“You can’t teach me anything about Europeans,” once commented the deputy mayor of Jerusalem. Europeans had killed his father. “You can’t teach me anything about Palestinians.” Palestinians...Read More
The first part of this sermon can be found here. —- So far, I have talked about my experiences, because that’s all I can talk about. It would be wrong for me to tell you what your feelings are...Read More
Towards the end of October, I posted a call to action from a sermon I delivered, to help us think about gratitude and our obligations to one another. Here is an edited version of that sermon. — Toda...Read More
We drive along the barbed electric fence that surrounds the Israeli settlement of Har Gilo. We are headed to the Walajah valley of the Palestinian territory. The valleys are deep and lush with pine ...Read More
The heavy rain doused the aluminum-roofed shack. Rivulets carved paths through the thick mud around the house. But inside, the house was cozy, comfortable. Thick carpets and bouncy velvet couches make...Read More
Mahmoud’s family lives one Palestinian hill over from a newly-forming illegal Jewish settlement. Six Jewish settlers arrived about a year ago with tents and made a primitive campsite. All year they ...Read More
It’s not easy to correct the errors of your tradition. The absolute ‘No!’ that seems like the most radical course too often ends up preserving the underlying logic of what you̵...Read More
The Tent of Nations is an organic farm on a long narrow strip of Palestinian land that has held its deed since 1917, through four occupations: Turkish, British, Jordanian, and Israeli. It is placed in...Read More
We met Shirim at her family’s olive grove plot. It falls just outside the Betar Illit settlement. More accurately, it falls on the entire hill but the settlement imposed itself right on top of the f...Read More
I recently gave a wa’ez (sermon) on social media, service, and faith. The organizing conceit was Sesame Street, and ideas revolved around the number 5 and the letter “P.” At the end, I had five ...Read More