Israel’s Christians rely on faith and allies as they fear rising harassment
Israel's Christian community, comprising less than 2% of the population, faces growing concerns over increased harassment as they navigate their faith in a country gripped by multiple conflicts. Sister Mayela, a Mexican nun living in Jerusalem, now relies on a Jewish volunteer for protection while performing her duties near the site where another Catholic nun was violently attacked.
Despite the heightened tensions, Sister Mayela finds strength in her faith and the support of others, even reporting an incident of a teen spitting behind her to the police.
Interfaith leaders and researchers express optimism about improved policing, prosecution, and the recent appointment of a government envoy to the Christian world, a Greek Orthodox individual. However, some Christians in northern Israel believe the state is not doing enough to protect them, as they are not Jewish. Nevertheless, groups of Catholics recently participated in a joyous pilgrimage on Mount Tabor, where they believed Jesus appeared alongside Jewish prophets Moses and Elijah.
In the Old City, daily interactions between Jews, Muslims, and Christians occur in the maze of stone alleyways surrounding sacred sites, including the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Interfaith dialogue and Christian-Jewish relations are led by the Rev. Alberto Pari, who emphasizes the importance of not generalizing incidents of harassment and avoiding antisemitism.
The Religious Freedom Data Center, founded by Yisca Harani, has recorded nearly a tripling of incidents against Christians in Jerusalem over the past four years, with about one occurring daily. A Jewish man from the occupied West Bank has been indicted for the violent attack on Sister Mayela. Israel's government is addressing anti-Christian incidents, with Ambassador George Deek, appointed as Israel's envoy to the Christian world, committing to ensure that incidents against Christians are immoral, illegal, and prosecuted.
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