On November 16, 2018, Beth (our FOTONNA Tour Coordinator), Daoud and I returned home after an eight-day trip across southern and central Virginia, sharing the story of the Nassar family’s persistent stand in claiming their ancestral lands through a simple message of “refusing to be enemies/loving our neighbor” and doing so through a creative non-violent […]
Reflections from the farm or visitors about TON
Since 1998, undergraduate, graduate and alumni groups from Eastern Mennonite University and Eastern Mennonite Seminary have made the Tent of Nations farm outside of Bethlehem a regular stop on their Middle East trips. Several hundred have visited the Nassar family’s 100 acres in Palestine to plant trees, harvest olives and fruit, and learn about the family’s witness to […]
A Green, Flexible, Temporary Wall Installed on the Land I flew to Palestine on October 3 and returned on October 11 for my regular, annual visit to the Nassar family farm. I was joined by Beth Moore, our Tour Coordinator; we were there to represent Friends of Tent of Nations North America (FOTONNA) at the […]
In June, three members of the Franciscan society, a group of related mendicant religious orders within the Catholic Church, founded in 1209 by Saint Francis of Assisi, applied for scholarships to travel to the Holy Land and visit the holy sites there as well to work as volunteers at the Tent of Nations for two-three […]
See complete stories at: IFPB.org. – Nov. 2017 Why Are You Here? | Amirah Abu Lughod – Stony Point, New York Over the mountains, over the sea and through Israeli security… “Are you with this group? Please go to the waiting area miss, we need to do another check on your passport. “Why are you […]
I returned home Sunday night, May 21, after what I feel will be my last trip to Bethlehem); even with the wonderful hospitality of friends there. But still, my time there, amongst the people on the land, was truly the best ever. Why so? The experience can be captured in two events. One was at […]
The Tent of Nations centenary: “We refuse to be enemies” by the EAPPI Bethlehem team. On the 12th of May 2016, the Nassar family supported by visitors from around the Globe, congregated on a scenic hilltop farm on the outskirts of Nahlin village to celebrate their family’s connection to the land which stretches back in […]
June 16, 2016 Dear Friends, As you know, during the week of May 9-20, 2016, there was an international Centennial Celebration of the purchase of Daher’s Vineyard in 1916; I was fortunate to be able to participate in this joyful event at Tent of Nations. While we celebrated and planted trees on the farm, members […]
St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, Washington planted an olive tree in its Urban Garden on May 22nd in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Daher’s Vineyard. Thanks for the idea in your last newsletter! And yes, there are hearty species of olive trees that survive our Pacific Northwest climate. The garden provides fruits and […]
It’s been four days since I returned home from the centennial celebration of the purchase of Daher’s Orchard, now the home of Tent of Nations, and the Nassar family farm. You can read more about the events of the four-day gathering of 60+volunteers from 8 countries on our website blog here. For me the week’s […]
Dear Friends of Tent of Nations UK, I’m greeting you a week after having returned from Daher’s Vineyard as friends from around the world joined the Nassar family to mark 100 years of existence on that land that is so dear to them and to which they belong. Around 60 people from the Netherlands, the […]
The 4 days of volunteer activities at the Nassar Farm were busy and took on a regular rhythm, starting with early rising and breakfast, then our 9:00 morning gathering of 60-70 volunteers with songs, poems, prayers, and meditation on the daily themes: “Come and See,” “Come and Tell,” “Come and Act,” and “We Refuse to […]
I have been thinking quite a bit about what it means for there to be an international presence at Tent of Nations and in occupied Palestine, and to imaginatively use having visitors here at the farm on a continual basis. Daood Nassar told us that since 2002, when a good number of internationals began showing […]
Today was a great mixture of communal farm work, afternoon workshops, discussions, and optional activities, then a surprise party in the evening. I am getting to know the many different areas of the 100-acre Nassar Farm, which includes lots of interesting little nooks and crannies along the hilltop and in the fields of grapes, olive […]
Good morning dear friends. Here I am at the Tent of Nations with the Nassar family as we begin the celebration of the Centenial event recognizing 100 years since the farm was purchased by family and now enjoyed by many as the place of understanding. 60 people from 8 countries began the week together at […]
It has been a very full Day #1 here at Tent of Nations! First: how I got here, literally, in contrast to my previous journal entry that described how I found myself volunteering at ToN and being a part of its 100th anniversary party. Last evening I came by taxi from Bethlehem with two other […]
I am just waking up in the Bethlehem Hotel, after arriving here last evening from Ben Gurion Airport with 2 Dutch women who are also here for the 100 Year Celebration at Tent of Nations. A group of perhaps 25 of us “pilgrims” had a buffet dinner together at the hotel, with Meta introducing us […]
Daoud and members of the Fotonna team returned last week from the 18th U.S Spring tour where we focused on reaching out to university groups, local churches and with peace and justice groups primarily in the Austin, Texas area. Due to the commitment of the local organizers there for the Interfaith Community for Palestinian […]
Dear Friends, Greetings from Bethlehem! It is something special to celebrate Christmas in the place where the word became flesh. More than two thousand years ago, the shepherds who were also living under occupation came to see the newborn King. Hopelessness, frustration, and fear didn’t stop them from making this risky trip to come and see. […]
Pardon my musings, but I wake some mornings with this awesome feeling, a spiritual call to speak. I share this with you because I feel some measure of selfishness that I get to experience the exhilarating moments of our work in the life of the project that reassures me that we are on the right […]
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Having just returned from another amazing U.S tour with Daoud Nassar, a Palestinian farmer, I am inspired to write a piece that I think captures the many spiritual moments that occurred once again during the spaces of the featured events of the tour. […]
Steve France – August 2015 In July, three of us stopped by Daoud Nassar’s hilltop farm, Tent of Nations, near Bethlehem. Daher Nassar, the eldest brother, found us picking our way through the boulders and broken rocks strewn on the road by the surrounding settlers to block access to the farm. Daher gladdened us with […]
Reflections from Kay Israel/Palestine Trip May 17-21, 2015 Bill is light; I am dark. Bill is up; I am down. Guess which one of us is full of hope and which one is full of despair. This is how we see the world – through very different lenses – and this is why my reflections […]
BETHLEHEM Imagine coming to work only to find that the tools and services you use to perform your daily tasks have been taken away. As you look around, you see that your co-workers have everything they need to succeed. That’s how Daoud Nassar feels every day. Nassar is the director of Tent of Nations, a […]