Photo from Quartz.com, Rashmee Roshan Loll
A Modern Christmas Story of Peace in Bethlehem
Major Press Coverage for Christmas
+A Message from Elias Jabbour, AR Co-Founder
Merry Christmas Eve to all our friends around the world! Today we have good news from Bethlehem, a Christmas Appeal, and a support testimonial for our Year-End Gratitude Fundraising campaign.
Above: Santa hands out baklava at the Abrahamic Reunion’s Multi-faith Christmas Celebration in Nazareth. From news coverage on Quartz (qz.com), which has a distribution of 15 million:
“At the newly-renovated Church of the Nativity where, the story goes, Jesus, the Prince of Peace was born, pilgrims from around the world are gathering for midnight mass.”
“But for some, the real celebration of peace happened last a 10-minute drive away from the church, in as humble a as the stable where Christ was
“At Canary Restaurant in Wadi Shaheen, in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, a few hundred Israelis and Palestinians gathered to break bread together. Singing Jingle Bells in Arabic, and with Santa Claus passing out baklava, an unusual initiative by a multi-faith grassroots movement called the Abrahamic Reunion got underway.“
https://qz.com/1774708/bethlehem-has-a-christmas-message-of-peace-amid-polarization/
Elias Jabbour, Co-Founder of the Abrahamic Reunion and 3rd-Generation Christian Peacemaker from Shefar’am, penned a Christmas message for all the Abrahamic Reunion around the world:
Dear Abrahamic Reunion Family,
From the Holy Land, the land of peace, I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. I pray and hope for a year more peaceful than the one before.
On this occasion, the memory of the birth of Jesus Christ, I repeat these precious words: Peace On Earth and Love and Joy in the hearts of all human beings.
If these days mean anything to me it means the great need for peace and love in this troubled world. All religions call for peace but simply we need to hear them and follow their teaching.
I think and believe that peace is possible and it is the only solution to all our problems. With peace and the love of one for the other our life becomes a paradise on earth. With wars and conflicts it becomes, unfortunately, a hell. Let us join each other in this sacred mission.
I greet all my brothers and sisters in the Abraham Reunion and tell them continue the good work you are doing… it is important and valuable and it is the right thing. You are making a change… Keep going…
With all my best wishes and regards,
Elias Jabbour
3rd-Generation Palestinian Christian Peacemaker
Co-Founder, Abrahamic Reunion
Director, House of Hope
Author, Sulha
Show Your Gratitude
During this Holiday Season, we’re sharing perspectives from Peacemakers, Board Members, Supporters, and Religious Leaders as to why they’re grateful for the Reunion, and why they support.
If their messages or reasoning resonate with you, please make a donation to our year-end campaign. We have tax-deductible options in the US, UK, Israel, and Germany at the link below.
Grateful For The Abrahamic Reunion
We’re featuring personal impact stories and gratitude for our year-end appeal — why are you grateful? Let us know and we’ll feature supporters’ quotes and videos in our upcoming emails!
