August 2021
Summer Camps across the Diocese of Jerusalem return in 2021
July is high season for summer camp! Diocese of Jerusalem camps were held in Ramallah, Nazareth, and Zababdeh for elementary, middle, senior high, and university students. 

More than 300 young people took advantage of the opportunity to have a blast, learn new skills, and grow closer to God thanks to support from many American friends.
News from Gaza
“We feel the soul is still suffering…”
A destroyed apartment building in Gaza City. Photo by the Rev. John McCulloch
This week we had news from Ahli Arab Hospital’s Director Suhaila Tarazi about current conditions, two months after the 11 days of bombardment in Gaza.

She wrote:
As you may know, we are not only suffering from increased numbers of COVID-19, but also from the deterioration of livelihood in Gaza after the war where more than 80% of people depend on food aid. Moreover, there are long hours of electricity outages, restriction of the movements of goods including medical equipment and building materials. People continue to be frustrated because no serious reconstruction efforts have been made aside from rubble removal. In addition, psychological trauma has been estimated above 90% among the Gaza population, especially children. We feel the soul is still suffering while we are moving among the destroyed streets.”
The news cycle may have moved on from the suffering in Gaza , but our sisters and brothers at Ahli Arab Hospital continue to serve their desperately needy neighbors every day. They continue to need our help.
Archbishop to gather with AFEDJ trustees and friends in October 
The Most Rev. Hosam Naoum will make his first visit to the U.S. as the new Archbishop of Jerusalem in October when he plans to attend the fall meeting of AFEDJ’s board of trustees in Boston.

On Thursday, October 14, AFEDJ trustees will honor Archbishop Hosam at a reception held at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s where he will speak to a gathering of donors and friends. He also will preach at the Cathedral on Sunday, October 17.

We hope all American friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem in the Boston area will plan to attend the reception to hear the Archbishop share news from the region and speak about his vision for the Diocese and its partnership with AFEDJ. 

Look for invitations and details soon.
Assistant Deputy Chief of Mission and head of the Palestinian Affairs Unit at the U.S. State Department George Noll (second from left) and members of his staff take notes during their visit to the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center last week.

Noll met with Archbishop Naoum and JPBC Director Ibrahim Faltas to learn more about the Center and the Diocese's humanitarian ministries serving Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Construction begins at the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School (AEES) in Ramallah
A series of generous gifts from the Shaheen Charitable Trust has allowed a renovation project at AEES, delayed by the pandemic, to finally begin.

The project, set to be completed by the end of the 2021, will provide additional classrooms and create new labs for technology and science instruction at the secondary level.

The new space will be named in honor of Ramallah native, Mr. Aziz Shaheen, who is the father of AFEDJ supporter Mr. Shouky Shaheen of Atlanta. 

Founded in 1954 as a home for impoverished and orphaned girls, AEES has evolved into a K-12 academic co-ed school serving 845 students and their families.

In late July Archbishop Hosam Naoum joined AEES Headmaster Iyad Rafidi to check out the progress at the construction site.
Thank you for supporting Christian witness
in the Holy Land 
Your generosity, especially during these uncertain times, inspires the Christian community in the Holy Land. Your support tells Christians working for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East that they are not forgotten. Thank you being a partner in their work.

Designating a gift in your will for the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and its humanitarian ministries in the Holy Land is a once in a lifetime chance to ensure that vulnerable children and families have somewhere to turn for help. Your bequest will sustain these remarkable institutions for generations to come.

Please consider becoming a member of the Jerusalem Saints Society by making a bequest to AFEDJ to assure that the Diocese will continue to do God’s work in the Holy Land for generations to come. 

For more information about making a bequest, please reach out to AFEDJ Executive Director John Lent at jlent@afedj.org to begin the conversation. 
The Diocese of Jerusalem’s Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID) runs a clinic for disabled children in the Al-Azraq Syrian refugee camp in northern Jordan.

Your gift to HLID directly supports Syrian refugees like this mother and her son taking part in the clinic’s summer camp activities.
AFEDJ offers a safe, secure channel to make gifts to support the work of the humanitarian institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem | 203.655.3575