The courage to do the right thing
“The Palestinians we visited told us that they and the Israelis must find a way to live together…. [But] because of the Palestinian status as subjugated occupied people, they need the commitment and the advocacy of both the Canadian government and the churches to bring about peace with justice.” – Rev. Dr. Dorcas Gordon, CFOS board member
More on the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage
We at CFOS are grateful for the courage, conviction and eloquence of senior church leaders who spoke on Parliament Hill at the conclusion of the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage on May 22, organized by Kairos Canada. Together, the speakers called for peace through an immediate and permanent ceasefire, urgent humanitarian aid, the release of all captives, the termination of arms shipments to Israel, and an end to the illegal occupation. The speakers were:
Right Rev. Andrew Asbil, Bishop, Anglican Diocese of Toronto
Rev. Dr. J. Dorcas Gordon, Principal Emerita, Knox College, Presbyterian Church in Canada
Rev. Susan Johnson, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Rev. Doug Klassen, Executive Minister, Mennonite Church Canada
Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, Moderator, United Church of Canada
Rev. Ian Ross-McDonald, General Secretary, Life and Mission Agency, Presbyterian Church in Canada
Rev. Father Nektarios Najjar, Pastor and Dean, St Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Ottawa
Rula Odeh, Board Chair, Canadian Friends of Sabeel
Leah Reesor-Keller, Transitional Executive Director, KAIROS Canada
For a range of media coverage of the event, click here.
A video montage of the speeches, prepared by CFOS, will be available soon. Stay tuned!
Rula in the Spotlight
CFOS Board Chair Rula Odeh addressed the crowd at the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage on Parliament Hill on May 22. Then on June 5, she spoke to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, held in Waterloo, Ontario. She shared her family’s story, gave an overview of the catastrophic current realities in Gaza and West Bank, and offered action suggestions to the Presbyterian Church. Rula shared her presentation with her sister, Samia Odeh, an accomplished musician and songwriter. See the recording here.
Sabeel International Conference in November 2024
Registration remains open for Sabeel’s Conference “Challenging Religious Extremism,” to be held in-person November 17-21 in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The fifth of the preparatory pre-conference webinars took place on May 29. The theme was Antisemitism, as framed by Sabeel’s published statement on Antisemitism, available here. Speakers were Omar Haramy (of Sabeel Jerusalem), Rabbi Faryn Borella, Hadar Cohen, and Father David Neuhaus. A recording of the webinar is available on YouTube, here.
CFOS plans to send a delegation of Canadians to the Sabeel conference in November. This will be an incredible opportunity to extend solidarity to Palestinian Christians during a time of tremendous suffering, to experience the beauty and brokenness of Palestine today, to gather with and learn from activists from around the world, and to support the devastated Palestinian economy. Please contact info@friendsofsabeel.ca for more information.
Christ at the Checkpoint
Every two years, Bethlehem Bible College (BBC) invites evangelical Christians from around the world to come and learn from the Palestinian Christian experience of living under Israeli oppression. The 7th biannual Christ at the Checkpoint conference was held May 22-25 this year under the theme “Do Justice, Love Mercy: Christian Witness in Contexts of Oppression.”
This year’s conference included keynote speeches from Dr. Munther Isaac (dean at BBC), Dr. Yousef Alkhouri (faculty member at BBC), and Shane Claibourne (U.S. writer, speaker and activist), among others. Videos of highlights and keynote presentations are available through the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference Facebook page.
Arms Embargo Now
CFOS has signed on to the Arms Embargo Now public statement urging the Canadian government “to uphold its moral and legal responsibilities and impose a full and immediate arms embargo on Israel.” The letter also urges the Canadian government to work with trade unions representing workers in the Canadian arms and technology industries who may be impacted by an embargo, to develop measures for a just employment and re-training transition to secure their ongoing livelihoods. See the full document here.
