Live," which was included on the soundtrack of the film, ''Con Air,'' and was also nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards. "How Do I Live" was originally recorded by teenage country music artist LeAnn Rimes for the film. Yearwood's manager at the time criticized Rimes's version as "too pop", and Rimes's version received little country airplay (only peaking at #43) and was not included in the film's soundtrack. Rimes's version became a major hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #2, while Yearwood's version peaked at #2 on the Hot Country Songs, and nearly made the Top 20 on Hot 100 as well, peaking at #23. Two of the other singles spawned from the album also became major hits on the Billboard Country Chart. The second single, "In Another's Eyes" (a duet with Garth Brooks) peaked at #2 on the country chart, and the third single, "Perfect Love" reached #1 in early 1998. In 1997 and 1998, she also won a series of accolades from the Grammy Awards, and also won "Female Vocalist of the Year" from the Country Music Association Awards and the Academy of Country Music. The album would become Yearwood's biggest selling album, selling four million copies in the United States, eventually certifying "4× Multi-Platinum."

In 1998 she released her first studio album in two years entitled, ''Where Your Road Leads.'' It was Yearwood's first album to be produced by Tony Brown, as her five previous albums were produced by Garth Fundis. The singles, "There Goes My Baby," "Powerful Thing," and "I'll Still Love You More" became Top 10 hits on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart between 1998 and 1999. The title track, a duet with Brooks reached the Top 20. The album also gained positive reviews. ''About.com'' reviewed the album, giving it four stars, calling it, "one of her best albums." It was also reviewed by Allmusic, which also gave the release four out of five stars. In the summer of 1998, she performed with singer, Luciano Pavarotti to benefit Liberian children. In 1999, she was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Porter Wagoner, performing a cover Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams (Of You)" the night of her induction. She is still a member.

Following a second divorce in 1999, Yearwood released her seventh studio album in March 2000 entitled, ''Real Live Woman.'' Like her second album, it contained her emotional conflicts following the separation, and therefore it gained critical praise. The album contained twelve tracks, and included covers of Bruce Springsteen's "Sad Eyes" and Linda Ronstadt's "Try Me Again." It was given high critical acclaim from Allmusic, quoting ''Real Live Woman'' as a "measured, deliberate record in the best possible sense." The album sold 500,000 copies in the United States and only spawned two singles.

In 2001, she released her next studio album, ''Inside Out.'' It was produced by Mark Wright and unlike her past albums, ''Inside Out'' contained love themes. The album included collaborations from Don Henley on the title track, Rosanne Cash and Vince Gill. Allmusic called the release, "bound to inspire fans and fellow artists alike," calling Yearwood's voice "timeless." ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album four out of five stars calling, "Love Alone" and "Melancholy Blue" the best songs on the record. The album spawned the single, "I Would've Loved You Anyway," which reached #4 on the Billboard Country Chart. Its two additional singles, the title track and "I Don't Paint Myself in Corners" only became minor hit singles between 2001 and 2002.

2005—2006: Return to music

In September 2005, Yearwood released her first album of new recordings in four years titled, ''Jasper County.'' Between 2002 and 2004, Yearwood took creative time out to record music as well as wed to Garth Brooks. ''Jasper County'' was produced by Garth Fundis and was named after the county Yearwood was raised in as a child. The album consisted of mainly upbeat Soul-styled songs, including "Sweet Love," and "Who Invented the Wheel." The album received many positive reviews by music critics, including Allmusic writer, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who called ''Jasper Country'', "an album that stretches further musically than most of her albums while being more cohesive than most of her records as well." It received five stars from ''about.com,'' who also gave the album a positive review, praising the songs, "Georgia Rain," "Who Invented the Wheel," and "Standing Out in a Crowd." The album became her third album to peak at #1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums Chart, while it also peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 117,000 copies within its first week. Its first week sales eclipsed those of Paul McCartney's ''Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,'' which was also released within that same week. The first single released was the song, "Georgia Rain," which was about Yearwood's upbringing in Georgia, and peaked at #15 on the Billboard Country Chart, becoming her first major hit since 2002. The second single, "Trying to Love You" was released to radio October 31, however the single only reached #52. Within a month of the album's release, ''Jasper County'' certified "Gold" from the Recording Industry Association of America, becoming Yearwood's eleventh Gold certification of her career.

In October 2005, Yearwood participated in the "Broadway Goes Country" concert, a show that featured country artists performing songs from Broadway Musicals and Broadway performers singing country songs. During the concert, Yearwood performed the song, "For Good" from the musical, ''Wicked,'' along with original ''Wicked'' star, Idina Menzel. Other country artists that performed that night included Billy Currington, Jamie O'Neal and Carrie Underwood.

2007—present: Move to Big Machine records

In May 2007, Yearwood announced her departure from MCA Nashville Records, and signing with the independent label, Big Machine Records. Yearwood and Big Machine CEO, Scott Borchetta met when she originally worked for MTM Records in the late 1980s, and then worked together when Borchetta worked at MCA during the 1990s. Yearwood left the label after over sixteen years with them, and selling over ten million records. Following her separation, MCA released a ''Greatest Hits'' compilation in September, which included all of her Top 10 singles up until 2001.

After signing with Big Machine, Yearwood announced plans for the recording of her tenth studio album, which was originally planned for release in 2008. In November 2007, Yearwood released her tenth studio album titled, ''Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love.'' The album peaked at #10 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums Chart while also reaching #30 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album was given some of the highest reviews of her musical career, gaining even more praise then her 1992 effort, ''Hearts in Armor.'' Allmusic gave the album 4 and a half out five stars, and called it their "album pick." Reviewer, Thom Jurek praised the album highly, stating, "It's better than good, it's beyond expectation -- and it was high after ''Jasper County'' -- it's the best example of what a popular record -- not just a country one -- should aspire to be, period." ''Slant Magazine'' also reviewed the album, also giving it four and a half stars, calling it, "a testament to the vitality, intelligence, and soulfulness of modern country's best music." The title track was released as the first single July 16, 2007. where it debuted at #49 shortly afterward and peaked at #19 on Hot Country Songs chart at the end of the year. The second single, "This Is Me You're Talking To" was released to radio in January 2008, and was given high critical acclaim, including from ''The 9513,'' who called the song, "one of the best singles of the year." It eventually reached a peak of #25 in June 2008. In early 2009 Yearwood joined Chris Isaak on his show, ''The Chris Isaak Hour'', to promote a song they recorded on his latest album, ''Mr. Lucky'' called "Breaking Apart."

Musicianship

Yearwood has found major influences in a variety of musical artists. She grew accustomed to influence from Southern Rock bands, which include The Allman Brothers, Eagles, as well as Country rock artists such as Emmylou Harris, Elvis Presley and James Taylor. Yearwood stated that her primary musical influence is Linda Ronstadt, whom Yearwood had often been identified and compared with in her albums. Yearwood says, "She had a power and an emotion in her voice that made you believe every word she sang. My favorite song was probably "Love Has No Pride," but I listened to everything over and over. I knew the albums so well I knew which song it was from the first note." She had recorded some of Ronstadt's compositions, including, "Try Me Again" for her 2000 album, ''Real Live Woman.'' Yearwood said that she has never considered herself as a songwriter, but is precise about choosing songs that she can relate to. She stated, ""I always select music based on emotion, how it makes me feel, even before I made records. "My producer, Garth Fundis, and I have to catch ourselves if we begin to think about recording a song we don't believe in just because we think it might be a hit." She also stated that even though she does not record any of her own material, she has written music that still has yet to be recorded.

Other projects

Philanthropic activities

In 2001, in conjunction with the movie, ''The Tangerine Bear,'' Yearwood joined with the Children's Foundation and donated a mobile electronic fun center to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. In November 2008, Yearwood recorded a version of "My Favorite Things" for the Sears "Heroes at Home" program. The song was available for download via the Sears website. Yearwood has been an active member of the charity homebuilding group, Habitat for Humanity. Yearwood first joined along with husband, Garth Brooks in 2006 and partook in the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief by building flood walls in New Orleans and protective structures in Mississippi. Between May 2 to May 10, 2009, Yearwood participated in "National Women Build Week" near her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The project saw two hundred crews of women learn to build houses in Atlanta, Georgia and Oklahoma. For the project Yearwood learned to construct and build simple and affordable houses for Habitat for Humanity construction sites nationwide. On Mother's Day, Yearwood, her sister, mother and niece joined the project as well.

Cooking

In April 2008, Yearwood released her first cookbook co-written with her mother, Gwen and sister, Beth entitled, ''Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen.'' The cookbook consists of southern recipes from Yearwood, her mother and sister. The cookbook includes other recipes passed down from her family and liner notes describing each recipe. It includes recipes for such food as fried chicken, ribs, meatloaf and cheesecake. Brooks wrote the book's foreword and has stated how he was always fond of her cooking style. Overall, 120 recipes were compiled from the family to create the cookbook, according to Yearwood. Yearwood stated that she planned to publish another cookbook, which would be expected near Mother's Day of 2010.

On April 6, 2010, Yearwood, again with her mother and sister, released a second cookbook entitled ''Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood''. The book consists of recipes passed down through her mother, aunts, cousins and longtime friends. Yearwood stated that she dedicated many of the cookbook's recipes to relatives, such as husband Garth Brooks, who also provided the foreword for the book. Yearwood's cookbook was the cover article for the April 2010 issue of ''Redbook Magazine'', where she explained that many of the recipes featured in the cookbook were "some of the best memories of her childhood." Later that year, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine included ''Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood'' on their list of the "The Five Worst Cookbooks of 2010", noting its recipes are "loaded with fat and cholesterol" and specifically citing one called "Garth’s Breakfast Bowl" which "includes eight large eggs, a pound each of bacon and sausage, cheese tortellini, cheddar cheese, tater tots, and butter."

Film and television

In 1997, Yearwood began playing a recurring role on the CBS military drama, ''JAG,'' where she played Lieutenant Commander Teresa Coulter, a Navy coroner and forensic specialist, who develops feelings for one of the main characters. She remained on the show sporadically until 2002. In addition, Yearwood also guest-starred in the television series ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' in 1994 as a choir director. Yearwood has also stated she is interested in performing in a Broadway musical, but not "anytime soon."

Personal life

Yearwood has been married three times. She married her first husband, musician Chris Latham, in 1987. They divorced in 1991. On May 21, 1994 she married Robert "Bobby" Reynolds, a bass player for the country music group The Mavericks. She divorced a second time in 1999. Yearwood and her current husband Garth Brooks had remained close friends over the years, even when they became nationally known in the 1990s. In 2000, after Brooks filed for divorce from estranged wife Sandy Mahl, they began dating. This led Yearwood to take a four-year hiatus from music. On May 25, 2005, Brooks proposed marriage in front of 7000 fans in Bakersfield, CA and Yearwood accepted without hesitation. On December 10, 2005, they were married in a private ceremony at the couple's home in Owasso, Oklahoma. Brooks has three daughters from his first marriage — Taylor, August and Allie.

In late August 2008, the plane Yearwood was aboard from Boston, Massachusetts to Oklahoma, made an emergency landing after one of its windows cracked and nearly broke open at 30,000 feet. The pilots safely landed in Baltimore, Maryland, before the window cracked even more.

Discography

;Albums

1991: ''Trisha Yearwood''

1992: ''Hearts in Armor''

1993: ''The Song Remembers When''

1994: ''The Sweetest Gift''

1995: ''Thinkin' About You''

1996: ''Everybody Knows''

1997: ''(Songbook) A Collection of Hits''

1998: ''Where Your Road Leads''

2000: ''Real Live Woman''

2001: ''Inside Out''

2005: ''Jasper County''

2007: ''Greatest Hits''

2007: ''Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love''

2008: ''Love Songs''

Filmography

! Year	! Name	! Role	! Other notes
1993	''The Thing Called Love''	Herself	cameo appearance
1996	''Ellen''	Herself	singer in a country bar
2000	''The Tangerine Bear''	The Narrator	voice
1994	''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman''	Choir director	one episode: "A First Christmas"
1995	''Kenny Rogers: Keep Christmas with You''	Herself
1997–2002			seven episodes recurring role

Awards

Academy of Country Music awards

! Year	! Award
1991	Top New Female Vocalist
1997	Top Female Vocalist

Country Music Association awards

! Year	! Award	! Notes
1994	Album of the Year for ''Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles	Collaboration with various artists
1997
1998

American Music awards

! Year	! Award	! Notes
1992	Favorite New Country Music Artist	only American Music Award to date

Grammy awards

! Year	! Award	! Recording
1995	''Best Country Collaboration with Vocals'' (with Aaron Neville)	"I Fall to Pieces"
	''Best Female Country Vocal Performance''	"How Do I Live"
''Best Country Collaboration with Vocals'' (with Garth Brooks)	"In Another's Eyes"

References

External links

Trisha Yearwood's Official Website

Official UMG Nashville Artist Page

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:American country singers Category:American female singers Category:Belmont University alumni Category:Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Young Harris College alumni Category:Big Machine Records artists

da:Trisha Yearwood pdc:Trisha Yearwood de:Trisha Yearwood es:Trisha Yearwood fr:Trisha Yearwood it:Trisha Yearwood pt:Trisha Yearwood ru:Йервуд, Триша simple:Trisha Yearwood fi:Trisha Yearwood sv:Trisha Yearwood

Horatius Bonar (19 December, 1808 – 31 May, 1889) was a Scottish churchman and poet.

Life

The son of James Bonar, Solicitor of Excise for Scotland, he was born and educated in Edinburgh. He comes from a long line of ministers who have served a total of 364 years in the Church of Scotland. One of eleven children, his brothers John James and Andrew Alexander were also ministers of the Free Church of Scotland. He had married Jane Catherine Lundie in 1843 and five of their young children died in succession. Towards the end of their lives, one of their surviving daughters was left a widow with five small children and she returned to live with her parents. Bonar's wife, Jane, died in 1884. He is buried in the Canongate Kirkyard.

In 1853 Bonar earned the Doctor of Divinity degree at the University of Aberdeen.

Service

He entered the Ministry of the Church of Scotland. At first he was put in charge of mission work at St. John's parish in Leith and settled at Kelso. He joined the Free Church at the time of the Disruption of 1843, and in 1867 was moved to Edinburgh to take over the Chalmers Memorial Church (named after his teacher at college, Dr. Thomas Chalmers). In 1883, he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Works

He was a voluminous and highly popular author. He also served as the editor for "The Quarterly journal of Prophecy" from 1848 to 1873 and for the "Christian Treasury" from 1859 to 1879. In addition to many books and tracts wrote a number of hymns, many of which, e.g., "I heard the voice of Jesus say" and "Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power," became known all over the English-speaking world. A selection of these was published as ''Hymns of Faith and Hope'' (3 series). His last volume of poetry was ''My Old Letters''. Bonar was also author of several biographies of ministers he had known, including "The Life of the Rev. John Milne of Perth" in 1869, - and in 1884 "The Life and Works of the Rev. G. T. Dodds", who had been married to Bonar's daughter and who had died in 1882 while serving as a missionary in France.

His hymns include:

Fill thou my life, O Lord, my God

I heard the Voice of Jesus say

Thy way, not mine, O Lord

Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face

A few more years shall roll

Come Lord and tarry not

Some of his books include:

''God's Way of Peace'' ISBN 1459096304

''Follow the Lamb'' ISBN 0906731631

''Light & Truth: Bible Thoughts and Themes on The Acts & Larger Epistles'' - commentary on Acts, Romans, and 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians ASIN B002ZJRS9K

''Light & Truth: Bible Thoughts and Themes on Revelation''] - commentary on the Book of Revelation ASIN B002ZRQ55U

See also

"So Soon in the Morning", a song by Joan Baez and Bill Wood (1959) containing two lines from Bonar's "I heard the voice of Jesus say"

References

External links

"I heard the voice of Jesus say" - words and score for Bonar's hymn

The Hymns of Horatius Bonar

Category:1808 births Category:1889 deaths Category:Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland Category:Calvinist ministers and theologians Category:Calvinist artists and writers Category:Scottish Calvinists Category:Scottish theologians Category:Burials at Canongate Kirkyard Category:People from Edinburgh

de:Horatius Bonar ja:ホレイシャス・ボナー sv:Horatius Bonar zh:波纳