The 11th Annual Mideast Focus Film Series

BEGINS THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2024

The eleventh annual Mideast Focus Film Series, now presented under the auspices of the Bishop's Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land, will begin next week. As we watch with horror the continuing violence in the Holy Land, this year's selections will offer much-needed context and broader perspectives.

The first offering will be the 2016 documentary The Settlers. With remarkable access, award-winning Israeli filmmaker Shimon Dotan traces the history of Israeli settlements in the West Bank since 1967, using rarely-seen archival footage and candid interviews with the settlers themselves. Learn more and see a trailer here. Please view the film online at your convenience any time before March 21, and then join in the discussion with our speaker, Diane Paul from Amnesty International, on Thursday at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The film can be viewed on YouTube here.

For more information or to request the link to participate online, send an email to: seattlemideastfocus@gmail.com

Bishop's Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land of the Diocese of Olympia

Saint Mark’s Mideast Focus Ministry has made the decision to merge this cathedral ministry with the Diocese of Olympia’s Bishop’s Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land (the “Bishop’s Committee”). Beginning in 2024, programs of education for peace and justice in the Middle East will be presented at the cathedral under the auspices of the Bishop’s Committee.

The Episcopal Bishop’s Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land (formerly the Episcopal Bishop’s Committee for Israel/Palestine, or EBCIP) was established in 2000 to support the Episcopal parishes, hospitals, schools and other human service missions in the Diocese of Jerusalem.

By means of education, advocacy and prayer, we are committed to supporting our Christian brothers and sisters in their struggle to survive the social, cultural and economic effects of nearly 50 years of military occupation in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and to assisting them in their efforts to bring about a just and peaceful resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

As Christians called to fulfill the promise made in our Baptismal Covenant “to strive for justice and peace,” we commit ourselves to join our Jewish, Muslim and Christian sisters and brothers to gain a better understanding of the struggles and hopes for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. We will continue to support the witness and survival of the Anglican and other Christian communities in the Holy Land.

To further our mission we focus on education within the Episcopal Church and public advocacy for the independence of the Palestinian people and the adoption of a viable democratic state, with Jerusalem as a shared capital. In addition, we sponsor youth and adult visitations and exchanges and promote sister-parish relationships between the Dioceses of Olympia and Jerusalem.

Doug Thorpe, Steve Moen, Randy Urmston, holylandjustice@gmail.com


Friends Talking: Life in Palestine in This Time of War

Dean Thomason and Palestinian Priest Fr. Fadi Diab in Conversation

SUNDAY, DECEMBER  10, 10:10 A.M.–10:50 A.M., Bloedel Hall and on Zoom

UPDATE: A complete video of the conversation is now available here.

Fr. Fadi Diab serves as rector of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Ramallah in the West Bank. He and Dean Thomason have forged a friendship since Fr. Fadi preached at Saint Mark’s last July, and their email exchanges of prayerful support and mutual affection have deepened since October 7 and the start of the war in Gaza. Fallout from the war and ongoing hardship for Palestinians in the West Bank have only intensified, and Fr. Fadi reports that violence and suffering in his church community and in the city he loves is heart-breaking. At this special Sunday forum Fr. Fadi will join Dean Steve from Ramallah over Zoom to discuss the current situation on the ground, how the war is impacting our Christian siblings in the Holy Land, and how the prospect of peace can still be held in the face of such challenges.

Recent Events

Details about Dean Thomason's forum on October 30, 2023 on the background to the war in Gaza can be found here.

Learn about the May 20, 2023 forum with Miko Peled, author of The General's Son, and Maya Garner of Friends of Hebron here.

Learn about the January 26, 2023, Symposium with Dr. Yasser Abu-Jamei of the Gaza Mental Health Programme here.

Learn about the September 24, 2022, Saturday Symposium titled The Holy Land: What's Next and see a video of the event here.

Learn about the April 20, 2022, Wednesday Night forum with Zeiad Shamrouch of the Middle East Children’s Alliance here.

Learn about the October 10, 2021, Sunday morning forum with John Lent of the American Friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem here.


PREVIOUS YEARS' SERIES

SPRING 2023

BREAK THE SILENCE: STORIES OF OCCUPATION

In 2020, 2021, and 2022 the film festival was offered almost entirely online, but 2023 saw the returns in-person screenings, as well as hybrid option, for the launch on February 16 and the finale on April 27. The other four screenings and discussions will be online-only. As always, each film was followed by a lively discussion with special guests—often the filmmakers themselves, or an expert in the topic of the film.


SPRING 2022

IS SUMUD SUFFICIENT?

The theme for the ninth annual Film Series was Sumud. This is a Palestinian word that means “steadfastness” or “steadfast perseverance.” It has become a cultural value in Palestine. There is no possible way Palestinians can defend themselves in the face of one of the most well-equipped military powers in the world. They practice sumud which sometimes is an act of making breakfast, sometimes walking the children to the checkpoint on the way to school, sometimes, joining a peaceful protest at a blocked crossroad, just to say “We are here!” In this series we will meet a young Israeli woman who also practices her own sumud as she resists joining the Israeli military. We will discover what sumud looks like in the devastation we call “Gaza”, and in the tragedy we call “Hebron.”


SPRING 2021

WHO'S AT THE CHECKPOINT?

The Mideast Focus Ministry presented its eighth series of films focused on the story of the Palestinian people—but with a difference this year. In response to the U.S. apartheid-like parallels to Palestine in our own country, the 2021 series explored the links between the struggle for justice in Palestine to Black Lives Matter and the story of Indigenous people in America.


SPRING 2020

COPING WITH OCCUPATION

In February of 2020, the Mideast Focus Film Series launched as planned with a reception, screening, and discussion of Tel Aviv on Fire. Of course, plans then changed. The remainder of the films were presented as online screenings followed by virtual conversations over Zoom. These virtual events were a great success. 


SPRING 2019

FINDING HOME


SPRING 2018

PUSHING FOR CHANGE


SPRING 2017

WHO COUNTS?


More about the series:

Mideast Focus Ministry Mission:
This ministry works through prayer, education and action with Saint Mark’s and the greater Seattle community, to educate and promote understanding about the struggle for peace and justice in the Holy Land.

Mideast Focus Film Series Goal:
Our concern is to help balance the limited and confusing media coverage of the Holy Land. We use compelling films as an entry point for reflection and discussion. As Christians, we respond to Christ’s call to seek justice and love the oppressed. As Americans, we ask: Can we reconcile this calling with our government’s massive financial support of Israel’s military operations? We hope the time will come when Jews, Muslims and Christians will again come together in harmony in the Holy Land.

Why These Films?
As our country presents less than humane greetings for refugees at our border, we want to recommit ourselves to a more conscious, caring and Godly response—to recognize and serve our brothers and sisters who are, for a difficult time, homeless. In this series we explore what it is to be a refugee.