Stories from Jerusalem / Al Quds
A tour guide in Jerusalem shares stories and insights about the city's history and culture, covering various themes and sometimes venturing to other historical sites. The podcast invites listeners to explore Jerusalem through engaging narratives and encourages them to join future tours.
Episodes
Nine Quarters of Jerusalem
Based on Matthew Teller's book "Nine Quarters of Jerusalem" I developed a tour in the old city of Jerusalem that introduces the visitor to the different cultural, social and religious communities that are part of the social fabric of the city. In April 2025 Matthew was visiting Jerusalem and we did the tour with a group of expats and diplomats. I recorded the tour and edited the rec
Ceremony of the Holy Fire in the Holy Sepulcher church in Jerusalem
Every year the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem enters Christ's tomb in the Holy Sepulcher church in Jerusalem with no way to start a fire, prays, and fire miraculously appears which is then distributed to the faithful. For a brief time this fire does not burn.In this episode I talk with Ghassan Kattoua, who has joined the Holy Fire ceremony every year since he was a child. His family is
Women of Jerusalem
For International Women's Day, today on the 8th of March, I prepared a tour in the old city of Jerusalem, that takes you through the history of Jerusalem with women as the main characters! Unfortunately the old city is closed to visitors due to the war with Iran and the tour is canceled. I decided to record some of the stories of these important historical women and share this episode with yo
Introduction to Stories from Jerusalem
My name is Kristel, I studied history and tour guiding in the Netherlands and I have a tour guide license from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and from the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism. During the Covid pandemic I created the podcast Stories from Palestine. I stopped uploading new episodes when things opened up and I could actually go out there and do tour guiding. But now, due to the current w
Thob and tatreez, the Palestinian traditional heritage dress
A couple of years ago I received three pieces of embroidery that used to be the chest pieces of Palestinian dresses. The Palestinian dress is called a 'thob' in Arabic. The person who gave them to me said she had received them from an Israeli woman who had said: “these were from the people who used to live here” As she didn't know what to do with them, she handed them to me. I also
The Palestinian Heritage Museum in Jerusalem part 1
A couple of years ago I received three pieces of embroidery that used to be the chest pieces of Palestinian dresses. The Palestinian dress is called a 'thob' in Arabic. The person who gave them to me said she had received them from an Israeli woman who had said: “these were from the people who used to live here” As she didn't know what to do with them, she handed them to me. I also
Young Palestinian leaders shaping the future of Palestine
In this episode you will hear three interviews I carried out for PAX Palestine Podcast with four Palestinian young women who share their transformative journey with the Youth Bridges for Democracy and Participation project. This project is carried out by PAX and the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy (PCPD). Through this initiative youth and women are learning to step into local governance
All water has perfect memory, interview with author Nada Samih-Rotondo
Nada is a Palestinian-American author, teacher and mother. She was six years old when her mother kidnapped her from Kuwait, at the time when Iraq invaded Kuwait. They went to the United States where her uncle lived in Rhode Island. She did not yet realize that it was not a holiday but they were going to stay. Her debut book All Water Has a Perfect Memory is a memoir that takes readers from the aut
A house in Jerusalem, interview with filmmaker Muayad Elayyan
Recently the kids and I watched the film 'A house in Jerusalem' by filmmaker Muayad Elayyan who happens to be a far cousin and friend of my husband Tariq. Although he told me that he had a small role as an extra in this film, which he's had in all Muayad's films, I did NOT recognize him. Turns out the policeman in the scene when Rebecca wanders off from the summer school activi
Palestinian children's choir Amwaj
On a Friday evening in September I attended a beautiful concert of the Amwaj children's choir in Bethlehem. I had tears rolling down my eyes. Not only did the choir sound so beautiful, but also did I realize what Palestinian children in the Westbank are suffering through. And how their peers in Gaza are losing everything, their houses, their beloved ones, their schools, their chances, their f
A visit to the Makhrour valley
The Makhrour valley is situated between Beit Jala and Battir and the larger part of this valley has been designated as part of a world heritage site registered by UNESCO as 'Palestine, land of olives and vines' The slopes of hills on either side of the Makhrour valley have terraces that date back to at least the Roman era. These agricultural terraces are farmed by Palestinian farmers fro
Daybreak in Gaza, memories by Yousef Khoury
This is interview with Yousef Khoury, a Christian Palestinian theologian originally from Gaza, currently living in Bethlehem, was conducted in April 2024. The content of this interview was used for the book: "Daybreak in Gaza, stories of Palestinian lives and culture". In this interview Yousef shares with us his memories of Gaza before the destruction that happened since 7 October 2023.T
Back to Podcasting
After almost a year of radio silence, I am back to producing new episodes! Last year was very intense for everyone and I was unable to continue the podcast. In this first introduction to the new season, I am trying to explain what happened. I can not go into the details but hopefully you will accept my apologies for disappearing just like that. I am also back on social media and you can find me an
Civil Society for Dignity in Palestine part 3 : Media training for Palestinian youth
This is the third and last part of a trilogy that I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments.In this last episode Anwaar, who works for MEND and is the media and outreach c
Civil Society for Dignity in Palestine part 2 : Palestinian civil society involvement
This is the second part of a trilogy I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments.In this episode you will learn more about the project 'Civil Society for Dignity'
Civil Society for Dignity in Palestine part 1 : introduction to Palestinian civil society
This is the first part of a trilogy that I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments.In this first episode you will learn more about the political reality for Palestinians
A visit to Bisan / Beit Shean
Beit Shean or Beisan as it is called by Palestinians because before 1948 it was called Beisan and it had a population of 6000 people, is mainly known for the excavation of the ancient city and it is sometimes compared to Pompeii that was preserved so well because of the volcanic eruption, in this case the remains of Roman and Byzantine Beit Shean were preserved after a major earthquake. The ruins
The Armenian Museum of Jerusalem
In a previous episode with Apo Sahagian, we talked about the Armenian community in Jerusalem. This episode is a deeper dive into the history of the Armenians and their presence in the holy land in general and in Jerusalem in particular.The newly renovated Edward and Helen Mardigian Armenian Museum of Jerusalem offers a wealth of stories about the Armenians of Jerusalem.A key attraction is the six
A visit to Akka / Akko / Acre
The Palestinians call it Akka, in English they say Acre, which goes back to how the Crusaders called the city, today we hear people referring to it as Akko and the root letters AK go back to the Egyptian execration texts in hieroglyphic script that mention AK already in the 19th century BC. Today we can talk about three parts of Akka: the old city inside the Ottoman walls on a peninsula in the Med
A visit to Asqalan
On the Mediterranean coast you can find the ruins of a city that first became a large sized city during the Canaanite period. Of this period the oldest brick wall and arched gate have been excavated and can now be visited. You can even pass through the gate! The National Park in which the ruins of Asqalan can be visited has some very interesting sites: the biggest Roman basilica found in the area,
Update on the tour guide course
I have not been able to record new episodes recently because I am so busy with the Israeli tour guide course. Many people have asked me how that is going so I decided to record an episode about my experience in the first four months of this course. In the meantime I got my tour guide license by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and I have taken the first small group into the Church of Nativity a
Church of the Nativity Bethlehem audio tour
In the previous episode you could learn more about the history of the Church of Nativity, built over the birth cave of Jesus. In this episode I am taking you on a tour inside the Church to explain you some of its most interesting features. You can use this audio guide when you visit the church in Bethlehem but you can also listen to it from the comfort of your home or while you are walking, cleani
History of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem
The most visited site in Bethlehem is the Church of Nativity on Manger Square. It is the oldest church in the world that is still in use by the local community and that is visited by over two million pilgrims every year. The Church of Nativity is on the UNESCO world heritage list together with the pilgrimage route that passes through today's Star Street. This is the road that Mary and Joseph
Permaculture and eco design in Palestine
Mohamad Saleh grew up as a city boy. He never worked in a garden or grew his own food until he had an opportunity to travel to Turkey to be close to his partner and live for some time in a WWOOF project where he learned all about Permaculture.When he came back to Palestine he decided to start working on bringing the concepts of permaculture closer to the community and he established 'Mostadam
The shaping of the Palestinian identity and the Palestinian national project
In this episode you can hear Bassam, the host of the podcast: "PreOccupation: A not so brief history of Palestine."Bassam emphasizes the importance of telling the Palestinian story and the futility of trying to counter hasbara (a term in Hebrew that refers to the advocacy for Israel, a form of propaganda).He explains that we should distinguish between the shaping of the Palestinian iden
Christian Palestinians and Christian Zionism
In this episode I speak with Yousef Khoury, which translates to Joseph the priest, a Christian Palestinian originally from Gaza, who now lives in Bethlehem. He is the 43rd generation in his family of which 36 generations were priests in the Orthodox priesthood. He studied biblical studies at the Bethlehem Bible College, he has a masters of divinity in theology and mission from the US and is curren
From Peleset to Falastin: a history of the name Palestine
Where did the name Palestine come from and for how long has it been in use? After reading the book "Palestine a four thousand year history" by Nur Masalha, a Palestinian historian and academic, it became clear that the name Palestine has been used since the 13th century BC until today. Only in the last decades did the use of the name Palestine become estranged, with the establishment of
The Sea of Galilee pilgrimage audio tour
During this episode I will take you on an audio tour to the Sea of Galilee where we will visit Bethsaida, Chorazin, Capernaum, Tabgha and the Mount of Beatitudes. These are pilgrimage locations related to places where according to tradition Jesus lived, spoke to his followers, visited synagogues and did miracles. Disclaimer: I am a trained tour guide at the Bethlehem Bible College, I am not a theo
Armenians in diaspora in Jerusalem / Palestine
Apo Sahagian is a singer and works in different artistic related projects in Jerusalem. He is also the host of the podcast 'Apo and the city'. He grew up in the old city of Jerusalem in the Armenian quarter. His family came to Jerusalem in the 1920s when many Armenians fled from the genocide committed by the Ottoman empire. In this episode Apo gives us more insight into the Armenian comm
Traces of Home
In this episode you can hear an interview with Colette Ghunim about the film 'Traces of Home' that she has been working on for the past years. The film brings her parents back to Mexico and Palestine from where they respectively were forced to leave due to different circumstances. Colette grew up in a suburb of Chicago and was never really exposed to her roots as her parents were trying
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre part 2, an audio tour
In the previous episode you could hear an introduction to the history of the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem. This episode can be used as an audio tour when you are visiting the Church. Start on the square in front of the main entrance. If you are listening from elsewhere you can follow the description and use your imagination! There are lots of photos online as well as YouTube videos. Here is
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, an introduction (part 1 of 2)
One of the most visited sites in the old city of Jerusalem is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is where Christians venerate the place where Jesus was crucified and where he was buried in a tomb. Pilgrims that visit Jerusalem will follow the 'way of the cross' or in Latin the 'Via Dolorosa', the way of his suffering. On the route there are 14 stations where the pilgrims st
Update on the crowdfunding for tour guide license
A short episode recorded under the olive tree in the garden to update you on the crowdfunding for the fees of the tour guide program in Jerusalem! With good news that we reached the goal! Including a shout out to some of the donors but I couldn't mention everybody because there are 69 people who supported me!!Also an update about the visit to the Open House of the School of Tourism and the En
New season new plans for tour guiding in Palestine
After a long summer break I am back with new episodes. But from now on you can listen to the podcast bi-weekly. In this episode I will tell you about my new plans for this coming year and I need YOUR help (and help of all my friends, relatives and podcast listeners!) to proceed with this plan. That's why I am explaining you why I think it is an important step in my life and how you can help
Visit Palestine this October with Saleem & Kristel
In this episode you can hear all about the Visit Palestine October program that Saleem and myself are organizing! This 10-days program includes a full day of olive picking and two nights with local families in the village of Abud. We will visit many of the people and places that you have heard about in the last two years of podcast episodes!We will start the program on Monday 3 October with an int
'Khazaeen' Palestinian archive
In the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where Israeli settlers are in the process of taking over many Palestinian houses, there is an archive where Palestinians can store their photos, diaries, posters and other tangible documents. It is the first Palestinian run archive that is trying to collect memories, history AND documents that are produced TODAY, to store them for future generations.The initi
Community Action Center to empower the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem
In 1999 Al-Quds University created the “Community Action Center” (“CAC”), a semi autonomous association, which aims to empower the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem.The CAC aims to empower the disadvantaged Palestinians of East Jerusalem to access their rights and entitlements and negotiate the complex bureaucratic procedures that control the flow of these rights. Most Palestinian inhabitan
Avdat and the Nabateans
In the Naqab desert you can find the Nabatean desert cities that were established on the incense and spices route. This was a very important trade route that stretched over about 1800 kilometers from Yemen / Oman until the port in Gaza. The trade was mainly in frankincense and myrrh, but also pearls, gold and cotton were traded. As the camels needed to stop every 35 kilometers to rest and drink, t
Palestinian Arak Distillery Muaddi
With a group of fifteen Palestinians and foreigners we visited the Arak distillery of Nader Muaddi in Beit Jalla. This podcast episode was recorded during his presentation.Nader Muaddi is very passionate about the craft of distilling Arak and the Palestinian heritage of this product. Arak is the oldest spirit in the world. Every single spirit comes from the roots of Arak. It started in the 8th / 9
7amleh and digital rights in Palestine
In this episode you can hear Nadim Nashif and Mona Shtaya who both work for 7amleh, The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media and Digital Rights in the Palestinian context. We talk about several aspects of their work. For example how social media is censoring Palestinians and others with a pro-Palestinian message. Many Palestinians have their social media profiles shut down without a va
Ancient Banias or Caesarea Philippi
This site is technically not in Palestine but in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. It is only a few kilometers west of Tel el Qadi (Tel Dan) and it is really a beautiful ancient site with an interesting history. It was the most northern part of the region that Jesus ever visited and according to the Bible it was here that he first confirmed to his disciples that he was the Messiah. Banias is call
Mama's Palestinian kitchen facebook group, Palestinian diaspora and right of return
In this episode you can hear Palestinian American activist Abbas Hamideh, the founder of Al Awda for the right of return of Palestinians and the founder of the immensely popular Facebook group Mama's Palestinian Kitchen! Abbas was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in the United States. When he was 12 years old his father took him to his homeland, Palestine. They went to Deir Yassin, in West Je
A critical tour in Silwan at the City of David archaeological site
On Sunday 17 April I took the bus from Beit Safafa to the old city to join a tour in Silwan with Emek Shaveh, an Israeli NGO that, in their own words, works to defend cultural heritage rights and to protect ancient sites as public assets that belong to members of all communities, faiths and peoples. That day was Easter Sunday for the Catholic Church, Pesach for the Jews and Ramadan for the Muslim
Ramadan reflections about my life in Palestine
This is the fourth year that I use the month of Ramadan to deepen my own spirituality and break with some habits that I don't want to continue with and introduce new habits. They say if you do something for three weeks, it becomes a habit. During the four weeks of Ramadan I do not drink alcohol, I refrain from eating sugar and processed food and I focus on eating fresh vegetables, fruits and
Life in the South Hebron hills
For the full transcript of this podcast click the transcript tab next to the show notes tab or go to the website: https://storiesfrompalestine.info/2022/04/08/south-hebron-hills/Sami Huraini is a young Palestinian activist from the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills. His village, just as many other Palestinian villages in that region, is in area C, which is under full Israeli military
Date palm trees in Palestine, Palestinian medjoul dates
The month of Ramadan 2022 started in Palestine on the second of April. Between sunrise and sunset Muslims refrain from eating. When they break their fasting, they usually start by eating a date. They do this because according to the tradition prophet Mohamad used to break his fasting by eating a date. Dates have many health benefits and they are a healthy replacement for refined sugar.In Palestine
The history of Masada desert fortress
Masada comes from the Hebrew word Metzad and this means fortress. It is basically a fortress that was built on top of a rock plateau. It is located very close to the Dead Sea and it is a bit south of the Westbank, so it is not accessible to Palestinians from the Westbank currently.The fortress was built in the time of Herod the Great who prepared it to be able to withstand a long siege. The rock p
Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem
This episode was recorded in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, during our visit to Aida Youth Center where the director, Anas, spoke to us about the history of the refugee problem and life in the refugee camp.There are 19 refugee camps in the Westbank, three of them are located in Bethlehem. Aida refugee camp is the most teargassed place in the world. There is an Israeli army base right next to the
The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem
The Mount of Olives is situated to the East of the old city of Jerusalem. The Mount plays an important role in the Bible. It is the place where Jesus taught his disciples to pray. It is the place from where Jesus looked at Jerusalem and wept for its future destruction. It is also from here that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey and was welcomed by a crowd covering the street with palm branches.
Banksy's Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem
Five years ago, in 2017, the Walled Off Hotel opened its doors in Bethlehem. After a period of two years closure because of the Covid pandemic, the hotel has recently reopened.The hotel is marketed as the hotel with the worst view, as it is located only a few meters from the eight meters high concrete wall that Israel built to carve out Rachel's tomb and a parking lot from Bethlehem for the e
The history of Tel Megiddo / Tel el Mutaselim (Armageddon)
Tel megiddo is an archaeological site in the Jezreel valley (Marj bin Amer in Arabic) where they found 25 layers of civilizations. Megiddo is mentioned several times in the Bible and it is associated with Armageddon, mentioned in the book of Revelations, the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, as the location for a final battle. It is not for no reason that the writer of the book of Revel
Olijfbomen planten in Palestina (in Dutch)
This is a special episode in Dutch for the Dutch foundation 'Plant an olive tree'If you want to learn more about olive tree planting in Palestine you can listen to episode 6 of season 5 (20 February 2022) in English.Dit is een speciale aflevering in het Nederlands gemaakt op verzoek van Stichting Plant een Olijfboom. In deze aflevering spreek ik met Esther over het werk van de Stichting.
Olive tree planting in Palestine
For this episode I joined the olive tree planting in Al Khadr, organized by the Keep Hope Alive campaign that is run by the JAI. (Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine)I interviewed several people on the field, some of the organizers and participants of the planting day. We talked about the threats that Palestinian landowners experience from expanding settl
Black history month: the Afro Palestinian community in Jerusalem
February is Black History month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in US history. I thought it was a great moment to record an episode about the Afro Palestinian community in Jerusalem.My friend Issam who runs Bassem's Gallery Bookshop Cafe in the Via Dolorosa helped me to connect to Mohammed Qous, a 22 year old member of
From Holland to Palestine by bike
In the beginning of July 2021 Salah and his wife Nynke left Holland to go on a great adventure. They decided to go on a 6 month bike ride heading towards Istanbul and from there they would try to find a way to get to Egypt and from Egypt to Jordan and then finishing in Palestine to attend the wedding of Salah's sister in Balata camp in Nablus.In this podcast episode, recorded with live audien
Caesarea Maritima ancient port city of Palestine
For a full transcript of the podcast click on the transcript tab in Buzzsprout or go to the website https://storiesfrompalestine.info/2022/01/27/caesarea-maritima/On the coast half way between Jaffa and Haifa are the ruins of the ancient port city of Caesarea Maritima. It was built by King Herod the Great about 2000 years ago. He named it Caesarea to honor the Roman emperor Ceasar Augstus. He buil
Hisham's palace and its famous mosaics in Jericho
Hisham's Palace and the mosaics were very recently renovated and the mosaics are now covered and protected by a special shield and that's why there has been quite a lot of attention for the place, even from the world media, because the mosaics are one of the largest mosaic carpets in such a good shape, in the world. The mosaics cover an area of about 900 square meters. In this episode yo
Haram al Sharif, Aqsa mosque, Dome of the Rock
This episode has a transcript so that you can read along. You can find it on the Buzzsprout site if you click on Transcript (next to Description) Or find it on the website:https://storiesfrompalestine.info/2022/01/12/al-aqsa-and-dome-of-the-rock/I recorded this interview after I visited the Dome of the Rock and Aqsa mosque on the Haram al Sharif (the Nobel Sanctuary) in the old city of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem old city food tour part 2
This is the second part of the food tour with Izzeldin Bukhari from Sacred Cuisine in the old city of Jerusalem.In this episode we continue after the falafel and humus breakfast at Abu Ahmad, to have Arabic coffee and traditional Palestinian sweets in the Cotton market. We visit Abu Yahya to try some sesame nuts protein bars, still handmade, with real honey. Then we continue to visit the only tahi
Jerusalem old city food tour part 1
This is the first of two episodes that were recorded during the food tour with Izzeldin Bukhari from Sacred Cuisine in the old city of Jerusalem. We talk with the women from Bethlehem who sell vegetables in the streets, we eat manakeesh (oven baked flat bread with zaatar), we buy all kind of pickled veggies and different kinds of old city sweets and we visit the oldest still functioning ka'ek
Palestinian diaspora in Chile
In this podcast episode you can listen to Marcelo Marzouka, a third generation Palestinian living in Chile. His grandfather was the first one to move to South America in the 1950s and his children spoke Spanish. The grandfather returned to Bethlehem but his children moved to Chile where they build a new life. Marcelo was born and raised in Chile but he grew up, just like most Palestinians in Latin
International day of solidarity with the Palestinian people
Every year on the 29th of November it is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. (The day of release of this episode)This was decided in the United Nations in 1977 when the General Assembly adopted resolution 32/40BIt was not a coincidence that they chose this date. It is the dame date of the United Nations Partition Plan, resolution 181, that was adopted exactly 30 years
Spouses of Palestinians and visa precarity
Five foreign women from Europe and the United States got together on a Tuesday morning in October for a traditional Palestinian breakfast and to share their experiences as spouses of Palestinian husbands. They talk about how do they experience life in Palestine and what are the difficulties they face in order to stay with their husband and children in Palestine. Each of them has their personal sto
The history of Tel el Qadi / Tel Dan
In the most northern part of historic Palestine is an archaeological site, now within a National Park, that has remains of the Bronze Age city of Laish and of the iron age city of Dan. In Arabic the location is called Tel el Qadi, the hill of the judge.This archaeological site has two very impressive city gates that were excavated. The Bronze Age gate was built by the Canaanites who called their c
Palestinian artisans: Nabulsi olive soap, ceramics from Nsf Jbeil and felted wool from Khan al Ahmar bedouins
This is the last episode of a series of four about the work of Handmade Palestine and the artisans that they support. In this episode I take you to an olive soap factory in the old city of Nablus where Amjad tells us about this family business and how they are developing new products that include goat and camel milk and very soon also dead sea mud.Morgan, from Handmade Palestine, visited the women
Palestinian artisans market Ramallah
This is the third episode in a series of four about Palestinian artisans and their work. I made these episodes to support Handmade Palestine with their online crowdfunding and online Bazar. They invited me to come to the first physical Bazar held in La Vie Cafe in Ramallah since the Corona pandemic started. It was a lovely day with wonderful conversations. The artisans are very passionate about th
Bethlehem artisans
For Handmade Palestine, an initiative that promotes the sales of handicrafts made by local Palestinian artisans, I am producing a series of podcast episodes about the artisans and their work. In this episode you can listen to two interviews with artisans in Bethlehem.At Ma'an Lil Hayat we speak about the felted wool items that they produce, with local wool from sheep in the Bethlehem area. At
Handmade Palestine supports fair trade artisans in Palestine
Handmade Palestine is an initiative by Morgan and her husband Saleh, who run the La Vie Cafe in Ramallah, and Majdi, to support the sales of handicrafts of local Palestinian artisans. As they do not have a budget for marketing, they decided to start a crowdfunding and online Bazar. The crowdfunding and Bazar will be released on 22nd of October 2021. On Saturday 23rd of October there will also be a
Guided visit to Jacob's well in Nablus and Sebastia archaeological site
New tour guides, who finished the tour guide program at the Bethlehem Bible College with me this summer, organized a day trip to Nablus and Sebastia. There were about 35 Palestinians on the bus that took off from Beit Sahour early in the morning. After 2,5 hours we reached the Jacob's well church in Nablus. This church is a very recent building that was built on the location where several chu
Psychology Spa in Palestine
Psychology and health care in PalestineIn this podcast episode I speak with Jumana Kaplanian about psychology in Palestine and the stigma about mental health that still exists in the Palestinian society. Jumana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Psychology from Bethlehem University in Bethlehem and an MSc in Psychology from Oxford Brookes University in Oxford.Mental illness is consider
Palestinian Russian equestrian Diana Al Shaer
Diana Al Shaer has a Palestinian father and a Russian mother. Her grandfather was the first Palestinian ambassador in Russia and her father followed him in his footsteps. Diana grew up in Russia and by the age of 25 she started to become more and more connected to her Palestinian identity.She is an international Grand Prix dressage rider and sports diplomat and she was asked by the Palestine Eques
Jenin and the Freedom Theater
On 6 September 2021 six Palestinian political prisoners freed themselves from the high security Gilboa prison in Israel. Two weeks later they were all found and brought back to prison. One of the six men, Zakaria al Zubeidi, was one of the founders of the Freedom Theater in Jenin.In this podcast episode I speak with Mustafa Staiti, who is from the Jenin refugee camp, but currently lives in Holland
Back to Palestine and why Palestine
After spending all summer in the Netherlands, I have returned to our home in Palestine. It was a wonderful summer full of family, friends, biking, walking, fun activities for the kids, swimming, cinema and theater. But also it was full of goodbyes and nostalgia, because I had to give up the house I was still renting in the Netherlands in my hometown Utrecht. This summer I finally officially emigra
Celebration of the first anniversary of Stories from Palestine Podcast
Stories from Palestine podcast was first launched on 15th of August 2020 as a direct result of the Covid19 pandemic. As I was studying the tour guide program at the Bethlehem Bible College and I had no opportunity to share the stories I learned with tourists, the idea to start a podcast was born.I had no experience and spend weeks watching tutorials to learn everything I needed to know about prepa
Summer shorts #5 The Bahai religion and Bahai gardens in Haifa
They call them the Hanging gardens of Haifa. Since 2001 you can visit the Bahai gardens and see the shrine of the 'Bab' on Mount Carmel. The gardens are created with great care and were designed by an Iranian architect called Fariborz Sahba. There are 19 terraces, one in the middle with the shrine, 9 terraces going up hill and 9 terraces going downhill, another 18. Both numbers have sign
Summer shorts #4 The Milk Grotto in Bethlehem, a hidden gem
When tourists visit Bethlehem, especially in an organized tour, they usually visit the Church of the Nativity and when they are lucky also the Shepherds fields in Beit Sahour, but hardly does the guide take the tourist to visit the Milk Grotto Church. And that's a pity. Because this hidden gem is just a five minutes walk through the Milk Grotto street where you can also some of the oldest bui
Summer shorts #3 The story behind Handala, a cartoon by Naji al Ali
The first time that Naji al Ali drew Handala, the little refugee boy with shabby clothes and no shoes, he depicted him with his face towards the audience. But after his disappointment in the Americans and Arab leaders in the early seventies, he turned his back towards the viewers in protest against the 'American way' and the negative tides in the region.Handala is a ten year old boy and
Summer shorts #2 Tel Maresha / Beit Jibrin : a microcosm of the land of caves
If you heard episode 2 of season 1 then you know I am obsessed with the history of caves in Palestine. The caves in the mountains were formed by a natural process due to the effect of rain on the limestone that created natural caves. But in this episode you can learn about another type of caves that can be found in the area to the west of Hebron, west of the green line, where over 3.500 man-made c
Summer shorts #1 The Palestinian flag
While I spend the summer in Holland, I while record weekly short episodes with information about a specific topic related to Palestine, its history and cultural heritage.Summer short number one is about the history of the Palestinian flag and the meaning of its colors. For this episode I used a lot of information of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs. Check out
Hope flowers School
I made this episode upon request of the Friends of Hope flowers School foundation in the Netherlands. They support the school financially and they raise awareness about the very difficult circumstances under which the school has to operate. The school is located in area C under full Israel military control and a big Israeli settlement is moving closer and closer towards the area where the school i
