Podcasts about beit sahour

Dr. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian pastor, theologian, author, and activist. He has an MA from Westminster Theological Seminary and a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. He pastors the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College and the author of several books including the recently released: Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Madang Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠Madang is the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renown authors, leaders, public figures and scholars on religion, culture and everything in-between. This has been a dream of mine for many years and now it is a reality. Please join me at Madang Podcast hosted by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Century⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠This is the 45th Episode with Dr. Munther Isaac on his book, Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza (Eerdmans, 2025). Dr. Isaac is a Palestinian Christiantheologian who serves as pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He served as the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College and is now the Director of the BethlehemInstitute of Peace and Justice. He is the author of several books,  From Land to Lands, from Eden to the RenewedEarth, The Other Side of the Wall and Christ in the Rubble. Today, he is with us today to share his latest book, genocide, nakba, settler colonialism, theology of empire, theology of genocide and so much more.I am grateful to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠, Eerdmans and PANAAWTM ⁠⁠⁠for sponsoring this episode. Please join Homebrewed Christianity's online class, ⁠Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠. Please read some of the latest Eerdmans Books that are impacting the world. Please attend and support PANAAWTM.Please check out their websites for their work, and events and to donate. Please reach out to me if you would like to sponsor the next episode of Madang podcast. Or simply ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠support me on my ⁠substack.

Sahar Qumsiyeh is a Palestinian Arab. She was born in Jerusalem, Palestine, and grew up in Beit Sahour, a town close to Bethlehem. She currently teaches in the mathematics department at BYU-Idaho. She is the author of Peace for a Palestinian: One Woman's Story of Faith Amidst War in the Holy Land. I wanted to speak to Sahar to hear her incredible experiences and to be inspired by her faith as she continued to live out her beliefs when it was intensely difficult to.Some highlights from this episode include hearing Sahar's terrifying weekly trek to Church in Jerusalem, how she found it in her heart to forgive the Israeli soldiers who wronged her, and how she went from Palestine to BYU.--You can find more of Sahar's work at the following links:- https://www.ensign.edu/devotional/sahar-qumsiyeh-09-2022- https://www.deseretbook.com/product/5189475.html?srsltid=AfmBOorHFnxPhnSVH_n4doWIbp9pSQ8WlefoChJBHZ_9TL1xCRfj31UjFollow For All The Saints on social media for updates and inspiring content:www.instagram.com/forallthesaintspodhttps://www.facebook.com/forallthesaintspod/For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVDUQg_qZIU&list=UULFFf7vzrJ2LNWmp1Kl-c6K9Qhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3j64txm9qbGVVZOM48P4HS?si=bb31d048e05141f2https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/for-all-the-saints/id1703815271If you have feedback or any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org or DM on InstagramConversations to Refresh Your Faith.For All The Saints podcast was established in 2023 by Ben Hancock to express his passion and desire for more dialogue around faith, religious belief, and believers' perspectives on the topics of our day. Tune into For All The Saints every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.Follow For All The Saints on social media for daily inspiration.

“I think my hope is that by this time next year, we would have survived this. … The hope is to survive. … It's really hard to think beyond that.” “We need to repent from apathy. We need to fight this normalization of a genocide.” —Rev. Dr. Munther Issac, from the episode In the long history of conflict in the Middle East, both Jews and Palestinians have felt and continue to feel the existential threat of genocide. There remains so much to be spoken and heard about the experience of each side of this conflict. Today we're exploring a Palestinian perspective. Ministering in present-day Bethlehem, pastor, theologian, author, and advocate Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac joins Mark Labberton to reflect on the state of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, now a year following Isaac's bracing and sobering Christmas sermon, which was graphically represented in a sculptural manger scene of “Christ in the Rubble”—a crèche depicting the newborn Jesus amid the debris of Palestinian concrete, wood, and rebar. Together they discuss the experience, emotions, and response of Palestinians after fourteen months of war; the Christian responsibility to speak against injustice of all kinds as an act of faith; the contours of loving God, loving neighbours, and loving enemies in the Sermon on the Mount; what theology can bring comfort in the midst of suffering; just war theory versus the justice of God; the hope for survival; and the Advent hope that emerges from darkness. A Message from Mark Labberton Since October 7 of 2023, the world has been gripped by the affairs that have been unfolding in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine. And the world is eager, anxious, fearful, angry, and divided over these affairs. All of this is extremely complicated. And yet, as a friend said to me once about apartheid (I'm paraphrasing): It's not just that it's complicated (which it is), it's actually also very simple: that we refuse to live as Christian people. By that, he was not trying to form any sort of reductionism. He was simply trying to say, Are we willing to live our faith? Are we willing to live out the identity of the people of God in the context of places of great division and violence and evil? The Middle East is fraught historically with these debates, and certainly since the of the nation-state of Israel in 1947, there has been this ongoing anguish and understandable existential crisis that Jews have experienced both inside Israel and around the world because of the ongoing anti-Semitic hatred that seems to exist in so many places and over such a long, long period of time. Today we have the privilege of hearing from one of the most outstanding Christian voices, a Palestinian Christian pastor, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, who is the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. He is also academic dean of the Bethlehem Bible College and a director of the highly acclaimed and influential conference called Christ at the Checkpoint. Munther in this last year has been the voice of Christian pleading. Pleading for an end to the war, pleading for the end to violence, pleading for the end to all of the militarism that has decimated parts of Israel, but also, and even more profoundly, the decimation that has leveled approximately 70 percent of all Palestinian homes in Gaza. This kind of devastation, the loss of forty-five thousand lives and more in Palestine, has riveted the world's attention. And Munther has been a person who has consistently spoken out in places all around the United States and in various parts of the world, trying to call for an end to the war and for a practice of Christian identity that would seek to love our neighbours, as Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount, including sometimes also loving our enemies. The reason for the interview with Munther today is because of the one-year anniversary of Something that occurred in their church in Bethlehem, a crèche with a small baby lying in the Palestinian rubble. Seeing and understanding and looking at Christmas through the lens of that great collision between the bringer of peace, Jesus Christ, and the reality of war. In the meantime, we have a great chance to welcome a brother in Christ ministering with many suffering people in the Middle East, Jew and Gentile, and certainly Palestinian Christians. About Munther Isaac Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. He now pastors the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and is the director of the highly acclaimed and influential Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. Munther is passionate about issues related to Palestinian theology. He speaks locally and internationally and has published numerous articles on issues related to the theology of the land, Palestinian Christians and Palestinian theology, holistic mission, and reconciliation. His latest book, Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza (get your copy via Amazon or Eerdmans), will appear in March 2025. He is also the author of The Other Side of the Wall, From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth, An Introduction to Palestinian Theology (in Arabic), a commentary on the book of Daniel (in Arabic), and more recently he has published a book on women's ordination in the church, also in Arabic. He is involved in many reconciliation and interfaith forums. He is also a Kairos Palestine board member. Munther originally studied civil engineering in Birzeit University in Palestine. He then obtained a master in biblical studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and then a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. Munther is married to Rudaina, an architect, and together they have two boys: Karam and Zaid. Follow him on X @muntherisaac. Show Notes The complexity of conflict in Palestine, Israel, and the Middle East “It's very simple: We refuse to live as Christian people.” Get your copy of Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza via Amazon or Eerdmans “Christ in the Rubble”—the one-year anniversary Munther Isaac's Christmas sermon, “Christ Under the Rubble” Video A Letter from all churches in Bethlehem: “No war” “ I can't believe how used we got to the idea of children being killed.” “We need to repent from apathy. We need to fight this normalization of a genocide that's taking place in front of the whole world to see.” Fourteen months of non-stop bombing “We're still feeling the anger.” ”We're still feeling the pain. We're still feeling the anger. And in a strange way, even more fearful of what is to come, given that it seems that to the world, Palestinians are less human.” “We couldn't go to church as normal.” “ It's our calling to continue as people of faith. To call for a change, and to call for things to be different in our world, even to call for accountability. And of course, I feel that my message should be first to the church, because I'm a Christian minister.  I don't like to lecture other religions about how they should respond. And I feel that the church could have done more.” Freedom to speak out: “You can't say these things in public.” Anti-Semitism and hatred toward Jews “ This kind of hatred and prejudice toward the Jews, which led to the horrors of the Holocaust, to me, it stems from the idea of ‘we're superior, we're better, we're entitled,' and blaming someone else. It comes from a position of righteousness and lack of humility. And certainly Jews have always been the victim of such hatred and blame.” “ At the same time, we as Palestinians cannot but wonder why is it us that we're paying the price for what happened on someone else's land? We're paying the price.” Loving God, loving neighbours, and loving enemies Jesus's politically charged environment Violence, just wWar theory, and “the justice of God” Using children as human shields for militants “ We cannot again bypass what Jesus was challenging us to do, even if it's not easy at all. It was Jesus who confirmed that loving God and loving neighbour summarizes everything. It wasn't like I came up with this novel thing, but I think we somehow found other ways to define what it means to be a Christian.” “What theology would bring comfort?” Matthew 25, judgment, and ministering to Jesus through “the least of these” “ ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.' So he's clearly talking about victims of unjust structures, those who are thirsty for justice, those who are hungry.” Hopes for peace “I'm going to be very real, Mark. I think my hope is that by this time next year, we would have survived this.” “They estimate that 70 percent of the homes of two million people are destroyed.” Violence and destruction connected to a biblical argument about the legitimacy of Palestinian genocide The vulnerability of Israel and the vulnerability of Palestine “ And it's important to say these things. Because if we don't say them, then we … leave the task of imagination to those who are radical—to the extremists and exclusivists.” Munther Isaac's thoughts on the Zionist movement Advent reflections on the darkness at the centre, from which hope and life might emerge Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. He now pastors the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and is the director of the highly acclaimed and influential Christ at the Checkpoint conferences.  He speaks locally and internationally and has published numerous articles on issues related to the theology of the land, Palestinian Christians and Palestinian theology, holistic mission and reconciliation. He is the author of The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope and the forthcoming Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza which will release in March of 2025. Munther originally studied civil engineering in Birzeit University in Palestine. He then obtained a Master in Biblical Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and then a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. During our conversation, we discuss his childhood and family, why he chose pastoring over engineering, how they get through each and every horrific day in Palestine, what Americans should be doing right now to continue fighting for a Free Palestine, and so much more. ✅ Follow Munther on Instagram and Twitter. ✅ Preorder his new book coming out in March. --- ✊

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), A Christian Voice for Palestine, presents Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac: "Empty calls for peace without a ceasefire and end to the occupation, and the shallow words of empathy without direct action, are all under the banner of complicity." Rev. Munther Isaac is on an eight-city speaking tour sponsored by FOSNA. This talk is his address at the Claremont Presbyterian Church in Claremont, CA on August 8, 2024. Rev. Munther addresses the silence of many U.S. churches in the face of genocide and Christian Zionism's support of apartheid in the West Bank and Gaza. Rev. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian pastor and theologian. He now serves the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College and director of the highly acclaimed and influential "Christ at the Checkpoint" conferences. During the genocide in Gaza, Munther gained global attention for his sermon, "Christ under the Rubble," which was heard by tens of millions of people and subsequently quoted in South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. He has appeared on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, MSNBC, CBS, TRT, and Democracy Now! Munther is passionate about issues related to Palestinian theology. He speaks locally and internationally and has published numerous articles on the theology of the land, Palestinian Christians, holistic mission, and reconciliation. He is the author of "The Other Side of the Wall," "From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth," "An Introduction to Palestinian Theology" (in Arabic), a commentary on the book of Daniel (in Arabic), and more recently a book on women's ordination, also in Arabic. He is a Kairos Palestine board member involved in many reconciliation and interfaith forums. Munther originally studied civil engineering at Birzeit University in Palestine. He then obtained a Master in Biblical Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

Christchurch academic, activist, ecologist Dr Colin Meurk discusses meeting Palestinian academic, writer, activist, ecologist Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh from Beit Sahour, Occupied West Bank

In this episode, co-host Abeer has a conversation with Courtney Reeve, a Canadian doctoral student at Durham University, UK, currently residing in the Occupied West Bank to conduct her research with Musalaha, a faith-based organization. They explore a range of topics, including Courtney's firsthand experiences during and after October 7th, her deep insights into the trauma faced by Palestinians, and pathways to reconciliation in Palestine rooted in faith and biblical context. They delve into her pivotal research, "Divine Encounters Amidst War and Occupation: An Immersive Theological Ethnography of Reconciliation Practice at Musalaha," and discuss her impactful work with the organization. Additionally, Abeer and Courtney examine the influential role of film and cinema as educational tools about the ongoing situation in Palestine. This episode offers a unique personal perspective that resonates deeply with the challenges and hopes of those on the ground. Don't miss this compelling and insightful discussion that shines a light on personal stories and professional studies in the quest for understanding and peace. Courtney Reeve has been living in Bethlehem (Beit Jala and now Beit Sahour) for almost two years. After meeting the founder of faith-based reconciliation organisation, Musalaha, in 2011 and maintaining contact throughout the years, Courtney chose to move to the Occupied West Bank to conduct her doctoral research from Durham University in the United Kingdom. With previous work as an Assistant Pastor at a Toronto-based church, Courtney is interested in the formational of people who choose the work of reconciliation across the fraught context of normalisation and 'over-politicisation.' Courtney is Canadian but has spent many years living abroad including Indonesia, the US, England, and now Palestine. She loves talking theology as much as she loves talking about film and cinema! If you enjoy our podcast, please consider becoming a monthly supporter at:⁠https://ko-fi.com/acrossthedividepodcast⁠Follow Across the Divide on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/acrossthedividepodcast/ Show Notes https://musalaha.org/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/acrossthedivide/message

Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. He pastors the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour and serves as the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and is the director of the highly acclaimed and influential Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. Munther is the author of “The Other Side of the Wall”, “From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth”, “An Introduction to Palestinian Theology” (in Arabic), a commentary on the book of Daniel (in Arabic), and more recently has published a book on women ordination in the church, also in Arabic. Munther originally studied civil engineering in Birzeit University in Palestine. He then obtained a Master in Biblical Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and then a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.  Sign the petition to advocate for a ceasefire:  https://www.change.org/p/an-open-letter-from-palestinian-christians-to-western-church-leaders-and-theologians?recruiter=1319605589&recruited_by_id=a6f6fd10-6e69-11ee-abdf-5b152ac3937c&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_medium=copylink  Contribute financially to relief for Palestinians in Gaza:  https://shepherd-society.org  For ongoing, honest, and well-researched updates on the situation in Israel-Palestine, follow the Scott Horton Show and the podcast “Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp.”   Support Theology in the Raw through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

Elias D'eis, Executive Director of the Holy Land Trust, shares about his life as a Palestinian Christian in the West Bank, life under the Israeli military occupation, the role of a Christian in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the work of The Holy Land Trust. Elias D'eis was born into a Christian family with a long history of nonviolent resistance in Beit Sahour. His life was shaped during the First Intifada, watching his father and his community find the path towards justice through peaceful resistance. It was through his Christian upbringing, holding onto Jesus's sacred words of "loving thy neighbor," that led Elias into a life journey of engaging his community in transformation. Joining Holy Land Trust in 2007 as a travel coordinator, Elias has grown the Travel & Encounter program. His department now facilitates tours and educational packages to some 1,500 peacemakers and sojourners a year. In June 2019, Elias got promoted to the Executive Director of Holy Land Trust after he spent the last decade investing his life into the mission and vision because it is something that he truly believes in: "Building communities of trust and respect." Holy Land Trust: https://www.holylandtrust.org/ You can listen to Multifaith Matters on your favorite podcast platform, including Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and iHeart Radio. Learn more about our work at https://www.multifaithmatters.org  Support this work: One-time donation: https://multifaithmatters.org/donate Become my patron: https://patron.podbean.com/johnwmorehead #HolyLandTrust #IsraeliPalestinianConflict #GazaWar

Interview was done July 12, 2023! I love meeting new people willing to share their “lemon to lemonade” experience! This story is about Sahar who was born into a loving Christian family in Jerusalem and raised in Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem. Growing up in a country torn apart by political upheaval, Sahar struggled with feelings of hopelessne as she watched her people being persecuted, tormented, and even killed. Sahar received a scholarship to an American university. While there, she was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But staying true to her new faith was put to the test when she returned home to Palestine and her family didn't want to accept her religious decisions. She wrote a book Peace For a Palestinian. What message do you get from this interview? Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sahar.qumsiyeh Link for Book Peace For a Palestinian: https://a.co/d/fG9ehOy ABOUT the LemonAid Stand: Heidi started hosting the LemonAid Stand live radio talk show, over 20 years ago, in 1999! It all came about when Heidi was dealing with thoughts of suicide, inadequacy, and dealing with infertility. She realized as she reached out to others and heard their stories, she would be uplifted and inspired no matter what she was going through. So this podcast has old "Original" shows from that time period. It also has "New" shows that are currently being recorded with new guests. And it has "Update" shows where Heidi reached out to original radio show guests to find out how the past 20 years have been! Theme song written and recorded by Heidi's baby brother Shane! Heidi is a motivational speaker and would love to speak at your event about how to elevate your happiness! Hear her TEDx talk at this link: https://www.ted.com/talks/heidi_alldredge_s_t_o_p_your_stinkin_thinkin Do you know a story that needs to be shared? Contact Heidi!  Email: HeidisLemonAidStand@gmail.com Website: https://www.heidislemonaidstand.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeidisLemonAidStand Instagram: @HeidisLemonAidStand Mail: PO BOX 926, Orem, Utah 84059

Ils vivent principalement autour de Bethléem. Les lieux saints chrétiens sont en passe de devenir des musées, affirment-ils. Ils émigrent en grand nombre, notamment vers le continent américain. À Beit Sahour, la communauté compte 13 000 habitants où l'on compte une majorité de chrétiens. Avec notre correspondant à Jérusalem, Allumage du sapin de Noël, nous sommes à Beit Sahour, une ville avec plus de 90% de chrétiens. Un record dans cette région. À deux pas de Bethléem et de Beit Jala, en tout trois petites villes, derniers bastions chrétiens de Cisjordanie avec une communauté de 33 000 âmes. Samir Qumisyeh dirige, Al Mahd, une petite station de télévision chrétienne, une entreprise quasi familiale. Quatre de ses frères et un de ses fils sont déjà partis. « Du point de vue économique, la situation est très mauvaise. D'une manière générale, les gens souffrent. Il y a beaucoup de restrictions en raison de l'occupation et pour les chrétiens, la situation est désastreuse. Parmi les membres de notre communauté, beaucoup sont pauvres, les gens émigrent quotidiennement. Il faudrait trouver une solution, mais je suis pessimiste ! », ajoute Samir Qumisyeh. Pour le journaliste Elias Atrash dont une partie de la famille est également déjà installée à l'étranger, le taux de chômage élevé fait fuir la population : « L'avenir est très limité ici. À vrai dire, c'est plus facile en Europe, en Amérique du Nord et en Amérique latine. Il y a des Palestiniens qui vivent partout dans le monde entier. Mais ici, c'est très limité pour trouver du travail. » Chercher une vie meilleure Et la situation a peu de chance de s'améliorer avec la nouvelle configuration politique en Israël, estime le maire de Beit Sahour, Hani al Hayek qui tente d'inciter les habitants de sa ville à tenir bon. « Ce sont les familles et les jeunes qui s'en vont. Ils cherchent une meilleure vie à l'extérieur. Nous faisons notre possible pour arrêter cette émigration. C'est important, bien sûr, de mettre un terme à l'occupation pour donner l'espoir aux gens que la vie, ici à Beit Sahour, est meilleure pour eux. » Cette année, la saison de Noël se présente sous un meilleur jour que les deux années précédentes. Les pèlerins ont repris le chemin de la principale attraction touristique de la ville : le site du Champ des Bergers tel qu'il est évoqué dans les évangiles. ►À écouter aussi : Décryptage - Cisjordanie : la violence au quotidien

Ils vivent principalement autour de Bethléem. Les lieux saints chrétiens sont en passe de devenir des musées, affirment-ils. Ils émigrent en grand nombre, notamment vers le continent américain. À Beit Sahour, la communauté compte 13 000 habitants où l'on compte une majorité de chrétiens. Avec notre correspondant à Jérusalem, Allumage du sapin de Noël, nous sommes à Beit Sahour, une ville avec plus de 90% de chrétiens. Un record dans cette région. À deux pas de Bethléem et de Beit Jala, en tout trois petites villes, derniers bastions chrétiens de Cisjordanie avec une communauté de 33 000 âmes. Samir Qumisyeh dirige, Al Mahd, une petite station de télévision chrétienne, une entreprise quasi familiale. Quatre de ses frères et un de ses fils sont déjà partis. « Du point de vue économique, la situation est très mauvaise. D'une manière générale, les gens souffrent. Il y a beaucoup de restrictions en raison de l'occupation et pour les chrétiens, la situation est désastreuse. Parmi les membres de notre communauté, beaucoup sont pauvres, les gens émigrent quotidiennement. Il faudrait trouver une solution, mais je suis pessimiste ! », ajoute Samir Qumisyeh. Pour le journaliste Elias Atrash dont une partie de la famille est également déjà installée à l'étranger, le taux de chômage élevé fait fuir la population : « L'avenir est très limité ici. À vrai dire, c'est plus facile en Europe, en Amérique du Nord et en Amérique latine. Il y a des Palestiniens qui vivent partout dans le monde entier. Mais ici, c'est très limité pour trouver du travail. » Chercher une vie meilleure Et la situation a peu de chance de s'améliorer avec la nouvelle configuration politique en Israël, estime le maire de Beit Sahour, Hani al Hayek qui tente d'inciter les habitants de sa ville à tenir bon. « Ce sont les familles et les jeunes qui s'en vont. Ils cherchent une meilleure vie à l'extérieur. Nous faisons notre possible pour arrêter cette émigration. C'est important, bien sûr, de mettre un terme à l'occupation pour donner l'espoir aux gens que la vie, ici à Beit Sahour, est meilleure pour eux. » Cette année, la saison de Noël se présente sous un meilleur jour que les deux années précédentes. Les pèlerins ont repris le chemin de la principale attraction touristique de la ville : le site du Champ des Bergers tel qu'il est évoqué dans les évangiles. ►À écouter aussi : Décryptage - Cisjordanie : la violence au quotidien

In this episode you can hear all about the Visit Palestine October program that Saleem and myself are organizing! This 10-days program includes a full day of olive picking and two nights with local families in the village of Abud. We will visit many of the people and places that you have heard about in the last two years of podcast episodes!We will start the program on Monday 3 October with an introduction to get all participants on the same page when it comes to history and terminology that we will need to understand throughout the visit. The first nights we will stay in Beit Sahour in a family hotel and we will discover Bethlehem area, Battir and Jerusalem. Then we will go towards Jericho and on our way we will visit several of the desert monasteries and of course Hisham's palace! Of course we won't miss out on the experience of floating in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.The next two days we will be in Abud, a small village north west of Ramallah. The people of Abud will welcome us in their homes and we will get a chance to connect with the local families. On Sunday there is a full day of olive picking including a nice brunch on the field. In Taybeh we have the opportunity to visit the famous Taybeh beer brewery as well as a local distillery. In Nablus there is so much to explore, the Turkish bath, the olive soap factory, the spices shop, the Ottoman clock tower, the Green Mosque and of course we will eat Knefeh Nabulsiya. On our way back to Bethlehem we pass by Mount Gerizim and we will visit the Samaritan community and learn more about their relation to the land and their claim that the true Temple was not in Jerusalem but on Mount Gerizim. There is a free day in Bethlehem that you can use to rest and relax, to go shopping, to discover more in Bethlehem or in Jerusalem and we can strongly advice to take the Sacred Cuisine food tour in the old city of Jerusalem. The last day we head to the West towards the Mediterranean Sea and we will visit the city of Jaffa. For more information about this program visit the website and request the PDF filehttps://storiesfrompalestine.info/travel-to-palestine/If you enjoy listening to Stories from Palestine then you should also check out the podcast Jerusalem Unplugged. You can find it on most podcast players and on social media.

In the beginning of July 2021 Salah and his wife Nynke left Holland to go on a great adventure. They decided to go on a 6 month bike ride heading towards Istanbul and from there they would try to find a way to get to Egypt and from Egypt to Jordan and then finishing in Palestine to attend the wedding of Salah's sister in Balata camp in Nablus.In this podcast episode, recorded with live audience in Beit Sahour, Palestine, you can hear from Salah how they decided to go on this long journey. How did they plan and carry out this trip, where did they sleep, what was their daily routine and what were some of the beautiful, fascinating, touching and crazy experiences they had on their way!This bike trip was a life changing experience for Salah and for Nynke. And this story may inspire YOU to change some things in life. If there is one lesson to learn from Salah then it is that fear is only an idea. And if you can realize it, you can control fear and that will change your perspective on life.If you want to watch the videos that Salah made go to his YouTube channel : Salah Hanoun on YouTubeYou can also follow Salah on Instagram: https://instagram.com/salahonbikeAnd Nynke's stories on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tirhaal.on.bikeIf you want to support the podcast with a donation you can do that on the Ko-fi platform.You can also buy merchandise from the Redbubble webshop.Click this linktree to find all the links (including social media and Youtube) https://linktr.ee/StoriesfrompalestineIf you enjoy listening to Stories from Palestine then you should also check out the podcast Jerusalem Unplugged. You can find it on most podcast players and on social media.

Five foreign women from Europe and the United States got together on a Tuesday morning in October for a traditional Palestinian breakfast and to share their experiences as spouses of Palestinian husbands. They talk about how do they experience life in Palestine and what are the difficulties they face in order to stay with their husband and children in Palestine. Each of them has their personal stories that reflect the difficulties to live in a place that is military occupied. The Palestinian Authority has no say in who gets a visa and for how long. It is the Israeli occupation authorities that decide about the fate of the women. Most women have been getting visas that do not allow them to travel to Israel (including Jerusalem and the airport in Tel Aviv), they are not allowed to work, they need to renew their visa every three months and pay full visa fees. Some of the women have the experience of being stuck outside of the country without permission to come back. Others have been without visa and were not even able to leave the town they live in, because of the many Israeli checkpoints where they may find out that you are without visa and you can be deported and separated from your family. This causes a lot of anxiety among the families. Despite the difficulties, the women feel home in Palestine and among Palestinians. They know that the policies were created to make them want to leave. But they are convinced that this is where to want to be and they are not planning to move.This podcast episode was recorded in cooperation with the British Academy project on visa precarity lead by Dr Mark Griffiths. Music in the end of the episode is called Mawtini, which means 'my homeland' (the previous unofficial Palestinian national anthem) It was performed by the Cello Orchestra in 2021 in an online concert that you can find on the YouTube channel of Al KamandjatiIf you want to support Stories from Palestine podcast, please share the podcast with others. You can also financially support the podcast on the Ko-fi platform. Sign up for the mailinglist and follow the YouTube channel.All the links can be found here: https://podspout.app/storiesfrompalestineJoin us on Saturday 27 or Sunday 28 November 2021 for the Christmas Bazar in Singer Cafe in Beit Sahour. The Bazar is from 11.00 until 17.00 and there will be about eight artisans each day promoting their products. Find all the details on the facebook page of Handmade PalestineA route description to Singer Cafe can be found here : http://www.singercafe.com/contact/

In the most northern part of historic Palestine is an archaeological site, now within a National Park, that has remains of the Bronze Age city of Laish and of the iron age city of Dan. In Arabic the location is called Tel el Qadi, the hill of the judge.This archaeological site has two very impressive city gates that were excavated. The Bronze Age gate was built by the Canaanites who called their city Laish. They built a mud brick gate with pointed arches, the oldest one found in the region (18th Century BC). The city was conquered by the Israelites who built new walls and new gates. The iron age gate that was excavated is built of local basalt blocks and has four chambers. At the gate they found a platform with stones in which sticks could be placed to hold up a canopy to create shade for the judge (hence the hill of the judge). It is also the site where the Israelite King Jeroboam set up a high altar with a golden calf where the Jewish people could worship their God Yahweh instead of going to Jerusalem in the south. The sacrificial area that the excavators found is thought by some scholars to be that place. The excavations are found in the Tel Dan National Park. Through this National Park the Dan stream flows down towards the Jordan river. The other contributors to the Jordan river are the Hasbani river and the Banias river. If you want to watch a video I made about Tel Dan, then click on this link to go to the YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/A9YBKFi7btAIf you want to support the podcast with a donation, if you want to follow the podcast on social media or sign up for the weekly email go to :https://podspout.app/storiesfrompalestineJoin us on Saturday 27 or Sunday 28 November 2021 for the Christmas Bazar in Singer Cafe in Beit Sahour. The Bazar is from 11.00 until 17.00 and there will be about eight artisans each day promoting their products. Find all the details on the facebook page of Handmade PalestineA route description to Singer Cafe can be found here : http://www.singercafe.com/contact/

New tour guides, who finished the tour guide program at the Bethlehem Bible College with me this summer, organized a day trip to Nablus and Sebastia. There were about 35 Palestinians on the bus that took off from Beit Sahour early in the morning. After 2,5 hours we reached the Jacob's well church in Nablus. This church is a very recent building that was built on the location where several churches were built around a water well that is said to be the well that Jacob dug on the land of Shechem. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham who came from Mesopotamia and is considered the founding father of all three monotheistic religions. In this podcast episode you can learn more about the relevance of this water well also in the New Testament of the Bible when Jesus met a Samaritan woman at this well with whom he had a very important conversation about the location of the Temple. Samaritans believed that they should pray to God in the Temple on Mount Gerizim while the Jews prayed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus reveals to her his true nature and tells her that the time has come when the location of prayer is not relevant anymore. The woman goes to her village and tells everyone about Jesus. She is considered the first female evangelist.After our visit to the Jacob's well church you can hear more about the archaeological site of Sebastia, a city that was established in the Roman time under emperor Vespasian. We visit the ruins of the forum and basilica, the theater and the Hellenistic tower. Up on the hill are the stairs that used to lead to the Temple for Augustus and behind it a big structure that is often indicated as an iron age palace for the Israelite kings Omri and Ahab, but some archaeologists date the site to later times. And the Byzantine church ruins are also interesting as they give access to a crypt where John the Baptist is said to have been buried, his body that is, after he was beheaded by Herod Antipas. You can hear all about these historical sites in this podcast episodes. With thanks to Ibrahim Khair, Elias Khair, Nayif Gharib, Waffa Sabat and Saleem Anfous.If you want to sign up for the mailinglist, connect on social media or contribute to the podcast you can use the following link: https://podspout.app/storiesfrompalestine

Stories from Palestine podcast was first launched on 15th of August 2020 as a direct result of the Covid19 pandemic. As I was studying the tour guide program at the Bethlehem Bible College and I had no opportunity to share the stories I learned with tourists, the idea to start a podcast was born.I had no experience and spend weeks watching tutorials to learn everything I needed to know about preparing an episode, recording, editing, hosting a podcast, making a website, creating a Youtube channel, making audiograms for social media and using remote recording programs to record interviews. And now, one year later, the podcast has over 18.500 downloads since published and it had listeners from 110 different countries. This episode is to celebrate one year of Stories from Palestine podcast. You can hear a bit more about how it started and developed, a bit more about me, the podcast host and you can hear twelve different listeners to the podcast who recorded their reviews and stories to share in the celebration. If you want to do a special anniversary donation for the podcast to celebrate one year and to help to sustain the podcast then please go to https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestineThanks to Zaid Hilal for recording a special tune for this special episode. Zaid has also composed the usual tune and shifters for the podcast. He is a local musician from Beit Sahour and you should really check out his music on Youtube, Spotify or Soundcloud.

When tourists visit Bethlehem, especially in an organized tour, they usually visit the Church of the Nativity and when they are lucky also the Shepherds fields in Beit Sahour, but hardly does the guide take the tourist to visit the Milk Grotto Church. And that's a pity. Because this hidden gem is just a five minutes walk through the Milk Grotto street where you can also some of the oldest buildings in town as well as workshops with Palestinian olive wood crafters at work. As with most churches in Palestine, this church is also built over a cave where an important Bible story took place according to the local Christian tradition. This is supposedly the cave where Joseph and Mary were staying when Joseph had a dream in which God told him to flee to Egypt, because King Herod was planning to kill all the children under the age of two. It is in this cave that Mary nursed baby Jesus and a drop of her milk fell on the ground and miraculously turned the whole cave into a white limestone, much whiter than can be found in the surroundings. A church was built on this location already in Byzantine time and rebuilt in Crusader time. The present day church is from the 19th Century.  Until today women come to visit this church to pray for fertility. The church receives many letters, postcards and photos annually from women who have become pregnant and gave birth after a visit to the Milk Grotto.Next time you visit Palestine, don't miss out on the Milk Grotto church!To see photos of the Milk Grotto on the website, instagram or facebook, connect on social media through this link. You can also find the platform Ko-fi for donations towards the podcast through this link: https://podspout.app/storiesfrompalestineSend your messages, reviews and requests for the special anniversary episode before the 1st of August to kristel@storiesfrompalestine.info Tell us about yourself, where do you live, what do you do, what is your connection to Palestine, how did you find out about the podcast, what are your favorite episodes and what would you like to hear more about in the future! I can read and record your message OR you can send me a voice recording and I will use your audio!

In June 2020 the town of Beit Sahour was recognized by the World Craft Council as the World Craft City for the year 2020 based on its long tradition of olive wood carving. The World Craft Council is a UNESCO-affiliated organization that was founded in New York in 1964 to promote and support craft work. Palestinian olive wood carving probably dates back to the Crusader time and is artisan work that was taught from father to son. Most of the olive wood industry is at least partially mechanized now but there are still olive wood artists who spend weeks working on one piece, by hand, with lots of characteristics and details that could never be done by a so-called copy machine.Elias Abu Zuluf from Beit Sahour has his own olive wood workshop and souvenir shop. In this podcast interview he talks about the characteristics of olive wood, how this local tradition came about, what kind of olive wood is used, what type of carvings you can find in Palestine and how Covid19 affected the wood workers in Palestine. If you are interested to visit his website and see the olive carving go to www.zuluf.com and order online with the "15 off" promo code.Follow Stories from Palestine podcast on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for the mailing list. If you want to make a donation you can do that on Go Fund me (creditcard) or on Ko-fi (PayPal or Stripe) All the links can be found here: https://podspout.app/storiesfrompalestineCheck out the top 20 podcasts about Palestine on: https://prettyprogressive.com/20-best-podcasts-about-palestine-of-2021And listen to the podcast episodes I produced for PAX Palestine podcast on: https://paxpalestinepodcast.buzzsprout.com

In this episode, Francesca Recchia is in conversation with Sandi Hilal on her project “The Living Room.” Reflecting on her experiences with refugees in Boden, North Sweden, Dr Hilal speaks of the passivity and agency of refugee lives and cultures as they navigate the manifestly European distinctions of the public and private space. How do refugees see themselves as political subjects who are in the position to demand and transform the societies they have become a part of? What stake do they have in these conversations? How does art open new and radical forms of transformative collectivity that focus on the multiplicity of cultures that refugees have? For Hilal, hosting and the extension of hospitality to strangers create a self-representational space where refugees can practice and shape their own agency. Sandi Hilal is an architect, artist and educator, whose practice is both theoretically ambitious and practically engaged in the struggle for justice and equality. She is the Co-Director of DAAR, Decolonizing Architecture Art Research, an architectural and art collective that she co-founded in 2007 with Alessandro Petti and Eyal Weizman, in Beit Sahour, Palestine. She is now Lise Meitner Visiting Professor at the Department of Architecture and Built Environment in Lund University.

Beyond the Conflict: Getting to Know Palestinians with Noor A'wad in Sons of Abraham on Jewish Matters Podcast There is much discussion and debate on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, but very little about who the Palestinians are, and how they live.  What is the nature of Palestinian society beyond the conflict with Israel? How do they live, what is the nature of their family life, their customs, their religious beliefs and their society?  What is the evolution of Palestinian society, and how much is it formed and influenced by the political conflict?Noor A'wad is involved with Roots, (Sharashim), a unique grassroots network of local Palestinians and Israelis who have come to see each other as partners.  Its work is aimed at challenging the assumptions the two communities hold about each other, building trust and creating a new discourse around the conflict in their respective societies. He organizes joint Palestinian-Israeli activities and speaks to visiting groups about his personal experiences living through the conflict as a Palestinian.  Noor’s family moved from Amman, Jordan to Beit Sahour following the signing of the Oslo Accords.  In 2014, Noor was licensed by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism. He resides in Bethlehem today, where he guides English-speakers on geopolitical tours of the region.

During a visit to Aref Sayed, instrument maker, in his workshop in Beit Sahour, I meet ud player Canaan Ghoul who is a professional musician. We talk about Palestinian music instruments, Palestinian music and a new invention that Aref did for the qanun. Canaan improvises on the ud. I also talk to Faris Ishaq about his instrument, the ney, an ancient flute, and with Shafeeq Alsadi about the qanun. And of course they play their instruments.You can listen to their music online!Canaan Ghoul (ud)Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canaanghoulofficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/canaan.ghoul/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kan3anghoulSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kanan-el-ghoulFaris Ishaq (ney)Social Media and Music Links: https://ffm.bio/2228b3wTripolarity Album Link : https://ffm.to/b42k246Shafeeq Alsadi (qanun)Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shafeeqalsadi YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Shafeeq90sFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShafeeqAlsadiOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shafeeqalsadi/If you want to support the podcast, you can easily do that on https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestineWebsite: www.storiesfrompalestine.info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristelinpalestine

The reason why I really like Ayed's art work, is that I KNOW there is a STORY behind each painting, installation or sculpture. The story is usually two fold. It teaches you something about the Palestinian society and the times we live in, but it is also a window to Ayed's soul. Even for Ayed himself his art work helps him to discover who he really is and who he wants to be within the context of the Palestinian society and the reality of life under military occupation. Ayed grew up in Deheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. We talk about how this shaped him as a person and as an artist. For this interview we spent some time in his studio, we walked to nearby Singer Cafe to see the exhibition he worked on during Covid-19 quarantine and we finished our talk in the concert room of Al Jisser bar where he has a very interesting installation at the moment. Join us for this audio ART WALK through Beit Sahour. You can find Ayed on Instagram: @ayedarafahIf you are enjoying listening to the podcast, please support me to continue. Buy me a coffee (or a falafel) for 3 dollar on www.ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestineTourism is down and I have no other income currently.Thank you so much, it is really helpful and appreciated!More information, photos, links on www.storiesfrompalestine.info Facebook: Stories from PalestineInstagram: Stories from Palestine Youtube: Stories from Palestine

Liz Coombes is the course leader of the MA Music Therapy course at the University of South Wales, Newport. Since qualifying as a Music Therapist in 2000 following a BMus degree at Royal Holloway College, University of London, she has specialised in working with children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties as well as asylum seekers and refugees. She uses psychodynamic thinking to underpin her work and utilises her considerable experience in community music-making. She has worked on skill-sharing therapeutic music projects since 2009 in Palestine, and in the UK. She has a particular interest in how sharing these skills with non-musicians such as teachers, social workers and carers can enrich their professional practice. She has recently completed her training in Guided Imagery in Music. We talked about Liz’s experience as a community musician, how this links to her music therapy work, what skills music therapists need to develop in training, and working cross-culturally.  Coombes, E. (2011, February). Project Bethlehem-Training educators and health workers in the therapeutic use of music in the West Bank. In Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy (Vol. 11, No. 1). Coombes, E., & Tombs-Katz, M. (2015). Interactive therapeutic music skill-sharing in the West Bank: An evaluation report of project Beit Sahour. Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy, 9, 67-79.

Welcome to the dubious ‘Foreigners in Palestine’ series! In this episode, we speak with three young people from The West: Alice, a French artist in Bethlehem, Lily, an American archaeologist in Jerusalem & Rebecca, an American layabout in Beit Sahour … Continue reading →

Mohammad Abdul Qavi was an activist for peace and justice for Palestinians. We met Qavi at the El Beit Guest House in Beit Sahour, the city next to Bethlehem, Palestine, where a group of us on the month long, Iktashef experience, sponsored by the Holy Land Trust, were staying. Qavi, who was from London, had chosen the El Beit Guest House as his retirement home and had been living there for over 6 years. This interview with this remarkable and compassionate man, who practiced only non-violent resistance, was conducted on August 14, 2017, less than two weeks before his passing on August 27, 2017. Qavi, a true friend to Palestinians will be sorely missed (26 minutes)

Charlie Abou Saada and Graham Hill discuss how “Palestinian Christians are Living Stones in the Holy Land.” The GlobalChurch Project podcast episode 48.Charlie Abou Saada holds a wide range of degrees in theology and philosophy and music. He worships at the Melkite Catholic Church in Bethlehem.Charlie Abou Saada served as the Director of the Palestinian Children’s Club in Beit Sahour, and he teaches music, history, and theology at Bethlehem University. He also leads international conferences, acclaimed concerts, and spiritual pilgrimages, in the Holy Land. Charlie Abou Saada is passionate about the vitality, health, and witness of Palestinian Christianity, and he lives with his wife and children in Bethlehem.

Interview with Basma from the Holy Land Handicraft Cooperative Society in Beit Sahour, occupied Palestine