Serving our Global Community
Easter Issue

  • Kairos Palestine Easter Alert
  • Rifat Kassis: Easter in the Holy Land
  • UCC Bibliography for Children and Youth
  • Meet the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network of Australia
Kairos Palestine Easter Alert 2019


From the Introduction to the Kairos Palestine Easter Alert for 2019:

The purpose of the annual Kairos Alert is to shed light on the reality on the ground and provide a Christian commentary and analysis to this reality. 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Kairos document. It is time to unite in our response for justice and equality...This call is grounded in the logic of love and is a call for non-violent resistance. In the face of discrimination and apartheid, we insist that the only way forward is a shared land and a political reality of justice and equality. Let us commit ourselves to work towards a new socio-political reality in which all the dwellers of the land share the land and its resources equally and have the same rights—regardless of their ethnicity, nationality and religion. 

We call on our sisters and brothers around the world to join the Kairos Global movement and its signature campaign, which aims to mobilize faith-based voices to lobby and unite towards ending the occupation. This is a call for persons from around the world to further the Kairos call for an end to the State of Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people and its occupation of Palestinian territories. We urge you to consider signing, promoting and distributing this call to all your networks. The aim is to present this call on May 15, 2019, to Israeli embassies and foreign ministries all over the world.

Kairos Palestine urges you to, please, do the following:




By Rifat Odeh Kassis
"For most Palestinians – whether Christian or Muslim - Jerusalem is the city we love the most and visit the least. The Way of the Cross is not confined to Easter week but has been going for 70 years in the Holy Land." So writes Rifat Odeh Kassis, Coordinator of Kairos Palestine.
" Today, Palestinians are still walking the Way of the Cross, and anxiously awaiting the Day of Resurrection - the day the stone that blocks the tomb of occupation is rolled away. This Way of the Cross is not confined to Easter week, but has been going for 70 years. The stations of suffering that are visited include: checkpoints, permits, refugee camps, blockade, home demolitions, detention without trial, and bombing."

"The message of Easter and the Resurrection is that those liberated by God cannot be made slaves by anyone," writes Rifat. "Freedom for one group cannot come through the oppression of another."

UCC-PIN offers Bibliography of Resources About Palestinians For Children and Youth 

The United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network has just made available a bibliography of resources about Palestine for children and youth. From the introduction:

"The bibliography is intended to expand our points of view on the lives and experiences of Palestinians in Israel/Palestine post-1948 among children and youth. Stories about Palestinians have not been heard or studied often in classrooms, churches, synagogues, and community settings in the United States. It is our hope that this Bibliography will contribute to the growing movement to challenge those omissions."

Our Global Network:
Meet the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network (Australia)

We are all part of a global community -- an interlinked network of church-based organizations on every continent, in solidarity with the Palestinians and under the guidance of Kairos Palestine (visit the Global Kairos page on the Kairos Palestine website). Earlier this year we introduced you to the newly-formed Kairos Ireland. Now get to know the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network Inc (PIEN), a network of Australian Christians seeking lasting peace and justice for the people of Palestine and Israel. The mission of PIEN is:

  • Encourage and equip Australian churches to promote peace and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel;
  • Educate Australian churches and the wider public on human rights issues in Palestine and Israel;
  • Seek public policy change in Australia towards the achievement of justice in Palestine and Israel;
  • Influence public opinion and advance public debate on issues of justice in Palestine and Israel;
  • Encourage theological discussion and practical action that reflect the aspirations of Palestinians;
  • Express solidarity with Palestinian Christians and with others who genuinely seek justice for all Palestinians and Israelis;
  • Collaborate with other organizations seeking peace and justice for the people of Palestine and Israel.

The network includes people from eleven different denominations across all parts of Australia as well as Australian Christian aid and development agencies working in Palestine and Israel. Established in 2006 by church leaders who saw a particular role for Christians to advocate from a faith perspective, PIEN is an independent working group with a formal relationship with the ACT Council of Churches.


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Thanks to all who responded to Kairos USA's end of the year fundraising drive. We are still in need of funds to meet the goals for 2019 outlined in the December 2018 appeal. Now, more than ever, as voices within our government begin to speak up and the issue of justice for Palestine is on the table as never before,
please contribute so we can continue our work for a world where all people live in dignity, equality and freedom. 

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