In this episode I speak with two 17-year-olds from Texas. They started a non profit called Hope For The Holy Land that's changing how Christians in America see the Middle East.

Nick Glover and Nick Joseph explain how their organisation provides material help to communities in Gaza but also across the whole region while telling the stories of Middle Eastern Christians.

It started with two friends on the brink of adulthood questioning and exploring the faith of their childhood and became a non profit with a vision and a mission: to raise awareness, educate youth groups, and provide aid on the ground.

Their own stories are equally compelling. Nick Glover is Palestinian American and Nick Joseph's family are from Kerala. We talk about identity, faith and friendship - and why so few people know about Christians in the Holy Land - their precarious existence and their essential role in any just peace.

We discuss American attitudes to Israel and Palestine and how the last three years have shaped their faith. And they describe how meeting people who'd never thought about the Middle East and its history before keeps validating their work.

It was inspiring to speak with these two young men and their passion was contagious. I found myself talking far more than usual!

Find out more about their organisation and work here:
https://www.hope4theholyland.com/

Christians of the Nakba – Dbayeh Refugee Camp

A Palestinian Christian tour guide, Salwa Mussulam shares her family’s history, her deep connection to Bethlehem, and how war and the collapse in tourism have affected local families and livelihoods.

Raised in Colombia and back in Bethlehem by the age of seven, Salwa speaks about the challenges facing the city’s Christian community, the impact of lost tourism on guides and small businesses, and why she has chosen to stay in the place she calls home. She also reflects on Palestinian Christian identity, life among Bethlehem’s churches and schools, and how visiting the Holy Land changed the way she reads the Bible.

In this conversation, Salwa explains why tourism matters so much to Bethlehem and offers a heartfelt invitation to visit, learn, and support the people who live there. Her message is simple: come and see Bethlehem—not only its history, but the community that calls it home.

More information about Salwa's Tours here.

This is an amazing episode. My conversation with Ahmad Riziq was both challenging and inspiring.

He is the twenty-nine year old founder and CEO of Gaza Great Minds Foundation. This is an initiative created following the destruction of education facilities in Gaza over the last three years. Through GGM, some children in Gaza are able to access education and essential psychological support.

Ahmad tells how GGM started in Spring 2024. He describes seeing a young boy carrying a school bag running through the streets. Initially assuming the child was going to school, he followed hoping to find a functioning school only to discover the boy was chasing parachuted aid packages. Convinced that he needed to do something about children's lost education, he and his colleagues established their first tent classroom offering free education. Initially they expected around 50 children but more than 200 arrived on the first day.

On 7 May 2024 they connected with international activists who helped advocate and raise funds for the project. Today GGM provides education and professional psychological support to children affected by the continuing death and destruction in Gaza. They have established schools in northern and southern Gaza supporting thousands of students. More recently GGM have developed a creative writing initiative to help students deal with their trauma.

In this podcast, Ahmad speaks of his own life, too - about his wife and their three children. He describes dealing with symptoms of trauma from the events he's experienced and how his elderly father was shot dead by a sniper following the "ceasefire".

Despite the harrowing nature of this interview, it was still deeply inspiring. Ahmad's focus and determination is to continue to teach:

“To ensure every child in Gaza has access to education and the chance to rebuild their lives, amidst the genocide & beyond."

Through creativity, imagination and laughter - the children of GGM have the capacity to see the beauty of life again.

While it is easy to believe there is little we can do in Britain to help the children of Gaza - the existence of GGM shows this is untrue.
There is so much we can do that will make a real difference.

First share this podcast with everyone you know. Tell people about GGM and let them know they can help. Share it with your Church community, Mosque or Synagogue. Encourage your children's schools to connect with GGM. Raise money and never stop talking about Gaza.

There is a whole page of ways you can volunteer:
https://gazagreatminds.org/volunteer/

Subscribe to their substack for regular updates
https://substack.com/@UCz8JD8Tq7YrHsho0EIOkUzQ

Become a paid follower on Patreon and check out their online store:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/GazaGreatMinds

https://www.youtube.com/@UCz8JD8Tq7YrHsho0EIOkUzQ
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560810820215
https://instagram.com/gazagreatminds
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https://twitter.com/gazagreatminds

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

Instagram:
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."