For an Open Jerusalem: Palestinian Christian Art Today

by Theo Sundermeier

Palestinian Christians are a group in the Middle East that is being decimated in a frightening way by emigration. Their voice, the voice of the descendants of the oldest Christians, must not go unheard. As sensitive interpreters of their time and situation, the artists are both Palestinians and Christians at the same time, marked by two traditions equally. They invite us to read the Biblical texts with the eyes of those who have grown up in the country that is sacred to the various denominations and religions, from which, however, many were expelled in the years 1947-1949. It is this catastrophe (“Nakba”), which has often become the subject of their pictures. The pictures speak of people who are traumatized by the past and by present experience, but are not in despair. Instead, they do not give up the search for their identity and the hope that peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is possible and Jerusalem again becomes a city that is open and freely accessible for all people. The churches are particularly encouraged to get involved with these messages and to live in active solidarity.

128 pages, Paperback

Published March 10, 2018