This webinar discusses the plight of Christians in the Holy Land, especially in Gaza. Prior to the current war, Gaza’s Christians numbered roughly 1000 out of 2.1 million people in Gaza, the vast majority Orthodox Christians. Since the Israeli bombardment began in October 2023, most of Gaza’s Christians have been sheltering at St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church and Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City. The Orthodox Church had had a venerable presence in the Holy Land since the beginning. The webinar explores three primary aspects of this presence: 1) the history of Orthodox Christianity in Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza) and Israel, from the ancient to the modern periods; 2) current issues in “church-state” relations amid the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, other local Christian traditions, and the local governments, and 3) the recent history of Christians in Gaza, especially at the Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrios.
Featuring Dr. Yousef AlKhouri (assistant professor in Biblical Studies at Bethlehem Bible College), Hana Bendcowsky (program director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations), and Dr. Samuel Noble (PhD from KU Leuven). Moderated by Rev. Dr. Michael Azar (professor of theology and religious Studies at the University Scranton).
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