April 2023
It's never too late to offer Palestinian families hope and healing at the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center!
Thanks to you we're close to our goal of $89,000! If you haven't yet made a gift to support the Mother Empowerment Program this Easter season, today's the day.
Our 2023 Easter Appeal is dedicated to raising support for the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center’s Mother Empowerment Program, a residential program that each year offers critical support to 520 Palestinian families with children with disabilities from across the West Bank and Gaza. As the only program of its kind serving Palestinian children with disabilities, the demand for the program is high.

Your gifts will allow 50 additional families to come off the waiting list to participate in the Mother Empowerment Program this year.

As always, AFEDJ ensures that 100% of designated donations go directly to the intended institution.
"In Gaza we live minute by minute."
Ahli Arab Hospital's Suhaila Tarazi shares news of current conditions in Gaza in these uncertain days
In late March, Ahli Arab Hospital Director Suhaila Tarazi joined a Zoom conversation with members of Epiphany Parish in Seattle as part of the Bearing Witness curriculum. At the end of the conversation, we asked her about current conditions in Gaza after the recent raids in the old city of Nablus and the town of Huwara.

Listen to what she had to say.
Bearing Witness: A Journey with Holy Land Christians is live!
Bearing Witness guides you on a journey that will transform you.


Bearing Witness, AFEDJ's new video-based study program shares the stories of people living in Palestine and Israel and the remarkable ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem that bring hope and healing in this volatile part of the world. 

A diverse group of people share their stories to help us understand the realities of life in the Holy Land and the conditions that create the urgent need for the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem’s schools, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers. 

Centered around 14 professionally-produced videos and a robust, easy-to-navigate curriculum, Bearing Witness is available online for churches and faith-based organizations for free. AFEDJ will provide facilitator training and ongoing support for those offering the program both online and in-person.

Developed by American Friends, Bearing Witness was produced in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the Episcopal Church Standing Commission on World Mission, Jerusalem Peacebuilders and with financial support from the Constable Fund of the Episcopal Church, Carol and David Myers, and anonymous donors.

Bearing Witness provides church communities and faith-based organizations with the biblical basis, the inspiration, and the tools to walk together with Christians in the Holy Land. The program inspires us to seek ways to connect with and support the courageous ministry of the Diocese of Jerusalem and its witness to Jesus in the cradle of Christianity.

Start your journey at www.afedj.org/bearingwitness.
Pilgrim Stories: AFEDJ Trustee Joanne Blakemore on revisiting a diocesan school ten years later
In 2012 Joanne listened to leaders talk about their dreams for Ramallah's Episcopal Technological and Vocational Training Center (ETVTC). In 2022 she witnessed them come true.
A legacy gift sustains the Diocese of Jerusalem’s Christian witness in the Holy Land 
“Leaving a legacy isn’t about leaving something behind. It’s about leaving something ahead.” – Member of Jerusalem Saints Society
While the needs of the world seem overwhelming, you might wonder if your contribution can make an impact. You might think that only governments can help to set things right.

Let us be clear: your gift to support the humanitarian institutions of the Diocese of Jerusalem, gathered together with those of American friends from across the country, transforms lives of students and patients every day. 

One way to ensure your impact continues is by leaving a gift in your will to AFEDJ. With such a gift, you assert your faith that we can 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.

When you make a legacy gift of any size (and then let us know you’ve done it!) you become a member of the Jerusalem Saints Society. Not only will you receive the beautiful ceramic tile pictured above, more importantly you will know that your support for the humanitarian institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem helps to lift up the diocese’s Christian witness that testifies every day to the love of God, the forgiveness of God, and the grace of God. 

Questions about making a charitable bequest? Please contact AFEDJ Executive Director Eileen Spencer at espencer@afedj.org to schedule a phone call.
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.