February 2022
Leaders at Ahli Arab Hospital find strength in your faithful and generous support
"Despite the setbacks Ahli encountered during 2021, we are proud that we are able to make a difference in thousands of lives."
— Suhaila Tarazi
With so much turmoil in the world and the ongoing challenges of the pandemic competing for headlines, it's not surprising that the plight of the people of the Gaza Strip drop from the public eye once the rockets cease to fire.

But for Suhaila Tarazi, director of Ahli Arab Hospital, the deprivations and difficulties of running a charitable hospital do not go away when the news cameras depart.

She recently reflected upon the past year. "It has been an uncomfortable year for the Ahli Hospital in Gaza. It began with the outbreak of COVID-19 followed by the 11-day war in May. It ended with the new variant Omicron. The situation is not looking good in Gaza. People continue to suffer from poverty while facing injustice."

She continued, "Despite the setbacks Ahli encountered during the year, we are proud that we are able to make a difference in thousands of lives. Our mission of love is built on healing, repairing broken hearts, and comforting mourning souls. We plant seeds of hope that days to follow will be bright. Our goal would not be possible without your solidarity and continuous support. We ask that God helps us continue to spread joy, hope, reconciliation and peace in this land. Thank you again for your prayers and generosity."

As American Friends of those bearing witness to the love of Christ in the Holy Land, our role is clear: We must remember their daily struggles even when the rest of the world moves on.
Your generosity extends the Food for Families program among the neediest in Beirut
For the last four months of 2021, a generous grant from the Holy Land Christians Society (HLCS) and donations from individuals made it possible for Archdeacon Imad Zoorob, director of St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Center and All Saints Church in Beirut, to offer $50 food vouchers to more than 200 impoverished families.

With additional donations at the end of 2021 and a second grant from HLCS, the Food for Families voucher program will be extended through March 2022.

The 202 households to receive the vouchers include teacher and student families of St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Center, members of the All Saints Episcopal Church community, and Armenian families in the Ashrahfieh neighborhood – an area hard hit by the 2020 explosion.

Lena, a mother of three from Ashrahfieh, said, “I can’t express my happiness receiving these vouchers. My kids were always asking for milk and cheese. These vouchers have brought a smile to us. God bless the donors.”

In the short video below Archdeacon Zoorob shares the impact these vouchers have had on the well-being of families at the heart of the financial crisis in Lebanon.
Vocational training at Schneller School offers a path to success for some of Jordan's most vulnerable young people
These young Syrian refugees are among the first students in Schneller School's vocational program in cosmetology
Marka, Jordan is not on any tourist loop. A suburb of Amman, Jordan’s modern capital, here everything is half-finished and dusty. In the middle of town is the Theodor Schneller School, an Episcopal boarding school for 110 orphans and children from terminally broken homes, including a growing number of Iraqi and Syrian refugee orphans. The school enrolls 220 day students, most of them living in the Marka Palestinian Refugee Camp, which borders the school.
 
For decades, Schneller also was the finest vocational training school in Jordan. Lack of funding and poor leadership allowed most of the training programs to deteriorate. Recently, under the leadership of Rev. Khaled Freij, these vocational programs have been making a comeback and Schneller is on a path to re-establish its brand as a leading vocational training center in Jordan.
 
Late last month, Schneller convened an all-day strategy workshop with its major supporters, including several German NGO’s and Lutheran relief agencies and AFEDJ. Archbishop Hosam Naoum welcomed the participants and spoke about his compelling vision for a vital school and training center serving some of the most underserved children and young men and women in Jordan. Rev. Freij updated us on recent renovations and additions to the technical training programs – improvements that generous AFEDJ donors have helped fund.
 
Schneller’s mission is to provide a safe home for the most vulnerable children and young people in Jordan and prepare them for employment and a hopeful, productive future. With your help, the school is making good progress. If you agree with Schneller’s leaders that high-quality vocational training is a positive path forward in life for these deserving and needy students, we invite you to help. As always, we’d love to speak with you about your interest in Schneller or any of the ministries you so generously support.
Put your hope into action with a legacy gift to sustain Christian witness in the Holy Land 
“Hope does not extinguish suffering but sustains the belief that there can be an end to it, if not in your own life, then in the future. And so hope propels you into action.”
— Vaclav Havel
When the needs of the world seem overwhelming, you might think your contribution is just a drop in the bucket. You might think that only governments or huge NGOs can set things right.

But making an impact on the lives of vulnerable people is possible. Your bequest to American Friends to sustain the Christian ministries in the Diocese of Jerusalem puts your hope into action by helping to build a world where all human lives have value and all people are treated with dignity and respect. It’s a simple act with impressive, long-term results. It’s easy to do and it’s for everyone no matter how large your gift may be.

Your unwavering and faithful support ensures that AFEDJ will be here to help the Christian leaders in the Holy Land continue their remarkable ministries.

Questions about making a charitable bequest? Please contact AFEDJ Executive Director John Lent at jlent@afedj.org to schedule a phone call.

P.S. When you make a legacy gift (and then let us know you’ve done it!) you become a member of the Jerusalem Saints Society. We will send you a beautiful ceramic tile (pictured above) to remind you to keep this work we share in your prayers.
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF JERUSALEM

AFEDJ offers a safe, secure channel to make gifts to support the work of the humanitarian institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.