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

Saint Mark’s Mideast Focus Ministry has merged 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.

More information below.

SPRING 2025

BEARING WITNESS

The twelfth annual Mideast Focus Film Series, now presented under the auspices of the Bishop's Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land, launches with an in-person screening and discussion on Thursday, February 20. Subsequent screenings and discussions in this year's series will be offered in person via Zoom.

Find more information at seattlemideastfocus.org

FILM #1: No Other Land

IN-PERSON SCREENING & DISCUSSION: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 6 P.M. (reception), 7 P.M. (screening), in person, registration required

The 2025 Film Series launches with an in-person screening of the 2024 documentary No Other Land.

The special guest for the post-film discussion will be Michael Jacobsen, a peace activist who worked with the villages depicted in the film through the International Solidarity Movement and Veterans for Peace. The reception begins at 6 p.m., with the film starting promptly at 7 p.m. Tickets are not required for No Other Land, but you must RSVP using this form.

For location and details, send an email to: seattlemideastfocus@gmail.com

FILM #2: Settlements Above the Law

ONLINE DISCUSSION: THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 7 P.M., via Zoom

Special guest: Israeli-American anthropologist and author Jeff Halper.

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

FILM #3: The Law and the Prophets

ONLINE DISCUSSION: THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 7 P.M., via Zoom

Special guest: the film's director, speaker/writer/activist Joshua Vis.

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

FILM #4: Where Olive Trees Weep

ONLINE DISCUSSION: THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 7 P.M., via Zoom

Special guest: Youth Against Settlements founder Issa Amro.

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

FILM #5: Lyd

ONLINE DISCUSSION: THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 7 P.M., via Zoom

Special guests: community activists Maher Joudi and Sabrene Odeh.

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

Past Offerings from the MEFM & Bishop's Committee

Video of forums with Fr. Fadi Diab, Rector of St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Ramallah, the West Bank, on June 30, 2024, and earlier on December 10, 2023, can be found here and here.

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.

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

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

PREVIOUS YEARS' FILM SERIES

SPRING 2024

ROOTS OF CHAOS & CATASTROPHE

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, was presented in the spring of 2024, with the theme "Roots of Chaos & Catastrophe." As we watch with horror the continuing violence in the Holy Land, this year's selections will offer much-needed context and broader perspectives. All screenings and discussions for the 2024 series were offered online. Special guests included Dr. Liora Halperin, Distinguished Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Washington, Dr. Gerri Haynes,  past president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, Diane Paul from Amnesty International, and former U.S. Congressman Brian Baird.

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 due to a global health emergency. The remainder of the 2020 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.