Led by : Alex Awad, Palestinian pastor and missionary

Location: Classroom 5

How did we arrive at the devastation unfolding in Gaza today? In this session, Rev. Dr. Alex Awad traces the history of Palestine from the rise of the Zionist movement in the late 19th century to the present day. Drawing on historical records and his own experience as a Palestinian Christian, he will examine the movement’s goals for the land, the repeated displacement of Palestinians, and the key turning points that have shaped the region over more than a century.

The presentation will also explore the factors that led to the events of October 7, 2023, and the war and genocide that followed, helping participants understand today’s headlines in their broader historical context. A time of questions and discussion will follow.

With filmmakers Robert Leavering and Stephen Talbot

Location: Main Hall

Last Christian in Bethlehem is a new 64-minute documentary that gives voice to the often overlooked community of Palestinian Christians, who have existed in the Holy Land since the earliest days of Christianity. Today, in the West Bank, isolated and besieged by settlers and the Israeli military, Palestine’s 50,000 remaining Christians fear they will be driven from their homeland. After the horror and destruction in Gaza, they ask, “Are we next?”

Filmed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in late 2025, the film shows an ecumenical olive harvest, a Christian family struggling to defend their land against settler attacks, and a Christmas celebration in Nativity Square. Palestinian Christians in the film stress their commitment to nonviolence and creative resistance to the occupation, while making an urgent appeal for international understanding and support before it is too late.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers.

Led by: Jason Terry , Vice President of Programs, UNRWA USA

Location: Multipurpose Auditorium

This session begins with an introduction to the work of UNRWA, the largest humanitarian actor in the occupied Palestinian territories. From there, we take a look at how over 200,000 grassroots individuals from North America and beyond have joined together to sustain that vital work, generating over tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid support since October 2023, and thereby touching hundreds of thousands of lives. We’ll look beyond the headlines to learn about the impact of three years of military, settler, and economic violence on children in the context of their education, health, and mental health. Finally, we examine how Quaker testimonies and core beliefs – especially the concept that there is “that of God” in everyone – calls out to the speaker and sustains their work. Our time together will be part technical, part heartbreaking, and part uplifting, as we examine how small actions, often taken in faith, can affect the lives of people facing constant trauma.

Led by: Hatem El-Sayegh, Palestinian American deacon and engineer

Location: Pavillion (outside)

On the road to Emmaus, the risen Jesus walked alongside two grieving disciples and opened the Scriptures to them, showing how all of it pointed to him. What might it look like to read the Bible that way today, especially the passages we find hardest to understand?

In this Bible study, Palestinian-American deacon, Hatem El-Sayegh, invites participants to wrestle together with some of Scripture most used to justify injustice and persecution of the Palestinian people, even celebrating it as fulfillment of prophecy. We’ll read these verses as the Emmaus disciples learned to, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Come ready to read, ask honest questions, and discover how Christ transforms the way we understand even the Bible.

Led by: Kendra Savusa, American Palestinian based in the Southern United States.

Location: Café

Tatreez, the traditional cross-stitch embroidery of Palestine, has been passed down through generations of Palestinian women for centuries. Its colors and motifs once told where a woman came from, and today it remains a vibrant expression of identity, memory and resilience.

In this hands-on workshop, Palestinian-American artist Kendra Savusa will open with a brief presentation on the history and meaning of tatreez, from regional patterns to its role in preserving Palestinian culture today. Participants will then learn basic stitches and begin a small piece of their own. No experience is needed, and all materials will be provided.