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On Sunday December 11, 2022, at 3 pm ET, join an Online Film Salon, “Come and See; Go and Tell–Next Year in Palestine.” Register, view three short documentaries, then join the discussion at tinyurl.com/VFHL-December2022.

This event is sponsored by Voices from the Holy Land and co-sponsored by Friends of Sabeel North America, Churches for Middle East Peace; Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace; Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service; and Indiana Center for Middle East Peace.

Why do we travel, take tours, and make "pilgrimages" to the Holy Land? We see the antiquities, experience different cultures, and worship sacred sites while being welcomed and guided by people who live there. What does tourism today mean to them? What are the ethical, political, and personal implications of a journey to holy sites surrounded by 30-foot-high concrete walls, where soldiers patrol the streets and residents live under military occupation? Are there ways to be a traveler and meaningfully engage with all of the lived realities in the Holy Land while also honoring the basic tenants of our faiths? Three recent, short documentaries present a variety of voices, viewpoints, and visions of the Holy Land as offered by people living there today.

Panelists and Moderator
Rifat Odeh Kassis is a co-author of the Kairos Palestine document and is the General Coordinator of Global Kairos for Justice. He founded the Palestinian section of Defence for Children International and was elected Global President of the international movement. He co-founded the Alternative Tourism Group and ran the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which places witnesses on the ground to prevent, monitor, and report human rights abuses. Rifat served as Executive Director of YMCA, and founded the YMCA/YWCA Olive Tree Campaign.

Sam Bahour resides in Al-Bireh/Ramallah, Palestine, and does business consulting as Applied Information Management in addition to being an independent Director at the Arab Islamic Bank PLC. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Palestine Telecommunications Company and the Arab Palestinian Shopping Centers. Sam is a board member at the Palestine Economics Policy Research Institute (MAS) and Just vision. He writes frequently on Palestinian affairs, and is co-editor of Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians.

Mae Elise Cannon, PhD, DMin, is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace in Washington, D.C., and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church. Mae is the author of several books including Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World and editor of A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land. Her work has been highlighted in several publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Christianity Today, and other international media outlets.

Michael Spath, PhD, (Moderator) is founding Executive Director of the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a member of the United Church of Christ-Palestine Israel Network, and co-chair of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions-USA. He has led over 15 Solidarity Tours to Palestine and Israel as well as study tours to Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Greece.

SUPPORTER Organizations: Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Quaker Palestine Israel Network; Unitarian Universalist for Justice in the Middle East; Disciples Palestine-Israel Network; Virginia Coalition for Human Rights; Mennonite Palestine Israel Network; Center for Jewish Nonviolence; Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network; Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions–USA; Northern New Jersey Jewish Voice for Peace; United Church of Christ – Palestine Israel Network.

Panelists and Moderator

Rifat Odeh Kassis

Sam Bahour

Mae Elise Cannon

Michael Spath