Study Guides & Courses

This study guide, prepared by Susan M. Bell, is designed to accompany Rev. Naim Ateek's important work outlining Palestinian Liberation Theology. In his book, Ateek offers a succinct primer on liberation theology in the context of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and self-determination. Beginning with the historical roots of this struggle, he shows how the memory of the Holocaust served to trump the claims and aspirations of the native inhabitants of Palestine, and how later Israeli occupation and settlements in the West Bank have contributed to their suffering and oppression.

This guide, prepared by Susan Bell and Lee Porter of Friends of Sabeel DC Metro, is useful for groups and individuals interested in studying the latest book by the founder and director of Sabeel, the Rev. Naim Ateek. The book was published in 2008 by Maryknoll Books and includes an introduction by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. John H. Thomas, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, states that the book “is essential reading for anyone committee to the non-violent struggle for peace and justice in the Middle East.”

The FOSNA theology committee has produced a guide for Lent, What Would They Say Now? Encounters with People of the Bible. It's a journey through the Scriptures that discusses the experiences of particular Biblical characters—Abraham, King Hezekiah, the exiled community in Babylon, Mary of Nazareth, the Magi traveling to Bethlehem, and Jesus on the Mount of Olives—and ponders the similarities and differences between the “then” and the “now” in each sacred location.

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) has partnered with Black4Palestine (B4P) to launch a collaborative project that seeks to raise awareness in Black congregations about Palestinian freedom and justice. Recognizing the deep importance of connecting global experiences of struggle, this project aims to translate the realities of oppression, exploitation, and resistance in Palestine into the most relatable language to and for the Black Christian experience in the United States.

(Facilitator Guide / Freedom Bound)

How can people of faith contribute to the creation of a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians? This is a course created by Sabeel Colorado, which you can duplicate in your area. The curriculum, objectives, sessions, speakers, format, and other details may be changed to meet your local circumstances.

The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is pleased to announce the publication of its educational resource, Zionism Unsettled: A Congregational Study Guide. This study guide is a condensed and edited version of a longer book entitled Zionism and the Quest for Justice in the Holy Land, published in 2014 by Pickwick Publications, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Why Palestine Matters, The Struggle To End Colonialism, contextualizes the liberation struggle of the Palestinian people within other global justice struggles. The book is grounded in international law and brings Palestine into focus through a lens of intersectionality, calling all those who struggle for justice against oppression to consider the challenge of seeing Palestinians in the context of other justice struggles. Why Palestine Matters demonstrates that the project of human emancipation is not limited to Palestine, but it also cannot proceed without Palestine. The book is a 108-page, full-color publication with visuals on every page, a discussion guide, and maps. A companion website features enhanced resources for study, including video clips and discussion guide: WhyPalestineMatters.org.

Ahlan wa Sahlan, Welcome! Christmas Through the Eyes of Children from Palestine and Israel is a children’s Advent curriculum designed to help children connect the Christmas stories in the Bible to real children who live in those places today. In this material you will visit Nazareth, Ein Karem, Bethlehem, and Beit Sahour and meet Nagham, John, Ronza, and Marianne-- four children who live in the cities where the Nativity story takes place. See how they find meaning in the stories from the Bible that happened in their hometowns! (Global Ministries)

Steadfast Hope: The Palestinian Quest for Just Peace is a 48-page perfect-bound booklet with a free companion DVD. Steadfast Hope challenges common myths and misperceptions about the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, presents a compelling snapshot of the present situation on the ground, and offers a guide to the challenges that lie ahead in the quest for peace.

Focus: Palestine is a comprehensive resource, spanning three parts, an extensive appendix, and linked videos. All of it may be freely downloaded, reproduced, and distributed for non-profit use with proper attribution.

“Hear the Palestinian address to the church. Listen to their stories and struggles; see their hope and resilience. And then, ‘Go and Tell,’ and boldly act. It is our hope that this handbook will encourage you in that truth-telling. May it be a pilgrimage of the heart, but even more, a journey into solidarity and justice.” Co-authors Katherine Cunningham and Noushin Darya Framke

An important booklet for wide distribution. This document is the product of an International Law Conference organized by the Birzeit University Institute of Law, the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem and the Decolonizing Palestine Project, convened in May 2013. 

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

A comprehensive document (released December 2014) highlighting private businesses that profit from the occupation through major roles in funding, facilitating and supporting Israeli violations of international law. Areas covered in the report stem from involvement in the Israeli colonial industry, purchase of produce of colonies, construction on occupied land, provision of services to colonies, exploitation of occupied resources, controlling the movement of the civilian population, and the construction of the Annexation Wall. 

The holy land where Jesus was born, ministered, crucified and resurrected is today one of the most contentious places on earth. Conflict in the modern state of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is always near the headlines in our media-driven world, but mythology and tradition, injustices and grievances, and competing geopolitical interests in the region make it difficult to separate fact from fiction, truth from propaganda.

Here we have compiled various resources to help readers learn the basics, broaden knowledge, dispel misunderstandings, and find out ways to join with others to work toward peace with justice in this sacred but troubled place.

This document was inspired by discussions held at a Quaker consultation in April, 2016 organized by the Quaker Palestine Israel Network (QPIN) and hosted by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). They are written as a resource for activists engaging critics of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.