What's happening in the Middle East - some resources

Last Sunday (5/3/26) we welcomed to worship Pastor Christy Lohr Sapp and her family Paul, Sadie & Riley. Pastor Christy was a seminary intern here in 2017 and now she serves as the pastor to the English speaking congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. The family is on an extended home assignment with ELCA Global Missions due to the war with Iran but pray that they will be able to return to their work with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan & the Holy Land (ELCJHL) by the end of the summer.

At our Lunch and Learn we were able to here their call story and experiences in the Middle East. During our time together we had someone ask what resources could we dive into to understand what people are experiencing in Palestine, Jerusalem and the Middle East. What follows is what Pastor Christy shared with us.

Thanks for having us on Sunday. It was fun to worship with you all. 

I promised a follow up of resources and suggestions of things people can do.

Below is a very basic list.

• Books from ELCJHL Colleagues

  • Witnessing for Peace in Jerusalem and the World, Munib Younan (Fortress Press, 2003)

  • Faith in the Face of Empire, Mitri Raheb (Orbis, 2014)

  • Decolonizing Palestine, Mitri Raheb (Orbis, 2023)

  • Theology After Gaza, Mitri Raheb (Cascade Books, 2025)

  • The Politics of Persecution, Mitri Raheb, ed. ((Baylor University Press, 2021)

  • Christ in the Rubble, Munther Isaac (Eerdmans, 2025)

  • The Other Side of the Wall, Munther Isaac (InterVarsity Press, 2020)

• Podcasts

  • Across the Divide – Conversations about theology and peacemaking in Israel and Palestine

  • Women Behind the Wall – Glimpse into the lives of Palestinian Chrisitan women living under Israeli occupation

• Movies

  • The Wanted 18 - documentary about a community in Beit Sahour who tries to produce their own milk rather than purchase from Israel

  • The Present - a short film about life in the occupied West Bank

  • The Living of the Pigeons - a short film depicting the realities of workers who must cross through Checkpoint (the link is to an interview w/the filmmaker and has the full film embedded w/in the interview)

  • The Voice of Hind Rajab - Oscar nominee about a six-year old girl trapped in her car in Gaza

  • No Other Land - Oscar winner

  • Palestine 36 – Struggle between Palestinian identity and British colonial rule in 1936 (now on Netflix)

  • All That’s Left of You – traces the family trauma from displacement at the creation of the state of Israel to modern day – showing that it lasts generations

  • Movie database available at:  www.palestinecinema.com

• News

+972 Magazine – longer articles about life under occupation

I'd also encourage all of our congregations to learn more about the ELCA's advocacy initiative, Sumud. They have tons of resources and also put out regular advocacy alerts. 

Concrete actions individuals & congregations can take:

• Pray

• Advocate

• Educate (this also includes reading the social papers the church wide assembly approved last summer)

• Boycott (especially items made on settlement/stolen West Bank land)

• Donate (sponsor the work w/specific personnel or global missions in general)

The Rev. Christy Lohr Sapp, PhD

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer Jerusalem https://www.elcjhl.org/home

Come visit!