Imminent Return Research Articles

Between the Temporary and Permanent: The International Red Cross and the Palestinian Refugee Camps, 1948–1950

Abstract This article focuses on the formation and transformation of the first Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank from late 1948 to early 1950. It analyzes this process as a product of an uneven interaction between Palestinian refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It demonstrates how experts’ design, ICRC delegates’ plans, refugees’ expectations, and challenges posed by climate and the terrain shaped the camp’s physical and social space. In this early period, an imminent return seemed feasible to all actors involved, and solutions on the ground oscillated between temporary and permanent. For the refugees, a long-term solution helped them survive the winter but pushed away the prospects of return. Localized ad hoc solutions were devised during this period and, moreover, consolidated into established routines and permanent camps. This article complements existing works on the history of refugees’ relationships with other aid organizations, particularly the Quakers and the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA), and traces early beginnings of processes historians have examined in later periods. This article builds on a combined reading of the ICRC archive and the contemporary Palestinian press to reconstruct the negotiation between aid workers and the refugees over the formation of the camps.

The Yearning for Zion among Beta Israel

The yearning for Zion and Jerusalem – i.e., for the Land of Israel – was the fundamental underlying element of the Beta Israel community’s existence in Ethiopia and features clearly in their prayers, ritual sacrifices, and especially the Sigd holiday. For the members of the community, Ethiopia was but a temporary exile. They lived with an explicit consciousness of their imminent return to Zion and in a state of constant readiness to embark on the journey. This consciousness was expressed at every religious ceremony and even in daily life. They would raise their eyes to a passing airplane or to a flock of storks on their seasonal migration to and from colder climes via the Land of Israel and call out to them: “Take us to Jerusalem.” This intense and poignant consciousness raises the question: Why didn’t the Beta Israel ever leave Ethiopia and set out for the Holy Land? The Ethiopian Church’s connection to Zion and the waves of pilgrims from Ethiopia to Jerusalem that began in the 4th century only serve to amplify our question: Why did Christians fulfill their longing for Zion while Beta Israel left it as a dream? The answer can be found in the responsa of Aba Yitzhak to Filosseno (“Ohev Ger”) Luzzatto: “The Shabbat spread over us a screen that prevents us crossing the ocean. The Torah forbade walking on the Sabbath day.” Beta Israel interpreted the prohibition of exceeding the prescribed limits of Shabbat travel in the most stringent possible manner. According to them, any walking, riding, or sailing on Shabbat was absolutely forbidden. It was this fear of desecrating Shabbat that prevented them from realizing their yearning for Zion.

Teachers’ mental health issues associated with the university reopening at the onset of the post-COVID-19 era in Ecuador

Progressive return to face-to-face teaching and learning activities were planned to resume worldwide once most higher education community members are vaccinated against COVID-19. However, mental health issues triggered by this imminent return under unprecedented teaching scenarios, mainly among university teachers, may occur. Therefore, this study aims to determine the psychological response of university teachers to the multiple uncertainties generated by the university reopening in Ecuador. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted, and a sample of 273 university teachers completed a semi-structured questionnaire aiming to collect socio-demographic, health conditions, and professional and family-related data. Measures of stress, anxiety, and depression were also collected based on 5-point Smiley Face Likert scales. Data were quantitatively analyzed with multiple linear regression to determine the factors associated with teachers’ mental health outcomes. Stress and anxiety were significantly related to face-face activities scenarios (p<0.001). Factors such as age, marital status, academic degree, pre-infections with COVID-19, family member loss, employment status, and teaching experience were also significantly associated with psychological disorders observed (p<0.05). Findings may help develop timely preventive programs and policies to cope with and mitigate the knock-on effects of future disease outbreaks in Ecuador, consequently helping reduce social and financial costs.

Selecting the Best 3D Concrete Printing Technology for Refugee Camp’s Shelter Construction Using Analytical Hierarchy Process: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Jordan

Upgrading the Syrian refugee shelter design serves humanitarian needs, especially since the currently used T-shelters have a life span of 2–4 years, and there are no clear signs of an imminent return of Syrian refugees to their country, even after the end of the civil war. The use of 3D concrete printing can provide a promising method to construct new durable shelters with a long life span and provide better protection against extreme change in the desert climate, privacy, and cultural constraints. This research aims to use multi-criteria decision methods—in particular, the Analytical Hierarchal Process (AHP) method—to select the best 3D concrete printing to construct these shelters. The proposed model takes the following into consideration: the machine’s technical characteristics, building structure characteristics, and economic and environmental aspects. The three basic developed technologies—contour crafting, D-shape, and concrete printing—were used as alternatives in the model. The results show that contour crafting is the best technology for this application, and the inconsistency test and sensitivity analysis indicate an effective and reasonable technology ranking.

Association of Religious End Time Beliefs with Attitudes toward Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss

Mobilizing communities for environmental sustainability often involves engaging with religious values and beliefs, which can exert powerful influences on the attitudes, norms, and behaviors of the majority of people worldwide. Christianity is the largest world religion and, in some contexts, has also been among the most skeptical of climate and environmental concerns. A popular explanation for this skepticism focuses on eschatological views (i.e., end time beliefs) and posits that if the earth is going to be destroyed someday, there is little point in conserving it now. Empirical evidence is lacking, however, on the extent to which such beliefs actually influence environmental attitudes. We surveyed Christian undergraduate students in the US (N = 1520) and found that belief in the imminent return of Jesus Christ was not significantly associated with variables tested regarding biodiversity loss or climate change. Furthermore, a plurality responded that the earth will be renewed at the end (43%), not destroyed (24%), and beliefs about the fate of the earth were generally not related to attitudinal measures—except for a slim minority of respondents with strongest views that the earth will be destroyed—but were significantly associated with political ideology and literalist views of Scripture. These findings suggest that end time views may not be a major obstacle—at least among younger American Christians—to promoting socio-ecological sustainability.

(Re)Synchronisierung auf dem Boden der Tatsachen? Die Pedosphäre als Übersetzungsregion anthropologischer und geologischer Zeitlichkeit

Abstract The new geological epoch defined by hu/man brings an end to the modern narrative and worldview of an independent anthropological agent who thrives on the passive and unlimited resources of nature and thus, one day, will transcend planetary boundaries to become truly liberated. Counterintuitively to its name, this new planetary time unit is characterized by a critical situation of formerly separated entities, hu/man and earth, which now prove to be inextricably bound together but struggle to find a common and thus livable ground. By taking ground (stemming from Greek pédon) in the sense of earth, soil and bedrock as a literally and materially relevant contact zone of our current geo-historical transformation, alternative relationships of mankind and planet can be developed. Especially the notion layers of time allows for a useful approach to both forms of horizontal manifestation, geological and historical strata, which express the interdependent reality or co-constructive worlding in the age of Anthropocene. Thus, the Anthropocene indicates an ambivalent and yet undefined dynamic for the planet and its inhabitants, since extensive geoengineering, the excavation and penetration of ground, signifies the undertaking of hu/man to realize dominance over the planet, while myriad human trace fossils are giving an ominous sign of mankind’s wasteful and self-destructive lifestyle, signaling an imminent return to the earth it originally emerged from.

Figura katechona w myśli Carla Schmitta

The term "catechon" is an expression that is increasingly used both in scientific works and in public debate. By definition, it means “to hold back, to hold back, to restrict, to keep in check, to postpone or to delay. This word was used for the first time in 2 Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians2:7–8). In this passage of the Bible, the Apostle Paul responds to the rumors of Christ’s imminent return. It reminds the Christian community that this event will not take place as long as the God appointed containment force, the catechon, remains in place. Only when it is abolished or removed will the final confrontation between Christ and "lawlessness" take place, followed by the end of the world. The catechon thus seems to refer to a force or entity that holds back or delays the eschaton and whose operation is still active. The person who revived this concept is Carl Schmitt. He conducted an in-depth analysis of the above expression. This article is a comprehensive consideration of the issue of the katechon, its genesis, explanation of who or what it was, as well as the impact of the analysis of this word on the modern world.

Restoration of 1799 in the Kingdom of Sardinia in the Assessments of Russian Diplomacy

The author of the article analyzes the reports of Russian diplomats and synchronous documents from the French archives about the socio-political and military situation in Piedmont in the period from May 1799 to June 1800. During these months, under the patronage of the Austro-Russian troops in Turin, the provisional royal government was recreated under. The council or “giunta” was led by marquis C. F. Thaon de Revel de Saint-Andrea. This government was forced to search for a way out of the total crisis in the most difficult conditions, but instead only worsened the social and economic situation. This was facilitated by disagreements with the Austrian military administration and personally by general M. Melas. As can be seen from the reports to St. Petersburg by D. Mozenigo and A. Czartoryski, the real state of affairs was even worse than it was reported in the press and official Austrian and Italian proclamations. During this period the Russian court, however, was in no hurry to listen to the requests of the Sardinian court and its temporary cabinet. The last months of the existence of the Ancien Régime in Piedmont were marked by an acute financial crisis, which was caused by the March reform of count Prospero Balbo. Anti-French sentiments among the population were replaced by anti-Austrian ones, and in an atmosphere of general chaos in May 1800, the government ceased to control the situation. Peasant uprising again spread across several provinces. Analysis of the situation and Czartoryski’s predictions about the imminent return of the French and the republican regime were fully justified after the Battle of Marengo. The Restoration regime in Piedmont could have lasted longer if it had pursued a more balanced policy, initially abandoning the independent political role that ministers and advisers of the king Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia tried to play throughout the year. But the severity of the Austrian occupation and unsuccessful financial experiments of this cabinet undermined the confidence of the subjects and eventually contributed to the annexation of Piedmont by Napoleonic France in 1802.

Um mundo “endireitado” ou um mundo de ponta-cabeça?

Among nascent Quakerism and the beginnings of Pentecostalism, performances and speeches emerged from excluded masses against the structures “of this world”. Both Quakers and Pentecostals opposed war, racism as well as gender and class inequalities. In addition to equity, the premise of the Spirit’s power in the individual also inspired a selfless conduct, mystical spirituality, bravery in testimony, honesty and dedication to work, while distrusting the established powers and nurturing a certainty in the imminent return of Christ. Furthermore, the cyclical changes and contact with worlds other than their own have re-signified their political beliefs and positions: on the Quaker side, a posture increasingly engaged in changes coinciding with a decrease in the number of believers; Pentecostalism, in turn, would grow significantly, although neglecting guidelines that marked its initial moment.

Welcoming Wolves? Governing the Return of Large Carnivores in Traditional Pastoral Landscapes

Wolf populations are recovering across Europe and readily recolonize most areas where humans allow their presence. Reintegrating wolves in human-dominated landscapes is a major challenge, particularly in places where memories and experience of coexistence have been lost. Despite the observed expansion trends, little has been done to prepare communities for the return of these apex predators, or to understand what fosters and perpetuates coexistence. In this study, we present a theoretical framework for resilient coexistence based on four conditions: Effective institutions, large carnivore persistence, social legitimacy, and low levels of risk and vulnerability, nested within the social-ecological systems (SES) concept. To empirically show how the conditions can be manifested and interconnected, and how this knowledge could be used to improve local coexistence capacities, the framework is applied in a case study of human–wolf relations in Spain. We examined three traditionally pastoral landscapes at different states of cohabitation with wolves: uninterrupted presence, recent recolonization, and imminent return. We found that both the perceptions of wolves and the capacity to coexist with them diverged across these states, and that this was largely determined by a diversity of vulnerabilities that have not been recognized or addressed within current management regimes, such as economic precarity and weak legitimacy for governing institutions. Our results illustrate the importance of working in close contact with communities to understand local needs and enhance adaptive capacities in the face of rural transitions, beyond those directly related to wolves. The framework complements emerging tools for coexistence developed by researchers and practitioners, which offer guidance on the process of situational analysis, planning, and resource allocation needed to balance large carnivore conservation with local livelihoods.

Isaiah 52:1–7

The article presents the discussion on the issue of Interpretation focusing on preaching Topics include Isaiah offering in the midst of imminent return as the longing for Zion;prophet assuring the community of God's steadfastness and faithfulness;and focusing on the novel COVID-19 pandemic forcing congregations for reexamining identity and calling apart from church buildings

The most primitive CM chondrites, Asuka 12085, 12169, and 12236, of subtypes 3.0–2.8: Their characteristic features and classification

CM chondrites (CMs) are the most abundant group of carbonaceous chondrites. CMs experienced varying degrees of secondary aqueous alteration and heating that modified or destroyed their primitive features. We have studied three chondrites, Asuka (A) 12085, A 12169, and A 12236. Their modal compositions, chondrule size distributions, and bulk composition indicate that they are CMs. However, the common occurrence of melilite in CAIs and glass in chondrules, abundant Fe–Ni metal, the absence of tochilinite-cronstedtite intergrowths, and almost no phyllosilicates, all suggest that these chondrites, especially A 12169, experienced only minimal aqueous alteration. The textures and compositions of metal and sulfides, the lack of ferroan rims on AOA olivines, the compositional distribution of ferroan olivine, and the Raman spectra of their matrices, indicate that these chondrites experienced neither significant heating nor dehydration. These chondrites, especially A 12169, are the most primitive CMs so far reported. The degree of the alteration increases from A 12169, through A 12236, to A 12085. We propose the criteria for subtypes of 3.0–2.8 for CMs. A 12169, A 12236, and A 12085 are classified as subtype 3.0, 2.9, and 2.8, respectively. The oxygen isotopic composition of the Asuka CMs is consistent with these samples having experienced only a limited degree of aqueous alteration. The CM and CO groups are probably not derived from a single heterogeneous parent body. These chondrites are also of particular significance in view of the imminent return of sample material from the asteroids Ryugu and Bennu.

The Wars in Eastern Europe, the Jews of Jerusalem, and the Rise of Sabbateanism: The Shaping of the Jewish World in the Mid-Seventeenth Century

This paper revisits the question of the connection between the wars in Eastern Europe (beginning with gezeirot taḥ ve-tat in 1648) and the rise of Sabbateanism. It argues that the key issue is the ways in which the Ashkenazi Jews of Jerusalem dealt with the collapse of Polish-Lithuanian Jewish funding for the Land of Israel in the wake of the wars. Following 1648, an extended transregional philanthropic network began to support the relief efforts for Polish Jewry, diverting resources from the Land of Israel. Initially, this caused great suffering in Jerusalem, including a famine in which many, particularly women, died. In response, great pressure was put on the philanthropic network supporting Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel: the Ashkenazi women of Jerusalem tried to establish their own independent fundraising mechanism, while the men employed a Polish Jew, Nathan Shapira, to collect for them. A major kabbalist, Shapira found common ground with millenarian Protestants in north-western Europe, who saw in the suffering of the Jews in both Eastern Europe and the Holy Land a sign of the Messiah’s imminent return. When they sent money to Jerusalem, the local community—including Nathan of Gaza, then a student—was forced to consider its attitude towards them and their ideology. Nathan had grown up in the post-1648 expanded world of philanthropy and, after the appearance of Shabbetai Zvi, used many transregional fundraising strategies with great success to help spread the new messianic movement.

Christian Origins and the Establishment of the Early Jesus Movement

Christian Origins and the Establishment of the Early Jesus Movement

Resistência pela existência: Dona Ivone Lara, Sorriso Negro e ativismos nos últimos anos da ditadura brasileira

In 1981, Brazilian songwriter and singer Dona Ivone Lara released Sorriso Negro. From its title, Black Smile, to many of the songs, the album reflects the fundamental shifts engulfing Brazil in a moment when exiles exposed to civil rights and feminist movements abroad reinforced debates about these issues to a nation under decades of authoritarian rule. "Resistência pela existência: Dona Ivone Lara, Sorriso Negro e ativismos nos últimos anos da ditadura brasileira" argues that despite Lara's reluctance to identify herself as an activist, several elements of Sorriso Negro turn it into a symbol of the black and feminist movements in Brazil and one example of what the author calls Resistance by Existence. Lara was a path-breaker black woman in the heavily masculine world of samba, and at the time of the album's release, her figure gained prominence. The sense of an imminent return to democracy allowed the feminist and the black movements to develop fully. Now, the issue at stake was not only how to put an end to the dictatorship, but what role specific under-represented groups would play in a civil society from which they had long been disenfranchised. Sorriso Negro was at the center of this quest.

¿POR QUÉ ES NECESARIA LA EDUCACIÓN TEOLÓGICA?

En el mundo cristiano de hoy, la teología tiende a ser despreciada; sorprende esta aversión y parece extenderse incluso dentro de la Iglesia Adventista del Séptimo Día. La educación teológica en algunos círculos no es bienvenida ni esencial. Además, la creencia en el inminente regreso de Jesucristo ha generado que algunos rechacen no solo la educación superior general sino también las escuelas de teología. En este artículo, desde el contexto escatológico en el cual vivimos, el autor señala que una verdadera y equilibrada educación ministerial es la condición para adquirir una correcta formación bíblica y teológica. La teología adventista prepara a la gente para buscar, conocer, amar, seguir, vivir y proclamar la verdad a fin de estar listos para la segunda venida de Cristo.

The Perfect and Complete Gospel of Both Comings of Jesus Christ: Reclaiming Eschatology in Pentecostal Proclaimation of the Gospel

Th is article is written to encourage a return to a position fi rmly entrenched in traditional Pentecostal and Charismatic eschatology that includes both comings of Jesus Christ in the proclamation of the Gospel. It develops the concept of the “Perfect/Complete Gospel of Both Comings of Jesus Christ,” identifying it as an emphasis in both historic Christianity in general and Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity in particular. And in light of Oral Roberts’ vision received in August 2004, the article concludes with an exhortation to reconsider this proclamation in light of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.

Improvements in Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Handoffs to Community Practices

Topic Significance & Study Purpose/Background/Rationale Our Long Term Follow Up (LTFU) program supports 6,000 BMT survivors via telemedicine and an on-site clinic. LTFU telemedicine nurses field approximately 50 consults a week. This department hosted a Nursing Summit in October 2017 with community oncology nurses (n=18) to explore challenges when caring for complex post-BMT patients. Challenges identified included the community nurses not receiving the discharge (DC) packet and so were not aware of the imminent return of the patient to their practice. The community nurse role varied across practices, but most were responsible for arranging labs, testing, and the appropriate appointment type. We identified changes the BMT Clinic could make with the DC of patients to improve coordination with community practices. Changes included standardization of DC information, earlier notification of discharge, and nurse to nurse handoffs. Methods, Intervention, & Analysis LTFU nurses presented the Summit discussion to the BMT nurses in February 2018. At their local practice council, BMT nurses explored their differences in workflows when discharging patients to community practices. Generally, patients delivered the DC packet to the home oncologist. The DC packet included a discharge summary, medication list, post-transplant monitoring calendar, recent labs, and a CD of recent radiology images. Clinical records were also faxed by Health Information Management, though this information was often not received by the community nurse. Telephone contact between BMT nurse and the community practice was often unsuccessful for giving verbal report as the appropriate community staff member was unavailable to take the call. Our practice council discussion led the BMT nurses to sending a standardized DC packet directly to the community care nurse, implemented July 2018. Findings & Interpretation Community nurses will be surveyed to determine effectiveness of this change to the handoff process. An online survey will assess if community nurses have increased awareness of patients returning to their care and evaluate if the updated DC packet improves patient care in community practices. Discussion & Implications This project provides a platform to enhance working relationships between the BMT Clinic and community nursing partners. As we continue to build the collaborative clinical partnership we hope to ultimately improve timely and comprehensive support of BMT survivors as they return home.

The acceptance and commitment therapy model in occupational rehabilitation of musculoskeletal and common mental disorders: a qualitative focus group study

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine whether and how intended processes of behavioural change were reflected in participants’ experiences after an inpatient occupational rehabilitation programme. The programme was transdiagnostic, lasted 3½ weeks and was based on the acceptance and commitment therapy model.Methods: Twenty-two participants (17 women and 5 men) took part in five qualitative focus group interviews after the programme. Analysis was data-driven, categorising participants’ experiences using an initial explorative phenomenological approach. The emerging data-driven categories were re-contextualised within the theoretical framework of the therapy model.Results: The participants referred to experiences within all three intended domains of the model (openness, awareness, and engagement). Our results indicate that the transdiagnostic approach may have facilitated openness, while the attainment of flexible self-awareness was less evident. Participants expressed engagement and behavioural changes linked to personal values, but did not mention actions leading to imminent return to work.Conclusions: The results imply that for implementation in occupational rehabilitation, further development of this model is needed specifically regarding processes related to self-awareness and committed action towards work. These findings are relevant for the interpretation of results from randomised clinical trials on acceptance and commitment therapy in occupational rehabilitation.Implications for rehabilitationAcceptance and commitment therapy seems to be a feasible component in an occupational rehabilitation programme for persons with different diagnoses.A transdiagnostic approach mixing musculoskeletal pain disorders and common mental disorders in the same rehabilitation programme seems to facilitate the process of openness and acceptance.There is a need to further develop and operationalise some of the processes in Acceptance and commitment therapy to accommodate the approach to the occupational rehabilitation context.

De Wachters van de Nacht en het eindtijddenken

The Watchmen of the Night is a small religious group based in Aalten (in the Dutch province of Gelderland), that lives in the expectation of Jesus Christ’s imminent return to the earth. The Watchmen consider themselves belonging to the historicist school of interpretation of biblical prophecies. They expect the seventh vial of God’s wrath (Rev. 16:17) to be poured out soon and think the period 2017-2018 will be of crucial significance. In this article their prophecies concerning the end of times are presented and the question is discussed what will be the consequences for the group and its views when these predictions will be confronted with the (possible contradictory) reality of 2017-2018.