In this conversation, I speak with Father Firas Khoury - a Greek Melkite Catholic Priest in Zababdeh in the northern West Bank. We speak about life for Christians in Palestine, the local economy, and the urgent need for peace, justice, and practical support.

Donate here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/eringrimm

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https://www.instagram.com/melkite2024...

Key topics covered

Father Firas introduces himself, his family’s long history in Zababdeh, and his identity as Palestinian, Arab, and Christian.
He explains Zababdeh’s location, population, and mixed Christian-Muslim community life.
The discussion explores the village’s Catholic school, agriculture, and the role of shared education in building peace.
Father Firas describes severe economic hardship caused by war, permit restrictions, reduced salaries, unemployment, and loss of access to work in Israel.
He details the impact of settlements, checkpoints, road restrictions, land confiscation, and water control on daily life.
The conversation turns to the growing fear of emigration among Christian families and the risk of empty churches and disappearing Christian communities in the Holy Land.

Father Firas reflects on the future of the two-state solution, the weakening of the Palestinian Authority, and fears of deeper instability.
When asked what people in the UK, USA, and Europe should understand and do; Father Firas calls for prayer, courageous advocacy, and concrete support for justice and peace.
We discuss educational support, community projects, and the importance of helping families remain through livelihoods rather than dependency.

Father Firas shares his efforts to build peace projects, raise funds, and support schools, medical care, and families in need.
The conversation ends with reflection on Church support, including the Church of England’s willingness to receive the Kairos II document, listening to Palestinian voices and the need for Roman Catholic engagement as well.

Notable themes

Peace-building across religious communities
Christian survival in the Holy Land
Economic hardship and forced emigration
Land, water, and mobility restrictions
The role of the global Church in advocacy and solidarity

This is the story of the world's oldest Christian community - and what may be the last generation of a 2000 year history in the land of the Resurrection.

Join us to support the vulnerable communities of the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.

www.pilgrimsofhope.co.uk

In episode 7 of the Hope in the Holy Land podcast, I speak with Usama Nicola - tour guide and peace activist from Bethlehem. This episode is notable for its emphasis on the doctrine of the Incarnation and its unique relevance to the Palestinian Christian pursuit of justice and peace.
As always, it was a pleasure to speak with Usama Nicola. Please subscribe to his Patreon page for his regular "Updates from Bethlehem"

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#bethlehem #justiceandpeace #hopefortheholyland #pilgrimsofhope #westbank

Between the Lion and the Stork you'll find the gypsies of Bab Hutta...

Amoun Sleem was born and raised in this neighbourhood, and she lives there to this day with the families of her five brothers and four sisters. When I first met Amoun in January 2025, it was four miles north of Bab Hutta in the district of Shuafat at the “Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem.” In the following interview she describes her journey. From anger at the discrimination which cut short her own education, to developing a program that transforms the lives of women and girls in a community where female illiteracy is 80%.

After a brief catch-up, the conversation continued as recorded.

#domari #jerusalem #hopefortheholyland #pilgrimsofhope #ethicaltourism #babhutta #burjalluqluq
If you would like to learn mo9re about the work of the Domari Society and support their work, please click here:
https://www.domarisociety.com/support-a-program

Timestamps
00:00 - Introducing Amun Sleem and the Domari Society
00:43 - The Dom people’s history and roots in India
01:42 - On the word "Gypsy" and why it is still used
03:09 - Dom, Roma, and Lom: related but distinct groups
04:18 - Living between Palestinian and Israeli societies
06:01 - How many Dom people live in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza
07:16 - Dom neighborhoods in and around Jerusalem
08:34 - Crossing checkpoints from Shuafat and Qalandia
09:55 - Residency, citizenship, and identity in Jerusalem
10:49 - Life in Bab Hutta near Lions Gate
13:50 - Growing up in a mixed neighborhood in the Old City
15:53 - School discrimination and dropping out as a child
18:15 - Returning to education to build a better future
18:38 - A large extended family living together in the Old City
19:40 - Marriage within the community and more recent intermarriage
20:29 - Religion in the Dom community
21:35 - Jobs, unemployment, and limited career paths
23:37 - Why Amun founded the Domari Society
26:12 - Building the nonprofit and opening the center
27:10 - Programs for women, children, and struggling families
29:31 - Skills training that helps women earn from home
30:46 - The Domari language as a spoken-only language
32:10 - Cultural differences in look, weddings, and traditions
37:47 - Family history in the same neighborhood for more than 120 years
39:42 - The community’s historical movement through the Middle East
40:21 - A young woman from tutoring to law school
42:25 - Why men in the community struggle with addiction and low opportunity
44:29 - Summer camp, school supplies, and children’s activities
45:59 - The impact of war, COVID, and funding cuts
49:32 - Tourism, visitors, and how they used to support the center
51:34 - Amun’s message to listeners in the UK and USA
52:23 - Travel limits and the need to raise awareness
53:25 - What would happen if the community center closed
54:42 - Domari food, hospitality, and cultural sharing
56:21 - Final thoughts on visiting Jerusalem and supporting the community

Notable quotes

"We are one of the most discriminated society in the Holy Land."

"In the place of anger, I turn it to a place where I can really make bridges between us and between others."

"If we close this community center, it's mean the gypsies not exist in the Holy Land."

In this episode I speak to Amir Tamer - a twenty-one year old man from Gaza. We speak about his childhood, the current reality and how he sees the future for himself and the children of his neighbourhood, Al-Deraj, where the local school was bombed in 2024.

This was an incredibly poignant conversation. It made me recall the year I started University and my own daughter starting her undergraduate studies, too. The constant noise of children in the background, and wondering what their lives will be like make this very difficult but necessary listening. Those children can have a future - but it depends on what the world does next...

"Then, around eighteen, you start to make plans and become ambitious. You think about achieving things, trying things… About travelling and deciding what you want to do.

I actually had a conditional offer to study at Goldsmiths University in London, but the summer I turned eighteen ended on October 7th and our lives were turned upside down.

It is like something takes you from being young man and makes you take responsibility. Not only for yourself, but for the people around you.

We don’t have the chance to be young anymore, and it will never come back."

Donate to Amir's gofundme page here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-and-my-family-to-resist-genocide?attribution_id=sl:96ad8687-ec64-47f8-a9f5-74f3d33e902b&lang=en_US&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Amir's YouTube address:
https://youtube.com/@ameer-prince1?si=ecmc76J4HMZlGEnK

This is an audio recording of a blog post that was first written about the children of Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City who made their First Holy Communion in 2024. It is also a reflection on the conditions prevailing in Gaza today and the effect 1000 days of conflict is likely to have on a generation of children.

Father Gabriel Romanelli is the parish priest of Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City. He posts daily updates in Spanish about the parish and the wider community of Gaza on his YouTube channel.
I have translated some of these broadcasts as blog posts.

I would advise everyone to follow his broadcasts and posts.
His is a unique and inspiring voice from the heart of Gaza City. His words are a challenge to everyone, but especially Christians.
This is a translation of the video he broadcast on 30/6/2010 entitled "Emergency - Is anyone interested?"

Colabora con la Misión del P Romanelli ---
https://vozcatolica.com/ayudagz
Página para hacer una donación para los cristianos de la Parroquia Sagrada Familia desde cualquier parte del mundo (basta tener una tarjeta de crédito). La donación se hace en dólares.

🎥 ¡Suscríbete a: / @p.gabrielromanelli para seguir el update diario!🎥

También te invitamos a formar parte de nuestra nueva comunidad en las redes sociales y canales de difusión, donde compartimos historias, noticias y el impacto de nuestra Misión Católica en la Franja de Gaza.

📱 Síguenos y participa
P. Gabriel Romanelli
Instagram: / gabrielromanellisivori
Facebook: / 1fqpsx59wz
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb2v...
Telegram: https://t.me/boost/PGRomanelli
X: https://x.com/PGabRomanelli

In episode 4 of the Hope in the Holy Land podcast, I speak to Fr. Sandro Tomašević. A Franciscan friar and parish priest at St. Catherine’s Latin Church in Bethlehem. He is also the director of the Franciscan Boys Home and works with Catholic Action Bethlehem. We talk about each of these roles and about faith in action in the Holy Land, today.

Franciscan Boys Home

Catholic Action Bethlehem

Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land