Israeli settlers take over Palestinian water springs
Israeli settlers have taken over 30 Palestinian water springs and are targeting another 26, according to a new report out by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The vast majority of these springs, which were used for...
Thousands mourn late Egyptian Copt leader Pope Shenouda III
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the Coptic Christian Church in Egypt, as tens of thousands mourned the death of Pope Shenouda III, the Coptic spiritual leader since 1971 and a president of the World Council of Churches (WCC) from...
The Power to Share Stories
I want to share with you a poetic reflection shared by Aisea Taimani, one of the leaders in the 99 Collective, a young adult led movement of the Church that seeks to practice and struggle for radical hospitality for all...
Advocating for Equality
Synopsis - Advocacy for a just peace for Israel and Palestine has focused largely on long-term solutions, even while daily life for Palestinians has deteriorated and inequalities have multiplied. While not ignoring the need for a permanent solution, including an…
Thirty top Muslim, Christian and Jewish faith leaders say Israeli-Palestinian peace more urgent than ever
Thirty top Muslim, Christian and Jewish faith leaders who form the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East (NILI) affirmed Thursday, March 1, that the two-state-solution is more important than ever to achieve in the current conflicted...
ELCA/Israeli Consulate meet to discuss Arab spring, recognition of ELCJHL, permits for Mt of Olives Housing Project
Representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, both based here, met Feb. 29 to discuss one another’s understanding of the “Arab Spring” developments, especially concerns for minority religious groups...
Use your words, not your bombs: ELCA action alert in favor of diplomacy not war with Iran
The ELCA has issued an action alert to advocate for using diplomacy and not military action with Iran. It asks advocates to tell their congressional leaders to endorse The Ellison-Jones House letter , a positive message to the President in support of diplomacy with...
Delegation from the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land in Washington DC
httpv://youtu.be/Se7RWVK93qE A delegation of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land visited Washington to speak with administration officials and congressional leaders about the role religious leaders can play in Middle East peace-making. Here Bishop Munib Younan of the...
Religions for Peace in the Middle East and North Africa Council Release Statement on Syria
Religions for Peace Middle East/ North Africa (MENA) Council, an international and independent NGO committed to peace, convened a meeting of Muslim Ulemas and Christian Clergy, in addition to a number of researchers and concerned persons from Syria and other...
Pastor Mitri Raheb receives German media award: “We need bridges not walls”
The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, pastor of Bethlehem’s Christmas Lutheran Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), received the 2011 “Deutscher Medienpreis” (German Media Prize) to recognize his individual and the Palestinian Lutheran church’s peace efforts. Pastor Raheb...