Past Newsletters

Update from Daoud Nassar Dear Friends: We remain forever grateful for all the love and support you have given us over the years. You know that with peaceful persistence we have prevented the confiscation of the farm which has been in our family since 1916. Over these 108 years, the family has faced a great […]

November 2023 A Message from the FOTONNA Steering Committee At the center of our reality today is a groan, the kind that can’t be verbalized, the kind we draw our breath in pain to say, the kind that comes from a deep ache in our hearts. We are all deeply troubled by the events taking […]

FOTONNA Newsletter August 2023 Update from Daoud Nassar Dear Friends, Greetings from the Tent of Nations. I would like to share with you the latest news from the Tent of Nations, the situation on the ground, and the challenges we are facing. Around the Tent of Nations, more facts are being created on the ground. […]

Update from Daoud Nassar Dear Friends of Tent of Nations: During this Holy week, as we read in the scriptures about the different incidents that happened in the last hours of Jesus’ Ministry on this earth, we are reminded what Jesus went through, starting when the Disciples left HIM, when HE was betrayed by Judas, […]

Update from Daoud Nassar Dear Friends of Tent of Nations: In this season of Advent, a time of hopeful waiting and preparation, we light the advent candles as a reminder of the light that will outshine the darkness of our world. We continue to walk with faith, love, and hope as we “pass through the […]

FOTONNA Newsletter October 2022 Update from Daoud Nassar Dear Friends of Tent of Nations, Despite the challenges that we are facing, we are blessed with a growing number of international guests and volunteers who have been visiting us. In the first two weeks of September, we had a group of international volunteers who stayed for […]

FOTONNA NEWSLETTER – March 5, 2021 Update from Daoud – March 1, 2021: Greetings from the Tent of Nations! We are facing the third wave of Covid 19. Every day we hear about new cases, the hospitals are full of patients and some are in critical situation.  We have closures on Fridays and Saturdays, and […]

FOTONNA NEWSLETTER – December 16, 2020 Daoud and Jihan and the entire Nassar family would love to hear from all of you.  A Post Card – not a letter – sent to the following address with a Christmas greeting or even just a note of support would be an uplifting gesture from each of you.  […]

Note from Bill Plitt: Dear Friends, As you will see in this letter from Daoud that conditions on the farm and surrounding area are desperate; we are not yet certain as to the reasons why this is happening. One thing we do know is that the U.S. policy towards the region, plus the repercussions of the […]

Dear Friends, This will be an update on the following items: EASTER GREETINGS FROM DAOUD: Dear Sisters and Brothers, I hope my message to you finds you well and in good health during these uncertain times as Covid-19 paves its way rapidly across our communities and societies affecting our daily lives, altering social, political and economic […]

Dear Friends, This will be an update on the following items: Advisory Council meeting on November 17, 2019/Update from Daoud Notice about both Spring and Fall 2020 Tours Reflections from Fall Tour 2019 Museum of the Palestinian People – August 2020 Tour Invitation Advisory Council Meeting – November 17, 2019 Once again, Daoud gave a moving and […]

– September 30, 2019 – Dear Friends, Daoud has added an update (below) on what has been happening on the farm through the actions (or inactions) of the military courts.  You may recall from the last two NLs that in December 2018, demolition orders had been placed on the land in a corner section that […]

March 18, 2019 – This will be less a Newsletter and more like a short TON update in addition to giving you all a new mailing address (temporary) for donations or other communications. Here is the latest message sent to our Advisory Council Members: March 8, 2019 Dear Friends, It’s been some time since you […]

Dear Friends, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we move on to the coming of Christmas and the ringing in of a New Year 2019.  We have much to be thankful for, and among those gifts is the fact that the Tent of Nations still stands as a bright, shining star outside Bethlehem – a […]

Friends of Tent of Nations, North America Newsletter – Summer/Fall 2018 – October 3, 2018 Dear Friends, I want to apologize for the long delay in getting news out to you about Tent of Nations.  I have been laid up after left hip replacement surgery in mid-July due to the fact that my sciatic nerve […]

FOTONNA/TON Winter 2018 Newsletter   Dear Friends, Please check out the following: Daoud will be traveling in Arizona with Beth Moore and Bill Plitt for the Spring 2018 Tour. Here is the schedule of presentations. WE REFUSE TO BE ENEMIES A conversation with Daoud Nassar, Palestinian Christian farmer and Director of Tent of Nations. Located […]

Dear Friends, VOLUNTEERING: High school students look for gap-year experiences; retired people look for short-term volunteer projects; college students look for international travel experiences for credit or for internships; people between jobs look for something new and different to add to their résumés; many people are searching for meaningful ways to make a difference in […]

Season’s Greetings from the Nassar Family and FOTONNA December 2017 Pine Tree Planted by Beverly Hunter at TON – TON Volunteer; FOTONNA Advisory Council Member In Memoriam – November 2017 December 15, 2017   Dear Friends, Greetings from Bethlehem. It is a very difficult and critical time we are going through these days. Hopelessness and […]

Tent of Nations People Building Bridges November 15, 2017   Friends – This will be less a Newsletter and more an update on items of importance at this time.  I will keep it brief. WEBSITE UPDATE: We have finally updated the FOTONNA website.  Our apologies for taking so long to do this!  You will find […]

Tent of Nations People Building Bridges Summer/Fall 2017 Newsletter   Dear Friends, Greetings from the Tent of Nations (TON).  It is been a while since you heard from us.  We would like to share with you the latest news from the Tent of Nations, the situation on the ground, our concerns, but also to share […]

Tent of Nations People Building Bridges June 22, 2017 – Spring/Summer Newsletter We haven’t been in touch for some time, and I apologize for that.  Daoud has been extra busy over the last several months with both travel and many work projects on the farm.  He also organized (along with Meta Floor) a Celebration 101 in […]

Fall 2016 Newsletter This will be a short update from FOTONNA since Daoud has provided a very thorough one for Tent of Nations in the next section of this newsletter.   From the Director’s Corner: A highlight for me this summer, in serving as an Elder Commissioner to the Presbyterian denomination’s 2016 General Assembly in […]

Daoud and the Nassar family are still waiting for the July 21 deadline for the Military Courts to provide a rationale to the Israeli Supreme Court for two items:  1) the Military Court’s refusal to grant recently filed building permits; and, 2) its refusal to put a stop to the demolition orders already issued.  Daoud was […]

March 14, 2016 – Spring Newsletter   100-Year Anniversary! From May 9-12, 2016, Tent of Nations has plans underway for a four-day celebration of its 100-year anniversary (100 years of the existence of Daher’s Vineyard).  Over 50 individuals from around the world have registered to attend the events at one level or another; many have […]

Tent of Nations People Building Bridges Fall 2015 Newsletter – Number 20 —————————- UPDATE FROM DAOUD December 2015 Dear Friends, We would like to wish you a blessed Christmas and holiday season with your loved ones.  In this deteriorating political situation in Palestine, we find comfort in thoughts of love, hope, faith, and justice. We […]

Summer/Fall 2015 Newsletter September 14, 2015 – Summer/Fall Newsletter NOTE FROM DAOUD: Dear Friends, It has been a while since you’ve last heard from us, but we are still here working hard to achieve justice.  We would like to share with you the latest news about the Tent of Nations farm, the legal situation, the challenges […]

Spring 2015 Newsletter – Number 19 UPDATE FROM DAOUD – February 20, 2015 Dear Friends, Greetings from all of us at the Tent of Nations.Because of your support, it is always exciting for me to update you about the status of the farm and the work we are doing here. We started this year with new […]

Fall 2014 Newsletter Update from Daoud – October 20, 2014: (Here is a synopsis of what has been happening on the ground since the destruction of the trees on May 19, 2014.) Greetings – After we brought the case before the Israeli Supreme Court regarding the destruction of our trees on private land in May 2014, […]

Message from Daoud – April 7, 2014: We send greetings from all of us at Tent of Nations. Thank you so much for your prayers, for the words of encouragement and your continuous support. It is a critical time we are in as Palestinians. Very soon, the timeframe for the negotiations comes to an end […]

Dear Friends, We would like to share with you the latest news from the Tent of Nations, the situation on the ground, our concerns, but also our hope and how the project is moving forward. Political Situation The peace talks started again a couple of months ago but still we don’t see any positive outcome. […]

Dear Friends, You have placed your name in our email address list indicating your interest in hearing more about Daoud Nassar and his peace project in the West Bank – Tent of Nations.  Thank you so much for attending his presentation and bearing witness to his story of struggle and faith in the face of […]

Dear Friends – As 2012 comes to a close, it is a time to reflect on a year of upheaval and ongoing change in the Middle East.  We also need to look at things that never seem to change, such as:  the Nassar Family’s continued work based on deep faith and strong convictions to non-violence […]

Dear Friends, It has been a while since you received our last update about the Tent of Nations and our struggle for justice.  We would like to share with you the latest news from the Tent of Nations, the situation on the ground, our concerns, but also our hope and how the project is moving […]

NOTES FROM DAOUD – Here is the background statement from Daoud dated February 14, 2012 for those who do not know the events on the ground in the past month or so. Dear Friends, Today, the 14th of February at 1:30 PM and as we were working on our land, specifically in the Tree of […]

NOTES FROM DAOUD – The political situation is tenser now; many people are waiting for what is going to happen at the end of this month. It is becoming a daily subject to talk about, although all political windows seem to be closed, and September is a bad month for the Palestinians.  But, still miracles […]

It is with deep sorrow that I write this newsletter.  The events in Egypt and Tunisia have been bittersweet up to this point in time, and there is no way of knowing how they will affect the situation in the neighboring countries or in Israel/Palestine.  We can only hold our collective breath and hope and […]

UPDATED INFORMATION ON HOW YOU AND YOUR CHURCH/ORGANIZATION CAN HELP: As you can see below, we are more than half way there!  People continue to be very generous; however, there are still one-time projects that need your support.  Shared donations can make a huge difference in whether these projects can be funded or not.  Please […]

Speaking for the FOTONNA Steering Committee, I want to say that we feel so very privileged and honored to be a small part of the Nassar family’s work in their pursuit of Peace with Justice through the projects at Tent of Nations.  We are left in awe at the tireless work this family performs, and […]

This will be just a brief update from us since you have already received our letter of concern.  As always, we hope we won’t need to take any action, but we appreciate your willingness to do so if called upon. An update on the Women’s Education Projects from Jihan Nassar is included.  There is always […]

As always, the main purposes of this newsletter update are to: 1) let you know about Daoud’s April/May tour and his upcoming educational/ fundraising tour; 2) include direct reports from Jihan and Daoud on the Summer 2009 activities*; and 3) request your financial support for the Tent of Nations projects.  Send donations to the usual […]

The main purposes of this newsletter update are to: 1) let you know about Daoud’s upcoming educational/ fundraising tour; 2) include direct reports from Jihan and Daoud; and 3) as always, request your financial support for the Tent of Nations projects.  We are at a critical juncture at this point as you will see when […]

The purpose behind this issue of the Newsletter is twofold: 1) practically beg you for donations in support of Tent of Nations; 2) update you on what’s been happening since the end of May.   FUNDRAISING: We had a marvelous initial outpouring of generosity from those of you who had the opportunity to hear and […]