MAROUN FARAH – ISRAELI PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN

“As Desmond Tutu once said, ‘Without memory, there is no healing. Without forgiveness, there is no future.’ This also reflects what we find in the Gospel of John, ‘You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ (John 8:30)”

Maroun’s family is from the Arab Christian Maronite village of Bir’am that was uprooted and destroyed after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Though the village lies in ruins, Maroun and his family continue to pursue their civil rights for the fulfilment of consecutive Israeli governmental promises and the verdict of the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice to allow them to rebuild their homes and village. As members of the Bir’am parish, they also continue to gather as community and worship at the church that is still on the site. Maroun now lives in Nazareth with his wife, Nabila, and family.