Happening Now in Palestine

Red farm soil in the foreground with Israeli settler caravans just beyond a fence and settler homes in the distance.

Farm survives amid occupation

Daoud Nassar and his family live on a hill-top farm near Bethlehem called Tent of Nations. Their terraced land produces abundant harvests of olives, grapes ...
People sit around a table with food.

Families bear heaviest cost

What does it look like to live with constant fear and never have a peaceful night’s sleep? How do you play outside with your small ...
Jerusalem skyline with the words "Happening Now in Palestine"

Faith thrives despite hardship

On day seven of our pilgrimage – Sunday – our trustworthy driver Zuzu picked us up after breakfast to drive us to Ramallah, where we ...
Jerusalem skyline with the words "Happening Now in Palestine"

Hope shines in the darkness

What’s happening in Israel/Palestine? Admittedly, if I was asked this question before our pilgrimage to the Holy Land, my answer would have probably been vague ...
Jerusalem skyline with the words "Happening Now in Palestine"

Art exposes harsh realities

At Dar Al Kaima University in Bethlehem, resistance to the Occupation is played out in visual arts, film, performing arts and other creative fields of ...
A large wall topped with barbed wire next to a roadway.

Walls witness daily survival

The first time I saw a bullet wound was when I was a chaplain in a children’s hospital in Atlanta. It was on the arm ...
Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem with golden dome.

Power displaces prayer

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children ...
Jerusalem skyline with the words "Happening Now in Palestine"

Hope appears in perilous places

The first full day of the diocesan delegation’s visit to the Holy Land began, fittingly, on the Mount of Olives, where we visited the Princess ...
Group of people inside a cave.

Pilgrimage begins with a checkpoint

Bishop Asbil and a group of clergy and laity from the diocese travelled to the Holy Land in early December. Their reflections can all be ...