Aviram Valdman gives us a glimpse of Israel’s Arab Christian community, as it reinvents its identity in an increasingly Muslim Middle East.
As Islamist-fueled conflict burns across the region, the Mideast’s Christians are facing a level of political pressure and violence not seen in generations. While some communities are fleeing and other hunkering down, in Israel, Christians are redefining their relationship with the Jewish State, where their communities have been untouched by the fallout of the “Arab Spring.”
From Jerusalem to Lod to the Judean Desert and up to the Galilee, centuries-old Arab Christian communities are finding new ways to thread the needle of a complex identity, in some cases by making a significant turn away from the trend of Palestinian self-identification, which took hold over the past decades, and towards a renewed embrace of what it means to be an Israeli Arab.
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Banner Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
- Photos: A Faith Under Fire / Aviram Valdman
With Islamism ascendant, the Mideast’s Christian population has dropped to 5% from 20% a century ago. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Even in Palestinian Authority-controlled Bethlehem, there has been a mass flight of Christians over the past decade. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Israel’s Christian communities have remained intact with old families passing on long-held trades. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
The 3rd century synagogue at Bar’am was preserved for generations by Christian Arabs from the area. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
In cities like Jaffa and Acre, the remnants of Crusader rule dominate the skyline. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Caught between Palestinian, Christian and Israeli identities, Christians in Israel are finding a new way. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Almost two-thirds of tourists visiting Israel are Christians who come to experience the setting of the Bible. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Bolstered by news of Pope Francis’ March 2014 visit to Israel, many Christians in Israel are hopeful. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
A shepherd leads his flock. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
St. George’s tomb, a major Christian shrine, lies in the Israeli city of Lod. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
The Church of St. George in Lod, known to Christians as Lydda, has a thriving congregation of Orthodox Christian Arabs. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Christian Arab boys celebrate Christmas in the Galilee. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
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