Rula in the Spotlight

Rula Odeh, CFOS’s chairperson, has been in the spotlight recently.  As a Canadian Christian of Palestinian heritage, she is increasingly being sought out for her perspective on the Israel-Hamas war and how the church in Canada should respond. As chair of CFOS, she is passionately committed to amplifying the voice of Palestinians and their struggle for freedom, justice and human rights.

On May 22, 2024, Rula spoke at the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage vigil on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The daughter of a 90-year-old survivor of the Nakba, she lamented,

“We, Palestinian Christians, as with all Palestinians, are stunned that yet another Nakba is being waged against us. We are grieving at the silence, the inaction, the impunity and the complicity that has been going on for 76 years since the 1948 Nakba, since the illegal military occupation by Israel in 1967 and since the cruel blockade of Gaza that started in 2007. We mourn because this led to the horrific and unparalleled crisis that we are all witnessing now.” 

On June 5, Rula addressed the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, in its meetings in Waterloo, Ontario. She shared her family’s story, gave an overview of the catastrophic realities in Gaza and West Bank currently, and offered action suggestions to the Presbyterian Church.  She stated,

“For too long our family has been very reluctant to share our story and identity for fear of repercussions, for fear of lost opportunities, and to minimize begin dehumanized. The dehumanization is real. . . . But as Palestinian Christians we have to be ourselves. We have a very beautiful peace-loving culture that we should share and celebrate. . . . We refuse to be dehumanized.”

View both speeches. Rula’s address to the Presbyterian Church Assembly begins in the second video at 1:33.