Stories from Jerusalem / Al Quds

Nine Quarters of Jerusalem 20.04.2026 2j 3mnt

Based on Matthew Teller's book "Nine Quarters of Jerusalem" I developed a tour in the old city of Jerusalem that introduces the visitor to the different cultural, social and religious communities that are part of the social fabric of the city. In April 2025 Matthew was visiting Jerusalem and we did the tour with a group of expats and diplomats. I recorded the tour and edited the recording into this lively episode that makes you feel you are walking with us in the streets of Jerusalem. You can...

Ceremony of the Holy Fire in the Holy Sepulcher church in Jerusalem 07.04.2026 28mnt

Every year the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem enters Christ's tomb in the Holy Sepulcher church in Jerusalem with no way to start a fire, prays, and fire miraculously appears which is then distributed to the faithful. For a brief time this fire does not burn. In this episode I talk with Ghassan Kattoua, who has joined the Holy Fire ceremony every year since he was a child. His family is one of the thirteen families who has the right to carry the banners in the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Sa...

Women of Jerusalem 07.03.2026 41mnt

For International Women's Day, today on the 8th of March, I prepared a tour in the old city of Jerusalem, that takes you through the history of Jerusalem with women as the main characters! Unfortunately the old city is closed to visitors due to the war with Iran and the tour is canceled. I decided to record some of the stories of these important historical women and share this episode with you on International Women's Day. This virtual guided journey through Jerusalem highlights t...

Introduction to Stories from Jerusalem 06.03.2026 1mnt

My name is Kristel, I studied history and tour guiding in the Netherlands and I have a tour guide license from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and from the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism. During the Covid pandemic I created the podcast Stories from Palestine. I stopped uploading new episodes when things opened up and I could actually go out there and do tour guiding. But now, due to the current war situation, I have decided to go back to podcasting, focusing on stories from Jerusalem. ...

Thob and tatreez, the Palestinian traditional heritage dress 24.02.2025 50mnt

A couple of years ago I received three pieces of embroidery that used to be the chest pieces of Palestinian dresses. The Palestinian dress is called a 'thob' in Arabic. The person who gave them to me said she had received them from an Israeli woman who had said: “these were from the people who used to live here” As she didn't know what to do with them, she handed them to me. I also didn't know what was the best thing to do so I asked a Palestinian friend who is a designer and knowledgea...

The Palestinian Heritage Museum in Jerusalem part 1 24.02.2025 24mnt

A couple of years ago I received three pieces of embroidery that used to be the chest pieces of Palestinian dresses. The Palestinian dress is called a 'thob' in Arabic. The person who gave them to me said she had received them from an Israeli woman who had said: “these were from the people who used to live here” As she didn't know what to do with them, she handed them to me. I also didn't know what was the best thing to do so I asked a Palestinian friend who is a designer and knowledgea...

Young Palestinian leaders shaping the future of Palestine 08.12.2024 58mnt

In this episode you will hear three interviews I carried out for PAX Palestine Podcast with four Palestinian young women who share their transformative journey with the Youth Bridges for Democracy and Participation project. This project is carried out by PAX and the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy (PCPD). Through this initiative youth and women are learning to step into local governance roles, empowered with the skills and confidence to hold municipal authorities accountable and ...

All water has perfect memory, interview with author Nada Samih-Rotondo 13.10.2024 49mnt

Nada is a Palestinian-American author, teacher and mother. She was six years old when her mother kidnapped her from Kuwait, at the time when Iraq invaded Kuwait. They went to the United States where her uncle lived in Rhode Island. She did not yet realize that it was not a holiday but they were going to stay. Her debut book All Water Has a Perfect Memory is a memoir that takes readers from the author’s ancestral origins- the coast of Yaffa, Palestine, to her birthplace of Kuwait, eventually...

A house in Jerusalem, interview with filmmaker Muayad Elayyan 05.10.2024 1j 2mnt

Recently the kids and I watched the film 'A house in Jerusalem' by filmmaker Muayad Elayyan who happens to be a far cousin and friend of my husband Tariq. Although he told me that he had a small role as an extra in this film, which he's had in all Muayad's films, I did NOT recognize him. Turns out the policeman in the scene when Rebecca wanders off from the summer school activity in Jerusalem and ends up with the Palestinian puppeteer, is MY husband!! We only realized at the end of the film w...

Palestinian children's choir Amwaj 29.09.2024 34mnt

On a Friday evening in September I attended a beautiful concert of the Amwaj children's choir in Bethlehem. I had tears rolling down my eyes. Not only did the choir sound so beautiful, but also did I realize what Palestinian children in the Westbank are suffering through. And how their peers in Gaza are losing everything, their houses, their beloved ones, their schools, their chances, their future, their hope... I decided to interview Michele Cantoni, an Italian musician (violinist) who esta...

A visit to the Makhrour valley 22.09.2024 35mnt

The Makhrour valley is situated between Beit Jala and Battir and the larger part of this valley has been designated as part of a world heritage site registered by UNESCO as 'Palestine, land of olives and vines' The slopes of hills on either side of the Makhrour valley have terraces that date back to at least the Roman era. These agricultural terraces are farmed by Palestinian farmers from Beit Jala and Battir. On a hot September morning I walked with my friend Dee down the valley to v...

Daybreak in Gaza, memories by Yousef Khoury 15.09.2024 1j 3mnt

This is interview with Yousef Khoury, a Christian Palestinian theologian originally from Gaza, currently living in Bethlehem, was conducted in April 2024. The content of this interview was used for the book: "Daybreak in Gaza, stories of Palestinian lives and culture". In this interview Yousef shares with us his memories of Gaza before the destruction that happened since 7 October 2023. The book was edited by Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller, with Juliette Touma and Jayyab Abusafia. Published...

Back to Podcasting 07.09.2024 8mnt

After almost a year of radio silence, I am back to producing new episodes! Last year was very intense for everyone and I was unable to continue the podcast. In this first introduction to the new season, I am trying to explain what happened. I can not go into the details but hopefully you will accept my apologies for disappearing just like that. I am also back on social media and you can find me and the Ko-fi page for donations towards producing the podcast through this link: https://li...

Civil Society for Dignity in Palestine part 3 : Media training for Palestinian youth 18.09.2023 30mnt

This is the third and last part of a trilogy that I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments. In this last episode Anwaar, who works for MEND and is the media and outreach coordinator for this project and journalist Hayat Hamdan tell us more about an important part of the Civil...

Civil Society for Dignity in Palestine part 2 : Palestinian civil society involvement 18.09.2023 35mnt

This is the second part of a trilogy I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments. In this episode you will learn more about the project 'Civil Society for Dignity' itself. Muna Rishmawi, the project manager, talks about the aims of the project, the cooperation between the differ...

Civil Society for Dignity in Palestine part 1 : introduction to Palestinian civil society 18.09.2023 34mnt

This is the first part of a trilogy that I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments. In this first episode you will learn more about the political reality for Palestinians under military rule and the civil society landscape of Palestine, in an interview with George Rishma...

A visit to Bisan / Beit Shean 26.06.2023 31mnt

Beit Shean or Beisan as it is called by Palestinians because before 1948 it was called Beisan and it had a population of 6000 people, is mainly known for the excavation of the ancient city and it is sometimes compared to Pompeii that was preserved so well because of the volcanic eruption, in this case the remains of Roman and Byzantine Beit Shean were preserved after a major earthquake. The ruins remained undisturbed and are now part of an archaeological park. The history of Beit Shean ...

The Armenian Museum of Jerusalem 08.06.2023 54mnt

In a previous episode with Apo Sahagian, we talked about the Armenian community in Jerusalem. This episode is a deeper dive into the history of the Armenians and their presence in the holy land in general and in Jerusalem in particular. The newly renovated Edward and Helen Mardigian Armenian Museum of Jerusalem offers a wealth of stories about the Armenians of Jerusalem. A key attraction is the sixth century mosaic floor that was found in the Musrara neighborhood while a Palestinian f...

A visit to Akka / Akko / Acre 11.05.2023 41mnt

The Palestinians call it Akka, in English they say Acre, which goes back to how the Crusaders called the city, today we hear people referring to it as Akko and the root letters AK go back to the Egyptian execration texts in hieroglyphic script that mention AK already in the 19th century BC. Today we can talk about three parts of Akka: the old city inside the Ottoman walls on a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, the ancient city that dates back to early and middle bronze age on the Tel...

A visit to Asqalan 13.04.2023 37mnt

On the Mediterranean coast you can find the ruins of a city that first became a large sized city during the Canaanite period. Of this period the oldest brick wall and arched gate have been excavated and can now be visited. You can even pass through the gate! The National Park in which the ruins of Asqalan can be visited has some very interesting sites: the biggest Roman basilica found in the area, a Phoenician dog cemetery, an antilia (water wheel) that brought fresh water up from above...