Muslim, Jewish, and Christian religious festivals were celebrated freely in Palestine prior to the Nakba. These photos show a Christian festival outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in 1890 and a Christian procession near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem in 1920. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre marks where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified and the location of his tomb. The Church of Nativity marks where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born. In 1950, the residents of Bethlehem and its surrounding villages were approximately 86% Christian; by 2016, sixty-eight years after the Nakba, the Christian population dropped to just 12%.
Featured photo:
Crowds of Christians gather at a religious festival outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Palestine, 1890. Via SacredFootSteps.org
This photo shows a Christmas procession near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, 1920. “Religious festivals have been freely celebrated in Palestine for centuries.” Credit: Library of Congress. Via MiddleEastEye.net
Many interested in Israel-Palestine have asked the question: “Where is the Palestinian Mandela?” But Nelson Mandela’s grandson Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela has argued that this question emerges from a distortion of his grandfather’s legacy. Who Was Nelson Mandela?...
Palestine Open Maps (POM) is a platform that uses mapping technologies in collaboration with researchers to showcase visual stories of the geographical transformation of historic Palestine over the last 70+ years. The project combines 1940s British Mandate of...
Dr. Joshua Shanes, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of the Arnold Center for Israel Studies at the College of Charleston in South Carolina wrote an article for Haaretz titled “Liberal Zionists, Face the Facts: There’s Already Only One State From the...
In 2018, Wikimedia Israel gathered archival images from the early 20th century with expired copyrights and published about 28,000 images to Wikipedia’s platform for free, public access. The photos give insight into life of Palestinian families in the region—Muslim,...
Rami Elhanan is a 7th generation Jerusalemite who describes himself as Jewish, Israeli, and “before everything else […] a human being.” In 1997, his 14-year-old daughter was killed by Palestinian suicide bombers. He shared his story and how he was able to find peace...
Breaking the Silence is an organization of veterans who served in the Israeli military and share what they have witnessed and experienced in the Occupied Territories. Read, listen, and watch their testimonies here. Donate on their website. Visit the organization’s...
Justin Sadowsky is a civil rights attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Legal Defense Fund. Sadowsky has played a key role in fighting the United States’ “terror watchlist,” defending the rights of incarcerated Muslim Americans, and defeating...
